CommonGround Farmers
Love for the land, our families, our friends and our food – that’s what fuels our CommonGround community. Scroll down to learn where our volunteers are located, or Contact Us to get involved.
CommonGround Michigan
Back to Our Farmers
Melanie Block
Conklin, Michigan
Our Farm: pigs, produce, sheep
My Work: farmer, wife, mom, agriscience teacher
My Hobbies: baking, gardening, overall fitness, traveling
Ask Me About: animal welfare, food safety, hormones in meat and milk
About Me: My husband and I own and operate Lucky Star Farms, an all-natural meats and produce farm. We sell our meat directly to consumers and our produce directly to restaurants in our area. We also have two sons, and in my free time, I enjoy cooking, traveling and photography.
Instagram: @luckystarfarms2000

Janna Fritz
Bad Axe, Michigan
Our Farm: black beans, corn, navy beans, soybeans, wheat
My Work: farmer, wife, mom, seed salesperson
My Hobbies: baking, cooking, running, travel
Ask Me About: farm ownership, GMO foods
About Me: I am a city girl turned into country mom and wife. My husband works incredibly hard day-to-day on our farm operation. I work off the farm but support his efforts in any way I can. Together, we love to talk about agriculture and what we do on our farm. I am proud to live, work and raise our boys in rural America.
Facebook: Janna Krajci Fritz
Twitter: @Grins100

Rita Herford
Harbor Beach, Michigan
Our Farm: corn, edible beans, sugar beets, wheat
My Work: farmer, wife, mom
My Hobbies: baking, movies, travel, Zumba
Ask Me About: farm ownership, GMO foods, sustainability
About Me: My family farm is unique in that the women on our farm are full time farmers. My mom and I do everything the guys do: drive semis, run combines, planters and sugar beet equipment. I am passionate about agriculture, and I love talking to others about how we grow food for our family and community. Five years into my full time farming career, I picked up another full time job as a mother. My husband and I have one daughter, Alexis. We enjoy our busy life and wouldn’t want it any other way.
Facebook: GentnerBischerFarms
Twitter: @HerfordRita

Kristi Keilen
Westphalia, Michigan
Our Farm: alfalfa, corn, dairy, sorghum, soybeans, wheat
My Work: farmer, wife, mom, nutritionist
My Hobbies: arts and crafts, blogging, cooking, reading
Ask Me About: antibiotics and animal health, animal welfare, food safety, hormones in meat and milk, sustainability
About Me: Family is extremely important to me. In addition to my roles as wife, mom and farmer, I’m also a dairy nutritionist. On our farm, we milk around 450 cows three times a day. I love to have conversations with people about what we do and why we do it.
Facebook: Kristi Keilen, Once upon a dairy
Twitter: @Kristi Keilen
Snapchat: Kristi Keilen

Sharon Kokx
Hickory Corners, Michigan
Our Farm: corn, fruit, goats, vegetables
My Work: farmer, wife, mom
My Hobbies: arts and crafts, baking, reading, traveling
Ask Me About: animal welfare, antibiotics and animal health, farm ownership, food prices, food safety, hormones in meat and milk, organic and local foods, sustainability
About Me: My husband and I are both retired from our jobs off the farm and enjoy spending time with our kids and grandchildren. In my free time, I enjoy baking, hiking and traveling, and I’m involved in my local church. On our farm, we raise goats and run a farm market, where we grow gourds, melons, peppers, pumpkins, squash, super sweet gourmet sweet corn (which is a bi-colored corn with a sweet taste) and tomatoes. We sell our pumpkins and sweet corn to four grocery stores in the area. We love being full-time farmers and sharing our story of agriculture with our community.

