Short Courses & Field Trips
All Field Trips and Short Courses are offered on Monday, May 17 at an additional price to conference registration.
Short Courses
8:30 am – 2:30 pm
Farm to Institution Research: Current Status, Opportunities and Resources
With interest in farm to institution programs at an all time high, this short course seeks to promote a more coordinated evidence-based research effort among researchers, practitioners and advocates in order to strengthen programs, practices, and policies. The course will include a mapping of research interests and projects, discussion on the establishment of a coordinated research agenda and sharing of evaluation strategies and tools.
Presented by: Michelle Markesteyn Ratcliffe, Oregon Department of Agriculture; Gail Feenstra, University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program; Anupama Joshi, National Farm to School Network; Phyllis L. Fleming, University of North Carolina Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; Allison Karpyn, The Food Trust; and Katherine Ralston.
Schoolhouse Rock: How a Bill Becomes a Law (canceled)
Media Boot Camp: Communicating Effectively
Communication works for those who work at it. This interactive media short course will be led by professional media trainers and skilled communicators to help you 1) hone your message; 2) identify tools to help you amplify your voice; 3) gain the confidence to communicate. Traditional and digital media will be covered including: press releases, op-eds, blogs, Twitter, YouTube, and more. We’ll provide all the tools it takes to get media coverage and become a trusted source with the media that matter.
Presented by: Nicole de Beaufort, Fourth Sector Consulting and F3 Foundation; Eric Davis, Haberman, A Brand Public Relations Firm; Debra Eschmeyer, IATP Food & Society Fellow & National Farm to School Network; Rose Hayden-Smith, Food & Society Fellow; Leslie Hatfield, Green Fork/GRACE
Field Trips
8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Produce Distribution in Detroit
This trip begins with a sneak preview of the Henry Ford’s food service facilities, the host of our local foods reception to learn about how they are using produce grown in Detroit. Then, take a visit to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen and Earthworks Urban Farm where the chefs and staff believe “good food is for everyone.” A tremendous amount of fresh fruits and vegetables move through the City of Detroit via Eastern Market, a regional wholesale market. This trip culminates with a visit to the market to learn about how fresh food is delivered to neighborhoods in a variety of ways. Adjacent to the market, meet Locavore Food Distributors, a distributor who can tell customers where their food came from and who grew it.
Urban Farming and Schools in Detroit (FULL)
With more than 60,000 vacant lots scattered across the city, Detroit is a prime place for urban agriculture to flourish. Just a few years ago only a handful of gardens existed, yet today there are more than 800 community gardens blossoming across the city. Tour two thriving gardens, D-Town Farms and Romanowski Urban Farm Park. Learn how the food service at Detroit Public Schools has incorporated Detroit grown produce into their new farm to school program and how they are helping create opportunity for their students, families and neighborhoods.
Food Production and Consumption at Michigan State University
The Student Organic Farm (SOF) at Michigan State University (MSU) was created in 1999 by a group of students who wanted to get their hands dirty and learn how to farm organically. Since its initial inception, the farm has grown to include several passive solar hoop-houses that extend the growing season to year-round. With their hoop houses and cold storage, the SOF became the first year-round CSA in Michigan. The SOF also runs a farm stand on campus, sells wholesale to MSU, and dedicates a plot to grow foods for donation to the Greater Lansing Food Bank and local neighborhood centers. Tour the Student Organic Farm and then visit an MSU dorm for a farm-fresh lunch to learn about how this land grant university is becoming a leader in the local food movement. Visit the MSU Dairy store for an ice cream snack and learn how MSU Food Stores and Residential and Hospitality Services are incorporating food grown at the Student Organic Farm into daily meal offerings.
Youth Community Gardens in Flint (nearly full on 4/30)
Flint residents and community organizations have been making use of more than 18,000 unoccupied residential properties in the city by turning available lots into productive food gardens. Visit a Youth Farm Stand Project at Holmes Middle School that uses a solar-powered aquaponic system. Then tour three community gardens targeted towards engaging at-risk youth in a variety of different ways: Harvesting Earth Educational Farm, a garden in the Mr. Rogers Program, and Urban Youth Community Outreach’s Andrew Lilly Garden.
Institutional Purchasing in Southeast Michigan
This field trip will visit several institutional buyers to look at what makes local work in various settings. Visit Agrarian Adventure and Tappan Middle School where the school garden and passive solar hoop-house are used to teach after-school programs and support the farm to school program. Then visit Hill Dining Center at the University of Michigan to learn how they have overcome the barriers to purchasing locally. The day wraps up with a trip to DuRussel Farms where they will share their experience with becoming GAP certified. Meet Denise Worden, of Michigan Department of Corrections, who will share how buying local has allowed her to meet nutritional standards and improve menu offerings, while simultaneously lowering costs.
