 |
 |
DATE: Sept 27, 2016 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Clifford Dean Scholz 248 410-1762 [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> Claire Maitre 248 613-8803 [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> The Local Food Revolution Starts With the Soil! Farmer and Soils Expert Dan Kittredge to Speak in Four Michigan Cities People who hear Dan Kittredge talk about soil health gain a radically new appreciation for the importance of soil biology in producing healthier crops and more nutritious food. Thanks to the nonprofit Bionutrient Food Association and local organizers and supporters, next weekend, farmers, chefs, home gardeners, nutritionists, local food activists and anyone else in Southeast Michigan with a passion for locally grown food will be able to hear Dan Kittredge speak for free! “I’m very excited to be returning to Michigan,” Dan said. Dan gave a 2-day soils workshop in Marion, Michigan in Feb 2015 and more recently was part of a permaculture training in Traverse City last May, also stopping in Detroit to tour D- Town Farm and Earthworks Urban Farm before delivering a presentation at Earthworks. A lifelong organic farmer and founder of both the Real Food Campaign and the Bionutrient Food Association, Dan Kittredge will be visiting four Michigan cities Oct 1-3 2016 to deliver FREE, two-hour presentations to introduce practical strategies for making farming both economically and environmentally sustainable while improving food quality and nutrient content. Dan’s introductory presentations will be held in Detroit, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and Lansing — locations and times for these events are listed below. Soil Restoration is Key Dan will be sharing principles of biological systems. Superseding both “conventional” and organic approaches, biological soil stewardship sees soil life, plant, sun and air as a dynamic living system and seeks to fine-tune soil microbes and minerals to significantly improve the pest and disease resistance and nutritional content of harvested crops. This is in direct contrast to conventional agriculture’s view of soil as an inert medium that is used to carry chemical fertilizers to the plant, and it even goes beyond organic agriculture as it is often practiced, by using crop and cover plants to feed the soil and build organic matter through optimized relationships with the soil community. Dan’s introductory lectures next weekend and the full, two-day soils workshop he will be leading in November have garnered numerous endorsements, including: the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, Diana Dyer, registered dietitian of Dyer Family Farms, Earthworks Urban Farm, 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, Zingerman’s Community of Businesses, with other endorsements and sponsorships pending. These events are also made possible by the generous support of private donors. As an interesting side note, on Sep 30, Dan will be presenting at the Yale Food Systems Symposium (https://yalefoodsymposium.org/about2016/ <https://yalefoodsymposium.org/about2016/> ) the day before flying to Detroit to speak at Earthworks Urban Farm Oct 1 and other venues in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti Oct 2 and Lansing on Oct 3. Volunteer event organizers Bridget O’Brien, Claire Maitre, and Cliff Scholz are incredibly excited to be able to help bring this expertise and vision for a stronger food system to SE Michigan at these free events! Dan Kittredge’s Free introductory presentations are a prelude to the full, 2-day High Bionutrient Crop Production workshop to be held at the Washtenaw Food Hub on the weekend of Nov 12-13. (see http://bionutrient.org/workshops <http://bionutrient.org/workshops> ) Growers attending this workshop are encouraged to get the comprehensive soil test recommended by Dan so they can begin implementing strategies before winter sets in. However, like the introductory lectures, this workshop will be of interest to anyone seeking to better understand how to improve the local food system through quality-driven market dynamics. Cost is $200. Organizers encourage creative funding strategies and have some suggestions if needed. A scholarship fund has also been established to support participation in the 2-day workshop. Participants will be provided a delicious, local- oriented lunch both days of the November workshop. FREE Soil Repair Presentations with Dan Kittredge of the Bionutrient Food Association 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 -end- Claire Maitre 248-613-8803 [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> chrysalistransitions.com <http://chrysalistransitions.com/> http://workthatreconnects.org <http://workthatreconnects.org/> "Hope is not a lottery ticket you can sit on the sofa and clutch, feeling lucky. It is an axe you break down doors with in an emergency. Hope should shove you out the door, because it will take everything you have to steer the future away from endless war, from the annihilation of the earth's treasures and the grinding down of the poor and marginal... To hope is to give yourself to the future - and that commitment to the future is what makes the present inhabitable." Rebecca Solnit