This article is the first in a three-part series in which we explore the work being done to expand local food economies along Michigan's west coast. The program is one of just a handful of similar USDA pilot programs in the entire nation, and they are...
(We're stoked about this!) Northwest Lower Michigan is part of an emerging national movement to fund school staff who focus exclusively on local food in school meals and on nutrition and garden education for students. Five schools in the Charlevoix-Emmet Intermediate...
Above: Kyle Mitchell, Mitchell's Patch of Blue farm. Photo courtesy of Kyle Mitchell. On the road that leads from the farm to the school cafeteria tray, we encounter many folks along the way who contribute to feeding our kids. Who’s Feeding Our Kids is a series where...
With 11.3 million apple trees planted in the Mitten — on 825 family-run farms that produce more than a billion pounds of apples — Michiganders have a gazillion reasons to love-up and celebrate this iconic and delicious fruit. One of the easiest and most fun ways to...
Above photo courtesy USDA. Free and reduced-price meals are served to kids every day across the country through programs such as the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP). In Michigan, the state-funded 10 Cents a Meal for...
This op-ed first published in the Traverse City Record-Eagle Agriculture Forum. For our students and our communities, school gardens can offer more than meets the eye. Well beyond teaching gardening skills, these spaces can develop knowledge in traditional subjects...