Holt, MI – The Michigan Farmers Market Association (MIFMA) is hosting an on-farm field day, Hoophouses and Cold Storage Crops for Michigan Winters, in Holt, MI at the Michigan State University (MSU) Student Organic Farm on Monday, November 10 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. This event is the sixth in a series of seven field days throughout the summer and fall designed to help specialty crop producers grow and expand their businesses to meet the demand for local food in the state of Michigan.
“Farmer-to-farmer educational opportunities support producers, allowing them to be more economically viable, which in turn benefits farmers market communities across the state,” said Dru Montri, MIFMA Director.
The MSU Student Organic Farm is a 15-acre, certified organic year-round teaching and production farm, which includes a 48-week CSA, Summer CSA, 7-month on campus farm stand, and sales to MSU dining halls. They use passive solar greenhouses or hoophouses to produce and distribute fresh produce all year long. The MSU Student Organic Farm and its programs are managed and coordinated by the Student Organic Farm Steering Team with input from the farm staff, instructors, students and other faculty.
Registration is required to attend and is free to members of MIFMA, Michigan Food & Farming Systems and the Michigan Agri-Tourism Association. Visit www.mifma.com/events to learn more or register.
Funding for the field days is being supported by a USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant through the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, allowing MIFMA to reach more than 120 specialty crop producers across the state of Michigan, providing them with the knowledge and examples they need to increase their profitability and enhance the specialty crop industry’s competitiveness.
More information on upcoming on-farm field days and details on farmers markets across the state can be found by visiting the MIFMA website at www.mifma.org.