Editor’s note: This article was published in Grand Traverse Scene magazine’s Summer II 2025 issue. Pick up a free copy at area hotels, visitor’s centers, chambers of commerce or at the Record-Eagle building on Front Street. Click here to read GT Scene in its entirety online.
Charlie sashayed his way across the yard, playfully carrying his favorite stuffed animal — an elephant.
As the friendly Australian Shepherd panhandled for attention, two goats, Cinnamon and Caramel, scaled a makeshift mountain, a plank spanning a pair of sawhorses.
Bobbie the barn cat was nowhere to be seen, or was she?
It was a lazy day in June at Rolling View Farm & Reforest, a 132 year-old farm in Leelanau County, except for homesteader Annie Kiessel and her visiting farmhand Andrew McCallum Smith, who was tending to his WWOOF chores.
International farming exchange expands into Leelanau County
Founded in 1971 and located in 132 countries, WWOOF — World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms — is an international farming educational and cultural exchange program that is growing across America, including in Leelanau County.
“WWOOF is a great opportunity for anyone with a tight budget that wants to travel, meet like-minded people, learn farming and self-sufficiency skills, and spend time in nature,” Annie said. “I would highly recommend it. Essentially, (it) provides an opportunity for volunteers to receive free room and board, in exchange for up to 25 hours a week of farm work.”
Andrew, 32, is a self-proclaimed “digital nomad” who works as a program director for a tele-therapy company in San Francisco, and who “became a WWOOFer to get away from the keyboard and into the dirt.”
“Doing a morning garden helps me to balance my day,” said Andrew, who grew up in the South Bay of Los Angeles County. He was visiting the Kiessels as a WWOOFer for nearly a month from June 1 to 30.
After working on the farm from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Andrew got time each day to visit the surrounding Leelanau area, which he was more than familiar with — he studied theater at the Interlochen Arts Academy from 2009-11.
“The family here is very nice, very accommodating, and that’s a biggie,” he said. “Getting into the garden is a big part, a nice part, of my day. During my off time on weekends I bike on the Tart Trail between Traverse City and Suttons Bay.
“I’ve also hiked near Elk Rapids and already went swimming in ‘the lake.’ I’m hoping to get out to the dunes.”
Annie said Andrew brought with him an appreciated knowledge of the WWOOF program and about gardening, in general.
“Andrew’s been fantastic, he’s fun to be around,” said Annie, 22. “He and I have very stimulating and productive conversations about politics, the state of the world, gardening, and ecology. He knows so much about growing food and gardening and has been a big help to me… Growing food is a learning experience that never ends and it’s always such a great opportunity to listen and learn from other gardeners, even if you are already very knowledgeable. There’s always more to know.”
And while Andrew left the Kiessel’s farm at the end of June, his WWOOF replacement had already been selected.
“(She’s a) lady from Germany named Aenni — pronounced just like my name — and lives in a small town near Munich,” Annie said. “She works as a social worker and is visiting the U.S. to see family. She had some extra time for her vacation and decided to come farm with us. She was so excited when she found out WWOOF is for all ages and we are very excited to have her, especially because our heritage is German.”
Everyone wins with WWOOFing
Annie said she is happy her family is part of the international organic farming program, saying it is a win-win situation for all involved.
“Because it is focused on organic farming, the volunteer applicants on the WWOOF site are passionate and interested in nature, sustainability and agriculture, and we were able to find some amazing volunteers who are interested in what we’re doing and have prior knowledge and experience.
“It brings together people from all kinds of backgrounds who have a common interest in growing food and the betterment of our world,” Annie said. “It is also a very affordable way to travel. Already we have been able to provide folks an opportunity to come enjoy Leelanau who may have otherwise not been able to afford a vacation here.”
Annie’s mother, Christa, is an oncology nurse practitioner who “kept Rolling View going as a hobby during the 2002 and 2010s.” Her father, Jon, is a teacher at Leland High School.
“My mother was born and raised here, and was the impetus for this whole project,” Annie said. “At the start of the pandemic, she was inspired by the writing of indigenous authors to re-wild our 16 acres and begin reforesting the hills that were once covered in giant trees — we know this because those trees are now the massive ceiling beams in the old barn. I helped out and was interested in the project, but didn’t realize until 2023 that I wanted to return home and bring the farm back to production, while continuing the re-wilding and reforestation projects.
“My father has taught high school science and math for over 20 years, and does construction and handiwork on the farm.”
