Yankee Springs Farms is a family farm steeped in caring, pride, and tradition. The Lettinga family are proud of their heritage and connection to the community as multi-generational farmers. Yankee Springs Farms was born out of a long line of farmers that goes back to dairy cows and livestock sales in the Netherlands to an immigration story traveling through Ellis Island, NY, and the establishment of a small family dairy farm in West Michigan - near its current namesake, Yankee Springs, MI.
That first Yankee Springs farm grew to 60 dairy cows. Four generations later, three family dairy cow farms and livestock farms were consolidated — in the mid-90s — to establish Yankee Springs Farms. In 1996, Yankee Springs Farms had 350 dairy cows, by 2020 there were 1,100 dairy cows being cared for on the family farm. “Our goal, at Yankee Springs Farms, is to help things grow,” said Paul Lettinga, a fourth-generation farmer. “From the crops growing in the field to the cows growing to provide people with meats and dairy products to the farmers growing in their trade and in their community to the community itself growing with the help of the family farmer.”
The dairy cows and livestock of Yankee Springs Farms are all raised on the family farm, raised by family members and qualified help. All of the cattle’s forages and feed are raised on the farm to help maintain the quality and sustainability of the land and the animals.
Yankee Springs Farms is proud to focus on community-based, family-focused farming to work toward farm-to-fork sustainability. “The farming industry is filled with corporate farming and manufactured farming, the family farm is fading away,” said Lettinga. He continued, “The corporate farm can’t feed America. America’s family farms will feed America. We’re proud to be growing a family farm and helping to change the industry while helping our community.”
At Yankee Springs Farms we work with trusted local preferred partners to provide them with high-quality meats and dairy products that they use to create the spectacular consumer food items you enjoy. Partners like Tri-State Cheese who take milk from our dairy cows and create delicious varieties of muenster cheeses.