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2007 Michigan Family Farms Conference a Success!

January 22, 2007 : More than 200 people gathered together on January 13, 2007 at the fourth annual Michigan Family Farms Conference at Lakeview High School in Battle Creek, Mich.

This year’s conference, titled, “21st Century Practices for Sustainable Family Farms,” invited small and limited-resource family farmers together to learn about government programs to help farmers, environmental stewardship, marketing tactics, value-added production practices and more.

The Farm Research Cooperative (FRC), in partnership with the USDA Risk Management Agency (USDA RMA), held the event for the fourth consecutive year. Since it started in 2004, the event has grown in attendance and in its reputation for offering great educational sessions and networking opportunities.

This year’s one-day conference allowed more farmers to attend at a lower cost and still offered the gamut of great information for small and limited-resource farmers and their operations. Each session featured a presentation by a speaker who was an expert in his or her field, as well as an experienced farmer to share struggles, resources and tips for success.

The four breakout session tracks, Small-Scale Marketing, Production, Business Management and Spanish-Speaking, offered great information for farmers of all backgrounds and farm systems. Everyone who participated, regardless of the size of their farm or what they grow, could benefit from these topics and from the networking opportunities.

According to many participants and speakers, the positive energy this year was overwhelming and really facilitated learning and sharing throughout the entire conference.

During breaks between sessions, participants were able to network with one another and with sponsors, exhibitors and speakers. Apples from the MSU Horticulture Teaching and Learning Center were available to snack on, and many were glad to see local food represented on the table.

Before and after lunch, which featured organic lettuce from the MSU Student Organic Farm, participants listened to keynote speakers Dr. John K. Pierre and Johari Cole share experiences and advice on surviving in the world of small-scale agriculture.

Pierre, the Associate Vice Chancellor for Special Projects at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, talked about legal struggles for family farms and the importance of estate planning. Pierre was a speaker at the 2006 Michigan Family Farms Conference, and participants were glad to get more of him this year.

Johari Cole and her family own and operate Iyabo Farms, a 45-acre certified organic farm south of Chicago, Illinois. She shared a presentation called “Food Wars” and stressed the importance of having a loving and healthy relationship with agriculture and food.

This year’s sponsors also included Michigan Food & Farming Systems – MIFFS, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Potawatomi Resource Conservation and Development Council (RC&D), the C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Agriculture at MSU, GreenStone Farm Credit Services, Fedco Seeds, the Calhoun County Conservation District, Sauk Trails RC&D, the National Agriculture Statistics Service and the Northern Michigan Small Farms Conference.

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