Though small scale, the conference attracted a variety of people with various viewpoints. I've become accustomed to the organic hippies/what's best for the environment is our main objective type. That was definitely not the majority at this conference, which was probably best and a welcome reality check for me because not everyone is going to go for the "What's best for the environment goes first". I think my friend Laura was a wee bit more surprised at this than me, but I grew up in a farming community that doesn't really plan for environmentally friendly farming. And some of these farmers at the conference were just trying to make as much money without high operation costs.
The conference unlike Bioneers, was restricted to one building on the campus of Bay College. It had one room of booths for co-ops, conservancies, organizations, etc. Down the hallways, presentations would be given in classrooms. The presentations I went to were: Northern Vines, Cottage Food Law & Beyond, Lunch Speaker Gary Sipiorski, Agriculture Assessment of the UP and Road to Independence.
Dan McCole went into what it takes to be a viticulturist in Michigan. In establishing a site, the viticulturist is looking for micro-habitats that will be best for the roots to grow. After selecting the site it must be prepped a year before planting. It takes five years to establish vines and they must be irrigated the first two or three years.
What I found most interesting about this presentation was the idea of having to hybridize the vines. The European vines can't handle Michigan's cold winters. So if hybridized with a local vine then the likelihood of establishing a vine and having a productive crop increases. I'm curious to see what types of new wines will come about due to this process, after all the kinks have been worked out.
The second presentation was basically about how to start a successful cottage food business in Michigan. The Cottage Food Law allows for the sale of home made good up to $15,000 gross sales per household. Foods sold under this law must be considered low risk (ex: jams, jellies, pasta, cotton candy, popcorn, chocolate covered items, etc). Anything that must be kept hot or frozen doesn't fall under the Cottage Food Law. All foods produced must have: "Made in a home kitchen that has not been inspected by The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development" written on it somewhere. The product's name, business name and address, ingredients, net weight and volume, and an allergen label must also be present.
Participants really were clueless on some things. Like how clean was clean? Well the presenter, Beth (unfortunately I couldn't get a last name for her) took everyone step by step how to be as clean as possible. Though in their defense, after my Microbial Ecology class I wipe everything down that I think will cause me to get sick. Why was their canning method bad? Because you aren't making it for your family, you're making it for profit. Food must be sold in containers meant for food products, so no your mother's handmade baskets aren't going to cut it.
There aren't routine inspections at the home in which these products are made but if there is a complaint then an inspection will be made and food products can be seized. Just FYI for when you're buying Cottage Foods: don't let it deter you from buying their food, just be aware.
The Cottage Food Law helps farmer's markets with increasing their venders to more than just farmers and artists. The customer gets to talk to the cook and gets to ask what type of sugar she used or where she got her supplies. There's this really crazy honey bee lady at the Marquette farmer's market that I just love buying honey from. She just sells it straight up, no additional sugars and she dresses like a bumble bee.
If you're interested and want to know more here are a few links:
http://michigan.gov/mda
www.servsafe.com
There was a lunch speaker who focused on globalization, financing and all that jazz. He didn't really tell me anything I hadn't heard before in any of my classes. Not to say what he said wasn't important for others particularly those who aren't college students having this information drilled into them class after class. From speaking with older participants his talk wasn't something they'd thought about. The world is interdependent, what we do, what we create affects those outside of our area and they may be our customers.
The Ag Assessment was designed by MSU Extentions specifically looking at Upper Peninsula (UP) Farms. And there seems to be a zoning in the UP where the central portion has the "youngest farmers and greatest percentage of enthusiastic operations". What overshadowed this presentation though was the outraged farmers who opposed an upcoming new law that will not allow them to have their grandchildren help out on the farm and they wanted deregulation.
What would be a better way to teach young children to respect nature and love farming than working on a farm? It's practical and helps pass on the family business once the generation managing it gets older. Though I guess whether it teaches them to respect nature depends on the type of farming and mind set involved.
But on the other hand, shouldn't children who grow up in a farming family have the right to decide for themselves what they want to do with their future? If they don't want to take over the family farm, shouldn't that be respected?
I grew up in a community where children were raised to take over the family farm and it didn't always end well.
The Road to Independence was about entrepreneurship. Not going to lie, I was a little bored at this one. In its defense it was at the end of the day. Out of everything though, this seemed the most exploitative presentation. You have an idea and you turn it into a business. You base your business around your ethics and make sure that there's a market for your product.
"Everything is about convenience. Listen to the customers and learn to take negative feedback," Ann Chastain, presenter.
