There are many ways that farming and agriculture impact our lives on a daily basis. Most of our food doesn’t magically appear in our grocery stores; it essentially comes from farms.
Macomb County is rural in the northern end of the county, offering plenty of farms for families to visit.
It seems like the closer you live to a farm, the fresher your food is. Also, the easier it is for you to shop at those farms for milk, fruits, vegetables and more. U-pick and farmers markets make this easier.
We spoke with co-owner of Westview Orchards & Winery, Katrina Roy. She co-owns Westview with her sister, Abby Jacobson, and brother-in-law, Bill Jacobson.
Introducing farming and agriculture to kids
As someone who drives the wagon on the farm and interacts with children daily, Roy knows the importance of shaping young minds.
“I tell the children that visit the farm that America feeds the world,” says Roy. “I remind them that I’m a farmer and that girls or boys can be farmers.” Most children, she says, don’t know that farmers can be women as well as men.
She talks about planting little seeds (no pun intended) into their minds because sometimes children don’t see the bigger picture. She explains that they do not have to be a farmer to work at the farm and that there are many careers they can go into if they want to help the industry.
“This could be a graphic design person designing the signs,” she says. “We also need electricians and plumbers on the farm.”
These are just a few of the jobs needed. There are plenty of other jobs at the farm that kids don’t associate with farming and agriculture. It forces kids to think outside of the box.
“For pretty much anyone that says they were in 4-H, I hire them,” says Roy. “They are able to take care of another living being and that is someone I want to work with.”
4-H is a non-profit organization that helps youth learn skills that will help them in the future. Most people think 4-H just focuses on farming, but the organization features other programs such as clothing, textiles, science, technology and more.
Experiencing Westview Orchards with your family
Westview Orchards & Winery has been around since 1813 and offers families a unique experience. I remember taking my son Jordan apple picking there on a field trip in preschool. One of his favorite parts was the wooden play structures.
“We have a 1 to 2-acre playground that we recently just replaced all of the wooden play structures on,” says Roy. “We also put in a giant John Deer tractor at the center of it.”
Along the playground and throughout the orchard, they have added picnic tables and built-in benches. This way, parents can sit down while watching their children play and families can easily take a break together when they need to.
“We also utilize the trees and old antiques to create photo ops for families,” she says. “We have a giant chair coming soon for photo ops, which we think will be a big hit.”
The farm has plenty of family-friendly attractions including a giant slide, wagon rides, apple cannons, a giant straw mountain, giant tire mountain, rope mountain, inflatable jumping pad and more.
“All of our areas are family friendly and buildings are handicap accessible,” says Roy. “We also encourage families with special-needs members to come on Mondays because that is the only day of the week we do not have large groups from schools coming.”
Be sure to check out other family-friendly events coming to Westview.
“The Sunflower Festival will take place Aug. 10-11 and Aug. 17-18,” she says. “There will be at least 20 different photo opportunities out there for families to take advantage of. Some families hire a photographer or set up their own tripods in the fields.”
Other events include Goat Yoga, Butterfly & Bloom, Sunset Sunflower Yoga, Sippin’ at Sunset and Game on Cancer. Be sure to register ahead of time for these events because they do sell out fast.
For more information on living and learning in Macomb County, visit Make Macomb Your Home. Find more articles like this at Metro Parent’s A Family Guide to Macomb County.
