October 13, 2008

From the Michigan Organic Food & Farm Alliance (MOFFA):

MOFFA has just released a new 12 page report about the transition to organic farming in Michigan. Getting to Organic: Profiles of How Michigan Farmers Made Their Transition to Organic Agriculture (August 2008) features profiles of 5 farmers growing beans, grains, fruits, vegetables, vegetable transplants, herbs and other crops. MOFFA interviewed these farmers to discuss how they began organic farming and the lessons they learned in the process of becoming a certified organic farm. The profiles offer advice and inspiration, and highlight the challenges farmers face in moving to organic certification.

The report features these farmers:

• Jim Sattelberg, Bay Shore Farms and Thistledown Farms, Snover, MI (Sanilac County)
  

• Don Cinzori, Cinzori Farms, Ceresco, MI (Calhoun County)
  

• Gene Garthe, Garthe Farms, Northport, MI (Leelanau County)
  

• Fred Leitz, Leitz Farms LLC, Sodus, MI (Berrien County)
  

• Bernie Ware, Ware Farm, Bear Lake, MI (Manistee County)
  

This report was prepared as part of a MOFFA grant project with Michigan State University titled "Partnering to Cultivate Organic Agriculture in Michigan and the Midwest."  This project is supported by the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), under agreement number 2005-51300-02391. Any opinion, finding, conclusions or recommendations expressed in the report are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the USDA.

Getting to Organic is available as a PDF on the MOFFA website at www.moffa.org. A limited number of print copies will be distributed by MOFFA at farm conferences and other events.

For more information, contact Dr. Jim Bingen at [log in to unmask] or 517-353-1905.