FORGED IN THE FIRES OF FREEDOM. STANDING STRONG FOR RURAL AMERICA.
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Our Story: From Smokehouse to Solar Showdown
Our Story
Ian Murphy built the Iron Pig Smokehouse from the ground up with a second mortgage and 22 years of restaurant experience. When Michigan’s COVID-19 orders threatened to destroy his business and the livelihoods of his team, Ian refused to close. He kept the doors open, served his community, and took the fight to court — winning landmark rulings that struck down unconstitutional emergency powers and voided fines against him.
Now the same iron will is turned toward a new threat: utility-scale solar projects enabled by Michigan’s Public Act 233. These massive developments (like the 1,200-acre 45th Parallel Solar project in Otsego County and the Northern Waters Solar Park in Cheboygan County) are being pushed onto private farmland against the wishes of local residents.
Ian is a named plaintiff in the Otsego County lawsuit and a vocal strategist helping Cheboygan County families. His message is clear: Local control matters. Property rights matter. Rural Michigan is not for sale.
The IRON Foundation turns that fight into a nationwide movement — funding the next Ian Murphy in every county facing the same battle.
73 Acres of Agricultural Land with Home for Sale in Cheboygan, Michigan - LandSearch
