Current Projects of the Food and Farming Network

Teaching cooking skills
Vision: More people using healthy local foods because they know how to cook them and how they taste etc.

  • Work plan ideas: 1) focus on three key groups of lower income families, general public, and kids in schools, particularly high school cooking programs 2) community-owned portable kitchen that would go to schools, farmers markets etc. for cooking demos 3) volunteer chefs corps to help along with donations of food from farms and stores.
  • Next steps: Eric Patterson will research mobile kitchen options, costs.

Farmers Markets
Vision: To help farmers markets become more and more centers of commerce and community.

  • Identified first step to
  • Work plan ideas: 1) Develop ways to share resources and information 2) Engage community resources like Taste the Local Difference in moving forward.
  • Next steps: Engage more people in conversation. Rob Bagiagalupi of Traverse City market signed up to convene farmers markets and others in fall 2010.

Regional seed and root stock saving
Vision: List of genetic diversity in region to connect and support those doing it, similar to Taste the Local Difference brochure.

  • Work plan ideas: 1) gather information, contacts, such as who is breeding bees resistant to mites or saving seeds for certain traits, and 2) explore related initiatives, such as chefs saving seeds from local farms to return to local production.
  • Next step: Continue discussion and gather regional group of people interested. Draw on expertise of local resident Kent Wheatly, Seed Savers founder.

Building awareness/marketing
Vision: One-stop place/system for sharing stories of regional food and farm successes and challenges. Purpose to cross-pollinate groups with information and get examples and evidence out to more people.
 

  • Work plan ideas: 1) Find ways to collect, post, stories from across the regional network 2) Engage existing and new storytellers (Edible Grand Travese, visitor centers, Taste the Local Difference etc.).
  • Next steps: Work through FFNet to organize.

Regional Brand
Vision: Statewide system of branding products with regional brand groupings

  • Work plan ideas: 1) Get started in NW MI 2) Start with buyers, sellers interested in it for pilot program
  • Next steps: Work through FFNet producer, buyer, infrastructure groups to advise this branding project and pursue funding opportunities

Policy initiatives to fund farmland preservation
Vision: Innovative, resourceful approaches to keeping land in farming.

  • Work plan ideas: 1) look at enterprise zones or renaissance zones as tool 2) explore net use value assessment for agricultural property 3) leverage foundation money to fill gap in loss of taxable value 4) white paper on Peninsula Twp experience
  • Next steps: Put white paper item on upcoming Peninsula Twp commission agenda. Ask council of governments for help with data.

Processing kitchens
Vision: Easy access for local producers to needed processing facilities, including business incubator kitchen services.

  • Work plan ideas: 1) database on existing facilities with excess capacity that producers might use 2) explore mobile facility options 3) explore re-development of existing facilities at Grand Traverse Commons, including business model that could work  4) seek funding
  • Next steps: Pursue region's existing economic development plan for processing kitchens that includes ideas above: database and use of Commons.

Regional farmer residency program
Vision: Help new/young farmers gain access to land and build experience through a residency program that involves existing farms/farmland.

  • Work plan ideas: 1) work on securing potential farm sites for program 2) hammer out legalese around rental agreements and liability etc. 3) build network of collaborators 4) seek funding.
  • Next steps: All of above.
  • Sustainable agriculture training program/certificate
  • Note: This group combined with Food Safety training discussion (Host: Janie McNabb)
  • Vision: Sustainable agriculture teaching and learning certificate in region, including food safety component.
  • Action plan ideas: 1) see potential model in applied plant science certificate that involves NMC and MSU 2) form advisory council for certificate, drawing on FFNet members 3) work with Janie McNabb and Susan Cocciarelli who are developing advisory council and needs assessment for state workforce development grant 4) involve local producers etc. as adjunct faculty for certificate.
  • Next steps: Pursue initial advisory council and needs assessment step.

Financing resources
Vision: Make funding sources easily accessible and understandable.

  • Work plan ideas: 1) Build on initial Web page list of finance/funding resources at regional Small Business and Technology Develoment Center site 2) Tailer information to types of producers and business interests 3) Summarize opportunities in a way that gives people the information they need 4) develop support services for people ready to apply 5)
  • support services also to help someone who is ready to apply.
  • Next steps: Work through FFNet Finance/Funding group to pull information together and make available as one-stop source through FFNet site.

Non-GMO acreage
Vision: Increase non-gmo acreage in the region.

  • Work plan ideas: 1) recognize mainstream farming culture accepts GMO 2) focus on market pull of consumers voting for non-GMO and influencing the market like they have with rBGH 3) collect and share success stories and market data to make the case 4) add to other FFNet initiatives as a related issue, e.g. a reason for aforementioned seed saving directory
  • Next step: Oryana Natural Foods Market initiative, now starting, to encourage non-gmo soybean production in region to supply organic livestock producers.

Educating Farmers on Organic Practices
Vision: Better relationships between conventional farmers and organic farmers (so they meet in the middle and work together).

  • Work plan ideas: 1) develop outreach that is intensely local, in your immediate neighborhood to keep it personal and to share stories 2) Consider local production of the play on this topic: "What will be in the fields tomorrow?" 3) Work with aforementioned residency program as opportunity to bridge understanding between existing conventional farmland owners and new organic farmers.
  • Next steps: Patty Wheeler to be point person for anyone want to initiate dialog in their immediate neighborhood of farmers.

Teaching young kids how to grow food
Vision: Young people across the region gaining skills in growing food.

  • Work plan ideas: 1) focus on parents, caregivers and educators of younger set 2) Family Fun Nights at early childhood centers with gardens to engage families 3) regional family farm tours 4) care for school gardens in summer by building a network of people and organization, such as Girl Scouts, to provide help 5) host harvest festivals in the fall at high schools to engage parents there 6) regional day camp on gardening next spring for kids with awards component 7) showcase also at county fairs 8) work with existing efforts 8) work through FFNet to communicate messages, promo events, seek funding.
  • Next steps: Commitment to five garden-related family fun nights this year at early childhood centers.

Sustainable agriculture training program/certificate

Note: This group combined with Food Safety training discussion 

Vision: Sustainable agriculture teaching and learning certificate in region, including food safety component..

Next steps: Pursue initial advisory council and needs assessment step.

 

  • Action plan ideas: 1) see potential model in applied plant science certificate that involves NMC and MSU 2) form advisory council for certificate, drawing on FFNet members 3) work with Janie McNabb and Susan Cocciarelli who are developing advisory council and needs assessment for state workforce development grant 4) involve local producers etc. as adjunct faculty for certificate.