Family Farms Conference workshop recordings highlight sustainable agriculture
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EmailVideos include farmer SARE grant projects, farmer wellness, farm to school, agritourism, small-scale livestock and more.
Workshop recordings from the 20th annual Michigan Family Farms Conference are now available for you to stream from home. This conference welcomed over 300 farmers and agriculture advocates of all backgrounds to meet for workshops and discussions with speakers on March 9, 2024. Since there were nine sessions to choose from at any one time, these videos are a welcome way to attend the sessions you missed, review sessions you attended or experience the entire conference for the first time.
Michigan Food and Farming Systems (MIFFS) has organized the Michigan Family Farms Conference annually since 2004. It is a favorite for small, diversified, sustainable and urban farmers and for farmers of the global majority.
“This year marked the 20th annual Michigan Family Farms Conference, and after three years of not being able to gather in person we were thrilled to be back in the same space with everyone again,” said Lauren Marquart, MIFFS co-director. “The conference is a joyous opportunity for people to learn together, share wisdom, make connections and to gather resources to bring back to communities all across the state. The goal of MIFFS and the planning team every year is to cultivate a community-centric and equity-driven space for celebration, networking and for digging in with peers about all things food and farming!”
Michigan Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) funded the SARE Farmer Forum track to share insights and results from four SARE grant projects in Michigan. “The conference was a great chance to meet people excited about giving back to their communities and the sustainability of agriculture. Not only was it wonderful to share SARE information we also shared a great deal of what MSU Extension has to offer to small and beginning farmers,” said Sarah Fronczak, SARE state coordinator.
Check out all the following great videos
SARE Farmer Forum Track
- Grant Brainstorming and Collaboration with Sarah Fronczak of Michigan State University (MSU) Extension and Katie Brandt with the MSU Organic Farmer Training Program
- Growing Community Youth Connections in Community Food Systems with Emily Staugaitis of Bandhu Gardens in Hamtramck
- Native Cut Flower Project with Alex Cacciari of Seeley Farm near Ann Arbor
- Predictive Yields for Small Scale Staple Crop Production in North Central US with Eleanor and Scott Hucker of Great Lakes Staple Seeds near Ortonville
- Water Consortium Best Practices for Urban Farmers in Detroit with jøn kent of Sanctuary Farms in Detroit
Farmer Wellness
- Farming with a Disability with Adam Ingrao of Heroes to Hives, MIFFS and Bee Wise Farms; and Bev Berens of Michigan AgrAbility
- On Farm Education 101: Engaging Youth and Community Members with TC Collins of Willow Run Acres in Ypsilanti
- Produce Safety on a Tight Budget: Building Budget Friendly Wash Packs and Other Produce Safety Hacks with Patrick Gordon from Michigan Conservation District; Morgan Anderson of the Ottawa Conservation District; Heather Borden with MSU Extension; Joseph Smith of Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD); and Phil Tocco with MSU Extension
Farm to School
- Farmer Chat and School Resources Rundown with Devon Wilson of Sunlight Gardens in Battle Creek and Garrett Ziegler with MSU Extension
- Getting Ready and Growing for School Markets with Mariel Borgman and Garrett Ziegler of MSU Extension
- Getting to Know School Markets and Selling to Them with Mariel Borgman and Garrett Ziegler of MSU Extension
Small Scale
- Economic Feasibility of Small Farms: A Case Study in Detroit Public Schools Community District with Matt Hargis of Drew Farms in Detroit
- Overview of USDA Programs with Di'Shun Melbert and Dan Brauer of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Michigan-centered
- Agritourism: Hosting People on your Farm with Adam Ingrao of Heroes to Hives, MIFFS and Bee Wise Farms
- Farming From The Ground Up: Soil Health 101 with Christine Charles of MSU Extension
- Manoomin with Cortney Collia and Roger LaBine
Livestock
- Cattle Production on a Smaller Scale with Boyd Byelich, a Michigan beef producer
- Sheep and Goats for Small Farms with Aimee Swenson of the USDA
Awards Ceremony and Music
- MFFC 2024 Awards Ceremony with awards presented to Rebecca Titus, TC Collins and Roxanne Moore Jones and performances by:
- Kevin Harris of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi (NHBP) Drum Circle
- Charles Pfeifer - NHBP Drum Circle
- Hadassah GreenSky @coolwatergreensky on YouTube and Instagram
- Soufy @SouFy313 on YouTube and Instagram
- Detroit Black Farmer Land Fund video
Sessions without video:
- Michigan Queer Farmer Advocacy Network
- Black Farmers Gathering
- Global Majority (BIPOC) Farmers Gathering
- The Ubuntu Network: Centering Ourselves in Accountability Networks
- Youth Track – Movement Exchange and Food Corps
- Youth Track – Food Systems
- Youth Track – Sensory Stations
All videos were produced by Dejuan Jordan and the team at Alpine Media Company.
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)
SARE is a USDA program that shares numerous resources for farmers and agriculture educators including books, bulletins, videos and more. For more information about SARE grants and resources, visit https://misare.msu.edu/index.html or https://www.sare.org/.
North Central SARE grants include Farmer Rancher Grants, Research & Education Grants, Youth Educator Grants other grant programs. You can find them all at https://northcentral.sare.org/grants/ . Michigan SARE grants include the Michigan SARE Travel Scholarship and two funding opportunities for people organizing sustainable agriculture workshops and conferences.
Michigan SARE Coordinator Sarah Fronczak, Tribal SARE Coordinator Emily Proctor and Katie Brandt from the MSU Organic Farmer Training Program are glad to advise grant applicants, review proposals and support farmers, educators and students applying for NCR-SARE grants. Grant-writing support is available free of charge for all six North Central SARE grants and for Michigan SARE mini-grants. Email froncza3@msu.edu or brandtk7@msu.edu with questions, to have a proposal reviewed or to set up a time to discuss your proposal idea. Tribal members and communities are encouraged to reach out to Emily Proctor at proctor8@msu.edu for assistance with SARE proposals.
The program aims to support an inclusive mix of farmers and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program or political beliefs.
