Lake Effect farmstand fills food access gap in Copper Harbor
Lake Effect Farm co-owner Adam Millsap with the Lake Effect farmstand in Copper Harbor. Photo courtesy of Lake Effect Farm.
Correction: In an earlier version of this story, Melissa Young-Millsap’s name was misspelled.
This past July, Lake Effect Farm opened its non-conventional outdoor farmstand at the Gas Lite General Store in Copper Harbor (AKA ‘the Genny’). The stand is essentially a large refrigerator within a weather-proof shed, built by the crew at Lake Effect Farm. Farm-fresh produce is available for purchase by the honor system, where customers leave funds in the cash box or use the touchscreen to make a debit/credit card purchase and then help themselves to the fresh veg.
The partnership formed between Lake Effect Farm and the Gas Lite General Store ensures access to nutritious, fresh food for the residents of Copper Harbor and the surrounding area, reducing the region’s reliance on imported goods, a major asset in the geographically isolated peninsula. It also often fosters community engagement, wherein residents know where their food comes from and the people behind its production.
Melissa Young-Millsap checks crops growing at Lake Effect Farm. Photo by Lily Venable.
“The Genny does an incredible job with all kinds of dry goods and more,” said Adam Millsap, co-owner of Lake Effect Farm. “But produce, it’s really hard for grocery stores because you have to have a high volume of customership to make those numbers work. But we can harvest daily and hold things in the field for as long we need, so we’re able to cover the gap.”
The farmstand has gained positive reception and feedback from the community that, according to Millsap, has been reflected in sales, too.
“One of the benefits of being in a close-knit community like Copper Harbor is that word travels fast,” says Millsap. “If you’ve got something good going, they show up right away.”
Lake Effect Farm is located in Trail’s End Campground, featuring acres of property, its own pond, and several greenhouses, complete with an efficient automated watering system built by Millsap.
Their website proudly boasts their namesake, a tribute to the agricultural conditions caused by Lake Superior: “The Lake Effect, a thermodynamic heat bubble caused by Lake Superior, makes it possible for us to be here, farming the North Coast in a zone 5b.”
The farmstand will continue to be open for as long as the farm is producing crops and looks forward to next year’s season of bounty.
From left to right, Lake Effect Farm owners Melissa Young-Millsap and Adam Millsap and farmhands Nick Niffin and Kathryn Little. Photo by Lily Venable.
