Brimley, Michigan · 46.4° N
The land
38 acres on the Waiska River in the eastern Upper Peninsula. It is a working property under construction, and that is the reason to learn here instead of in a hotel conference room.
Where it is
The property is in Chippewa County, in the eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan, outside Brimley and about 20 minutes from Sault Ste. Marie. Lake Superior’s Whitefish Bay is just to the north. Ontario is across the bridge.
| Size | 38 acres |
| Water | Frontage on the Waiska River |
| County | Chippewa |
| Hardiness zone | 4b |
| Frost depth for water lines | 48–60 in. |
| Reliable outdoor working season | Late June to early October |
| Nearest city | Sault Ste. Marie, 20 min |
The river
The Waiska runs along the property on its way to Whitefish Bay. It is the reason the ground is what it is, the reason there’s a wet spot worth draining, and the best place on the property to be at the end of a build day.
What’s growing
An orchard and nut plantings are going in, selected for Zone 4b. They are young. They are also the reason the Water session installs drip irrigation in a real orchard instead of a demonstration bed.
What’s been built
The property is being built out in the open, one system at a time, and the sessions are part of how it happens: the array, the water system, and the buildings are installed by participants and stay in service. Everything that goes in is written up in the Build Log with dates, costs, and mistakes.
The weather
This is a cold-climate site. Winters are long, snow load is real, and frost goes deep enough that water lines are buried four to five feet. Summers are mild, with long daylight and cool nights. Rain can come off the lake any week of the season. All of it is curriculum: a system that works here will work where you live.
The bugs
Black flies and mosquitoes run from late May into early July, and at their peak they are bad enough to ruin a week no matter how good the instruction is. We treat standing water in the program area with Bti from May, and in the first year nothing paid is scheduled before the third week of June. After that, bring repellent and long sleeves for the evenings and you’ll be fine. We will publish what we actually measure.