The Long Family Story: Farming Commerce Township Since 1876
One hundred and fifty years, one family, one farm on Commerce Road. Before Michigan had highways, the Longs were growing apples here, and this fall we press cider on the same ground for the hundred and fiftieth time.
1540 E Commerce Rd, Commerce Township, MI · (248) 360-3774
The short version
Same Family, Same Farm, Since 1876
Most businesses celebrate an anniversary. We're celebrating a sesquicentennial.
The Long family has farmed this corner of Commerce Township since 1876. What started as a working Michigan farm is still exactly that: asparagus and peas in spring, sweet corn all summer, and come September, the orchard, the cider press, and a farmyard full of fall.
The Fun Farm, the corn maze, and the hot donuts came along the way, but the deal has never changed: real food grown here, sold here, by the people who grew it.
A century and a half, fast
150 Years on Commerce Road
1876The Long family begins farming on Commerce Road.
Along the wayThe first cider is pressed at the farm, and the donuts follow close behind.
Along the wayThe Fun Farm opens and the first corn maze gets cut into the field.
2024The corn maze honors the Detroit Lions, and the aerial photo makes the rounds all over metro Detroit.
2026Year 150. Same family, same farm, and the cider press is warming up for you right now.
More milestones join this timeline as the family digs the stories out of the barn. Ask Robert about the early days, he’s the keeper of them.
What 150 years teaches you
How We Run the Farm
Grown Here, Pressed Here
Our cider never rides a truck. The apples grow in the orchard out back and go into your gallon the same place they grew. Fifteen varieties, one press, zero food miles.
A Real Farm, All Year
Fall is the show, but the farm never stops: asparagus and peas in spring, sweet corn and garden vegetables all summer at the Bogie Lake Rd stand, then apples, pumpkins, and the maze.
Old-Fashioned Fun, Modern Convenience
Hand-cut mazes, hayrides, and hot donuts, with online tickets, cashless checkout, and the daily “Hello Friends” farm update the family has written for years, so you always know what’s ripe before you drive out.
The Longs behind the farm
Meet the Longs: A Family, Not a Franchise
If a Long isn't driving the tractor, a Long is fixing it.
Robert Long runs the show, and his sons run everything else: the orchard, the press, the Fun Farm, the produce stands, and the farm’s photos and updates you see online.
You’ll see them at the barn, on the hayride, and behind the donut counter. Say hi, they’ve been expecting your family for 150 years.
The farm never stops
A Year at Long's Farm
Spring
Summer
Fall
The whole show: apples, pumpkins, the corn maze, and cider and donuts daily.
Late Fall
Cider and donuts through Thanksgiving Eve, then the farm rests up for year 151.
What’s in season right now is always on the farm update.
You're part of this story too
Generations of Your Families, Too
A farm doesn’t last 150 years without the families who keep coming back: the grandparents who picked apples here as kids, now riding the hayride with their grandkids. That’s the whole point of the place.
Joey Long, generation next
Bobby and his mums
The crew that keeps it running
About the farm
Family Farm Questions, Answered
How long has Long Family Orchard been in Commerce Township?
Since 1876, this fall marks 150 years of the Long family farming the same land on Commerce Road.
Is the farm really family-owned and operated?
Yes, entirely. Robert Long and his sons run the whole operation, from the orchard and cider press to the Fun Farm and the produce stands.
What does the farm grow?
Fifteen varieties of apples, pumpkins, asparagus, peas, sweet corn, and garden vegetables, plus fresh-pressed cider and homemade donuts at the Cider Mill.
Where exactly is the farm?
Two spots in Commerce Township: the Main Barn and Cider Mill at 1540 E Commerce Rd, and the seasonal produce stand on Bogie Lake Rd, a quarter mile north of Commerce Rd.
Can we meet the animals?
The petting farm, goats, a donkey, and alpacas, sits right in the middle of the Fun Farm on fall weekends.
How can we follow along with the farm?
The daily farm update on our homepage lists what’s ripe and what’s happening, we post along the way on Facebook and Instagram at longfamilyfarm, and you can reach us any time through the contact page or at (248) 360-3774.
Come Be Part of Year 150
The cider’s pressing, the maze is cut, and the 150th fall on Commerce Road starts September 12. We’d love your family to be in this chapter.