Kelly Ratajczak turns her hobby into a passion with her growing farm stand, The Koop.

In the heart of Munger, Mich. sits at an organic farm stand called The Koop, run by Kelly Ratajczak. Before branching out on her own, Kelly learned everything she knows from growing up alongside her mom, dad, 3 sisters, and 3 brothers. Together, they raise corn, soybeans, dry beans, wheat, and rye – all organically grown. Instead of relying on pesticides or herbicides, the family manages weeds through careful mechanical cultivation, a practice that reflects their commitment to stewarding the land.

Though Kelly grew up on a farm, she started her own operation in 2020 after purchasing land through GreenStone. The following year, she expanded again with another land purchase, continuing to blaze her own path while still working closely with her family’s operation.

The Koop began as a hobby but soon became Kelly’s passion project. Her goal is to focus her operation on direct-to-consumer sales. Currently, she sells farm-fresh eggs, beef shares, and beef tallow lotions and products. New this year, she’ll soon be offering sweet corn and pumpkins.

Kelly’s passion for providing organically raised, transparently grown food to her community is unmistakable. “I love talking to customers face-to-face and explaining how we grow things. That connection is important to me,” she said.

Kelly’s farm stand is located at her family’s main farm location. This summer she plans to expand into local farmers’ markets around Munger and Bay City, Mich.

Kelly first learned about GreenStone’s Cultivate Growth Grant at the 2025 Cultivate Growth Conference – an event she attended after her financial services officer encouraged her to go. The grant allowed her to enroll in the Joel Salatin course, a comprehensive program covering seven main topics, including: pastured broilers, laying hens, pigs, rabbits, beef, cattle grazing management, and direct-to-consumer marketing.

The course taught her everything she needed to know to make fruitful changes to her farm to be more successful and strengthened her commitment to raising food that’s good for the land and the consumer.

“The biggest changes were learning how to raise pastured broilers, expanding pastured laying hens, and improving cattle grazing… these will help me add more products to my stand,” Kelly said.

This spring, she constructed her first brooder box and began working on a chicken tractor. She plans to raise her first batch of pastured broilers later this summer while preparing to expand her laying flock and improve her cattle grazing practices using what she learned from the course.

“My biggest passion is taking care of the environment and land in the safest, best way. That’s why we farm organically. I believe pastured livestock is better for the land and for the consumer,” said Kelly.

During planting season, Kelly’s days start early and end late. A typical morning includes weeding sweet corn at sunrise, repairing equipment, planting dry beans, cultivating row crops, gathering and washing eggs, and feeding her chickens and cattle. “The days are long from April through harvest, but I love being outside,” she said. Despite the workload, Kelly’s energized by the direction her operation is heading.

Kelly encourages young, beginning, and small farmers to take advantage of the Cultivate Growth grant. “It’s a great opportunity to learn and grow your business. I’m very grateful GreenStone offers it.”

With new skills, new products, and a growing customer base, Kelly is excited to see where The Koop goes next. What started as a hobby is becoming much more – a business rooted in stewardship, community, and a passion for raising food the right way.