It all started on Quincy Street in West Lafayette where Fran and Annie and the rest of the Tuite clan were raised by two botanists. Their dad  was a tenacious and tireless role model instilling a passion for the environment and a love of sports in his kids.  Fast forward to Fran joining the crew team at Purdue and falling in love with the sport. So after working in Chicago for many years, Fran was in search of a rural respite and a place to row. Buchanan was recommended due to the St Joe River’s flat waters.   In 2006 she found a log cabin with a stone fireplace built by the House of David in 1940 , and was smitten. Buchanan became a regular weekend destination along with the  Tuite Family annual reunion site

While walking the dogs one weekend, Fran saw an auction sign on the farm across the street and she calculated that if her life long dream to own her own farm was going to be now or never. Flatwater Farms was born in January 2014 and the conversion to organic certification began, a three year process. The name of the farm comes from Phil Cunningham, a well-known Scottish musician, who wrote a tune for Fran’s 50th birthday called Flatwater Fran as she constantly sought out flatwater for her rowing.

The vision for the farm was to move from conventional farming and mono-row cropping  to a variety of plants and trees that would nourish the soil, wildlife and insects. The first step was to build a barn and then installation of a hop yard that could supply the multiple craft breweries in Michigan that require more hops. Hops are perennial plants that require an infrastructure of poles, cables, and irrigation as well as an unique knowledge much like a vineyard.

A small orchard was also planted, along with a wildflower promenade, hundreds of trees and a vegetable/herb and flower garden.  Longer term the vision is to add sheep, chickens, and cattle that can help nourish the soil and provide fertilizer for the crops. 

The ultimate vision is to create a sustainable farm and business that would support the community by supplying food, employment and education, in addition to supporting the environment through healthy soils, and wildlife habitat.

The creation of River St Joe has furthered the vision to include additional jobs, and create a place where the community can converge to enjoy the farm and its bounty. Brian Dougherty came up with the idea to start a brewery and restaurant on the farm with the vision to be like Napa Valley with their on- site dining in the vineyards. After several years of legal work, planning, and fundraising River St Joe opened to the public in April 2020.  With the increased need for food for the restaurant from the farm, Marc Luff was hired in the fall of 2020 to  manage the farm.