{"id":2331,"date":"2019-09-12T12:48:25","date_gmt":"2019-09-12T16:48:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/?p=2331"},"modified":"2019-09-12T12:48:25","modified_gmt":"2019-09-12T16:48:25","slug":"growing-hope-in-benzie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/growing-hope-in-benzie\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing Hope in Benzie"},"content":{"rendered":"

New Dawn Fields produces fresh food and healing<\/em><\/p>\n

By Greta Bolger
\nCurrent Contributor<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you encounter \u201cFarmer Carol\u201d at the Grow Benzie<\/a> hoop house or at the farmers\u2019 market in Elberta on Thursdays, you will find a friendly, knowledgeable, 30-something woman offering shiitake mushrooms, multiple varieties of garlic, fresh flowers, herbs, and other produce. <\/p>\n

What you will not see right away is the deep sense of mission behind this start-up, incubator farmer\u2014a vision to create a non-profit enterprise to heal, empower, and employ survivors of intimate partner abuse and sexual assault.<\/p>\n

As a survivor herself, Carol Bontekoe is well aware of the long road of recovery from such abuse, and she has dedicated herself to creating a path back for others. <\/p>\n

Now in its early stages, New Dawn Fields exists to nurture plants and people for a healthier future. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why I named it \u2018New Dawn Fields,\u2019\u201d Bontekoe says. \u201cA new dawn is a fresh start, and that\u2019s what survivors need.\u201d<\/p>\n

World Traveler Turned Farmer<\/strong>
\nBontekoe grew up as the fourth of five children on a dairy farm in Marion, Michigan, about 10 minutes south of McBain. She attended high school in Greenville, which is about halfway between Grand Rapids and Mt. Pleasant, and went on to Michigan State University (MSU), where she studied political science and was on the track and field team as a \u201cthrower\u201d\u2014shot put, discus, and hammer.<\/p>\n

After college, she joined the Peace Corps and went to Kyrgyzstan,<\/a> in Central Asia, where she taught English and girls\u2019 sports. From there, her stops included The Netherlands, Alaska, Chicago, and Savannah, Georgia. As a way to \u201creset her life\u201d following the trauma of intimate partner violence, she spent six months hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine with her foxhound, Leo (trail name: \u201cSir Barks-a-Lot\u201d).<\/p>\n

In May 2018, Bontekoe made her home in Benzie County, where she has launched New Dawn Fields. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a beautiful area,\u201d Bontekoe says. \u201cIt was important for me to be in Northern Michigan. I really like the people in this area, and having so many great libraries around here sealed the deal. A job at Grow Benzie made it possible for me to move here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Organic Methods and Collaboration<\/strong>
\nBontekoe began working at Grow Benzie as the groundskeeper and winter program manager just over a year ago. At the same time, she enrolled in MSU\u2019s Organic Farmer Training Program<\/a>, a seven-month program that met all day long every Monday. <\/p>\n

\u201cOrganic produce farming is completely different than dairy farming,\u201d she says. \u201cI made that long commute to East Lansing every week to learn what I needed to know to farm in a healthful and sustainable way.\u201d <\/p>\n

In MSU\u2019s Organic Farming Program, Bontekoe also learned the business of small-scale farming, particularly the idea of \u201ccommunity-supported agriculture,\u201d commonly known as CSA. <\/p>\n

Early in the 2019 season, she offered shares in \u201cThe Harvest Club\u201d for $100, which entitled members to $110 worth of produce during the growing season. These funds helped with the start-up costs for this beginning farmer, including seeds, a transplanter, trellising, and soil amendments. <\/p>\n

Throughout the growing season, Harvest Club members have been able to pick up their desired items at the Grow Benzie and Elberta farmers\u2019 markets, as well as from the cooler at Grow Benzie, using the \u201dhonor box\u201d next to the cooler.<\/p>\n

Bontekoe farms an outdoor plot at Grow Benzie, as well as growing flowers and vegetables inside the hoop house on the property. In addition, she collaborates with others to grow and harvest other foods. A collaboration with her father has produced her most successful crop to date\u2014fresh garlic\u2014which is grown on the family farm in Marion. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been great growing the garlic with my dad,\u201d she says. \u201cA lot of people feel that fresh garlic has more flavor than dried garlic, and our several varieties give cooks a lot of flavor profiles to choose from.\u201d <\/p>\n

