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Wednesday, October 14, 2015

ISLAND Farmer Residency Program application deadline, Oct 15th

The ISLAND Farmer Residency Program is searching for smart, talented journeyman farmers to participate in a farm incubator project in Northwest Lower Michigan.   ISLAND's Farmer Residency Program provides land and a supportive environment to get started.


The program site is located at the heart of a developing "food region" near markets in Traverse City, Petoskey and the Leelanau Peninsula. 

Resident farmers are provided with three years' access to land, equipment and a network of technical and business advice. This is not an internship opportunity—it is a chance for experienced but landless farmers to manage their own business on the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy's Maple Bay Farm, just south of Elk Rapids, Michigan.

Applications for the 2016 growing season are due on October 15, 2015. Applications will be accepted each fall to bring new residents to the farm.

For more information, or to apply to the program, go the  ISLAND Farmer Residency Program website, or contact me at larry@artmeetsearth.org.

Thanks, 

Larry Dyer

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Monday, October 12, 2015

MI Farm to School News

Greetings all!  Another update a day late

Just a couple important resources and news clips I wanted to share with you from last week.

Resources
  • FoodCorps MA and MA Farm to School: Serving Up Tradition: A guide for school food in culturally diverse communities
    • This guide goes over the importance of and steps to including more culturally appropriate foods to your food service programs.  It’s especially great for Food Service programs that serve culturally diverse populations, but really applicable to anyone – especially the steps for Introducing new foods (just like new farm products) and since the recipes come from food service directors, they are ALREADY appropriately scaled for large quantities!  Hello, Awesome.
      • Side note: There may be 124 extra servings of Chicken Biryani coming out of my house this weekend, if anyone is hungry.
News
Stories
Now that school is underway, my newsfeed is filled with examples from around the country of folks doing farm to school, here are a couple:
  • Roots of Healthy Living: Teaching kids the value of nutrition
    • Farm to School in Northland Pines, WI – with a couple fun recipes for kale at the end.  “The goal is that we’re not always asking for a handout, but that we are actually purchasing what they have to offer.  It’s about trying to help local farmers and local economies as well as it is to increase the access to local, fresh food”
  • Farm to school network helps Acadiana High develop School Farm
    • This school is focusing on expanding their garden to supply the cafeteria (including chickens!)
  • Farm to School Week
    • A short article and video on Biloxi, Mississippi.  Their Farm to School week replaces nearly every menu item with one that originates from Mississippi – including ground beef, peas, sweet potatoes, and peppers.  They’re working with Chartwells to include more locally grown produce into all their school lunches.

Also don’t forget, it’s still farm to school month!  If you’re doing any activities to celebrate it, send pictures my way!  I’d love to share your story.  Have a great week!

Abby Harper
Farm to School Specialist
Center for Regional Food Systems | Michigan State University
480 Wilson Rd | Rm 309 Natural Resources Building East Lansing, MI 48824
(p) 517.432.4525 (c) 857.600.6921


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Monday, October 5, 2015

Re: Michigan Apple Crunch Webinar

Hi all,

For those who are interested in joining in the Michigan Apple Crunch webinar starting now, please note the corrected call in information is: 1-888-850-4523 with passcode 690382 for audio. The link remains the same - http://msucrfs.adobeconnect.com/mfin-ac. Apologies for my error!

 

Colleen

 

From: Matts, Colleen
Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2015 2:44 PM
To: 'mifarmtoschool@list.msu.edu'; 'foodspeak@list.msu.edu'; 'farmmktmi@list.msu.edu'; 'mifoodhub@list.msu.edu'
Subject: Michigan Apple Crunch Webinar

 

Ready to crunch? At NOON on Thursday, October 22, we ask that all Michiganders crunch into a healthy, delicious Michigan apple to show our support for Michigan farmers. Whether you’re from an early childhood program, school, college, hospital or business, we can all crunch together, and this upcoming webinar will help you learn how!

 

The Michigan Apple Crunch webinar will provide information on:

·         how to sign up for Michigan Apple Crunch and share your activities,

·         how to source and promote Michigan apples through Cultivate Michigan, and

·         an overview of national and regional activities including Food Day, National Farm to School Month, the Great Lakes Apple Crunch and the Midwest Menu that will help amplify the Crunch.

