Expanding careers From engineering to poultry.
Young, Beginning, and Small Farmer Feature
Five years ago, Jennifer and Phil Dougherty were in their early 40s with four kids, and financially stable with two self-employed careers. Some might have called them crazy to venture off into the capital-intensive, start-up turkey business – they saw it as an opportunity.
They had some experience. Jennifer grew up on a dairy and turkey farm and Phil, the son of a pastor, worked in the local feed mill and was a laborer on area farms growing up. They both loved the idea of farming, but as young adults, the opportunity and ability were not there. So, off to college they went. Jennifer got a degree in civil engineering, while Phil became an electrician. They married in 1995 and settled on 40 acres in Alto, 11
Winter 2021 — Partners
Michigan, just a mile from the farm where Jennifer grew up. “Growing up, I always enjoyed farming with my dad, (Bill Wieland), but when Phil and I were out of college, Dad wasn’t ready to retire. So, we figured farming just wasn’t in the cards for us and went on with our careers.” Jennifer’s mom, Carol Wieland, passed away in 2000, which prompted her dad to look at what he wanted to do to retire.
At that time, Jennifer’s younger brother Chris Wieland took over the farm, which in the late 1980s transitioned out of dairy and into contracted turkeys. Life was humming along when the prospect of becoming a turkey grower presented itself. Michigan Turkey Producers, a co-op formed to fill the processing need in Michigan, was looking to add more turkeys. A contract was extended to
