Roots & Resurgence: The Best Regenerative Suppliers for Your Farmyard
Whether you are expanding a backyard garden or managing a historic family homestead, the seeds and plants you choose lay the foundation for your land's future. Opting for native Michigan species, organic seeds, and time-tested heirlooms isn't just about getting a beautiful bloom or a good harvest—it’s about actively preserving our agricultural heritage, building resilient soil, and creating safe havens for local pollinators and wildlife.
As we continue to work toward our own regenerative goals and habitat certifications here at Bell Family Farm, we've discovered some incredible suppliers who share these sustainable values. If you are looking to grow a greener, more vibrant space this season, here is a curated guide to the absolute best places to source your seeds, native plants, regenerative supplies, and even heritage animals.
Our Conservation Journey
Preserving the history of our 1919 Centennial Farm here in the Thumb isn't just about maintaining the old sheds; it's about being good stewards of the land and the creatures that inhabit it. When we set out to achieve our Level 1 ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation and become part of the United Plant Savers Botanical Sanctuary Network and Bee Friendly Gardens, we knew that intentional sourcing was everything. Planting native ecotypes, preserving rare medicinal herbs, and raising historic animal breeds requires finding nurseries, seed banks, and hatcheries that prioritize ecology over mass production. The suppliers below have been instrumental in helping us cultivate a thriving, regenerative landscape.
The Best Native Trees, Plants, Grasses & Flowers
Prairie Moon Nursery
The Details: One of the most renowned suppliers of native seeds and bare-root plants in the Midwest, carrying over 700 species of native wildflowers, grasses, and sedges.
Why We Love Them: They are incredible for establishing robust pollinator sanctuaries and naturalized meadows. Their website features a highly detailed filtering tool to help you find exactly what will thrive in your specific soil and sunlight conditions.
Website:prairiemoon.com
Joyful Butterfly
The Details: A fantastic nursery dedicated to safe, chemical-free native host and nectar plants tailored specifically for pollinators. They ship high-quality live plants right to you, helpfully sorted by the specific butterfly species they support.
Why We Love Them: If you are building a Monarch Waystation or a NABA Certified Butterfly Garden, this is the place to shop. They guarantee all their plants are strictly pesticide-free, which is crucial for protecting delicate caterpillars and beneficial insects.
Website:joyfulbutterfly.com
Top Sources for Organic & Non-GMO Seeds
High Mowing Organic Seeds
The Details: An independent, farm-based company that is 100% committed to certified organic, non-GMO seeds. They intentionally breed and select their seeds to perform exceptionally well in organic farming conditions.
Why We Love Them: They focus on robust genetics and natural disease resistance, offer free shipping on orders over a certain threshold, and have a great commercial grower program for bulk purchases.
Website:highmowingseeds.com
Seed Savers Exchange
The Details: A non-profit organization dedicated to preserving heirloom plant varieties through regeneration, distribution, and seed exchange.
Why We Love Them: This is an absolute treasure trove for historic and culturally significant vegetable and flower seeds. Purchasing an annual membership supports their conservation mission, provides a discount, and grants access to their massive grassroots seed exchange network.
Website:seedsavers.org
Johnny's Selected Seeds
The Details: An employee-owned company offering a massive selection of high-quality organic and non-GMO seeds, highly trusted by market gardeners and homesteaders alike.
Why We Love Them: Their rigorous germination testing ensures great results, and their website is a goldmine of free educational resources, including growing libraries and succession planting calculators.
Website:johnnyseeds.com
True Leaf Market
The Details: An independent seed company based in Utah that has been supplying growers since 1974. They carry a massive, 100% non-GMO catalog featuring organic, heirloom, and open-pollinated garden seeds, as well as specialty farm seed.
Why We Love Them: They are an incredibly versatile one-stop shop for the homestead. Beyond their reliable vegetable and flower seeds, they have an exceptional selection of cover crop seeds for soil building, as well as sprouting and microgreen seeds—which are perfect for growing fresh, nutrient-dense greens indoors during our cold Thumb region winters!
Website: trueleafmarket.com
Our Favorite Heirloom & Rare Seed Specialists
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
The Details: Famous for their incredibly beautiful seed catalog, Baker Creek is a powerhouse for rare, unusual, and historic heirloom seeds from all over the world. They strictly sell open-pollinated, pure, non-GMO seeds.
