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Celebrate “Buy Fresh, Buy Local - Select Michigan Day” and Sell at the Select Michigan Farmers Markets

May 27, 2008: Celebrate summer, the season of picnics, farmers markets and roadside stands selling fresh Michigan produce with this year’s “Buy Fresh, Buy Local – Select Michigan Day” events.

The fourth annual “Buy Fresh, Buy Local – Select Michigan Day” will be September 18, 2008, and we’re seeking farmers and specialty food producers interested in selling their Michigan products at special farmers markets in Lansing and Detroit this summer.   These farmers markets, sponsored by the Michigan Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) Select Michigan Program and the Michigan Food & Farming Systems – MIFFS, with funding from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service and additional support from the Michigan Farmers Market Association (MIFMA) and the Food Bank Council of Michigan, will help promote the benefits of buying locally and make a personal connection between farmers and consumers.

This year’s markets’ dates and locations are: Thursday, July 24, 2008, “Buy Local Day” Farmers Market, State Capitol lawn, Lansing; Friday, August 22, 2008, “Select Michigan Marketplace”, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit; and Thursday, September 18, 2008, “Select Michigan Day” Farmers Market, State Capitol lawn, Lansing. 

Vendor spaces are free but limited, and first priority will be given to companies featuring and selling products made from Michigan specialty crops, like fruits and vegetables, nuts, and nursery crops, and MIFFS or MIFMA members.  Vendors will be chosen on a first-come, first-serve basis.

If you are interested in participating at any of these markets, please contact Jeanne Lipe, Marketing Specialist, MDA at 517-373-9790 or lipej@michigan.gov.  For more information about “Select Michigan Day,” visit www.miffs.org.

Read more about "Select Michigan" day and its events and successes in 2007...

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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 economic, ecological and social well-being.  MIFFS has been effective at establishing successful partnerships among producers, markets and institutions that have created more profitable, environmentally friendly food systems in Michigan.    

The organization’s vision is based on the premise that agricultural productivity, environmental stewardship and profitability reinforce each other for the benefit of Michigan’s rural and urban communities.  To learn more, please visit www.miffs.org or call (517) 432-0712.