The pair grows Purple Italian, Purple Glazer, Music, Siberian, Red German, and Bogatyr garlics, and Bontekoe is happy to explain the uniqueness of each variety to customers.<\/p>\n

Keeping Farming Alive<\/strong>
\nBontekoe also took over the Ware Farm\u2019s shiitake mushroom harvest this year, which yielded 175 pounds of delicious mushrooms, another good seller. (For those who are unaware: the 170-acre Ware Farm is owned and operated out of Bear Lake by Sandee and Bernie Ware. It was an organic-growing favorite of many people for decades, until the couple retired recently.) <\/p>\n

According to Bontekoe, the average family farmer today is in his or her late 50s\u2014and farmers over 65 outnumber farmers under 35 by a ratio of six to one. This does not bode well for the local food movement. That is why she believes it is so important to support incubator farmers at a facility like Grow Benzie.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe improvements I strive for here at Grow Benzie are not just for me,\u201d Bontekoe says. \u201cI\u2019m thinking ahead to the next incubator farmer who grows here, and the one after that. It\u2019s not easy for younger people to carve out a living in Benzie. Hopefully what we\u2019re doing now will make the work of the next new farmer at bit easier.\u201d<\/p>\n

Long-Term Vision <\/strong>
\nThose who are fortunate enough to never have suffered the trauma of sexual abuse or domestic violence may not realize that \u201cmoving on\u201d is not a short-term proposition. Though there are many organizations and resources available for victims of abuse, often their programs are not long enough or comprehensive enough to deal with the complex aftermath of abuse, which can include destroyed credit, loss of employment, lack of job skills, and nowhere to live. <\/p>\n

In Bontekoe\u2019s experience, survivors often need more time\u2014like two or three years\u2014to get back on their feet emotionally, mentally, and financially. <\/p>\n

For these reasons, Bontekoe\u2019s ultimate dream is to create a non-profit residential farm\u2014including a house and at least five acres\u2014to provide survivors with jobs, a place to live, support, and community in a collaborative, non-competitive environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if the skills they learn don\u2019t lead them into farming as an occupation, they will know how to grow food to feed themselves and their families,\u201d Bontekoe says. \u201cDoing the physically demanding and often repetitive tasks of farming can also be meditative and calming. It\u2019s a great environment for healing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bontekoe likens the residential farm of her dreams to the county \u2018poor farms\u2019 that were established based on an 1830s Michigan law which required each county to have a \u2018poor house\u2019 to provide housing, jobs, and stability to people in poverty. (Interestingly, Bontekoe\u2019s great-grandparents ran such a farm in Sears, Michigan, in Osceola County. Also, the property where Grow Benzie is located now was once the location of Benzie County\u2019s poor farm.)<\/p>\n

Though Bontekoe is not in a position to hire anyone yet, she is working with a few volunteers and hopes to have a self-sustaining organization in the future. The dream is to generate enough revenue from produce sales to pay the workers and maintain the farm. Anything beyond that, in the form of donations or grants, would be used to expand and improve farming operations and housing. <\/p>\n

Until her vision comes to full fruition, Bontekoe plans to continue farming at Grow Benzie through next summer, while she continues to seek out a permanent location for New Dawn Fields.<\/p>\n

But her focus will remain on creating a healing environment. <\/p>\n

\u201cI hope to become certified in horticultural therapy,\u201d Bontekoe says. \u201cThere is research going on now about the therapeutic value of working with plants. I know it\u2019s been very helpful for me.\u201d <\/p>\n

Meet Bontekoe and learn more about New Dawn Fields by visiting the Elberta Farmers\u2019 Market on Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. through October. Or contact her at NewDawnFields@gmail.com. <\/em><\/p>\n

Photo Caption:<\/strong> \u201cFarmer Carol\u201d Bontekoe and her foxhound, Leo, in the hoop house at Grow Benzie. Photo by Greta Bolger.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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