Your monthly connection to information, resources, events, grants, and opportunities 😁
Michigan Food & Farming Systems is a statewide, non-profit organization connecting beginning and historically underserved farmers to each other and resource opportunities; ensuring social justice, environmental stewardship, and profitability.
Dear MIFFS Supporters,
Welcome to February 2022! The snow days are piling up here in Lansing but we are plowing through to get the work done! Monday started the celebration of Black History Month and when I was listening to NPR, they talked about the history of why it is celebrated in February: "February was chosen primarily because the second week of the month coincides with the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Lincoln was influential in the emancipation of slaves, and Douglass, a former slave, was a prominent leader in the abolitionist movement, which fought to end slavery. Lincoln and Douglass were each born in the second week of February, so it was traditionally a time when African Americans would hold celebrations in honor of emancipation, Kaplan said. (Douglass' exact date of birth wasn't recorded, but he came to celebrate it on Feb. 14.)" Read the entire article and more about the history of Black History Month here.
The planning team continues to work on the virtual debut of the 18th Annual Michigan Family Farms Conference March 16-19. There will be sessions in the afternoon and also in the evening for you to learn and enjoy. We have the FREE registration open now here and will continue to post updates on our website about the event. We look forward to a dynamic and exciting conference and if you are interested in helping MIFFS through a conference sponsorship, we would love to hear from you! We have some information on ways to support the conference through sponsorship here. Feel free to contact lauren@miffs.org for more detailed information. We are also looking for nominations for our annual awards at bit.ly/mffc2022awards
The National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) is joining other agricultural justice organizations in launching the most inclusive survey of young and BIPOC farmers to date. Every five years NYFC surveys young farmers across the country to present an up-to-date picture of the challenges and promises of the next generation in agriculture. If you are a current or former farmer or farmworker, NYFC wants to hear from you! By taking the 2022 survey you can help inform and inspire the bold policy needed for an equitable farm future. Take the survey here. The Survey is one of the most powerful tools we have to advocate for a brighter, more just future for farmers.
There are a lot of jobs open around the state right now! A couple of farms and organizations across the state have reached out to us to get the word out about the openings:
Farm Manager in Copper Harbor here, couples are invites to apply!
Farmer/Grower in the Cadillac area here with starting salary of 60-70K.
Organic farmer in Saginaw needed! Email Howard Szaroletta howszar@yahoo.com, 989-295-4132 for more info.
Farm Commons Discovering Resilience is a five-week highly interactive and farmer-focused workshop that is framed around the 10 best legal practices you need to take to build legal resilience on your farm or ranch. You will walk away from this workshop ready to implement your own legal action plan, as well as have continued support from farmer peers in a virtual commons space where referrals, strategies, questions, ideas, and more are shared! More info here
The next MFIN Virtual Network Meeting on Tuesday, February 8th will focus on the topic of supplier diversity in institutional food procurement. Presenters from Spectrum Health System and the Chicago Food Policy Action Council will share examples and resources to help Institutional food service staff develop and implement their own supplier diversity programs. Discussion will highlight opportunities for local food supply chain partners to connect with new vendors. Register here
The Beginning Farmers Developing and Educating Managers and New Decision Makers (DEMaND) Webinar series. January-February 2022. Are you planning to be the next generation farm operator? Whether you represent the transition of generations, or that of employee to owner or as a new entrant to the business, a fresh look at management will be necessary. The program will feature 5 weekly online sessions to help you learn key financial management strategies important in running your operation. Registerhere
11th Organic Seed Growers Conference Feb. 4–11, 2022. We'll come together for a week of roundtables, panels, demonstrations, farm tours, lightning talks, art and music, regional meet ups, keynote presentations, and celebration. More info here
