MASON, Mich. — Maple Darling Farm in Mason is home to Alley and Brad Seely, who began producing more eggs than they can consume. That inspired them to create a farmer's stand where they sell organic, free-range eggs at $4 a dozen.
After the recent storm, the Seelys decided to move their stand to a new location away from their driveway and in front of their Ring camera. That's when they noticed money was disappearing for their money jar.
"And little by little we would see eggs disappearing and no money, and then, pretty soon, we started seeing money disappearing and no eggs," said Brad.
The Seelys understand the issue of inflation and rising grocery costs, that's why they offer free eggs for those who need it.
"We offer people if they don't have the money, they can just help themselves and take a dozen eggs if you need it for your family and catch us next time, or if you don't, someone else will catch it," said Brad.
However, since people have helped themselves not only to the eggs but also to the money, they may have to reconsider.
"Feed costs are getting very expensive, and I think that we're probably back to the place where it's costing us to have chickens again," said Alley.
Within the last year and a half, the Seelys have noticed the price of feed increase by 50%.
"Our chicken feed was around $80 a month. That's kind of what we were figuring once we got to our maximum number of 80 to 100 chickens, and now, we're pushing $200 to $250 a month in feed. It was a substantial jump just within the last year, year and a half," said Brad.
The Seelys want customers and people in need to know that they are willing to help and are willing to offer other alternatives outside of their money jar. If you want to purchase eggs from Maple Darling Farm, their farm stand is located at 1842 Darling Road.
Maple Darling Farm is also home to goats, horses, cows and a pig. People are welcome to visit as they transition into a petting zoo as well.
Want to see more local news? Visit the FOX47News Website.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.
Select from these options: Neighborhood News, Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines and Daily Forecasts.
