Volume 3 • No. 14 • Full Moon • July 21, 2024

Various Printer Proofs • 2009-2024 • Will Thomas

Diversity and Growth: The MSU Edible Forest Garden, Student Organic Farm and Training Program

Click above for a virtual visit to Michigan State University's Student Organic Farm, featuring the Edible Forest Garden and Organic Farmer Training Program, along with Katie Brandt and Darby Anderson.

The SOF’s food forest plant diversity parallels the diversity of intentions and aims of those in the farm's learning community. The farmer training program itself isn't an experience exclusive to learning to grow organic produce—it also functions as an incubator for holistic endeavors, vocation, and planning. If you’re curious, you can find more on the program here.

The Warp — Ideas and Inspiration

|| 1 || I started reading You Are Who You Meet: A Geography of Common Ground(from School of the Unconformed) and encountered a familiar thought: “Yeah, that’s great and all, but we’re talking about a very different place than Northwest Michigan.” The article outlined communal, connected, and non-car-centric highlights from time spent in Switzerland.

The feeling I’m talking about exists just next to the slight dread that I get while glancing at books centered on generally romanticized accounts of off-grid forest living, micro-cabins, van nomadism, and such: “I get the appeal, but this is so far from my day-to-day and obligations that, rather than enjoyment or inspiration, it just makes me feel a bit sick.” (An aside—I’ve been reading Sigurd F. Olson’s Reflections from the North Country. Essays from it, like Timelessness and Solitude, speak to that tension between reality and idyll with grace. When you hear of Sigurd, think of Ely, MN: gateway to the Boundary Waters, home of Sigurd’s house and writing shack, and HammerHeart Brewing, smoked beer extraordinaires, too.)

You Are Who You Meet doesn’t conclude in Switzerland. It pivots, embracing that not every place is Central Europe, nor should it be, and it explores practicing what seemed to work in Switzerland in a Canadian suburb.

We basically acted contrary to common norms and in the process managed to forge community and a different way of living within the monotony of suburbia.

Read the piece if you’re curious about exactly what those contrarian actions were. I recognized patterns in it that seemed to potentially fit our relationship to our neighborhood and our town in future years. Now I need to remember to keep them in mind—”coulds”, if you will. Right now, best to avoid “shoulds.” Why?

|| 2 || “Don’t should yourself.” Caitlin McSweeney, from Danu Hof, said that to me about a year ago when I was considering participation in something that’d have me overextending my capacity. The difficulty was weighing on me—in some sense, I could have done it, and in my estimation there was some obligation—and Caitlin could see those gears in my head turning. She shared those words, made me laugh, helped me decide, and I haven’t forgotten it. Bless you, Caitlin. Thank you.

The “shoulds” have been back lately. I should send these people letters, we should invite these folks to dinner, I should make it to this regular gathering I’ve been missing, I should meet up with these old friends, and send this note and do this thing and catch up on and… I have well-intentioned aims, a handful, and then I add a few more, and before I’ve begun to get to the first things that I “should” do, I’m staggering a bit from what I’m shouldering and about to call it in. It’s not helpful.

In fairness, though, there are plenty of times when you’ve simply gotta do what you don’t want to. My “should” examples above are all social/relational, but that’s not the whole story. Maintenance around the house, for instance, comes to mind. You leave enough things rough-shod and in perpetual degradation, and sooner or later you get bit—hard. And there are also plenty of times when it is worth doing what you simply don’t have to—moments bedrock to hospitality and care.

So where’s the balance? How do you maintain what should be maintained without burdening yourself towards paralysis?

Part of me thinks it’s intuitive. Deep down, I already know what’s helpful and good and what lies beyond that. That perception is often muddled, but solitude and quiet bring it back into focus. And when solitude and quiet aren’t in the cards, when there’s no cabin in the woods or escapism on offer, folks who care, like Caitlin, offer sense, too.

The Weft — News and Events

We’re heartened by a wide-range of expressions of resilient communities and gatherings. Here’s a smattering of regional events and happenings that reflect that diversity, collected for your consideration. Choose your own adventure!

|| 1 || John Stephen’s Honey House Open House—The Little Traverse Beekeepers Guild and Grand Traverse Beekeeping Club are hosting an open house Sunday, July 28, noon-4pm. Find more details on the event, and how to RSVP, here.

|| 2 || Intercontinental Biennial of the Indigenous Art. The grand opening of the show from The Indigenous School for the Arts is on August 9th at 7pm at Presbyterian Church of Traverse City, and pieces will be on display through the 18th. Find more information at the BIAI website or the event page on Facebook, or sign up for the August 10th children’s art workshop here.

|| 3 || The Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference, now in its 25th year, will be coming to Benzie County August 11th-12th. Keep an eye out for more on the farm tour-centric, Grow Benzie-hubbed happenings. More information, tickets, and additional ways of getting involved are available here.

|| 4 || Call for Artists. The Antrim Writers Series is seeking a visual artist to work with four writers, by illustrating their written impressions from Grass River Natural Area. The application deadline is August 1st. Find more information, and apply, here.

|| 5 || “Nominations are now open for farmers and ranchers to serve on local U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Committees. These committees make important decisions about how federal farm programs are administered locally. Serving on a Farm Service Agency county committee is your chance to ensure that other producers who share your interests, your production practices, and your perspective are represented.” Find more information on eligibility and the process here.

|| 6 || The Lively NeighborFood Market in Empire is opening soon—Find details on the launch of the neighborhood-based food hub here, and check out the schedule for the Summer Sun Sets at Livelylands here.

|| 7 ||FACT Grants for Farmers—A bundle of resources, including grants, conference scholarships, and opportunities for networking and mentorships, all geared towards pasture-based livestock and poultry farming is available at the Food Animal Concerns Trust website.

|| 8 || The Water is Life Festival will be held on Saturday, August 31st, from 12-9pm. Find out more and register for the family friendly, free celebration of water and connection on the Petoskey waterfront here.

|| 9 || Happenings at The Alluvion Between Now and the Next Whole Field include: Funky Uncle, Mike Delp’s The Mad Angler book launch, Jokes On You Comedy Tour, Hail Your Highness, Guardrail, Ghoul for a Goblin, The Party Members, Big Fun, wtrbd, DJ Ras Marco, and Joe Hertler.

Find more information at www.thealluvion.org.

The Whole Field • Volume 3 • No. 14 • Full Moon • July 21, 2024

Diversity and Growth: The MSU Edible Forest Garden, Student Organic Farm and Training Program

The Warp — Ideas and Inspiration

The Weft — News and Events

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