Rachael Pressley
Join in these upcoming seed starting & plant events with partners of the Western UP Food Systems Collaborative.
Wednesday, May 12 from 4 to 6 p.m.: Seed Starting Party at Porvoo Park in Hancock. Join the Portage Lake Seed Library in starting seeds for your home garden. Participants will receive free seed starting kits. Free event, open to all.
Saturday, May 15 from 1 to 3 p.m.: Garden sign making & compost share at Ray Kestner Park in Houghton. Join the Growing from the Heart community food growing & sharing program as we make Growing from the Heart signs for home gardens, learn to break-down pallets for sign-making, and connect to share the abundance of local foods with one another this summer. Sign-making supplies will be provided. Extra old scrap wood for signs, crowbar, hammers/nails helpful but not required. Bring containers to take home compost. Free event, open to all.
Credit Alex Palzewicz
This will be an opportunity for farmers to share what technical assistance and education is needed to be successful, as well as their perspective on emerging issues across the food and agriculture system. A brief presentation from U.P. farmers on programs that have helped them will also be included in the virtual session.
Register online at http://bit.ly/uplisteningsession before the start of the event.
The goal of the event, according to Michigan Food & Farming Systems Director of Field Operations Jennifer Silveri, is to build and strengthen relationships as well as share resources and identify emerging issues that can be addressed together in support of a vibrant and resilient local food system. “Listening sessions play a vital role in driving the work that MIFFS does, but more importantly, they help to connect farmers to each other, educators, and support that strengthens community and economic development,” said Silveri. “There is tremendous power t