In 1913 Glenn Cotton moved his family from south central Michigan and bought 40 acres in the northwoods near Kalkaska to raise potatoes in the sandy soil so naturally conducive to growing them. This was the beginning of Elmaple Farm, so named for all the Elm and Maple trees in the area. In 1929, his son Raymond started farming with him. Raymond and his wife Phebe continued the farm and of their five children Don joined the operation in 1956. They continued to expand. Raymond retired in 1974. In 2002 Bruce and Doug, Don and Barb’s sons, took over operation of the farm becoming the fourth generation to work the land.

The farm has seen many changes. In 1948 the first irrigation was used to provide a more reliable supply of water to aid in the raising of crops. In 1977 Don and his wife Barb raised the first snap beans which is now the farm’s second major crop. Today the farm consists of table potatoes, snap beans, wheat and corn grown on just under 1350 acres with almost all cropland under irrigation.

While our farm is not large by todays standards, our size allows us to pay close attention to details sometimes overlooked by larger operations.