The Land: ‘It’s not a job — it’s a way of life.’

The Land: ‘It’s not a job — it’s a way of life.’ The Land is a series telling the stories about local agriculture. It is a presentation of Peterson Farms, Inc. By Allison Scarbrough, Editor. SHELBY TOWNSHIP — For decades and through generations, Bush’s Apples has been harvesting fruits and vegetables on its gorgeous 400-acre farm. The farm is located north of New Era along M 20 about 3/4 of a mile east of Oceana Drive. “My dad bought this farm in 1974,” said owner Robert Bush. “I was about 11 or 12 years old.” After attending college for a year, Robert decided it wasn’t for him and returned to the farm. “I wanted to come back and be on the farm.” His dad, James, “retired” at the end of 2006, and Robert took over at the beginning of 2007. However, Jim continued working on the farm, helping his son. Sadly, Jim passed away in January of 2017. “Even the last couple years that he had cancer, he still worked as much as he could. It’s what he loved to do.” Jim worked at the tannery in Whitehall for 13 years and then farmed after work. “He did that until […]