Lightning Talks
Lightning Talk Session Recording
Fast-paced food system stories from across Michigan!
Our presenters cover everything from supporting diverse and effective farm & food businesses, growing and understanding food access, adapting to the pandemic, to building resilience for climate change.
View each presentation below, watch the playlist, or click the button to the left to view the full recording!
View each presentation below!
Chris Bardenhagen, JD/Doctoral Candidate - Chris Bardenhagen Law, PLC
Collective Business Entities for Farm and Food Projects
While local and direct marketing options are increasingly robust, eaters (consumers) are seeking to purchase a larger part of their direct market basket at one time, utilizing CSA shares and online ordering platforms. At the same time, entry into even smaller sale grocery or other wholesale markets presents great opportunity, but for individual farmers requires high marketing costs in time and other resources, as well as logistical challenges. Collective businesses can be used for efficiently organizing marketing and sales efforts, brand building, and product standards. “Traditional” entities such as cooperatives and Limited Liability Companies are ideal for farmers to use to market their products together online or via a CSA share, while certain types of nonprofit associations can be used to develop branded products marketable at various scales and venues. Aggregation of branded products for regional supermarket sales can be done using a combination of entities.
Kendra Wills - MSU Extension Educator and Product Center Innovation Counselor, Michigan State University Extension
What is the MSU Product Center and How Can It Help My Food Business or Farm?
The Michigan State University Product Center is a low cost resource for food entrepreneurs and farmers to start and grow their businesses. We utilize campus faculty, specialists, students and field based educators to work one-on-one with clients. The range of our work is vast – from concept stage to large food processors. The MSU Product Center can help guide people through the regulatory process as well as with product labeling, packaging, recipe development, pricing, marketing and distribution. To become a MSU Product Center client, entrepreneurs are asked to complete an online form, pay a one-time $50 application fee, and to sign a confidentiality agreement to protect their information. During the 2018-19 fiscal year, the MSU Product Center provided 4,690 counseling sessions and worked with 658 clients. Since 2003, the MSU Product Center has assisted in business expansions resulting in investment of $463 million and the creation of 2,636 jobs.
Alita Kelly - Founder, South East Market
Food Sovereignty and Empowering Diverse Farmers
The future of food is food sovereignty. Food sovereignty can't be realized until we empower diversity in the practice of farming not only through supporting black farmers but through providing financial and educational support to aspiring farmers of color. "There were only 45,500 Black farmers — roughly 1.3% of all US farmers — in the United States in 2017 according to the most recent USDA Census of Agriculture." Food justice means the most marginalized groups of our society have the opportunity to be represented in our agricultural landscape, therefore we must begin to unpack why land acquisition is so difficult for these groups and provide some solutions to the barriers these individuals face.
Don Schils, MA - Operation Fit Program Lead, Operation Fit
School Food Cart Program
The Operation Fit/The Fire Hub Food Cart Program is an example of how a community can collaborate to provide fresh fruits/veggies and healthy snacks for underserved students & their families. Operation Fit is a program developed by the collaborative efforts of Battle Creek Family YMCA, Bronson BC, the BC Community Foundation, community agencies, organizations, and the philanthropic community working towards decreasing rates of childhood obesity in the BC area. OF works with schools to develop and improve their wellness environment. Two years ago, OF and TFH met & discussed how we could coordinate getting fresh fruits/veggies & healthy snacks into the hands of our students & developed the Food Cart Program. The program has grown from 2 schools in 2017 to 9 school locations this year. Last year, The Fire Hub donated a total of 33,545 pounds of fresh fruits/ veggies and 2354 cases of healthy snacks to our schools! The FCP adapted to provide food to families during the COVID-19 pandemic!
Taylor Hartson - Research Specialist, Calvin University Center for Social Research
Food Access, Consumption, and Resources in Kent County
In 2018, food organizations in Kent County, Michigan, sought to gather community members’ input about food access, food consumption, and existing and potential new food resources in Kent County. These organizations, with the help of generous funders, approached the Calvin University Center for Social Research to design, administer, and report on a community food survey. This survey included measures from existing food surveys as well as new measures of food access and consumption based on human-centered design principles. Respondents were recruited using multiple methods, including a mailing to a random sampling of residential addresses, and 1052 community members participated, responding to questions about neighborhood health, food access, food acquisition, food consumption, and food resources. This session will explore community members’ responses to this survey, as well as the challenges and opportunities they identified for improving food access and sovereignty in Kent County.
Rosie Quasarano - Co-Owner, Littlefoot Coffee Roasters
A Little Goes a Long Way
We began 2020 by dedicating Littlefoot Coffee Roasters’ energy into being strong wholesale partners and providers. When the pandemic hit in March, and our small coffee shop partners had to temporarily shutter their operations, we had to shift gears. We launched the Littlefoot Coffee Fund, to convert a portion of our online retail profits into future coffee credits for our partners. We have proudly donated more than 120 pounds of coffee to help our partners reopen and realize a profit. The very unwelcome pandemic became a catalyst for fueling Littlefoot Coffee Roasters’ online and community partnerships!
https://www.littlefootcoffee.com/
Stephanie Osborn - Wayne State University T-RUST
Applying an Interdisciplinary Approach to Identify Vulnerabilities in the Southeast Michigan’s Food System Related to Climate Change
Our food system is acutely vulnerable to external pressures. To address this, interdisciplinary collaboration is required to identify pressure points and create resilient communities, especially in the face of increasing climate threats. As graduate students from Wayne State University, we are working to identify and quantify climate change-related vulnerabilities on the procurement and distribution of a representative market basket of goods in Southeast Michigan’s food system. Tools and perspectives from economics, biology, and planning will be used to more fully understand the impacts of climate change and potential leverage points for mitigation and adaptation. After identifying major climate change patterns in the Midwest, we will integrate this data into economic models in order to predict the impact of climate change on our regional food system. From our findings we will develop a vulnerability assessment tool that can serve as a starting point to improve community resilience.
Amanda Shreve - Executive Director, Michigan Farmers Market Association
The Resilience of Michigan's Farmers Markets in Response to COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic erupted in Michigan just as farmers markets were preparing to launch into their peak farmers market season. While the State of Michigan was quick to recognize farmers markets as essential food retail that could continue to operate, market managers had to scramble to put modifications in place in order to protect the safety of customers, vendors, and market staff and volunteers. Market managers responded urgently and creatively with solutions that included drive-through options, pre-ordering processes, curbside pick-up, and/or modifications for in-person shopping. This session will explore how the Michigan Farmers Market Association mobilized to support market managers in the face of the pandemic and how the market managers ensured the resilience of farmers markets this season with creativity and innovation.
Michele Worden, MBA - Member, NWC Operating Committee, Northwest Food Coalition
The Ripple Effect of the Farm2Neighbor Program
Farm2Neighbor is a spearhead program that allows food pantries and meal sites in Northwest Lower Michigan to collectively purchase locally-grown produce to distribute to their clients. The program leverages system change across organizations, social service areas, and fundraising streams. This program started in 2018 by the Northwest Food Coalition, a group of roughly 70 meal sites and food pantries in NW Michigan. It arose from the system map question: “What factors affect the ability of food insecure individuals to meet their nutritional needs.” Farm2Neighbor improves health in under-served communities; increases economic impact of the local farm economy; supports local environmentally sustainable agriculture; provides nutrition education in pantries in conjunction with Farm to School programs. This program began small, but with the larger vision to build an infrastructure foundation that would create resiliency. Participants will also examine the ripple effects that change can have in complex systems, through the example of the Groundwork Center’s Local Food Relief Fund.