 

When: Monday, October 5, 2015 from 2-3 pm

Where: Adobe Connect Webinar – go to http://msucrfs.adobeconnect.com/mfin-ac at the appointed time and call into 1-800-850-4523 with passcode 690382 for audio

 

Featured speakers:

·         Kelly Lively, Cherry Capital Foods

·         Garrett Ziegler, MSU Extension and Michigan Farm to Institution Network

·         Abby Harper, MSU Center for Regional Food Systems (CRFS)

 

 

This webinar is hosted by Michigan Farm to School at CRFS and the Michigan Farm to Institution Network, co-led by CRFS and the Ecology Center with support from MSU Extension.

 

 

Happy crunching!

 

Colleen Matts

Farm to Institution Specialist | Michigan Lead for National Farm to School Network

Center for Regional Food Systems | Michigan State University

480 Wilson Rd | Rm 303 Natural Resources Building | East Lansing, MI 48824

(p) 517.432.0310

www.foodsystems.msu.edu | www.mifarmtoschool.msu.edu

 

 

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MI Farm to School News

Last week’s Farm to School Updates coming on a Monday instead of last Friday!

Happy October!

Friends, October is a very special month. No, I’m not talking about Halloween, or the precursor to November aka sugar crash month, but because October is NATIONAL FARM TO SCHOOL MONTH!  Oh boy.  I know you’re all as excited as I am for an entire month dedicated to celebrating fabulous efforts across the country to promote local agriculture in cafeterias and early childhood food programs.  There is so much to look forward to this month – be sure to follow it all closely on the National Farm to School Network’s blog which will feature stories of Farm to School throughout the month. The one posted today features my second-to-Michigan favorite state and the work they’re doing to connect schools with local fisherman!  Is anyone doing this in Michigan?  Let me know!

Say, are you interested in participating in the Michigan Apple Crunch?  Not sure what it is?  Need ideas for where to find local apples?  Join us TODAY at 2:00pm for the Michigan Apple Crunch Webinar.  Go to http://msucrfs.adobeconnect.com/mfin-ac at the appointed time and call into 1-800-850-4523 with passcode 690382 for audio.

On to some updates!

News
Opportunities
  • Beginning Farmer Workshops: There are some great workshops coming up for beginning farmers offered through the MSU Student Organic Farm’s Farmer Field School.  See below for workshops, dates, and registration information.
    • October 18 8 am – 6 pm - Holistic Soil Management: Fertility, cover cropping, Weed Management, and Tillage 
      • Includes proven strategies, planning, and tools at various scales for building and maintaining the healthiest soils while managing weeds prepping fields for crops.  Cost: $150 REGISTRATION AND CONTACT INFO HERE
    • November 14 8 am – 6 pm – Year Round and Seasonal CSA Success: Strategies and techniques for improving profitability and satisfaction
      • Includes proven strategies and different approaches to CSA startup and growth.  Leave with new tools and ideas about how to live, work, and grow your CSA.  Cost: $150 REGISTRATION AND CONTACT INFO HERE
    • For information on future workshops, join the listserv here
  • Funding from Fuel Up to Play 60 
    • Fuel Up to Play 60 is providing funding up to $4,000 per year to qualified K-12 schools enrolled in Fuel Up to Play 60 to kickstart farm to school programming.  Check out the website for qualifying activities
  • Webinar: Farm to School 101 – Tuesday October 13, 1-1:30 pm 
    • If you’re brand new to Farm to Schoo, don’t miss this webinar highlighting the core elements of the farm to school movement and how it is working to connect 23.5 million children to local food in schools all over the country.  Register Here.
  • Webinar: institutional procurement tools for regional food buying – Thursday October 15, 1 pm ET
    • NOFA-VT will provide an overview on how institutions incorporate values in their local and regional purchasing programs and introduce tools they’ve created to support!  Join at https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/228327701 or dial in using your phone: (872) 240-3212 code 228-327-701

All the best as you kick off Farm to School Month!

Abby Harper
Farm to School Specialist
Center for Regional Food Systems | Michigan State University
480 Wilson Rd | Rm 309 Natural Resources Building East Lansing, MI 48824
(p) 517.432.4525 (c) 857.600.6921


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Re: Farm to School News

Hi Abby,


Just wanted to say thank you, again so much for these emails and for the wonderful training last week at Catherine Ferguson. I work for the Detroit School Garden Collaborative and it is always so rewarding to learn more from CRFS and community members doing great work with their schools and organizations. The piece on procurement regulations was particularly fascinating.


