Meet Kyle Brisendine of Willow Farm

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyle Brisendine.  

Hi Kyle, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m Kyle Brisendine and along with my parents, Tom and Candy, we own and run Willow Farm. 

Tom and Candy are first-generation farmers and started farming all the way back in the 80s. I always joke that they were doing grass-fed before it was cool. What started as a few steers for beef became a small herd of cows. Then some pigs, then chickens. It’s entirely my fault we have sheep, when I was five, I got my first few sheep and have had sheep for over twenty years at this point. In the past few years, we have added goats and bees. 

Here at Willow Farm, we practice regenerative agriculture, which seeks to improve the resources it uses, rather than destroying and depleting them. Some of the ways we practice that include having all our animals spend their lives on lush, green pastures with plenty of fresh air and sunshine, as well as never using steroids, growth hormones, or unnecessary antibiotics 

We moved to this farm in the Autumn of 2011 and began work to restore the degraded land. Prior owners used conventional farming practices which left the soil bare and vulnerable to erosion and doused in harmful chemicals killing anything in its path. 

A lot of progress has been made since we moved in. The majority of the farm is now fenced, allowing us greater flexibility and better management of land and livestock alike. Fields are now covered in lush green forage, blooming with life. 

Growing up on the farm I could not imagine doing anything else for my future. The desire to farm in a way that works in harmony with nature led me all the way to Cirencester England where I got my bachelor’s degree in Agriculture at the Royal Agricultural University. 

After returning from college, I was bursting with new ideas to try here at the farm. In the Autumn of 2017, we opened our on-farm shop to enable our customers to come directly to the farm where their food was grown and meet those that raised it. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The past few years have certainly been a challenge for us, but it has also provided us with opportunities we wouldn’t have otherwise had. Due to the lack of meat processors, we have had difficulty getting dates to have the meat processed. And like everyone else we have struggled with rising prices, shortages, and shipping delays. 

But the pandemic has also helped us grow our customer base as countless more families started shopping at their local farms. I noticed a huge increase in Facebook groups dedicated to connecting farmers with customers searching for local food. 

We have been showing just how fragile and delicate food supply chains our and it has renewed our dedication to work at building a local food system to feed our community. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Willow Farm LLC?
Willow Farm is a small, regenerative farm located just outside of Homer Michigan. We raise grass-fed beef and lamb, in addition to pastured pigs and poultry. Our mission is to grow good food that nourishes you and your family while simultaneously working to heal the Earth. We believe that good food is best enjoyed locally and that stopping at the farm where the food was grown is part of the experience. That is why we created our on-farm shop to enable our customers to shop directly from the farmers. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.willowfarmllc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willowfarmllc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/willowfarmLLC
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPHTdmS-TAi3xopTARvPFxA

Image Credits
Kyle Brisendine