At the end of the 1930s, John’s grandfather bought a farm and with his sons planted blueberry bushes in a peat bog. Just as his grandfather was one of the first farmers in the area to plant blueberries, in 1977 Pleasant Hill Farm became one of the first certified organic blueberry farms in Michigan. The farm is currently certified by On Mark. Pleasant Hill Farm still harvests berries off the original bushes along with other varieties planted over forty acres. John tests both the soil and leaves for any imbalances and corrects them with organic foliar sprays. Every year, he prunes each bush. Over the decades, Pleasant Hill Farm has planted miles of hedgerows to act as windbreaks for hayfields and the conifer trees are home to beneficial insects, small animals, and birds.
Each year hundreds of people gather to view the acres of wildflowers planted for both beauty and to feed pollinators. Pleasant Hill Farm frozen blueberries are available year-round for local pick up, are sold in nearby health food stores, and from September through May, they can be shipped to your door.