Welcome to the Organic Farming Exchange
Brought to you by the CS Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at MSU

If you were unable to attend or want to review what you saw many of the Power Point presentations you can find here. Note that the 2nd "slide" of each has the contact information of the presenter so if you would like more details or want to ask permission to use a photo or graph:

• “Cover Crop Managements on a Vegetable Farm—DIfferent Farms, Different Styles,” GLEXPO-covercrops-dec11.pdf
  
• “Compost: Getting it To and On the Vegetable Farm,” GLEXPO-compost-dec11.pdf
• “Online Cover Crop Selector Tool—How It Works,” GLEXPO-cropselector-dec11.pdf

For the last several years, one day of the expo includes a track on organic production. The GLEXPO is held each year in Grand Rapids, MI at the DeVos Center during the first full week of December.
This year’s organic track included Organic Soil Management, Organic Markets, Organic Vegetable Production and Organic Fruit Production. We look forward to next year and making more friends and hoping to have a few more topics for the Organic Track.


In between the morning and afternoon sessions, Michigan Organic Food and Farm Alliance (MOFFA) offered a Meet & Greet Luncheon with food from several of Michigan’s Organic Farmers. Nearly 150 people attended for the chance to have a good lunch and visit with old friends and make a few new ones.
The farmers that shared their food were John Simmons of Simmons Family Farm, Jim Koan of Almar Orchards, Natures Bounty Farm, Food For Thought, Lee and Linda Purdy of Westwind Milling, and Anthony Cinzori from Cinzori Farm.
They helped make the lunch extra special and we thank them. See photos of the Meet & Greet in the slideshow at the top of this page.

Position Announcement | Executive Director | Michigan Food & Farming Systems
The Executive Directorship is a full-time position. The executive director must be based in Michigan. The current headquarters is in East Lansing.  MIFFS will consider proposals for an alternative basing location from exceptionally well-qualified candidates. For a full description of the position and its responsibilities, please visit www.miffs.org/employment.asp. To apply, email your résumé and cover letter to MIFFS Search Committee Chair Joe Colyn, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), or mail to MIFFS Search Committee Chair, Joe Colyn, Originz LLC, 33Lynwood Drive, Battle Creek, MI 49014-7911. E-mail applications are preferred. Application deadline is Monday, January 30, 2012. Position start date is early May 2012.

Food Safety Modernization Act
What is it?
The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (SB 510) was signed into law by President Obama on January 4th, 2011. It aims to ensure the U.S. food supply is safe by shifting the focus of federal regulators from responding to contamination to preventing it. The Act was written largely  in response to the 48 million food-borne illnesses that effect Americans annually. This will be the first food safety standards overhaul in more than a century.

What does it mean for me?
The FSMA will have noticeable implications for almost all farmers. For example, farms with a revenue of over $500,000 will be subject to increased regulation, which could hinder growing farms from wanting to expand. Taking effect sooner than other provisions of the bill is the FDA’s authority to instantly declare a mandatory recall of dangerous food.

Where can I learn more?

• Food and Drug Administration
• FoodSafety.gov
• Food Safety News

Contact
Share & Find Information about Organic Farming