Marcellus Wheeler is a native urban farmer in Detroit, Michigan, where he was born and raised working urban farms and gardens with his family. He met his wife Bianca during his cultivation journey. He joined her plant, grass and flower forage hunting through the communities, and they became best friends.

 

Urban Farm Development Managers LLC was born in 2013 with Marcellus as the founder and acting operations manager. He began a mission to educate as many as possible, as soon as possible. Since 2013 he has assisted several agriculture farmers and gardeners with developing whole systems that fit their lifestyles. From 2014 to 2016, Marcellus trained farm apprentices with an intense farm curriculum that combined Good Agricultural Practices techniques with innovative smart agriculture practices. Several apprentices pursued a farming lifestyle and developed it into a career.

 

This year, Marcellus has developed smart agriculture whole-farming systems that bring Black urban and rural farmers of all ages together. These systems create sustainable partnerships for future generations and simplify managing and operating inherited farms, ranches and orchards. Marcellus is working in partnership with several rural and urban landowners to develop perennial harvestable plantings to increase value, equity and much more.

 

We have chosen Marcellus because he has proven to be a true Black farmer who is willing and ready to spread the knowledge of developing sustainable whole-farm systems using climate-smart agriculture.

 

Selected by SEMPA (SouthEast Michigan Producers Association) Farms

Cary Junior