“They’ve (Apex) been going around dropping our name and a couple other farmers that we’re in favor of the turbines and that we’ve signed up with them,” Paul Main said. “We don’t like that. That’s not good business.” Trent Hilding, the attorney for Crooks and Main farms, drafted a cease and desist letter on behalf of Crooks and Main farms and sent it to Apex.
“They’ve (Apex) been going around dropping our name and a couple other farmers that we’re in favor of the turbines and that we’ve signed up with them,” Paul Main said. “We don’t like that. That’s not good business.” Trent Hilding, the attorney for Crooks and Main farms, drafted a cease and desist letter on behalf of Crooks and Main farms and sent it to Apex.
No wind turbine plans for Crooks, Main and Sackett potato farms
The Daily News Elisabeth Waldon
11 May 2021
While some Montcalm County farmers are excited about the prospect of leasing farmland to Apex Clean Energy for a proposed wind turbine project, other farmers are not interested — and they want everyone to be clear on this point.
Three potato farms in Montcalm County — Crooks, Main and Sackett — recently sent a cease and desist letter to Apex regarding what those farmers say are untruths stated by Apex salesmen. In response, Apex said it was a misunderstanding.
Crooks Potato Farm is based in the Edmore-Stanton area and farms about 7,000 acres. Main Farms is based in Cato Township, owns about 7,500 acres and farms 14,000 acres in …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]No wind turbine plans for Crooks, Main and Sackett potato farms
The Daily News Elisabeth Waldon
11 May 2021
While some Montcalm County farmers are excited about the prospect of leasing farmland to Apex Clean Energy for a proposed wind turbine project, other farmers are not interested — and they want everyone to be clear on this point.
Three potato farms in Montcalm County — Crooks, Main and Sackett — recently sent a cease and desist letter to Apex regarding what those farmers say are untruths stated by Apex salesmen. In response, Apex said it was a misunderstanding.
Crooks Potato Farm is based in the Edmore-Stanton area and farms about 7,000 acres. Main Farms is based in Cato Township, owns about 7,500 acres and farms 14,000 acres in Montcalm, Mecosta and Isabella counties. Sackett Ranch is based in Stanton and farms about 10,000 acres in Montcalm, Gratiot, Isabella and Mecosta counties.
Paul Main and his son Dan Main, who own Main Farms, contacted the Daily News to request a story clarifying the issue.
“They’ve (Apex) been going around dropping our name and a couple other farmers that we’re in favor of the turbines and that we’ve signed up with them,” Paul Main said. “We don’t like that. That’s not good business.”
Trent Hilding, the attorney for Crooks and Main farms, drafted a cease and desist letter on behalf of Crooks and Main farms and sent it to Apex. Hilding said in response to the letter, Apex officials say they have spoken with all their land agents and also said that if any landowner names were mentioned in conversation, they believe those names were taken out of context.
“I had a landlord — and so did Paul Main — that directly called me and indicated that he had a land representative there from Apex trying to sign up his property and told him that I had signed up, Mains had signed up and Sacketts had signed up, that everybody was on board and that he should get on board,” Hilding told the Daily News. “I told them I didn’t want my name used, that I didn’t want to be involved. There is some misrepresentation and everybody should do their research before signing up for anything.”
Meanwhile, Michelle Parr, who is affiliated with Sackett Ranch, posted on the Montcalm County Citizens United Facebook page to clarify that Sackett Ranch has not leased any land for wind energy. Parr did add that some land that Sackett Ranch has leased from others in the past has signed on for a solar project in Day Township, but she said that choice was made by the landowners.
“Sackett Ranch has not and will not ever lease any of its land to solar or wind,” she posted on April 7.
(CLARIFICATION: Sackett Ranch in Stanton is separate from Sackett Potatoes in Mecosta County, although the two farms are operated by Sackett relatives.)
Apex Senior Development Manager Albert Jongewaard confirmed to the Daily News that Crooks, Main and Sackett farms have not signed any easements with Apex and are not in discussions to do so.