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"Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.”
Frank Lloyd Wright |
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| VISITOR CENTER & OPEN BARN |
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Farm Store
| When you find something that you love in our farm store here at Bowers, you are not only supporting agricultural education at the farm, but you are supporting hyperlocal businesses in our community as well.
We are proud to now carry farm focused products from retail partners like Hankaroo Readings, Library on Linwood, Tom & Herb, and Alpine Crossings Family Farm!
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In making our farm, your farm too, we would love to know what meats you'd be interested in purchasing from the farm. Please complete this survey to let us know. |
| Meat survey |
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Farm Kitchen |
Come on out to the farm kitchen and get it while it’s hot! We have fresh sourdough bread made throughout the day, baked from a 237-year-old heirloom San Francisco starter. We also just recently added a gluten free sourdough! |
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Join us at Open Barn for some new programs. Become a Farm Member for free admission to Open Barn.
| International Composting Awareness Week!
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Celebrate with us on May 10 -11. Join us on the farm during Open Barn to learn about the positive impact of compost and healthy soil. Screenings of Kiss the Ground (family friendly) will be shown on May 10, with composting systems tour and demos on May 10 &11. |
Bowers "Farm After Five" at Open Barn! | Enjoy art, live music, bonfires, local vendors, and fresh fare from the Bowers Farm Kitchen. For the 21+ crowd, Friends of Bowers Farm will sponsor a beer garden. Select Friday evenings this summer!
Dates: June 28, July 26, Aug. 23.
Call for Art for Farm After Five
Looking for artists of all ages, mediums, and skill levels to help fill the Farm with artwork as an exciting layer to “Farm After Five". Organized by Maus Haus Gallery. |
| Learn more here |
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Farm Detectives |
Explore the joys and mysteries of life on the farm! Students become detectives to help us solve BIG questions. What do the animals on the farm need to be healthy? And how can we, as farmers, help care for the animals? This program is designed for classrooms and school groups of any age! Dates available for June! |
| Details & Register Here |
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Summer Camp (ages 3-13)
We still have a few spaces available! Join us for a week of outdoor farm fun and adventure in June - August.
Summer Stewards Leadership Program (ages 14-18)
This program helps develop critical leadership skills and gain fundamental job readiness experiences while volunteering at Summer Camp. |
| Summer Camp Info & Registration |
Hop into Summer (ages 3-5 with an adult) Summer is nearly here! Hop on over to Bowers to see what’s buzzing.
Farm School (ages 3-10) An immersive, hands-on, getting dirty, learning big, and exploring what it takes to help keep the farm moving along!
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Mane to Tail (ages 4 - 8 with adult) | Join us in an introductory program for your child ages 4 - 8 years old to experience the basics around horses and ponies. This is a 3-week program with 1-hour classes scheduled each week. |
| Program registration details |
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FLOWER BASKETS SALE for FFA
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Support FFA and purchase farm grown hanging baskets in the farm store. |
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Pre-orders for Michigan native plants is by May 8. Pick-up and on-site sales are May 18.
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Purchase a Harvest Club for your access to discounts on fresh produce from our farm fields. |
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Some of our livestock have returned to the hillside pasture on Square Lake Road, which always creates excitement. You'll see Kronk, the llama, has his summer haircut and is ready to party on the hill! A reminder to all who may be walking by, please do not feed the livestock. It can lead to digestive issues and other health concerns.
| Some of the hardest working students on the farm are around at Open Barn. This group of 16 kids have earned the opportunity to raise an animal and take it to the Oakland County Fair in July. They are learning about basic care, nutrition, hair care, and honing their skills when it comes to showmanship. A care and showmanship clinic was led by Troy Markley, a supporter of our youth programs and a local beef cattle farmer. |
THANK YOU to the Rochester Tractor Supply Company and their store manager, Joe for donating this wonderful barn fan to our FFA and 4-H Programs. This fan was a fundraising goal item and the students were left speechless to learn their wish quickly became a gift. |
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Thanks to all the volunteers who helped us spread wood chips and prepare the pumpkin patch on Earth Day! Work is ramping up in the production garden with our most time consuming task of preparing beds for planting. We spread a few inches of compost over every bed and added woodchips to the pathways between the beds. We are planting more than 40 beds in May. Compost is such a big part of our farming philosophy as it physically raises the beds, which in our case is key to dealing with our compaction and drainage issues. It also adds fertility, improves the structure of the soil, increases organic matter, and feeds beneficial organisms in the soil.
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Welcome our new Kitchen Manager - Chef Kathy
Summers on the farm in northern Michigan have inspired Kathy’s enthusiasm for cooking, baking, and gardening. The 24 years of culinary experience have helped her to create vibrant and delicious baked goods and farm-to-table concepts for our kitchen.
"With a degree in both culinary and baking and pastries, I am excited to use my experience to bring the fresh food we grow and raise to the table for the community to enjoy." |
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We have a partnership with the Detroit Zoo’s "Gorilla on the Line" conservation project, where we serve as a collection site for people to drop off old cellphones and tablets. Learn more here and bring in your old technology when the Farm Store is open.
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I Believe in Magic
| "When a child sees a forest as magical, a precious link between humans and nature clicks together. This bond is the greatest protection a forest will ever need."
A experiential story written by instructional guide, Christie. |
| Read the full story here |
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Looking for other interesting opportunities?
Check out our sister site at Johnson Nature Center. | Summer Camp: There are still spots available. |
| Learn more here |
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