Born and raised in Wisconsin, Mike attended the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting in 2000. After graduating, Mike traveled around Europe and found himself working on an organic vegetable farm in the mountains of southern Spain. It was there that he discovered his passion for growing vegetables, sparking a 14-year farm journey from Wales to Costa Rica to Washington State and an eventual return to Wisconsin. Mike now co-owns Driftless Organics, a 50-acre vegetable farm near Soldiers Grove, and raises grass-fed cattle on his own farm where he lives with his wife Dani.