The Organic Center
 

 

 

 

Welcome to The Michigan Organic Farming Exchange

 

 

This site offers:

    This WEB site is being brought to you by the C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at Michigan State University.  We want to offer you sound information and opportunities to promote your farm, you as the farmer and your harvest. We do not have all of the answers but are tapping as many resources as we can find so you can expand your ability and share your knowledge. We hope that you will take advantage of these resources and let us know how we can grow to better serve you.
 

 

 

 

Upcoming Events For Michigan's Organic Farmers

January 17, 2009 Michigan Family Farms Conference Discuss issues facing limited resource farmers and they family farm, Learn about the new Farm Bill opportunities, organic growing, woodlot management, beekeeping, marketing ideas, alternative energy, Farm to School, insurance prodcuts, and loans.

January 23-25, 2009 27th Annual NOFA-NY Conference: Meals Without Wheels Rochester Riverside Convention Center, Rochester, NY. An education conference with workshop for adults and kids, celebrating local oranic food for farmers, garderners, and consumers. Open to the public, register online or walk-in registrations are available.

 Agriculture's Conference on the Environment, January 28, 2009, Lansing Center. Each session is designed to provide insight into real worl issues facing farmers today with topics related to agriculture's sustainability: out changing energy landscape, community relations, the environment, market impact and more.

January 31, 2009 9th Annual Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference, Garyling High School.
"Increasing Production and Usate of Locally Grown Products". Please Joing usin celebrating the small farm success in northern Michigan and help shape the local food revolution. Topics include: Pasture raised and organic livestock production. using local food, organic prok production on small farms, is climate changing in the Great Lakes region, passive solar greenhouses for season extension and winter harvest and many more. For more information contact Antrim County MSU Extension office at 231-533-8818.


 

 

 

 Resources & Educational Opportunities

Michigan Organic Farm Listserv  Exchange information, ideas and questions with other organic farmers and those interested in organic agriculture.  To subscribe to the list, email listserv@list.msu.edu with (SUBSCRIBE MICH-ORGANIC YOUR NAME) in the body of the email.

Michigan Organic Farm Mentor Share your knowledge with new or less-experienced organic farmers, participate in the Michigan Organic Farmer Mentor Program.  You will be contacted by the farmer seeking advice and can assist them at any level you are comfortable.

Agricultural Research Directory (ATTRA) Find a vast variety of resources indexed here, such as biological information on agriculturally relevant species, documentation on a very extensive list of crops, international databases of agricultural information, and much more!

Find Sources & Offer Organic Grain If you are a grain farmer and sell (even occasionally) seed for crops and cover crops, you may want to list your farm on this website. Fill out this form and email to be added. Also here is a list of sources of cover crop and other seed. Please click here to see the sources.

Surplus? Add your name to the Organic Livestock Feed Suppliers Database.  This resource list helps organic livestock producers locate sources of organic formulated feed rations or feed ingredients. The database already includes a variety of feeds such as Alfalfa, Balage, Barley, Beet Pulp, Canola/Rapeseed, Corn, Flax/Linseed, Legumes/Peas, Oats,  Rye, Sesame Seeds/Meal,  Soybeans, Spelt, Sunflower Seeds/meal, Tritcale, and Wheat.

 

Now that the growing season has started, CAT Alerts offer pest and crop management advice for current conditions from March to September. The 2008 publications have started, sign up today!  The information is written by MSU faculty and Extension educators.

 

New Agriculture Network has an on-line newsletter with seasonal advice for field crop and vegetable growers interested in organic agriculture.

Trellised Vegetables, a way to ease harvesting, increase air circulation and increase land-use efficiency.

Hairy Vetch-A great nitrogen fixing cover crop-but incorporate it into the soil before it sets seeds, unless you want it the following year.

Happy Organic Farming!

The C.S. Mott Group Logo