Yes! Magazine’s recent issue, “Food For Everyone” features stories about slow food, traditional food, sustainable food, and all things people like us are doing to reinvigorate local, viable food systems.
Take a look a the Young Farmers photo essay on their website:
http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/food-for-everyone/new-crop-of-farmers

August 20, 2010
I’m doing a loop around the State working on farms, I stayed at the Eaters’ Guild for a week. The things to love about the Eaters’ Guild Farm:

1. Lee and Laurie
2. Lee and Laurie
3. Lee and Laurie

No seriously, Lee is some kind of genius and I am pretty sure Laurie is a reincarnation of some Hindu goddess. Lee is super resourceful and has received a number of grants including one to improve worker residence and another to prevent waterway pollution through an amphitheater size compost hut. To those seeking an internship for a summer this is a place to consider; great learning opportunities, fun
living quarters, and Lee and Laurie.

Chickens, ducks, peacocks, turkeys and others run free about the old barns. There is also a lot of lactation going on at the Eaters’ Guild. Cows and goats help to make wonderful cheeses and Laurie is nursing their second child, Leaf.  One day, I helped hundreds of kale and collards into bunches for Whole Foods using a twist tie labeled, “Slow Down, Chew Well, Breathe.” The crew works hard but it also seems there is plenty of time for conversation and reflection. The place feels like a school on life, like a good place to get some life philosophy. I could go on…

One of my goals for this trip was to find a cool-arty community on the southwest side of Michigan, near the Chicago market. Clearly there are many amazing people there but it seems like a real fight out there for the progressive farmer. It is poor, super Christian and home to many huge conventional farms. I doubt I could persuade many of the people I want to be in my life to move there….but yet that is where big
changes can happen.  More to consider.
It’s hot!

I’m going north to Traverse City!

GinnyG

If anyone has any questions or thoughts, let me know!
Thanks to everyone who emailed me last week!

July 30, 2010
I’m touring the State working on farms. It’s a business, an educational experience and a spiritual journey.  I sleep in the bed of my truck with my stirrup hoe and water tight boxes full of class notes and books. Last Saturday, armed with business cards, I approached the East Lansing Market to offer my services as a consultant and laborer. Green Eagle took me up and what a farm that is.

Remarkable points:

• Ecology galore!  Are the frogs and toads going crazy this year or is it just me?
• Dry farmers!  Fifteen years without a sprinkler!
• They grow mint in the hoop.
• The disease and insect pressure is minimal I mean like I saw one CO beetle larva. Steve and Chela have done next to nothing to fight disease and insect pressure for the last fifteen years.
• Steve has this awesome way of laughing when there is a problem, “Te He”. The kind of laugh that makes it seem like problem solving is why he is a farmer.  It made me fill with joy each time I heard it.
• Green Eagle garlic rocks!

This was the third farm on my tour.  I also have had a great time on Capella Farm, Living Stones Farm, and Traps Berry Farm.  Equally as wonderful experiences, more on them some other time maybe.

The business end of what I’m doing:

• I have a promotional email that I have sent out to farmers with more details, check it out: http://digitalidentity.biz/earlybird.html
• I am keeping track of my business miles.
• Opened a business checking account.
• Wrote a contract that I have yet to use.
• Wrote a business a process I highly recommend.

Spiritually I am practicing “Loving-Kindness Mediation”.  It uses repeated positive phases aimed at yourself, others and the world. I’ve just started but already it seems like I have more patience.  I want to be a person in the present, ya know.

Tomorrow I will visit my home town’s market, Rockford, then to the Grand Rapids for the Fulton Street Market and possibly the K-zoo market.  Another reason for the trip is to find a kind-arty-fun community on the west side to the State.  I’m going to Eater’s Guild for some of next week, Lee seems like a guy I’m gonna dig. Also I want
to meet the cats at Granor Farm(sp), they seem cool, anybody know them?

I will keep a weekly post and please feel free to contact me with ideas, comments and anything!

Cheers to a crazy awesome growing season!
Peace and Love,
GinnyG

Today we presented two, 30-minute workshops on Crop Mobbing at the Ann Arbor Reskilling Festival. The festival is hosted by Transition Ann Arbor. It was a great turnout! People were appreciative of the topic and excited to learn about the Michigan Young Farmer Coalition. I talked with lots of folks and it looks like we’ll have some really cool opportunities to partner with people in the near future!

It was a great event and I look forward to attending and maybe presenting at the Winter Reskilling festival!

To learn more about MYFC Crop Mobbing visit:

http://www.michiganyoungfarmercoalition.org/cropmob.html