We met when we were in the Navy and stationed in Naples, Italy. After the Navy, Patrick and I moved to rural Charlotte, Michigan, where I grew up. A few years after we married, we started the crazy life of hobby farming, raising Shetland sheep for their wool, chickens and ducks for their eggs, and a guard llama for even more entertainment. We call our farm Arbor Ridge Farm because of the woodland bordering several acres of pasture. After years of working in an office setting, we finally realized our longtime dream of starting a flower farm. And most days in the growing season you can find us in the field, cutting beautiful blooms and jamming out to Pandora. We still have our little menagerie, spin wool and like a lot of folky things associated with hobby farming, but Patrick’s at Arbor Ridge is definitely the prettiest part of Arbor Ridge Farm.

Patrick Barnes and Nancy Schippel