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Michigan Organic Listserv
December 5, 2017
Center for Regional Food Systems at Michigan State University
Contact V Morrone for questions and contributions ([log in to unmask])
Tis the season of conferences and learning…
Get Ready and Go!
Heads up!. Keep this handy to guide you at GLEXPO-Wednesday and Thursday, Dec 6 & 7
Great Lakes Fruit and Vegetable Expo is Coming Up-and with even more sessions on organic production
Vicki Morrone-MOFFA board member and Center for Regional Food Systems at MSU
Can you believe it?? The Great Lakes Fruit and Vegetable Expo is upon us already. This year’s program looks better than ever, really. In addition to a packed Thursday of educational
sessions that focus on organic certification, organic production and building markets. Throughout the 3-day event, there are many additional sessions that are very relevant to
organic production, such as Soil Health offered on Wednesday afternoon, after the Large-Scale Organic Transition session.
To see the full agenda and register visit
www.GLEXPO.org. Good news! There is a reduced price if you attend only on Thursday of $55 (vs $105 for all 3 days).
In this article, I’m sharing about sessions that are specifically aimed at organic production and organic markets. Please join us for these and others that are of interest.
Wednesday Morning-Large Scale Organic Transition
Are you planning to transition a large piece of land to organic or start a new organic farm on several acres? This year, we have a new organic session being held on Wednesday
morning entitled; Large-Scale Organic Transition.
This session was initiated by Zack Hayden a MSU alumni and new MSU professor in the Department of Horticulture. He was a
post-doc with Dan Brainard, also in the Department of Horticulture at MSU and now engaged with organic and sustainable vegetable production research and teaching. This session
will provide information and experiences from the practiconers; certification by the CEO of GOA certification agency, managing nutrients presented by Zach Hayden, MSU organic
and sustainable vegetable prof, , and a session on weed management with smart cultivation offered by Dan Brainard and grad student, Sam Hitchcock-Tilton. Then, a special guest
and very experienced organic farmer and business owner, Jim Sattelberg from Everbest Organic in Munger, MI will share his knowledge and experiences on building soil to meet
organic crop needs through good soil management. If you are considering to expand your organic acreage or transitioning your current large scale (a farm that is dependent on
mechanical cultivation) you definitely should plan to attend this session, Wednesday morning at the GLEXPO!
Thursday Morning-Market Opportunities
Are you ready to expand your markets or invest in a new market approach? At the GLEXPO
Organic Opportunities and Markets Session, Spirit of Walloon Market Garden
farmers from Boyne City, MI, will share their experiences from the time they started four years ago till now to establish a diverse and profitable fruit and vegetable farm while
maximizing their sustainable farm management practices. Hear how they have chosen and built their markets integrating less common (and challenging) crops including perennial
herbs, berries and mushrooms in addition to their high-quality vegetables on a mere 1.5 acres.
In the second presentation of this session, Tom and Vicki Zilke will share how they are expanding their vegetable farm beyond selling to Work Place Wellness Markets and their
CSA customers as they build a multi-faceted farm business, constructing a food kitchen, not just growing produce but also processing some of their crops such as oats into
oatmeal and selling at their own retail market and other wholesale markets.
Organic Opportunities and Markets
Thursday morning 9:00 am
Thursday Morning-Intro to Organic Production
Are you undecided whether to certify your production system? Are you considering transitioning to organic, or trying to figure out if it is worth certifying as an organic
farm?
Wonder what do you need to make that transition? If you answered YES to one or more of these questions then these sessions may be the right ones for you to attend on Thursday
morning. The first session, I will offer a check list or things to consider when or if you transition to organic along with some tips to help you determine your direction. Then the third
presentation in this session will share farmers’ accounts of how they managed to transition land on their farms to grow fruit (trees) and vegetables. The Organic Michigan farmers;
Julie Studier, Tom Rosenfield and Aaron Molter all grow fruit and vegetables for local and wholesale markets. Hear how they made their decisions, choose their markets and you
are invited to ask them questions during the Q&A session which will be part of their presentation. These farmers with certified farms less than 10 years will share their stories how
they transitioned their new farms to organic or transition an established conventional farm. They will share their experiences from choosing the right root stock to sourcing good
trees in addition to knowing what was permitted in the NOP world.
