60-Year Partnership Still Going Strong

Gil Tinsey and Fred Hasen met in college and have been farming together in Michigan since the 1960s.

- Family Farmstead

In the fall of 1960, Gil Tinsey was a senior at Michigan State University (MSU) and Fred Hasen was a junior. They met as members of the Farmhouse Fraternity, which led to a lifetime friendship and a working relationship generally seen only between brothers: The two have been farming together for more than 60 years.

Tinsey, who majored in agricultural mechanization, grew up in the Thumb of Michigan, a stone's throw from Lake Huron, near Port Austin. Hasen, a dairy major, grew up three hours south of Tinsey in Monroe County, Michigan, near Toledo, Ohio.

They both wed during college: Tinsey to Cathy, and Hasen to Pat. The four enjoyed spending time together, and the two wives became fast friends.

Hasen, who was in the ROTC program, spent two years on active Army duty after college. When he returned home in 1964, "It was pretty evident that if I wanted to farm, that was not the place to stay," he says.

"Toledo was spreading out, so I told my father, 'I'm going looking.' And he said, 'Make sure you get two houses, because I'm not staying here."" The Tinseys visited the Hasens when Fred returned from the Army. Upon hearing his friend was considering a change of location, Tinsey suggested he come to the Thumb.

"I had never been up here but I was very impressed," Hasen says, with a laugh. "I found a place [near Port Hope], and I tell folks it was one of the few smart things I've done."