Annie’s partner is 23-year-old Jesus Ledesma, who recently graduated from the University of Michigan. He works with LIFT — Leelanau Investing for Teens — a local non-profit that provides free after-school programming and mentorship for local high school and middle school students. He does construction and other projects on the farm.
“My little sister, Lia, is in high school,” she said. “She’s studying Italian and hopes to move to Italy to study and pursue a career in architecture. My younger brother Ben, does not currently live at the farm, but is very knowledgeable about plants, ecology and microbiology, and has helped a lot over the last few years.”
WWOOF, Annie said, will likely be part of their farming lives for years to come.
“The program has been a great benefit to us in the early stages of this project as we do not have the resources to hire employees yet,” she said. “The WWOOF volunteers are not and do not take the place of paid employees, but they provide us with help and support on the farm that has allowed us to complete very impressive projects.
“Lastly and perhaps most importantly, we have met some wonderful people, had stimulating and productive conversations, and started building a global community of people who care about the work we are doing here.”
WOOFing with a twist
Not far from Rolling View Farm is another newly-rooted WWOOF offering called Rōming Roost that sits on 14.5 acres, where farming and yogo are offered.
“I always try to offer a yoga experience for (guests),” said Kristen Wilson. “Some WWOOFers have been with us for extended stays, so they will join in on the complimentary yoga offering I do for our weekend B&B guests. It’s just a really special way to stay for a morning, grounded and connected with nature and the work that really matters for us here.
“I also think our yogic component might be a draw for some WWOOFers, as when I receive stay requests most often mention that appeal from our listing, so it seems to be an environment perhaps they are seeking.”
For the Wilson family — Kristen, her husband, Shaun and their children, 13-year-old Arletta, 10-year-old Zeke and 6-year-old Maple — the WWOOFing experience has been a godsend.
“I learned about the WWOOF program from a homesteading friend in Honor,” Kristen said. “I was doing a herbal medicine walk at his property and he had WWOOFers at that time. The program sounded like the perfect fit for our family and the vision for our little farmstead in the making, so we applied to be hosts.
“We have been WWOOF hosts since 2022 and have had the opportunity to host stays from three days to eight weeks. The experience has been a blessing to our family. Having a little farm and animals makes it challenging to travel, so this was a sweet way to welcome culture, people and the outside world into our lives while being in a season in which travel is not so much an option for us. We have met life long friends from our WWOOF visits and are fortunate to still be in touch with all of them in some capacity.
Kristen and her family work off of a daily project list that is shared with visitors.
“WWOOFers join in on our daily farm chores such as feeding chickens and horses, collecting eggs, grooming horses, paddock clean up, et cetera. We also have had ‘projects’ during WWOOF visits such as Christmas tree planting, trail maintenance, seed starting, wood harvesting, tree management, tree transplanting, coop building, garden preparations preseason, compost management, sourdough baking, herbal tea making and pollinator gardens.”
Rōming Roost staple crops include onions, garlic, potatoes, tomatoes, spring mixes, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, watermelons, cantaloupe and herbal tea, adding “… we play around each season with what we grow.”
“Our goal is to grow food to sustain our family, our B&B offerings, share with friends and if we have some left from there, make it available in our pay what you can farm stand,” she said. “We are a newer homestead, but have planted apple and pear trees, strawberry patches, asparagus and are looking forward to yielding their fruits soon.
“We are very much a learn-as-you-grow, hobby farm, we are very much amateur ‘farmers,’ with the intention of learning as much as we can about sustainable living, getting back to the basics and staying connected with nature as much as we possibly can.
“We are far from experts, but are very much enjoying the ride and are grateful every day for the opportunity to spend so much time together as a family, doing what we love and sharing that experience with others,” Kristen said. “We also have a little Bed and Breakfast and are a drop site for Azure Standard. Our hope is to cultivate community and wellness in whatever little ways we can.”
Kristen said their children are home schooled and “… are all on the front lines of how we approach life at the farm.”
“While we do use traditional curriculums as a guide, much of their education is project-based through life on the farm,” she said. “They are the primary caretakers for our animals — two horses, 30 chickens and three dogs — and they take great pride in their work.
“When WWOOFers visit, they shine at the opportunity to share their love and knowledge of their animals and teaching others how to care for them. They also help with our planting, harvesting, growing and all of the special projects in-between. We try to work together as a team, empowering them to know where their food comes from, how to treat the land they live on and caring for guests and friends who help us along the way. It is very sweet and full circle to get to watch them teach WWOOFers about our homesteading practices the way we have worked at teaching them.”
For more information go to wwoofusa.org