Are good organic transplants for your farm or to sell a real challenge to source? Without good transplants, the chance of having a good harvest is slim.
Matt Kleinhenz from Ohio State University and Rebeca Titus from Titus Farm in Mason, MI will share with you their expert advice and experiences how to grow
high quality organic transplants, whether to plant on your farm or sell to other organic farmers. This may be an opportunity for a new enterprise, to grow custom
organic transplants for sale, especially if you have access to high tunnels that you can supplement with a little heat. Since organic transplants are required in certified
organic production all organic farmers seek them, and the higher the quality and the chance to request a specific variety, the better the business. You will not want
to miss this session if you plan to grow or want to improve your transplant production techniques.
Two experienced diversified vegetable farmers will share their organic production and marketing experience, highlight key farm practices, and answer questions.
MI Recertification credits: 2 (1B, COMM CORE, PRIV CORE)
CCA Credits: PM(1.0) CM(1.0)
Moderator: John Biernbaum, Horticulture Dept., MSU
Thursday Afternoon-Organic Fruit Production
Calling ALL organic fruit growers! Given this growing program, you really need to come to this session, on Thursday afternoon of GLEXPO! Annie Nielsen from Rutgers University
will give us the latest on the current most unwanted import, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug. Just correctly identifying it can be challenging but now you need to figure out how
to ORGANICALLY manage the pest on your fruit. This insect is becoming a pest on many crops in Michigan and region which means it has many opportunities to feed and
reproduce! Of course, if you are controlling pests on your trees you need to plan how you will apply the organic pest sprays. Come and hear Matt Grieshop from
MSU along with Jacob Emling share their research and experiences using air-blast sprayers and getting the most out of them.
If you are established as an organic vegetable grower you will not want to skip this program, even if it is on Thursday afternoon! Topics shared are diverse but all critical to organic
Great Lakes region. I’m sure you have heard about grafting eggplant to tomato to get a more vigorous and disease resistant crop, or have you? Maybe a better understanding of the
value of grafting vegetable transplants will be useful to you! Join us for this session as Matt Kleinhenz from Ohio State University offers the scoop about what it takes and the value
of grafted vegetable transplants. Ok so now you have your transplants for next year figured out now how will you manage those key pests? Whether you will be growing cukes
(or any of their relatives) or any of the numerous crops in the Brassica family be sure and attend the next 2 sessions: Dan Brainard from MSU will speak with his graduate student,
Marisa Benzle on smart organic management of weeds in cucurbits. This session will be followed by a presentation on a very important pest found on Brassicas, the Swede midge.
Christine Hoepting from Cornell University will give us an update of best management practices for organic production. Ok, so we have the transplants, the weeds, insects,
now comes, post-harvest. You can have the nicest crops on the vine or in the field but if you do not have a good system to store them until they are delivered their value will
quickly diminish. Chris Callahan from University of Vermont will share some cost-effective approaches to store vegetables to increase their shelf-life. If you implement any or
all of these practices I am sure you will have greater success and thus can have a positive impact on the bottom line.
I look forward to seeing you at the GLEXPO and feel free to visit with any of the presenters after their session if your questions were not answered. We are here to share
information to improve organic farming in the Great Lakes Region.
Educational Programs
Food Fraud in the Organic Industry |
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Session Highlights |
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In this session, you will learn about:
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FINAL FARMER FIELD SCHOOL EVENTS OF 2017
Tuesday, December 12th
11:30am-2pm - Lunch & Roundtable2pm-4pm - Farmer Field School Gathering
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Lunch & Roundtable Discussion: Work-Life Balance for Farmers
Cost: FREE (Lunch provided)
Location: Eastminster
Presbyterian, 1315 Abbot Rd. East Lansing, 48823
Together, farmers and others will share in discussion of successful (and unsuccessful) practices and approaches to finding balance between the work of farming and life off the farm
or at least off the clock. How do passion, values, ideals, goals and financial security for the farm mesh with those of family and loved ones, and our own personal limits? A look at how
and why we make the decisions we do and what we can learn from each other and understand about the farm and family life we choose.
