| 2011 MIFFS Harvest Celebration Local Food Dinner and Benefit Auction on September 29, 2011
October 5, 2011 - Thank you to all of our attendees, silent auction donors and sponsors who supported the Michigan Food & Farming Systems (MIFFS) Annual Harvest Celebration Local Food Dinner and Benefit Auction on Thursday, September 29, 2011 from 6-9 p.m. to celebrate another year with good friends and great, local food at the Lakeview Banquet and Event Center, 5942 Round Lake Road, in Laingsburg.
The event featured a five-course meal prepared by Morton’s Fine Catering featuring local foods, fresh from the harvest. Courses included fresh ingredients from local farms and featured:
- Michigan White Bean Bruschetta (Great Harvest Bread Co.)
- Butternut Squash Bisque (Bittersweet Farm, Laingsburg)
- Baby Greens with Shaved Apples, Feta Candied Pecans and Vinaigrette (Centennial Farm of Lansing, Lansing; Wyrick Orchard, Ovid; Mattawan Artisan Creamery, Mattawan)
- Roast Beef with Potatoes and Vegetables (Young Earth Farm, Decatur; Wildflower Eco Farm, Bath; Centennial Farm of Lansing, Lansing)
- Crème brûlée (Grazing Fields Egg Cooperative, Charlotte)
This year’s event again featured a silent auction filled with nearly 40 wonderful items and services. Thanks to our silent auction donors:
- Jan Corey Arnett
- East Lansing Food Cooperative
- Katherine Fedder
- Country Smoke House
- Linda Bronner
- David Holtslander
- Laura Weiss, Kapow Soaps
- Kathy Sansonetti, Sansonetti Foods
- Son-in-Law Products, Inc.
- Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council
- Frankenmuth Farmers' Market
- LJ Safford Kehn
- Dietrich Bronner
- Michigan Organic Food and Farm Alliance
- Randall Fogelman, Detroit Spice Company
- Becky DeYoung, DeYoung's Fore Seasons
- Dan Keane, Keane's Wee Bee Farms
- Millers Orchard
Proceeds from the auction and dinner will support MIFFS’ future activities and endeavors to serve small- and mid-size farms and promote sustainable agriculture and local food.
MIFFS also recognizes its annual Farmer, Business and Legislator of the Year award winners:
Please contact the MIFFS office at (517) 432-0712 or miffs@msu.edu for more information.
What:
A Harvest Celebration, with a local food dinner and benefit auction
When:
Thursday, September 29, 2011 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Where:
Lakeview Banquet and Event Center
5942 Round Lake Road
Laingsburg, MI 48848
Who:
Everyone who believes in and supports Michigan agriculture, family farms, local food and/or sustainable agriculture is invited attend!
About MIFFS...
Founded in 1998, MIFFS is a statewide membership organization (501c3) whose purpose is to promote diverse efforts that foster and sustain food and farming systems that improve Michigan’s economy, environment and social well-being. MIFFS focuses its programs around assisting family farmers to develop entrepreneurial business, marketing, production and management skills to sustain their farming operations; growing market opportunities by linking consumers, communities and farmers; supporting agricultural stewardship and sustainable production; and informing and influencing public policy and institutional decisions that impact family farms.
Some of MIFFS’ projects and success include:
- Promoting the Multicultural Farmers Program, which has reached more than 300 limited resource farmers (or 30% of African American and Spanish-speaker owned farms), helping 60% of them to improve their farming operation, economic viability and resource connections through accessing FSA loans, and NRCS and MDA programs.
- Developing the Michigan Farmers Market Association with more than 100 farmers market members and more than 125 farmer/vendor members, which helps farmers markets thrive as marketplaces for local food and farm products.
- Initiating two kitchen incubators in Hart and Bad Axe, which have helped some 100 agripreneurs develop new products and businesses.
- Educated nearly 875 farmers on food safety verification at 12 Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) workshops, seminars and webinars since 2009.
- Establishing the Food & Agri Innovation Center with 50 partners in 2004, which grew into the MSU Product Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources has served 1,600 customers and aided 164 new ventures, creating or retaining 1,100 jobs and increasing first-year annual sales by $310M.
- Co-hosting the "Farmers Markets at the Capitol", which 50 vendors and thousands of attendees to the Capitol lawn to purchase Michigan products. Farmers earned more than $80,000 total in 2010.
- Coordinating the Meet the Buyers event, where in 2010, more than 300 Michigan growers met with retail and wholesale buyers to initiate new or expanded Michigan produce supply chains.
- Participating in and facilitating discussions about state policy and informing legislative decisions on family farms, sustainable agriculture and local food, e.g. egg law, Cottage Food law, access to fresh, unprocessed whole milk, poultry/meat processing and farmers market rules.
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