Why We Love Them: They are deeply committed to seed preservation and offer free shipping on all North American orders, which is a huge perk for ordering in smaller batches throughout the season.
Website:rareseeds.com
Annie's Heirloom Seeds
The Details: A fantastic, independent business based right here in Michigan! They specialize strictly in heirloom vegetables and flowers known to have existed for 50 years or more.
Why We Love Them: Their focus is on high-germination rates and varieties that are tried-and-true for backyard gardens. They also sell wonderful curated seed kits.
Website:anniesheirloomseeds.com
MIgardener
The Details: Another phenomenal Michigan-based company located in St. Clair. Run by a passionate family, they focus on making gardening accessible with a massive variety of high-quality, non-GMO heirloom seeds.
Why We Love Them: Their seed packets are priced exceptionally low, making them a favorite for stretching a budget, and their YouTube channel is packed with practical, free gardening advice.
Website:migardener.com
Eden Brothers
The Details: One of the largest online retailers for seeds and flower bulbs, offering an incredible assortment of heirloom vegetables, rare medicinal herbs, and massive, vibrant wildflower mixes.
Why We Love Them: While they aren't the place for livestock pasture grass, they are an absolute dream for expanding a botanical sanctuary or adding huge splashes of color around the homestead. Their heirloom vegetable selection is top-notch, and their bulk flower seeds are perfect for creating large, pollinator-friendly garden borders.
Website: edenbrothers.com
Specialty Botanical & Medicinal Herbs
Strictly Medicinal Seeds
The Details: A family-owned, certified organic farm in Oregon that is arguably the best source in the country for medicinal herb seeds, roots, and plants.
Why We Love Them: If you are cultivating a botanical sanctuary or apothecary garden, this is the premier catalog. They provide incredibly detailed growing information for hard-to-germinate woodland and medicinal species.
Website:strictlymedicinalseeds.com
Regenerative Agriculture Supplies & Cover Crops
Fedco Seeds (Organic Growers Supply)
The Details: A cooperative business that supplies an impressive array of cover crop seeds, soil amendments, organic fertilizers, and farm tools.
Why We Love Them: They are highly transparent about their sourcing. Because they operate as a cooperative, you can join as a member to receive a discount on your purchases. They also offer bulk volume discounts, making them very economical for scaling up farm operations or amending large plots of land.
Website:fedcoseeds.com
Albert Lea Seed
The Details: A fourth-generation, family-owned farm seed company based in Minnesota. They are highly respected in the regenerative agriculture space, specializing in organic and non-GMO small grains, forages, and cover crops.
Why We Love Them: Because they are based right here in the Midwest, their seed is exceptionally well-adapted to our Michigan climate. Their diverse cover crop blends—like their "ValueMax" and "SummerMax" mixes—are top-tier for building soil health, fixing nitrogen, and outcompeting weeds on the farm.
Website:alseed.com
Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply (GrowOrganic.com)
The Details: A massive, trusted supplier of organic gardening and farming supplies. They carry an incredible selection of raw cover crop seeds, organic fertilizers, and pest management tools.
Why We Love Them: Their pre-formulated "Soil Builder" cover crop mixes take all the guesswork out of regenerative planting. Whether you need a mix for winter erosion control, dryland pasture, or quick summer biomass, their seeds are tailored for specific soil goals and are incredibly easy to grow.
Website:groworganic.com
Premium Pasture & Forage Seed
When managing grazing animals in the Thumb region, having the right pasture grass is critical. Whether you are seeding a fresh paddock for horses, ensuring a resident donkey has access to safe, low-sugar grasses, or building a diverse foraging area for a free-ranging flock, these suppliers offer the best climate-adapted seeds for our harsh Michigan winters and warm summers.
Nature's Seed
The Details: Based in Utah, this company is a powerhouse for premium, region-specific seed blends for pastures, lawns, and large-scale land restorations.
Why We Love Them: They take the guesswork out of planting by offering incredible, climate-adapted forage blends tailored specifically to the state you live in. Their specialized mixes (like their horse pasture blends or dryland sheep/goat mixes) ensure your pastures stay resilient, nutritious, and deeply rooted year after year.
Website: naturesseed.com
Hancock Seed Company
The Details: A family-owned, farmer-direct company that has been supplying high-quality seed since the 1970s. They specialize in bulk pasture grasses, cover crops, and wildlife food plots, and they ship directly to the public nationwide.
