Michael spent 17 years in the Army National Guard as a Combat Engineer. He was deployed to Iraq twice(2003-2004, 2010-2011) with a primary mission of route clearance, which was searching for IED's and other explosive devices. He was medically retired in 2020 at the rank of Staff Sergeant.

"Farmer Veteran Coalition has given me a way of viewing and connecting with other veterans that have transitioned into a form of agriculture. I get to see their stories, where they came from to where they want to go. It's a nice tool to have as a way to share with people that are in the same shoes."

Auburn Homestead is a pumpkin patch that operates during 6 weekends in the fall. There are recreational activities along with a large petting zoo with animals that are our own and, on the farm, year-round. We bale 8 acres of hay and 3 acres of corn to feed our animals and two acres of pumpkins, gourds and squash that sell as well.

Michael grew up on a 50-cow dairy farm and enjoyed many aspects of it growing up. When his father-in-law retired from his small dairy operation, Michael and his wife saw an opportunity to keep the farm active with animals and harvesting the crops. Instead of dairy farming, they chose to do this by starting a pumpkin patch in the fall.

"I get a similar sense of service from farming by providing people, children especially, a way of interacting and connecting with our animals that they might not experience otherwise. By offering a hayride around the farm they can see the whole farm and get an idea of what goes into raising/feeding/caring for animals."

"American farmer to me means that I can raise my children with values of hard work, care, and service that I may not be able to give them in another setting. Also being able to raise your own meat and know where it comes from is a huge benefit nowadays."