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Farmer Field School Gathering
December 12th, 2pm-4pm
Cost: FREE
Location: Eastminster
Presbyterian, 1315 Abbot Rd. East Lansing, 48823
Farmer Field School Gathering, is for past workshop attendees and other new farmers to get to know more about each other, but also help us brainstorm provide feedback about
Farmer Field School. This includes: feedback on workshops, input on workshop structure, pricing, timing & content, explore how to support dialogue & learning between workshops
and among each other, and other topics around workshops as they emerge.
For Farmer Field School Workshop Information, Questions & Help:
Go to - www.msuorganicfarm.org/farmer-field-school.html
Or contact - Tom Cary - Farmer Field School Program Manager[log in to unmask] 616-916-9823
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Michigan Farmers Market Association (MIFMA) to Host 2018 Market Manager Certificate Program
Registration is open for the 2018
Market Manager Certificate Program (MMCP), hosted by Michigan
Farmers Market Association (MIFMA). This voluntary program takes place in
January and February and is designed to encourage farmers market managers to pursue leadership skills and professional development in topics essential to market management.
Date & Location:
The full program includes three in-person sessions and seven webinars, totaling more than 32 hours of education. Michigan will host two sites, a primary location in Kalamazoo and a satellite location in Benzonia. The three in-person sessions will
be held on Friday, January 19 and Saturday, January 20 and will conclude with peer-to-peer presentations on Saturday, February 17. Webinars will take place each Monday and Wednesday between January 22 and February 12.
About the MMCP:
By participating in the program, attendees have the opportunity to network with other managers while focusing on topics such as business planning, managing market growth, market governance, policy and enforcement, communication strategies, financial management,
fundraising and more. Individuals who complete the full program are awarded a certificate acknowledging that they are professionally trained farmers market managers. The MMCP is the first program of its kind in the nation, and since it began in 2011, the program
has
certified 239 market managers from across the Midwest.
Cost:
The cost of registration for the full program is $300 for MIFMA members. You can become a MIFMA member or renew your membership by visiting www.mifma.org/join.
Individuals not looking to be certified but who would like to participate in one or more of the webinars can do so by registering for each webinar separately. The cost per webinar is
$20 for MIFMA members and $50 for non-members.
Register:
Those looking to participate in either the full program or individual webinars can register online at www.mifma.org/mmcp.
With questions about the program, please contact Emily Beutel at [log in to unmask] or call 517-432-3381.
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2018 Michigan Family Farms Conference
Welcome to the 15th Annual Michigan Family Farms Conference: Cultivating a Thriving Food Community… From the Soil on Up! This conference offers beginning, small-scale and
culturally diverse farmers a chance to network, learn, and build sustainable family farms. It is an energizing, hands-on event customized for this important audience. We hope you
will join us!
We are excited for all the great presenters this year including specialty crop production, labor laws, and how to choose a market. Join us on February 3, 2017 for this dynamic
conference with Key Note Speaker Monica White, Sociology professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison
and alumnus of Western Michigan University.
Dr. Monica White’s research focus on communities of color and grassroots organizations involved in the development of sustainable community food systems. She is
author of
several publications including; Sisters of the Soil: Urban Gardening as Resistance Among Black Women in Detroit” and D-Town Farm: African American Resistance to Food Insecurity
and the Transformation of Detroit. She is currently working on her first book, Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Resistance and the Black Freedom Movement, 1880-2010 which
summarizes and compares contemporary urban agriculture with the historical legacies of African American farmers fighting to acquire access to land. Using historical and
contemporary examples, Freedom Farmers examines the development of farmers’ cooperatives as strategies of resistance, and documents the ways that these organizations,
in general, and Black farmers specifically, have contributed to the Black Freedom Movement.
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Michigan Small Farm Conference
Full Conference Schedule - At a Glance
Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference - Saturday, January 27
7:00 am Registration opens
8:00 am Trade show opens
8:30 to 9:45 am NMSFC: concurrent session 1
9:45 to 10:30 am Refreshment + networking break
(Don't miss the Seed Share Lounge in the lower level!)
