American Western Fruit Grower

The Right To Farm: Sisters Katrina Schumacher and Abby Jacobson stay active on the state and local levels to ensure agritourism flourishes in Michigan.

By Ann-Marie Vazzano

"Harvey Bowerman got by selling his fruits and vegetables at Detroit’s Eastern Market in the 1920s and 1930s, until one morning, his truck already loaded with peaches to deliver, he received a phone call from the market telling him not to bother. They had an abundance of peaches and didn’t want any more.

But it didn’t take Harvey, a man of ingenuity, very long to come up with a solution. That very morning, he pulled his truck up to the corner of Earle Memorial Highway and the Detroit Urban Railroad trolley stop and set up shop, selling his fresh peaches straight to consumers. With that, Westview Orchards’ direct marketing operation was born."

Read the rest of this article at http://www.growingproduce.com/americanfruitgrower/?storyid=3252.