Zack and Sarah Zastrow both knew farming was their calling from a young age. “I served in the Army and attended college for a while, but only ever wanted to be back on the farm,” Zack explained. “I grew up farming and realized pretty quickly that was what I needed to be doing.”
For Sarah, her love of agriculture comes from her passion for connecting people with the food they eat. As a certified exercise physiologist and nutrition professor at a nearby community college, the most rewarding part of agriculture for her is educating people on where their food comes from.
“My love for health and wellness goes back to where it starts, on the farm,” said Sarah. “Where our food comes from and our health and nutrition should be very streamlined, yet in most people’s eyes those two things are very different. I love that farming allows me to educate people on where their food comes from, what it does for your body, and how you can use the foods you eat to feel better.”
Building from the Ground Up
Zack and Sarah both grew up on their family cash crop operations farming corn and soybeans. In 2017, Zack and Sarah established ZZ Farms, LLC located in Merrill, Mich., and have hit the ground running ever since.
“We built our farm from the ground up, and with a lot of support from family have been able to expand our operation over the past seven years,” said Zack. “In 2018, with the help of GreenStone, we were able to purchase 40 acres of vacant property from my aunt and uncle to start farming our own land.”
Zack and Sarah’s relationship with GreenStone started with a referral from Michigan Farm Bureau, when the Zastrows were looking for options to get financing to start their own farm. “Years before we bought the land, they pointed us to GreenStone and the CultivateGrowth program that provides financing for young, beginning, and small farmers,” explained Sarah. “Then when we were ready to go out on our own, GreenStone helped us secure the land we needed to start our own farm.”
Zack and Sarah began working with Courtney Ross, who served as their financial services officer and now manages GreenStone’s CultivateGrowth program.
“When we first started farming on our own, there was so much for us to learn,” said Sarah. “Courtney just made it so easy for us. We’ve gotten pretty close with her over the past few years, and we consider her a friend. She’s always been very honest and upfront about what we needed to do.”
“We really appreciated the step by step help she gave us,” added Zack, “We were both in our 20s when we bought the farm, and that’s pretty young to be starting any business let alone your own farm. GreenStone made it possible for us though.”
What started as just empty land has now transformed into the fully operational corn and soybean farm that Sarah and Zack proudly continue to expand each year. In 2020, they opened up a roadside farm stand to start selling garden fresh vegetables including sweet corn, pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers, and a variety of other seasonal items. Their vegetables are also delivered weekly to nearby grocery stores, providing those in their community with locally grown produce.
The Zastrow Family
Passion that Impacts the Industry
There’s no question about Zack and Sarah’s dedication to agriculture and love for what they do. In addition to running their own farm, Zack still works full-time on his grandparents’ farm combining his passion for agriculture and continued learning with their decades of experience. “We hope to continue taking pieces of what both of our families taught us and apply them to our own operation and our own experiences. We wouldn’t be where we are today without the support we’ve received from both of our families,” said Zack.
Family business relationships, as well as the overall wellbeing of farmers, family members, and farm employees is a topic that is especially important to Sarah as well. When she’s not on the farm or in the classroom, she also heads up her own podcast, offers personalized coaching, and speaks on topics such as the importance of stress management on the farm and how to effectively have the conversation of succession planning within family farms.
“With both of us coming from farming backgrounds of our own families and then starting a farm of our own, these topics are really important to me, and I want to be able to share as much as I can with what I’ve learned with other young farmers who want to know how to approach that conversation with their family members,” she said.
Zack and Sarah are also looking forward to joining GreenStone at our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C. and attending the Farm Credit Fly-In in November for the opportunity to share their story with lawmakers and continue to advocate for young farmers in a rapidly changing agricultural landscape.
Inspiring Others in Agriculture
The Zastrows passion for what they do and creating positive changes within the industry is one of the many reasons Courtney enjoys working with them.
“Sarah and Zack are the kind of customers that make me excited about my job,” she said. “They’re not only passionate about their own operation, but about agriculture as a whole. From the beginning, they were great to work with. They really wanted to understand and learn what was behind the financial aspect of operating a farm. I’m excited to attend the fly-in with them in November as they really are such a great representation for young, beginning, and small farmers.”
Sarah and Zack are excited to continue growing their operation and continue advocating for the wellbeing of those in the agricultural industry and family business operations.
“Our goal is to continue growing our farm, taking what we’ve learned from our families while making our farm our own,” they said. “When we first went out on our own, the support we received from GreenStone and Courtney in seeing our vision and helping it come to life set us up for success. When you have a lender who believes in you, it makes something like starting your own farm from the ground up attainable. The support we received from GreenStone throughout our journey is another reason why we want to continue positively impacting and supporting other family farms and young, beginning, small farmers too.”
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