Jetta

Our absolute sweetest cow, she's a great mom to Lillibet.

Likes: Going her own way, anything from the garden, and ear scratches.

Dislikes: Being the littlest and youngest, never winning a horn-locking contest.

Bonnie the Sow

Bonnie (with an assist from Clyde) produced two wonderful, healthy litters of piglets in 2022.

Likes: the extra rations she gets after birthing a litter, and laying in the sunshine on a cold winter day.

Dislikes: Sharing with ANYONE, even her own piglets.

Hi! We are Mike and Heather Rauenhorst, owners of Beckon Hill Farms.  We are military veterans who met and married in Alaska, moved to Harbor Springs in 2020, and started this farm in 2021. We love Northern Michigan in all four seasons, and are happy to be part of this wonderful community. In addition to our work on the farm, Mike drives part time for Harbor Springs Public Schools, Heather writes, and we both help nonprofits and education institutions with grant writing and program evaluation through our other business, Raven House Enterprises. 

Before we moved here, Mike served 28 years in the Marine Corps Reserve, South Dakota Air National Guard and Alaska Air National Guard  before retiring as an active duty Colonel.  He earned a Master's degree through the Air Force Institute of Technology, and followed his military career by serving as a teacher at North Pole High School for another 10 years.  After Heather graduated from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, she began her career as a 5th grade teacher. Although the majority of Heather's career was in the field of education, she also spent six years as a part time contracting agent in the Alaska Air National Guard while earning her MBA. Before leaving Alaska, she was the executive director of communications and engagement at the Fairbanks North Star Bourough School District. 

We are the parents of six amazing children. Our four oldest graduated high school in Alaska and are currently scattered across the West Coast as a Navy F-18E fighter pilot, a registered nurse, an honors chemistry pre-med major applying to medical schools, and a mental health technician.  Our two youngest kids moved from Alaska to Michigan with us and are now the "hired hands" of our farm. 

Mike, the oldest of seven children, was raised on a grain farm in southern Minnesota.  Mike didn't realize how much he had missed farming until we moved to Michigan but, as a former grain farmer, Mike did not want any animals.  Heather wanted animals. As you can see, we now have animals!