Why We Love Them: Buying farmer-direct means you get exceptional quality control and fresh seed. While they are based in the South, they carry an excellent selection of cold-hardy, cool-season grasses (like Timothy, Orchardgrass, and Fescue blends) that are perfectly suited for keeping grazing animals well-fed through our Thumb region winters.
Website: hancockseed.com
Preserving Heirloom & Heritage Animal Breeds
Just as we preserve heirloom seeds in the garden, raising heritage livestock and poultry is a powerful way to protect agricultural biodiversity. Heritage breeds are traditional animals that were raised by our ancestors before modern industrial agriculture. They are celebrated for their natural hardiness, excellent foraging skills, and long, productive lives on pasture.
The Livestock Conservancy Breeders Directory
The Details: The Livestock Conservancy is the premier non-profit organization dedicated to protecting over 150 endangered species of livestock and poultry from extinction.
Why We Love Them: Their online Breeders Directory is the ultimate grassroots tool. It connects you directly with local, dedicated breeders across the country who are raising everything from heritage cattle and donkeys to rare goats and sheep.
Website:livestockconservancy.org
Murray McMurray Hatchery
The Details: Operating for over a century, this family-owned hatchery is famous for its massive selection of rare and exotic poultry. They carry over 120 breeds, including chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, and peafowl.
Why We Love Them: They are deeply committed to conservation and maintain several APA (American Poultry Association) Certified flocks. They are a fantastic, reliable source for adding heritage birds that will naturally thrive in a free-range farm environment.
Website:mcmurrayhatchery.com
Meyer Hatchery
The Details: Based in Ohio, Meyer Hatchery offers a phenomenal selection of heritage chicken breeds known for their foraging abilities, cold-hardiness, and longevity.
Why We Love Them: They are highly transparent, offer small minimum hatch orders, and provide extensive educational resources on the specific traits and history of each heirloom breed they carry.
Website:meyerhatchery.com
Ideal Poultry
The Details: Family-owned and operated since 1937, Ideal Poultry is a highly respected hatchery based in Texas. They maintain over 50,000 breeders and offer an incredible variety of standard and rare poultry, including over 70 chicken breeds, ducks, geese, guineas, and heritage turkeys.
Why We Love Them: They are dedicated to producing superior pure breeds and have excellent survival rates for their shipped chicks. Their wide selection makes them a go-to for preserving diverse and unique backyard flocks.
Website:idealpoultry.com
Our Favorite Flock & Homestead Supplies
To keep your heritage breeds and backyard flocks thriving, the right nutrition and daily care are essential. Whether you are raising chickens, ducks, or peafowl, here are our top picks for sustainable, health-boosting supplies.
Grubbly Farms
The Details: Grubbly Farms specializes in oven-dried black soldier fly grubs (Grubblies), which are a sustainable, nutrient-dense alternative to traditional mealworms.
Why We Love Them: Grubblies contain 50 times more calcium than regular mealworms, which is incredible for strong eggshells and healthy feather growth. We love that they are sustainably harvested in the US and Canada using a diet of fruits, vegetables, and grains, keeping unnecessary waste out of landfills.
Website:grubblyfarms.com
Exotic Nutrition
The Details: Exotic Nutrition offers a massive variety of high-quality animal diets and supplements. For the homestead, their backyard poultry line features fantastic dried mealworms, black soldier fly larvae, and specialized herbal blends.
Why We Love Them: Their bulk dried insects are an affordable way to encourage natural foraging behavior without any added chemicals, hormones, or preservatives. Their specialized herbal supplements, like the "Chicken Herb 3 Pack," are also great for boosting daily flock vitality.
Website:exoticnutrition.com
Roosty's
The Details: Roosty's provides excellent poultry care products ranging from anti-tip feeders to natural, science-backed health supplements for your birds.
Why We Love Them: They take a holistic approach to flock health. Their all-natural Daily Dewormer (made with a chili mix) and their Nesting Herbs are fantastic, chemical-free ways to keep your coops clean, boost immune systems, and safeguard your flock.
Website:roostys.co
Let’s Get Growing!
Building a resilient, beautiful, and ecologically sound landscape takes time, but starting with the right seeds, plants, and animals makes all the difference. We hope this list helps you map out your garden beds and pastures this year!
What are you most excited to plant or raise this season? Do you have a favorite local nursery, seed company, or breeder we should know about? Let us know in the comments below!