Dan and Char Fatke had always talked about growing their own food, but the practical considerations that come with raising a family delayed that dream until retirement and a kickstart from their son, Tay.
In 2019, after Dan retired from an engineering career, the couple moved full-time to Door County land they had purchased in 2014. Perched above Lake Michigan and Green Bay north of Sister Bay, the land was named Mighty Wind Farms to reflect what Dan says was the need to “strap things down.”
Tay, who educates growers on organic farming and sustainability, helped his parents launch the farm and returns with his family each summer to help during its busiest season.
The farm was ready to start selling produce in 2020.
“We started out doing farmers markets,” Char says. “It was a really good way to get our name out there, but it’s very time-consuming.”
As the name has become recognized, the Fatkes have been able to sell from their property as a self-serve stand, open dawn to dusk. That has its own advantages, according to Dan.
“Our customers know where the food is coming from [and] they’re getting the freshest possible produce,” he says.
Mighty Wind Farms has three large hoop houses, a greenhouse and six fields upon which crops are rotated on a five-year cycle. All plants are started by seed. In 2025 the Fatkes have added flowers they are growing for a local flower business. They planted fruit trees and brambles when they purchased the land, which adds apples and aronia berries.
They also have 108 pasture-raised laying hens that contribute eggs and also play a role in the farm’s sustainability. The bedding and waste are part of the farm’s composting operation, which has earned Mighty Wind recognition.
In 2020, Char approached some local restaurants and asked if they could save their pre-consumer food scraps for composting. She says the businesses were excited about it, so she provided some buckets and began picking up scraps weekly.
Today, they can gather 600 to 800 pounds of food scraps per week during the busy Door County tourist season. Beyond Mighty Wind, the Door County Climate Coalition launched its own composting project based on the farm’s model in 2021. Today there are 15 dropoff points and hundreds of participating businesses and consumers converting food scraps into compost for growers.
“We were very surprised about how it took off,” Char says. “It’s also humbling to know the good that comes from this.”
Mighty Wind Farms use no pesticides, no herbicides and no chemical fertilizer. The compost is the only soil additive.
“We’re trying to keep it very simple,” Char says.
