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Note from MOFFA:  This message is being shared to the MOFFA list at the request of the event team volunteer organizers of the Bionutrient Food Workshop being presented in Ann Arbor on Nov 12-13 by Dan Kittredge and the four presentations being made this coming weekend and Monday (Oct 1-3).  Information was shared previously in the Organic Connections Newsletter.
Dear Farmer,
 
As the 2016 harvest season winds down, why would a farmer want to spend a weekend at a workshop talking about soil?  We can only think of one thing: the promise of a better harvest in 2017 and in years to come, with healthier crops, better yields, and improved soil by this time next year.
 
And that’s why we’re writing you.
 
On November 12-13 Dan Kittredge of the Bionutrient Food Association will be delivering a 2-day workshop at the Washtenaw Food Hub. The focus will be on biological farming and soil stewardship.
 
Participants will get an overview of how biological growing methods:
  • Improve the quality and nutrition of food crops, which improves profitability and promotes human health and environmental vibrancy
  • Reduce the need for farm inputs, thereby cutting costs
  • Adjust soil chemistry and biology to build organic matter and optimize plant health
  • Change agriculture from a greenhouse gas emitter to a carbon sequestering activity
 
A lifelong farmer, Dan is well aware of what’s at stake for his organic operation if his early spring greens get ravaged by flea beetles, for example.  His solution to insect pest problems like this is to develop soil capable of delivering balanced nutrition to the crop plants to make them resistant to insect pests and, not incidentally, better for us, too.
 
This event is endorsed by the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, Diana Dyer, registered dietitian of Dyer Family Farms, Growing Hope, the Michigan Organic Food and Farming Alliance (MOFFA), and the Washtenaw Food Hub.  The workshop is also sponsored in part by the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems, with other endorsements and sponsorships pending.
 
The late-season timing of our 2-day soils workshop is intended to allow growers to get the comprehensive recommended soil tests [see http://bionutrient.org/soil-test], get help interpreting your test results during the workshop, and begin mineral balancing as indicated before the soil freezes for a jump on next year’s growing season.
 
The cost of the 2-day soils workshop is $200.  Although we’re confident that participants will get more than $200 worth of information (plus two catered, locally focused lunches), we understand that this may be a stretch for some. So we invite you to consider some creative funding options.  If you run a CSA, see if your members will sponsor you in.  If you do business with a local retailer, ask the business that’s counting on your success to pay your tuition.  And finally, as the Michigan event team volunteers we have set up a scholarship fund at the BFA to help those who need it.  Here’s a link to the BFA events page with more information and a registration link at the very bottom: http://bionutrient.org/workshops
 
However, if all of this sounds a bit like a marriage proposal on the first date, we’re also scheduling four FREE speaking events to meet Dan, hear what he has to say, and see for yourself if the knowledge Dan is sharing might be useful for you and your operation.  These events will be held on the first weekend of October at venues in Ann Arbor, Detroit, Lansing, and Ypsilanti:
 
Detroit:
Saturday, Oct 1st - 2-4PM @ Earthworks Urban Farm, 1264 Meldrum Street
 
Ann Arbor:
Sunday, Oct 2nd - 1-3PM @ Sunward Cohousing, 424 Little Lake Drive
 
Ypsilanti: 
Sunday, Oct 2nd - 5-7PM @ Growing Hope, 922 W Michigan Ave
 
Lansing:
Monday, Oct 3rd - 3-5PM @ Allen Street Neighborhood Center, 1611 E Kalamazoo Street
 
And, if you have any questions, we encourage you to peruse the BFA website or feel free contact any of the event team volunteers:
 
Claire Maitre: [log in to unmask] / 248.613.8803
Bridget O’Brien: [log in to unmask] / 734.829.2645
Cliff Scholz: [log in to unmask] / 248.410.1762
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