Wasn't sure which topic this really belonged under, but I consider Michiganders family, so this seemed the place to put it.
Mint oil holds hope for farmer facing foreclosure
Posted: Nov 2, 2008 07:28 PM
Updated: Nov 2, 2008 07:28 PM
ST. JOHNS, Mich. (AP) -- A mid-Michigan family is in danger of losing a mint farm that's been in the family for four generations, despite an online plea for help that brought in 1,054 customers within a 24-hour span.
The 140-acre farm in St. Johns, about 85 miles northwest of Detroit, was founded by Jim Crosby's great-grandfather in 1912.
Crosby's mint operation is one of the oldest in the nation to run continuously, retired California history professor Ephraim Smith told the newspaper.
"In the 1920s and '30s, one-third of all the world's mint oil came from that part of Michigan," said Smith, who produced a documentary on the country's mint farmers.
Crosby's financial problems started in 2005 when his father died, and worsened a short time later when an uncle had a stroke while harvesting an adjacent parcel of mint.
The family has raised $78,000 over the past three weeks, but fell far short of the $348,000 owed the bank by Saturday's deadline.
Crosby had hoped to sell 70,000 bottles of farm-distilled peppermint and spearmint oil. About 59,000 bottles remain.
"That oil is our hope," Crosby told the Detroit Free Press.
"In each bottle is all my hope, my dreams and my prayers."
Greenstone Farm Credit can come in and take farm equipment and the unsold mint oil, he said.
But Greenstone had no plans to confiscate anything Saturday, company chief executive officer Jim Schiller said.
"These things take a few days," Schiller said.
Crosby, 42, and his 48-year-old sister Linette launched an e-mail campaign a month ago to bring back old customers and find new ones.
The e-mail told of the farm's financial trouble and resulted in more than 7,000 orders to the Crosby's www.getmint.com Web site.
Story can be found directly at this link .
I had no idea that Michigan was such a huge producer of mint! I love mint! Sure hope they make enough not to lose their farm.
Posted: Nov 2, 2008 07:28 PM
Updated: Nov 2, 2008 07:28 PM
ST. JOHNS, Mich. (AP) -- A mid-Michigan family is in danger of losing a mint farm that's been in the family for four generations, despite an online plea for help that brought in 1,054 customers within a 24-hour span.
The 140-acre farm in St. Johns, about 85 miles northwest of Detroit, was founded by Jim Crosby's great-grandfather in 1912.
Crosby's mint operation is one of the oldest in the nation to run continuously, retired California history professor Ephraim Smith told the newspaper.
"In the 1920s and '30s, one-third of all the world's mint oil came from that part of Michigan," said Smith, who produced a documentary on the country's mint farmers.
Crosby's financial problems started in 2005 when his father died, and worsened a short time later when an uncle had a stroke while harvesting an adjacent parcel of mint.
The family has raised $78,000 over the past three weeks, but fell far short of the $348,000 owed the bank by Saturday's deadline.
Crosby had hoped to sell 70,000 bottles of farm-distilled peppermint and spearmint oil. About 59,000 bottles remain.
"That oil is our hope," Crosby told the Detroit Free Press.
"In each bottle is all my hope, my dreams and my prayers."
Greenstone Farm Credit can come in and take farm equipment and the unsold mint oil, he said.
But Greenstone had no plans to confiscate anything Saturday, company chief executive officer Jim Schiller said.
"These things take a few days," Schiller said.
Crosby, 42, and his 48-year-old sister Linette launched an e-mail campaign a month ago to bring back old customers and find new ones.
The e-mail told of the farm's financial trouble and resulted in more than 7,000 orders to the Crosby's www.getmint.com Web site.
Story can be found directly at this link .
I had no idea that Michigan was such a huge producer of mint! I love mint! Sure hope they make enough not to lose their farm.
