What’s New in Michigan Organics
1.
Farmer Market Opportunity-Eastern Market in Detroit seeks new
farmers
2.
MSU is getting new professor for organic pest management
3.
Farm profits from community supportHome-grown veggie lovers
say fresh produce is best
4. Highlights from Vegetable CAT Alert
5. MSU New AG Network Vol. 4, No. 2 - May 9, 2007
6. MSU Field Crop CAT ALERT May 10. 2007 Vol 22. NO 5
7.
The Michigan Farmers Market Association Kicks Off by
Welcoming Charter Memberships
8.
Discussing topics dealing with organic crops.
9.
Breaking News on Supplements & Nutrition - North
AmericaUSDA highlights farm bill proposals for specialty crops
10. FAO looks to organics for food security
11. Bill Bobier and Lana Pollack: Small farmers deserve
help
12. The Economic Impact of B.S.E. on the U.S. Beef Industry:
BY NOT TESTING TO FIND
13. New Report Documents Organic Agriculture in Michigan
State University
Breaking
News on Supplements & Nutrition - North America
USDA
highlights farm bill proposals for specialty crops
14. Organic could help fight world hunger
15. Getting Started in Exporting Workshop. June 14 East
Lansing, MI
1. Farmer Market Opportunity-Eastern Market in Detroit seeks
new farmers
Would
like to personally invite Michigan growers to become a part of the rich
tradition that is Eastern Market Detroit. The Eastern Market is the
oldest in Michigan, founded in 1891, and the largest market district in the
country.
As you
may be aware, things are changing, for the better, at the market. A
new management team has assumed operations of the market and lots of exciting
things are happening and many more are planned. Included in all of these
changes is the renovation of all existing sheds, a cleaner and safer market,
higher standards for products, an advertising campaign, special events and
more. While all these changes are exciting, the most important change is
our commitment to offer more locally grown products sold by local growers.
We
offer both year leases and day rental rates. If you are interested in
“trying” out the market for a week or two, we would be glad to
accommodate you. After the trial period, if you are interested in signing
a lease, we will deduct the total day rent that you paid from the total lease
price.
For
more information or have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me at
(313) 833-9300.
If you
would like an application you can call listed number or email Vicki Morrone
([log in to unmask])
Sincerely,
Randall
Fogelman
Director,
Business Development
Eastern
Market Corporation
2934
Russell Street
Detroit,
MI 48207
313.833.9300
telephone
313.833.9309
facsimile
www.detroiteasternmarket.com
2. MSU is getting new professor for organic pest management
Dr. Matthew Grieshop has accepted the organic Pest
Management position. He will be in the Department of Entomology. Matthew
is currently a post-doc at Washington State University. It is my
understanding that he will arrive October 1, 2007. I look forward to working
with him and others as we engage organic farmers, MSU and others in research
and educational activities to build our state’s organic production.
Vicki Morrone
MSU Organic Vegetable and Field Crop Outreach
Specialist.
3.
Farm profits from community support
Home-grown veggie lovers say fresh produce is best
From Maple Creek Farm, Michigan
May 15, 2007
http://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070514/NEWS01/705140303/1002
Before
trucking, refrigeration and supermarkets, most food Americans ate was grown
or raised in their local communities. Today, a commonly cited statistic
states the average food item on your dinner plate traveled 1,300 miles to get
there. Michelle
and Danny Lutz are proud to say all the produce grown on their Brockway
Township farm is eaten within an 80-mile radius.
"I'm
a big advocate of local food systems," Michelle Lutz said. "I'd
like to see them resurrected in Michigan. I think it would be good for our
economy and our community." The Lutzes' 80-acre Maple Creek Farm is the state's
largest example of community-supported agriculture, or CSA. Rather than
selling crops into the wholesale market, the farm sells its produce directly
to consumers by allowing them to buy "shares" for the growing
season. Boxes filled with a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables are
delivered to drop-off points in St. Clair, Macomb, Oakland and Wayne County
weekly from June to October. In
1995, the farm's first season, it had 13 shareholders. It now has 750. There's
more evidence of growing interest in CSA. The number of CSA farms in Michigan
has increased from eight in 1998 to 64 this season. That includes at least
two in St. Clair County - Maple Creek Farm and Wonder Meadows in Emmett
Township - and another three in Macomb and Lapeer counties. Vegging out
Advocates say the biggest advantage of CSA is the
fresh food. "The
stuff in the store they have to pick before it's ripe," Michelle Lutz
said. "We can ... let it mature on the vine." Jackie
Jablonski of Port Huron has been a member for about five years. "The
vegetables and fruit are just fantastic," she said. "Everything is
sweeter, crispier and more flavorful." Using
such a program does sacrifice some convenience. The produce may require more
cleaning, and you can't choose which vegetables you want. "Half
the (members) love beets, the other half want to strangle me every time I put
it in the box," Michelle Lutz said. Members
pay up front, and there are no refunds. If it's a bad season, the box will be
bare. When
Michelle and Danny Lutz bought the farm in 1994, she worked for Spirit
Airlines and he was a carpet cleaner. They came up with the idea of selling
fresh produce to fellow Detroiters before they knew other farmers were
attempting the same thing. "We
tried to design our farm around it," she said. Extra food is sold at
farmers markets, but "shareholders are the first priority." Diverse offerings
The biggest challenge of CSA is providing a steady
supply of produce throughout the summer and fall. Rather than planting
everything in the spring, it requires constant planting of a variety of
crops. Maple Creek Farm fills out its boxes with unusual offerings such as
kale, arugula, white icicle radishes and mizuna. "People
who get involved with CSA have to be ready for diversity," Michelle Lutz
said. Not all
CSA programs work the same. Most are 30 to 50 members. Some require members
to help raise the crops by working a small number of hours. While
organic farming and CSA farming often go hand-in-hand, not all CSA farms are
certified. Still, the organic movement may be behind the popularity of CSA. Another
reason CSA is growing is people are still discovering it exists, Michelle
Lutz said. The Internet also is playing a role by helping customers and
farmers link up. Advocates
say the benefits go beyond fresh tomatoes. It offers a model for small,
family farms to stay in business. The
decision to sell a farm to a developer often boils down to the financial
pressures of maintaining it. CSA farmers pocket a greater percentage of the
revenue from their crops. Angelic
Organics in Caledonia, Ill., is such a success story. Owner John Peterson
nearly lost his family farm in the '80s but was able to revive it through CSA
and organic farming. It is now one of the largest CSA farms in the country. It's a
fresh take on the question of how to sustain farmland. Contact Bill
Chapin at (810) 989-0741 or [log in to unmask]. |