FARMING WORKS! - FOUR SEASON FARMING IN MICHIGAN
Food System Economic Partnership (FSEP), a non-profit in Southeast Michigan, works to catalyze change in the food system by developing relationships between farmers and food service directors that supports local agriculture. Michigan is the second most agriculturally diverse state in the nation, yet the demand for locally grown fruits and vegetables greatly outstrips supply. School Food Service Directors, Chefs and cafeterias across the region are turning to locally grown fruits and vegetables as they work to incorporate a greater variety of fresh produce in their meal planning. Locally grown produce travels shorter distances, is picked at its peak freshness and tastes great! However, the majority of produce production in Michigan occurs from May – October.
FSEP works with farmers across the region to meet the growing demand for year-round locally grown produce. By utilizing cold-storage or root cellar technology for storage crops such as beets, carrots, and cabbage and by planning vegetable production in passive solar hoophouses, farmers are able to meet the year-round demand for food.
In a continued effort to increase the availability of locally grown fruits and vegetables year-round, FSEP has worked with area farmers to develop a Four Seasons Produce Cooperative. This work was made possible by a USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant awarded to FSEP. Under the guidance of Business Development Specialist, Jane Bush and with funding and support from the MSU Product Center, eight farming families will begin selling their hoophouse grown spinach this spring.
Tom Kalchik, MSU Product Center Associate Director says "The Michigan Sate University Product Center, in partnership with USDA Rural Development, is pleased to provide the resources to organize Four Seasons Produce Cooperative. The forward looking producers who organized the Cooperative recognize that smaller specialty crop producers must work together to meet the needs of institutional buyers. The Product Center looks forward to providing additional services to help Four Seasons increase its sales, provide jobs for Michigan citizens, and provide additional investment in Michigan agriculture food system."
The Four Seasons Produce Cooperative will host a kick-off event with their first delivery of spinach to Allegiance Hospital in Jackson on Tuesday, March 8th at 11:00am. As part of their Farm to Cafeteria program, Allegiance Hospital will purchase 80 pounds of spinach a week for the next six weeks from the farmers. While many fields are still buried under snow, production in hoophouses is gearing up as the days are getting longer and warmer. Farmers utilizing hoophouse production for vegetables are able to reach markets earlier and generate more income for their farms.
To learn more about the Four-Season Produce Cooperative visit: http://4seasonsproducecoop.org/To learn more about Food System Economic Partnership visit: www.fsepmichigan.org
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