13 Questions (sponsored content

{ 13 Questions } 13 Questions With Mike Witkop

Berry picking, corn mazes, pizza, beer, and family friendly fun on Jacob’s Farm

Mike Witkop is living the dream, and he wants to share it with you. Mike owns, operates -- and lives on -- Jacob’s Farm (named after Mike's Great Grandfather) on M-72 in Traverse City. It’s a u-pick berry farm. It’s a wedding venue. It has a corn maze in the fall and crosscountry skiing in the winter. It’s a restaurant. It hosts live music and serves local beer. And it’s a working farm. The Express posed 13 Questions to Mike about Traverse City’s year-round farm experience.

1 > This place is pretty incredible. And it feels like a

bit of a hidden gem!

Thank you. Yes, we get great feedback from people who come out to experience the farm, whether they’re bringing the kids to pick berries or have dinner and enjoy a drink and live music, or even for an event or wedding. But of course to me, it’s also my childhood home.

2 > Right! Tell us about that.

Well, it’s been a part of my family since 1892, when M-72 was a dirt road, and my ancestors went into Traverse City in the fall to get sugar and salt to last the winter. I’m the fourth generation, and if you were here last Thursday, you would have seen the sixth generation helping out on the farm!

3 > And you grew up right on this property. What

was that like?

It was wonderful. And it was also hard work. I remember once I got to have a sleepover at a friend’s house and experienced Saturday morning cartoons for the first time -- because we were always up early working on the farm!

4 > And this farm became a destination for your

extended family, too, right?

Yes. Every Christmas cousins and aunts and uncles would open presents at their homes, but then come here to be together. Great memories. 6 > But you went way beyond just a simple family

farm…

Well, it all was rooted in how to cash-flow the farm. How to make it pay for itself year-round. And right about then, in 2005/2006, Don Coe and Black Star Farms were really taking off. And I spent some time with Don, and started to think about ‘what could we do to make this farm come alive and still pay for itself?’ And that’s when the corn maze idea came about.

7 > What became Jacob’s Corn Maze also became

a wildly popular fall destination for local families and out-of-towners.

Yes, we were seeing about 8,500 people in a sixweek period every fall. But eventually I began to wonder what more this great, Centennial farm could become.

8 > And now today, there’s so much going on

here. It’s a beautiful 40 acres dotted with sights and things to do. Seems like it’s all come together.

Yes, it’s been several years and a lot of work. I have to credit Laverna and our partners, Troy Daily and Nate Crane, as well. The four of us and our team here have really built a place families love to come enjoy year-round.

9 > You mentioned people love the place. Are

there specific parts people point out as favorites?

It really rotates with the seasons. All spring and summer we see families coming -- some even bringing their dogs -- to pick berries and then just kick back and have dinner and a drink while the kids play. In the winter, people love to come out and cross-country ski or attend one of our weekend events on-site. 11 > What can people look forward to on the farm

this fall?

Well, we just created our 14th maze, and I’m proud to say it’s another world-class maze. By September we’ll have people picking Honeycrisp apples, strolling in the meadow, trying the maze, and hopefully staying a few hours more for our fantastic pizzas or unique salads and a brew.

12 > It’s really Traverse City’s farm!

It’s starting to feel like it, yes, because we see so many folks that live right here, and so many visitors to the area stop by. We’re only three miles from downtown.

13 > And you live right here, right in the middle of

it all! Does it ever feel like too much literally right in your backyard?

5 > And then later in life when your father passed away, I know you were a banker. What happened next?

My father passed away at 58, and I had just turned 19. I soon got married and took on my career, but the farm became a question mark -- and really a bit of a lure for me. Eventually my wife Laverna and I decided to take the farm over, move here, and bring it back to life.

10 > The diversity here is incredible. And then you

also host weddings and private events.

That part of the farm has absolutely taken off. We’re hosting weddings in the historic barn or outside basically every weekend in spring, summer and fall. We get excellent feedback from those who have done it.

Oh, no. Laverna and I love it. There’s nothing that does the heart more good than looking out my window and seeing a young family with their golden retriever and the kids tossing rocks into the pond, just enjoying what we’ve built here.