Good Weekend

As we welcome Monday with a snow storm, looking back at those four beautiful days of what felt like spring, we have to stay positive and be patient that the snow will soon be gone and the gardens will be growing again. The beautiful days were also home to some good events that were held this weekend.

First, UM Dearborn held a Summit on Urban Farming on Friday. The urban farming and local food movements have been growing rapidly here in Michigan. More and more people are looking to revive their communities, economies, health and spirits through organic and local food production and the monumental benefits that come with it. Small farms, businesses, community gardens and greenhouses have been popping up everywhere in response to these movements, shining hope onto Michigan's economy.

The summit was also a response to these rapidly growing movements, and here the educational community is catching on, trying to learn how to help. There were so many great people, so many great conversations going on there, it's going to be great to see how this event unfolds in the urban farming community.

The panel discussion had leaders from the booming Detroit scene address many issues surrounding urban farming and its future in Detroit and Michigan. Panelists included: Ashley Atkinson, The Greening of Detroit; Oran Hesterman, Fair Food Network; Susan Schmidt, The Henry Ford; Kami Pothukuchi, SEED Wayne; Malik Yakini, Detroit Black Community Food Security.

Robert Kenner, the filmmaker behind the hit Food Inc., was the keynote speaker at lunch. He provided many great insights into the film, including much of the behind the scenes conversations and events that were going on during the making of the film. Robert was so impressed by what he saw that day that he is considering coming back and doing another film about Detroit, and hopefully the rest of Michigan!



Lastly, our friend Mikey Formisano held a Season Extension and Cold-Frame Workshop at the Upland Hills Ecological Awareness Center. Mikey is a recent horticulture graduate from Michigan State University and spent his years there working at the Student Organic Farm. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon (that helped my greenhouse radishes germinate while I was gone!), with about 20 enthusiastic gardeners and farmers coming out to learn about season extension and its myriad of benefits. The workshop was a lot of fun, and before we know it, we'll all be Four Season Growers here in Michigan!