I worked for 19 years at a Christian mental health services organization, as a registered occupational therapist. After our children were all in school, I went back to school, attending Western Michigan University for the second time to obtain a Masters Degree in Social Work, completing this at age 41.
I worked for Kentwood Public Schools as an Elementary Counselor for 17 years and then, along with my husband Morrie (also a school social worker), retired in June of 2013.
That is when we began exploring the possibility of starting a hops farm with family members, including my son and his wife. We hope to be a “green” enterprise, an environmentally safe farm and to provide the best hops for local brewers to participate in the micro-brew industry developing in Western Michigan as a vital part of the new economy here.
Since this is brand new to us, we have been taking as many hop-related workshops, and classes in sustainability and pest management as possible at Michigan State University. I have toured several farms, worked along side a few farmers and spoken with county officials to educate myself on environmental safety and local codes.
Our decision making around this “encore” was rather spontaneous. My husband and myself are retirement age, but are still too young to sit in Florida. Our son has a college degree in business, but doesn’t enjoy wearing a suit or sitting behind a desk. He is taking agriculture and biology classes to further his interest in sustainability. He and his wife also enjoy the local beer scene. The idea of hop growing began on a whim, but we decided it was a good time to jump into this adventure.
(Read this article about the Dieleman’s encore.)