Matt's family has been farming for many years. Matt's grandfather, Herman,  started out farming south of Ann Arbor, and rented land on Jerusalem Road in the 1950’s. In 1959, the family purchased its current farm in Sylvan Township. The family raised a small herd of dairy cattle up until 1995 as well as a rotation of corn, soy and wheat.

The Koenn family has been a large part of the leadership with the Conservation District for many years. Charlie Koenn, Matt’s father, was a board director in the 1980s. Matt was elected to the Conservation District’s Board of Directors in 2003 and has been the board Chairman since 2015. Matt raises Angus cattle, mainly on  grass. Matt has a longstanding commitment to conservation practices on the farm, including almost exclusively no-till practices. 

The Herman L. Koenn Preserve was created through the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission and sits adjacent to the DNR managed Goose Lake Recreation Area. The Koenn’s farm property is also protected in a conservation easement adjacent to the nature preserve.

​When he’s not farming or helping out at the district, Matt’s enjoys snowmobiles, golfing, hunting and fishing. His son, Ryan, is a nurse at the University of Michigan Health System and his wife, Kim, works at the St. Joseph Mercy Health System in Chelsea.