Born and raised in Michigan, Todosciuk has been a farmer for most of his life. Growing up, he was involved in vegetable farming through the 4-H program. That passion turned into a roadside stand that Todosciuk and his mother ran starting in 1978.

"We had a pumpkin contest when I was 16 years old and I grew pumpkins," Todosciuk said. "Well, then I had too many pumpkins, so they basically started selling them."

Todosciuk attended MSU’s agricultural technology school and, following his graduation in 1985, purchased the farm’s current site.

"This place was nothing," Todosciuk said. "It was a piece of vacant ground, so we built it up from there."

The farm itself comprises 300 acres of land, where Todosciuk grows a wide variety of vegetables, such as sweet corn, soybeans, pumpkins, tomatoes and zucchini. Most days he’s outside harvesting his crops.

"Sweet corn season, I'm out in the field from usually six to nine o'clock, and then a little bit of book work until noon, and then out and about taking care of the crops," Todosciuk said. "Basically, I work 10 hours to 12 hours a day."

Over the years, Andy T’s has expanded to incorporate an entertainment space, wedding barn, fresh market and bakery. Todosciuk said the key to managing such a large operation is record keeping and organization. Maintaining the company’s reputation is also crucial for Todosciuk.

"We've turned into a destination where we're an icon for shoppers and we strive for good service, good quality product, at a fair price," Todosciuk said.

St. John’s resident Edmund Kemp has been shopping at the farm market for almost 20 years because of their fresh products and convenient location. Kemp said he’s spoken with Todosciuk during his visits.

"He’s very friendly, very knowledgeable," Kemp said. "He's always here. He's very, very helpful."

Andy T's head baker Angie Herald agrees. 

"Andy's a very good guy, very knowledgeable in his field," Herald said. "He really cares about this community. He grew up in this community."

Todosciuk said he’s proud of the successful business he’s grown, but doesn’t have any more plans to expand. In fact, he has plans to sell the farm market, but struggles to find someone who can run the "one man operation."

"I'm looking for a buyer of the market," Todosciuk said. "I can do the other stuff, but I am 61, so I gotta look at an exit program."

The hayride tradition

Hayrides began in the 1990’s when a local bartender asked if he could come out to his farm for $100 and have a bonfire, Todosciuk said. Since then, the tradition has evolved to host local universities, such as Central Michigan University and Grand Valley State University, but primarily MSU. Todosciuk estimated that he hosts about 140 bonfires each year and welcomes around 10,000 MSU students to his farm.

His favorite part of the hayrides is when students thank him for "bringing them back home."

"We got people that miss home because you're at college, you're in that city area and you're a country kid and you get out here and it just makes you feel like home — true bonfire, seeing stars," Todosciuk said. "Yeah, that always hits me hard."

Maintaining a safe environment at the hayrides is a priority for Todosciuk. He said he accomplishes this through a combination of lighting, bathrooms, food and safe wagons, along with a close relationship with local law enforcement.

"I'm trying to keep the wagons going and keep everybody safe," Todosciuk said. "That's a whole deal, me running the show. There’s a lot of nuts and bolts going on out there that college kids don't know, but that's our job."

One MSU organization that Todosciuk looks forward to hosting is Spartan Ski Club because of their dedication to safety.

"They are so organized … they run it smooth and they run it efficiently and safe," Todosciuk said. "If I could have every group do like the ski club, there wouldn't ever be a problem."

Ski club vice president Deaglan McGreevy said the organization delegates jobs to the executive board members and officers to achieve this.

"We always have officers around the cornfield, around the border of our area, on the actual hayride monitoring," McGreevy said. "Our job is just to make sure that all of our members are respecting his property."

McGreevy said he’s met Todosciuk at multiple different hayrides throughout his time at MSU.

"I feel like he gives off really cool uncle that you see at a family function," McGreevy said. "Super, super personable, very nice, will go out of his way to introduce himself to literally everyone."

The hayrides at Andy T's are a quintessential part of the college experience at MSU, McGreevy said.

"Andy T’s feels like it is the fall event," McGreevy said. "If you're a college student at MSU, in the fall you're going to Andy T’s. You tell someone you have hayride and it's like, 'oh, of course.'"

McGreevy said the tradition won’t be ending any time soon.

"It's part of the culture here and so I think that legacy it's built, it's just going to keep it around forever," McGreevy said.