I am very interested in learning more about the Michigan Farmer's Market Association subcommittees. Do you know if I should just do some exploring on the Michigan Farm to Institution website or is there someone in particular I should reach out to? Thank you so much for any and all help!


Wishing you well and happy Fall.

Monica



From: Harper, Abigail <harperab@ANR.MSU.EDU>
Sent: Friday, September 25, 2015 3:42 PM
To: MIFARMTOSCHOOL@LIST.MSU.EDU
Subject: Farm to School News
 
With this past week came a confrontation with reality that I could just not put off any longer – summer has officially ended, and with it I am diving headfirst into all of fall's glory – eating a pound of apples a day, making stews and baking squash, and breaking out all of my glorious flannel (glorious!). I spied some leaf changes on our drives around the state this week. Hopefully next week, when we head up to Chatham for our Farm to School Training in the UP, we'll time it perfectly to see some beautiful colors! I've continue to be a little elitist about New England fall, so I'm looking forward to being proven wrong this year and getting a taste of the Great Lakes version of my favorite season. If you know of any prime peeping spots, do share your secrets!

We've had a busy week over at CRFS, driving all across the state to lead our annual round of Farm to School Trainings. This year we're changing things up – getting into more of the nitty gritty technical aspects of procurement regulations, highlighting efforts in farm to early childhood and diving deeper into strategies for building successful, long term programs. We've also had an opportunity to hear from Champion Farm to School Food Service Directors at each location – featuring their strategies for integrating local products into their menus and developing multi-stakeholder partnerships that have boosted the success of their program. All in all it seems to be going really well, and I've loved getting to meet in person all the folks I've heard wonderful stories about, and meeting new folk who are just getting into farm to school! It's left me feeling even more energized to call Michigan my home. If you haven't had a chance to attend a training, and the UP is within your reach, there's still one opportunity left!  Join us in Chatham on Thursday, October 1 for our final training. Register at: http://msucarrs.az1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_diD7k1cRWPa4gkt.

And with that plug, it's on to some updates!

News & Media Mentions

Opportunities
  • October is National Farm to School Month!  There's no better time to start engaging in farm to school then joining schools across the country who are celebrating farm to school efforts!  Make October the month that you bring students to farms, start talking about local agriculture, and maybe even get a Michigan Apple on your menu!  There are lots of ways to start your farm to school efforts, and you can start as simply as participating in the Michigan Apple Crunch.  Have everyone in your school or early childhood program bite into a Michigan apple at noon on Thursday, October 22 and hear the CRUNCH of crunchers throughout the state (and Great Lakes region!) doing the same.  Sign up for the capital crunch here: http://miapplecrunch.com and follow other stories on the Michigan Apple Crunch and Great Lakes Facebook pages.  Use the hashtags #miapplecrunch and #greatapplecrunch on social media.  Make sure to check out Cultivate Michigan for our apple resource guides and promotional materials to make your Apple Crunch a success?
    • Looking for other ways to celebrate Farm to School month?  Be sure to follow the NFSN blog to read about efforts going on throughout the country
  • Funding Opportunity: Michigan Department of Health and Human Services – October 30 deadline
    • The Cardiovascular Health, Nutrition and Physical Activity section released a funding opportunity for early childhood obesity prefention using the Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care.  School districts, educational service agencies, local health departments, and community-based organizations are eligible.  Complete the application online here.
  • Webinar: Farm to School 101 – October 13 1-1:30pm ET
    • New to farm to school?  This webinar, howsted by the National Farm to School Network, will discuss the basics of farm to school.  Register here.
  • Webinar: Barnraiser, Crowdfunding 101 – Thursdays 1 pm ET
    • Barn raiser highlights successful campaigns, as well as tips, tricks, and insider knowledge to get your farm to school project successfully crowdfunded
  • Save the Date: 2016 National Farm to Cafeteria Conference
    • It seems ridiculous to be planning for 2016, but you don't want to miss this!  The conference will be held June 1-4, 2016 in Madison, Wisconsin.  Put the date on your calendar now – we'll follow up with more information soon!
  • Job: Farm to School coordinator, Georgia Organics
    • Georgia Organics is seeking a full-time Farm to School Coordinator to work in Atlanta.  More information

Hope you all have a fantastic first weekend of fall! 

Best,

Abby Harper
Farm to School Specialist
Center for Regional Food Systems | Michigan State University
480 Wilson Rd | Rm 309 Natural Resources Building East Lansing, MI 48824
(p) 517.432.4525 (c) 857.600.6921


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