Rising Pheasant Farms

Rising Pheasant Farms (RPF) is a small-scale fruit and vegetable producer on Detroit's east side. With just under half an acre currently under cultivation, prominent business model features include intensive no-till soil management, prioritization of end-market produce sales and non-motorized transportation. Carolyn Leadley operates RPF with the help of her husband and four children, as well as two part-time seasonal employees. Vegetable market crops include a wide variety of year-round salad greens--from classics like lettuce, arugula and spinach to more exotic offerings like purslane, violets and chickweed to several types of microgreensa--alongside seasonal produce such as radishes, beets, scallions, celery, peas and beans. RPF has also found success bringing a limited amount of fruit and berry crops to market including pears, mulberries, ground cherries, paw paws and elderberries. With the exception of the occasional use of one walk-behind tiller/mower, all farming tasks at RPF are completed by hand and all produce is transported by bicycle, both to restaurant clients within the city as well as to the local farmer's markets.