The Northwest Michigan Food and Farming Network (FFN) has a brand new logo and five gorgeous new fact sheets highlighting progress in building northwest Michigan’s agricultural future.
Growing the local food economy while shrinking waistlines
A whopping 68 percent of residents of the five-county Traverse City region are overweight. The good news is that doctors, public health experts, and employers are teaming up with small farmers and getting creative.
Ag Forum: Relationships required in local food system
The definition of local food needs to include a valuation for the relationships it demands. It’s not enough now to simply say, “my food was grown within 150 miles.” We should also be able to say, “…and I know the name of the farmer.”
Ag Forum: Institutions seek more local food
New businesses are working to meet the growing demand from buyers for locally grown food, and more food service directors are flexing their buying power and insisting that distributors figure out how to offer the option to buy local.
(Re) Introducing Meghan McDermott
Groundwork is pleased to welcome Meghan McDermott to the staff as a food and farming policy specialist. Meghan, who was previously a FoodCorps service member hosted by Groundwork, will co-manage the organizations’ farm to school program.
The VISTA Experience
My name is Carol Danly and I am a new AmeriCorps VISTA with United Way, assigned to the Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities in support of the Food and Farming Network.