Samantha Krhovsky
Corunna, Michigan
Our Farm: corn, soybeans, wheat, vegetables
My Work: farmer, wife, District Sales Manager with DEKALB Asgrow for Monsanto
My Hobbies: blogging, cooking, movies, photography, reading
Ask Me About: GMOs, sustainability and conservation, family farms
About Me: My husband is a 4th generation farmer and we farm alongside his parents in MI. When we are not farming, we enjoy roadside sales of sweet corn in the summer and pumpkins, gourds, broom and ear corn and straw in the fall. It is important to me to try and bridge the gap between consumers and the farm. With so much information at hand, it is hard to distinguish what the truth is. I hope that by sharing my experience I can shed some light on what we do on our farm, and give a better understanding to consumers about where their food comes from.
Facebook: Sassy Agronomist
Instagram: SassyAgronomist
Twitter: @SassyAgronomist

Renee McCauley
Lowell, Michigan
Our Farm: dairy
My Work: farmer, wife, mom
My Hobbies: photography, travel
Ask Me About: animal welfare, antibiotics and animal health, farm ownership, food safety, hormones in meat and milk
About Me: My husband and I work on the dairy farm where my parents raised me and where my mom still plays an active role. As my husband and I are starting the transition to ownership of the farm, we are exploring ways to improve cow comfort and sustainability. I am proud that our love for our cows and our care for their well-being is what drives our daily agendas. I participate in CommonGround so that I can share our farming approach with people who live in cities with little or no access to agriculture.
Twitter: @tumbleweedcows
Instagram: naynay4825
Snapchat: aunt_nay11

Carla Schultz
Mayville, Michigan
Our Farm: Corn, Soybeans, Wheat, Alfalfa, Chicken, Beef Cattle, Hog, Edible beans
My Work: Mom, entrepreneur, farmer, wheat flour sales specialist
My Hobbies: Baking, Biking, Cooking, Hiking, Overall fitness, Reading
Ask Me About: Animal welfare, Antibiotics and animal health, Farm ownership, Food prices, Food safety, GMO foods, Hormones in meat and milk, Organic and local foods, Sustainability
About Me: I farm in the beautiful state of Michigan with my family, raising crops and livestock. We run Eight Plates Farm, where we sell our farm raised protein online, at markets, restaurants, and through a few retail stores. We hope to add a farm store and add more events to directly connect with more customers. Through this outlet, I enjoy being able to connect with consumers and show them exactly where their food is coming from and answer any questions they may have.
Facebook: Eight Plates Farm: Grass Based Beef and Pork
Instagram: @eightplatesfarm

Jody Sharrard
Peck, Michigan
Our Farm: alfalfa, corn and sugar beets
My Work: farmer, wife, mom
My Hobbies: cooking, reading,
Ask Me About: animal welfare, sustainability
About Me: I grew up on a tiny dairy farm (20 milking cows) that is six miles from where I farm today. Our farm was recognized as a centennial farm in 2009. A centennial farm is a farm that is formally recognized by our state as being in operation by the same family for 100 years. My husband and I have three boys, ages 16, 14, and 12. The boys are active in sports year-round, but football is our passion. We are starting a new adventure this year. We have three gilts (female pigs that haven’t had babies) that we are planning to breed and raise the piglets (babies) for fair projects. Outside of the farm, I love to cook, read, do puzzles and be outside. I’m also active in our school, helping educate and promote agriculture (mostly the benefits of dairy) to the school kids.
Facebook: Sharrard Farms LLC

Carla Wardin
Saint Johns, Michigan
Our Farm: dairy cattle
My Work: farmer, wife, mom, writer, speaker
My Hobbies: hiking, photography, running, traveling
Ask Me About: animal welfare, antibiotics and animal health, farm ownership, hormones in meat and milk,
About Me: About Me: My husband, Kris, and I are sixth-generation farmers on my parents’ dairy farm in Michigan, but we didn’t start out as farmers. After we graduated from Michigan State University, we both worked in the corporate world for six years. My parents wanted to retire, so we quit our jobs, moved from Connecticut to Michigan and bought the farm. That was nine years ago, and we’re so glad we made this decision! We have three boys, and we love our farming life. In my spare time, I love blogging, reading, writing, teaching swimming lessons and playing the flute.
Website: Truth or Dairy
Facebook: Truth or Dairy
Twitter: @Carlashelley
Instagram: @Carlashelley