"Alternative agriculture is 'real agriculture'. What could be more real than figuring out just what your own microclimate needs, how to thwart pests without resorting to toxins and how to effectively market farm products?" - Sue Raker, owner and operator of Cloverland Apiary, Calumet, Michigan

Interview with Sue Raker

Sue Raker, owner and operator of Cloverland Apiary in Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula, is no stranger to hard work. Doing the majority of the work on her 120-acre farm, Sue has carved out a spot for herself as one of Michigan's most dedicated agriculturalists. With a long family history of Michigan farmers, Sue states, "My cousins were my heroes and heroines as I grew up, and their farming and mechanical skill is something I strive to emulate to this day." Besides her family, Sue also credits the farming women she worked with for 17 years in Montana for her love of agriculture.

Sue's ownership and operation of her farm is the product of a lifetime interest in and commitment to agriculture. She explains that every other job she has had in her life has been "for the explicit purpose of gaining access to knowledge about agriculture, obtaining real world experience, or simply raising the funds to purchase my own farm." This has included stints in the United States Army in both Vietnam and Bosnia, working on ranches in Montana, working as a forester, fighting forest fires, marking timber, participating in forestry and wood products research, doing public radio work, and working as a postal clerk. Her experience in agricultural research has been in the supervision of "alternative" projects. Sue believes that farming is the only occupation where people are held accountable for their own decisions and mistakes. However, she also believes that there is no other field "that compares to the sense of accomplishment and achievement that comes with each lesson learned, each product sold, and the seasonal rhythms of life." Instead of the stressful routine that is most Americans' morning -- having coffee in a rush and listening to 'drive time' radio -- Sue instead spends her mornings scanning a regional small farm paper, planning her day, and listening to the weather. The sense she gains from this daily experience is far more real than "working away." Sue claims, "I could never go back to an office job!"

In this way, small-scale agriculture is the "last 'real' culture we have in this country." Instead of using the term "alternative agriculture" to describe the growing trend of smaller-scale, non-corporate, nonviolent techniques of farming, Sue prefers to call it "real agriculture." Sue states, "What could be more 'real' than figuring out just what your own microclimate needs, how to thwart pests without resorting to toxins, and how to effectively market farm products?" In an attempt to keep her farm and her bees as unaffected by chemical contaminants as possible, Sue farms organically, uses non-GMO seeds and regional "heritage" seeds, uses green manure crops, crop rotations, and non-chemically treats her bees for mites and disease.

Sue explains that currently Michigan is at an incredible crossroads. She explains that once upon a time, Michigan was an agricultural mecca and had a diversity of crops and products seldom seen in other areas. However, the integration of larger industries gripped the state's economy and caused "jobs and benefits to disappear like Lake Michigan fog on a sunny morning." Despite the aftermath of a beat-up economy, damaged infrastructure, and pollution, Sue feels confident that it can all be turned around. Through local agriculture and utilization of the very unique and potentially profitable climate and terrain Michigan possesses, the situation can be changed. "All that we have to do is look at the past in Michigan and take stock of the role agriculture played prior to the auto and chemical industries ripping our social and environmental fabric apart."

In Sue's experience, the most frustrating part of being a woman in agriculture is that "after all these years, women are still not taken seriously." Sue explains that the agriculture bureaucracy is the most frustrating part; her experiences with USDA, Veteran's hospitals, and the State of Michigan have all discounted her involvement on her own farm. Instead, her work has been ascribed to a male counterpart, as the agencies have been unable to deal with a woman who is succeeding in a traditionally male-dominated role. Sue states that "some days I wonder if women are invisible."

Despite the sometimes discouraging experiences Sue has had, she emphasizes the importance of having women involved in agriculture, and offers advice and hope to those wanting to get involved. Sue states, "My advice to other women in agriculture is not to quit or give up your path or your dream, but instead focus on getting experience and finding creative ways to edge into agriculture. The path to productive ownership of a farm may be a long and rocky one, but let each step teach you and bring you closer to your goal." In doing so, Sue emphasizes the importance of taking responsibility for oneself and one's future. She recommends taking a welding class and learning how to determine the quality of farm machinery. Through knowledge and determination, a woman can succeed in agriculture, although it takes a lot of heart too. Sue warns against becoming discouraged; however, "Farming is damned hard work if you love it and hell on earth if you don't!" At the end of the day though, "As you sit down and look around you, and think of your own full pantry and the smiles of your customers as you sold the fruits of your labor, you will feel a satisfaction and sense of accomplishment no other occupation could ever offer."