INSIDE
: New owners, same place: The ‘old Wayside’ is back Volume 2, Issue 42 MARCH 14, 2025
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Hart family’s farmland purchased by Consumers Energy in auction By Mitch Galloway Reprinted with permission from Farm News Media
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Out on Jackson Road, east of Oceana Drive, hundreds of acres of land belonging to Todd Greiner Farms Packing LLC could become the site of a future renewable energy project, sources tell Michigan Farm News. On March 7, Consumers Energy placed the winning auction bid on roughly 800 acres of Todd Greiner Farms, an Oceana County fruit and vegetable farm that also packages product for many producers. The Greiners, who said they wanted to reduce acreage and focus on marketing and sales, have been farming in Hart for 30 years, growing everything from asparagus to cherries, and packing and selling asparagus and other vegetables. They plan to continue farming and packing. Consumers Energy confirmed the purchase but said site use — including use as a solar farm — will be determined later. An area producer who asked to remain anonymous due to his connection to local farmers said the sale “caught everyone off guard.” “A lot of people are worried about the tax base now,” he told Michigan Farm News. “If you’ve got 200 acres of land next to this, what’s this going to do for land prices,
The Greiners, who said they wanted to reduce acreage and focus on marketing and sales, recently auctioned 900 acres of farmland, above left, with Consumers Energy purchasing approximately 800 acres of the land (across numerous parcels, some seen above right), according to company spokesperson Tracy Wimmer. • Photos by Miedema Auctioneering/Reprinted with permission land rent, tax increases, and the availability of dirt that might lie next door to this? Realistically, in farming, we can’t compete with Consumers Energy.” In Michigan, the average acre of farm real estate in 2024 hit $6,310, according to USDA, which is up more than 7 percent year over year. According to Miedema Auctioneering Inc., Consumers Energy paid roughly $7,000 per acre for the Greiners’ farmland. As part of its Clean Energy Plan, Consumers Energy plans to add 8,000 megawatts of utility-scale power by 2040. Previously, the company said solar will “meet Michigan’s changing energy needs without building a large, new fossil fuel power plant.” The energy provider has already announced a project
in Calhoun County, dubbed Sunfish Solar Farm, which will be built over roughly 6,000 acres and capable of supplying 2 gigawatt-hours of renewable electricity per year. That’s enough to power roughly 183,500 Michigan households, according to Hecate Energy, the facility provider. Still, “a lot of growers are frustrated in the area,” said Michael DeRuiter, an Oceana County fruit grower who also serves as District 7 director for Michigan Farm Bureau. “This is why local control over zoning decisions is so important. We lost the local control over zoning issues in December of 2023, and this is kind of what we get. There are a lot of question marks right now in the local community.” Miedema Auctioneering Inc. hosted the March 7 and 8
auctions, where the firm sold off 900 acres of Greiner farmland and more than 30 of their tractors, trucks and trailers, and fruit and vegetable equipment. According to Miedema’s website listing of the auction, “Todd and Sarah Greiner of Todd Greiner Farms Packing LLC have been successfully farming for 30 years, raising asparagus, cherries, apples, as well as other crops and also packing and selling asparagus and other vegetables. They have decided to focus on marketing and selling Michigan asparagus, pumpkins and other vegetables, so they will be selling over 900 acres of land, including migrant housing, a beautiful cabin/home only two years old in the woods, plus prime farm land. They also will be selling a large lineup
of extremely well maintained, housed, farm equipment featuring over 30 tractors and over 30 trucks and trailers. The Greiners are known for taking very good care of their land and equipment. This auction offers prime real estate and well-maintained equipment selling at live public auction with Internet bidding. This will be an outstanding opportunity to buy from a successful farmer!” In a statement to “The Packer,” Todd Greiner said that by reducing total acreage, “we can better target our investments in time and resources and add value to better serve Michigan’s growers and ensure that the exceptional products from our region, like asparagus, sweet corn, and pumpkins, continue to reach consumers nationwide.”
Pentwater Village Council approves 2025-26 budget By AnnaMae Bush The Oceana Echo Community Correspondent The Pentwater Village Council met Monday, March 10, at Park Place for their monthly meeting. All council members, council treasurer and deputy clerk, Police Chief Laude Hartrum and village attorney Brian Monton, were present, along with eight community residents. The agenda included a public hearing for the proposed 2025-2026 budget. Department and Committee reports were given, followed by questions and discussion. The Services Committee summarized their special interim meeting to review the contract for operating the wastewater treatment plant. The group considered the questions raised at the February council meeting and met with staff from Infrastructure Alternatives Inc (IAI). Dave Bluhm, the committee chair, reported “We are confident that the IAI contract is a good contract which will provide the village with savings over the current year’s operational cost. We recommend approval of the contract.” Bluhm also gave an update about dredging the channel. “There is no doubt it needs to be done again this year. But we’ll have a better idea of how much needs to be done
when a depth sounding is made at the end of March. A dredging company has estimated the cost at $120,000 and they are willing to schedule it if the funds are secured by May 1. We need to come up with $80,000 in private donations in the next six to seven weeks.” Clerk/Treasurer Rande Listerman presented the proposed budget by individual funds and pointed out any significant changes from the current budget. One new expense was $15,000 for a part-time police department officer to help enforce ordinances during the busy summer months. Village utility bills are expected to increase by 4 percent, and the council plans to hold meetings with residents to explain why the increase is necessary. The council approved a recommendation from the finance committee for the village to divest itself of the water taxi service and the assets. Committee Chair Kathy O’Connor explained, “The service was initially established to ensure access to downtown without requiring travel through Hart, following the closure of Longbridge Road due to flooding. That service is no longer necessary. Repairs needed last year cost more than the original purchase price of the boat and liability insurance was an additional expense.” When questioned after the meeting about
what would happen with the boat, she reported, “There are parties who have expressed interest in buying the boat.” Total budget figures are difficult to ascertain because municipal budget reporting is required to be done by individual funds. Additionally, bond payments, grant funding and enterprise funds (direct billing and payment: village sewer, water, marina) complicate total figures. But calculations indicate that 20252026 revenue and appropriations will approximate $2.5M to $2.6M. The current fiscal year had unexpected expenses with the road repairs needed on Fourth Street, and the wastewater treatment plant costs exceeded the budgeted funds. However, surplus funds accumulated over the years easily covered the unbudgeted amounts and will be available if needs arise in the next fiscal year. Village Manager Rachel Witherspoon was excited to announce that a new software program is in process of installation that will make ordinance information accessible to all residents online. “If you want to know what ordinances are in effect for any situation (raising chickens, building setbacks, noise limits, rental regulations, etc.), you will be able to go to the village website, do a search for specific ordinance topics and find the information you need.”