Name: Claire Rasch
School: Kenowa Hills High School
Passion: Fruit farming and agriculture
Kenowa Hills — For as long as she can remember, senior Claire Rasch said apples have been her favorite fruit, which makes sense for a fifth-generation apple farmer.
Since she was 8 years old, Claire has been learning the family business from her parents, Sarah and John, and alongside her younger sister, Eva. While attending Kenowa Hills High School, she has balanced academics with agriculture as a part-time orchard scout and field intern, all while playing sports and enjoying her life.
This fall, Claire plans to study agribusiness at Washington State University and sees herself eventually working “in an orchard somewhere, anywhere.”
When did apple and fruit farming become something you wanted to pursue? When Claire was a kid, she said her dad would hand her a pair of clippers and they’d trim things on the trees. At 16, she started working more full time and doing more in-depth work on the farm with her family.
“Growing up, I never thought I wanted to do what my parents did, but then I realized I actually really, really like this. What else would I do that I would love so much? I had to swallow my pride, went out to Washington State, and it solidified it.”
Claire said she searched for schools with fruit tree-specific agriculture programs, as that was the industry that interests her the most.
“Washington State has a really good program, and I wanted to go somewhere far from here, because all of the apple farmers around here are related to me.”
A few related accomplishments: Last year, Claire was one of three recipients of the $7,000 Michigan Apple scholarship — $5,000 from Michigan Apple Committee, $1,000 from ChoiceOne Bank and $1,000 from Breckenridge Insurance Co. — which included an essay and video submission, and the ability to represent the industry for a year through social media and other communication channels.
She also received the 2024 Young Professionals scholarship from the International Fruit Tree Association to attend its 67th annual conference, and was featured as a young grower in Good Fruit Grower magazine.
“When I go to conferences, I can count on my 10 fingers how many girls there are in the room,” she said. “I think more girls should get into agriculture.”
Is there a teacher or teachers who have had a big impact? “My No. 1 is my dad because he always brought me out on the farm and was my boss for a few years. I’ve learned from my family and people in the business, and worked at other orchards and learned from my bosses.”
Also, “Ms. (Lisa) Botsford was my English teacher my freshman and junior years; she’s pretty awesome, very smart and taught me a lot about writing and interrupting your own world view.”
Other hobbies? Claire played varsity volleyball and basketball at KHHS and enjoys hunting, fishing and her dog, Harley: “He’s very handsome and I love to go on walks with him.”
In the winter she goes cross-country skiing with her family, and in the summer you can find her on Lake Michigan beaches.
“I’m going to miss the beaches in the summer,” she said about moving to Washington for college. “The mountains will be way different, but way beautiful.”
The biggest lesson you have learned from your involvement in fruit farming is… “You’re always learning, and you can always learn more and you can always change your mind. … It pays off to work hard. Hard work is worth it, even if you don’t see results right away or you don’t feel as valued in the moment. It will pay off; that goes for life and the apple trees.”
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