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*Making it in Michigan Conference Attention VENDORS* This year the Making it in Michigan Conference will be having a Marketplace trade show for clients and Michigan businesses that want to be seen by retail buyers, distributors, store owners, food service providers, brokers and other industry leaders. The Conference will be held on November 13, 2009 from 8:00-4:00 pm, Lansing Center 333 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI. This is a great opportunity to have your product in front of the buyers all in one day, we have an overwhelming response from buyers and distributors all looking for new and existing Michigan products. Also included in this year L&L Food Stores are offering competition for 2 Vendors products to be taken on for one full year at 8 stores in Lansing. Products must be made in a certified licensed facility and meet all legal requirements. Vendor Registration is $150. This includes 1 10’x10’ booth with 8’skirted table and Chair. Price includes entrance to the event for 2 people for the trade show only 9am – 4pm. This price does not include registration for educational programs and morning conference. Set up time is 8.30am-10am. Participant early registration (vendors not included) is $60 prior to October 16, and late registration is $75 after October 16. For more information and vendor registration form please visit * www.makingitinmichigan.msu.edu*. *NEWS* *Marketing trends for organic foods-a useful tool for those creating a business plan or have markets selling organic.* ** Organic foods now occupy prominent shelf space in the produce and dairy aisles of most mainstream U.S. food retailers. The marketing boom has pushed retail sales of organic foods up to $21.1 billion in 2008 from $3.6 billion in 1997. U.S. organic-industry growth is evident in an expanding number of retailers selling a wider variety of foods, the development of private-label product lines by many supermarkets, and the widespread introduction of new products. A broader range of consumers has been buying more varieties of organic food. Organic handlers, who purchase products from farmers and often supply them to retailers, sell more organic products to conventional retailers and club stores than ever before. Only one segment has not kept pace—organic farms have struggled at times to produce sufficient supply to keep up with the rapid growth in demand, leading to periodic shortages of organic products. By Carolyn Dimitri, and Lydia Oberholtzer Economic Information Bulletin No. (EIB-58) 33 pp, September 2009 To view full report visit: *http://ers.usda.gov/Publications/EIB58/. * If you would like to access previous postings to the Mich-Organic listserv you can copy and paste the following URL into your browser address bar http://list.msu.edu/archives/mich-organic.html