A Common Pasture

A Common Pasture was established in 2024 as a collaborative effort between three small-scale livestock farms located in Southwestern Michigan: Blooming Acres Farm (Bloomingdale, established 2021), Sandy Creek Farm (South Haven, established 2019), and Thunderfoot Farms (Paw Paw, established 2016). www.thunderfootfarms.com In 2025 we added our fourth farm Silly Goose Acres (Plainwell, established 2023). United by a shared commitment to regenerative agriculture, soil health, animal welfare, and environmental stewardship, these farms came together to create a more sustainable, community-focused approach to raising and marketing pasture-based meats—with a focus on pasture-raised pork.

A Common Pasture was founded on the belief that pork can and should be raised differently. Our pigs are raised on open pasture with rotational grazing systems that allow them to express natural behaviors while contributing to the health of the land. This approach not only improves animal welfare, but also supports biodiversity, builds soil fertility, and produces exceptional pork with rich, distinctive flavor.

Each member farm raises our livestock according to the principles of regenerative agriculture, with an emphasis on conservation, natural cycles, and ecological balance. All pastures and animals on our farms are Certified Naturally Grown, a peer-reviewed certification that ensures transparency and adherence to high standards—without synthetic chemicals or genetically modified grains.

Through this cooperative model, A Common Pasture enables its member farms to pool resources, coordinate processing and logistics, share infrastructure, and offer a broader range of high-quality, ethically raised pork to local markets.

A Common Pasture represents a new model of cooperative farming—one rooted in transparency, sustainability, and meaningful connections between producers and consumers. Our mission is to reconnect people with their food in a way that supports healthy ecosystems, resilient rural communities, and humane animal husbandry.

Meet the Farmers of "A Common Pasture Collective"

Blooming Acres

Daniel and Emily Brown

Bloomingdale, Michigan

Daniel and Emily, a Michigan boy and a Minnesota girl, moved to Bloomingdale in 2021 with a dream and a head full of ideas. Blooming Acres Farms was born out of a shared passion for animal welfare, regenerative agriculture, and meaningful community connection.

Through exploration and trial, we discovered our calling: pasture-raised livestock. Starting with conventionally farmed acreage gave us the opportunity to witness firsthand the transformative power of regenerative practices.

This journey has deepened our purpose—to raise animals in harmony with the land, as naturally and respectfully as possible.

In everything we do, we strive to care for the land, the animals, and ourselves. Being both witnesses to and stewards of nature’s balance is a responsibility we are honored to carry. Through our work, we hope to help reestablish a local connection to sustainable agriculture and access to nutritious, high-quality food.

Sandy Creek Farm and Geneva Processing

Jim and Kristina Lindemulder

South Haven, Michigan

Thunderfoot Farms

Gabriel Francisco

Paw Paw, Michigan

Thunderfoot Farms, originally known as Jehovah Jireh Woolmill and Farm under Gabriel’s parents, was reestablished in 2016 when Gabriel purchased the family farm to continue its legacy with a renewed vision. In 2018, the farm entered a temporary hiatus as Gabriel pursued formal training at the Wendell Berry Farming Program of Sterling College in Henry County, Kentucky, where he studied Sustainable Agriculture and Draft Animal Power Systems. After graduating, he spent a further two years gaining practical experience on farms across Kentucky before returning home in 2022 to manage Thunderfoot Farms and serve as the Grazing Specialist for his local Conservation District.

Gabriel’s commitment to regenerative and sustainable agriculture is rooted in a belief that healthy soil is the foundation of healthy communities. By raising animals on pasture, he prioritizes both animal welfare and ecological health, using rotational grazing to enhance biodiversity, restore soil structure, and sequester carbon. For Gabriel, farming is not only a livelihood, but a responsibility—to care for the land, produce nourishing food, and contribute to a more resilient agricultural future.

Silly Goose Acres

Spencer Evans and Frances Einterz

Plainwell, Michigan

The story of Silly Goose Acres really started in 2013 when Spencer and Frannie met in Eldoret, Kenya. At the time, they were both undergraduate students and they fell in love, bonded by their shared value of contributing to their communities, honoring stewardship of the land and living things, and supporting local food systems. At the time, owning a farm was a distant dream. Fast forward through graduate school degrees, careers in Washington, DC, and the birth of their beautiful son, and in 2024, the hunt for a property began.

They fell in love with an unexpected farm in Plainwell, Michigan, which also brought them closer to their families and back to their Midwestern roots. A prolific, wholesale rhubarb patch came with the property. Officially Rhubarb converts, they can now tell you, ad nauseum, about every possible recipe you can make with these versatile stalks. Grateful to their mentors back in Maryland, New Roots Farm, Silly Goose Acres is applying lessons learned from a four-year internship and in the process of building up their pasture-raised lamb, pork, and beef production. They welcome visitors and invite you to come sip rhubarb spritzers with them.