10:30 to 11:45 am NMSFC: concurrent session 2
12:00 to 1:30 pm Lunch + trade show
(Don't miss the Seed Share Lounge in the lower level!)
1:30 to 2:45 pm NMSFC: concurrent session 3
2:45 to 3:30 pm Refreshment + networking break
(Don't miss the Seed Share Lounge in the lower level!)
3:30 to 4:45 pm NMSFC: concurrent session 4 +
4:30 to 5:00 pm Trade show + networking
5:00 pm Trade show closes, conference concludes
Farm School - Friday, January 26
8:30 am Registration opens
10:30 am Trade Show opens
(New: Two-Day Trade Show!)
9:15 to 10:45 am FS: concurrent session 1
10:45 to 11:00 am Refreshment + networking break
(Be sure to check out the Trade Show - open at 10:30!)
11:00 am to 12:30 pm FS: concurrent session 2
12:30 to 1:45 pm Lunch
1:45 to 3:15 pm FS: concurrent session 3
3:15 to 3:30 pm Refreshment + networking break
3:30 to 5:00 pm Farm School: concurrent session 4
Keynote and Reception
5:00 to 7:00 pm Opening night cocktails and Networking in the Trade Show
6:30 pm Doors open for Keynote
7:00 pm Keynote: Richard Wiswall
8:30 pm Social dance + live music with The Hardy Dam Ramblers
Download the
Registration Brochure for full agenda, session descriptions, and speaker bios in a printer-friendly format. Register Here!
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Employment Opportunities
Dwelling Place has an opening for a Community Garden Coordinator and Landscaping Advisor.
This is a full-time, year round position working directly with residents to create and maintain community gardens located on properties owned and/or managed by Dwelling Place.
The position is also responsible for planning and managing regular classes to further residents’ community gardening education and to encourage resident leadership within the
gardening program. The position carries a secondary responsibility to participate and advise management in planning, implementing and maintaining beautification and landscaping projects in properties owned
and/or managed by Dwelling Place. The position offers hourly compensation with an attractive benefits package.
Please share with anyone that you think may be interested.
Heather K. Ibrahim
Dwelling Place of Grand Rapids
Director of Neighborhood Revitalization
(616) 855-0418 – Direct
(616) 617-0504 - Cell
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Full-Time Seasonal
EMPLOYMENT
Crew Positions & Farmer’s Market Positions
Crossroads Community Farm is a certified organic vegetable farm offering several full-time seasonal crew positions for individuals willing to work hard on our 20-acre farm.
Each season we offer full-time seasonal field positions. Each field position has slightly different starting and end date (see below for more details) though the nature of the
positions are generally the same. A field position at our farm involves hard work with your body, as you help us to seed, plant, weed, and harvest vegetables. Crew members work
40 hour weeks in the field, in every possible weather condition.
DESCRIPTION OF POSITIONS
Components of Job
Desired Skills:
Benefits:
Start/End Dates:
Full Season – 3 positions open. Average of 15hours/week from April-May with a ramp up to full-time by mid-May. Full-time work extends through October with decreasing hours
into mid-November.
Short Season Early – 1 position. Full-time hours from mid-May through end of August.
Short Season Late – 2 positions open. Full-time or part-time hours from mid-June through end of September. Part-time hours might be a possibility.
Farmer’s Market Assistant – This is a special position at our farmer’s market stand at the Westside Community Farmer’s Market. Help us sell our produce to the community.
Saturdays from mid-April through October.
If interested (and qualified) in a position, please send your resume (.doc or .pdf) and a description of your seasonal availability to us via email to [log in to unmask].
We will contact you in January when we begin our hiring process.
Crossroads Community Farm, LLC
4144 County Road J
Cross Plains, WI
608-798-0219
www.crossroadscommunityfarm.com
((END))
Vicki Morrone-Organic Farming Specialist
Center for Regional Food Systems
480 Wilson Rd
Rm 313
East Lansing, MI 48824
517-282-3557
www.MichiganOrganic.msu.edu