Organic Intensives from MOFFA in Michigan

Diverse Grain Options for Farms and Homesteads will feature Indiana seed producer John Sherck as well as Tom and Vicki Zilke and Megan Goldenberg, who farm in Southeast Michigan, and Ashley McFarland, Coordinator of the MSU Upper Peninsula Research Center.  They will discuss growing, harvesting, and processing heritage grains including oats, barley, wheat, spelt, sorghum and even rice, for both small plot homestead and farm-scale production.

In Organic Transplant Production, MSU Professor of Horticulture John Biernbaum and Collin Thompson, Manager of the MSU North Farm in the Upper Peninsula, will share their many years of experience with all aspects of growing strong organic starts to support a successful growing season.  Growing microgreens will also be addressed, as will the prospect of marketing both microgreens and transplants throughout the year as an additional income stream.  Participants will have access to online course materials and presentations after the session.

Small to Medium Scale Livestock for the Integrated Farm: Topics to be covered include animal nutrition/diets, humane care, and thoughtful integration into your existing farm operation.  Nationally recognized poultry and livestock nutritionist Jeff Mattocks will be joined by Michigan farmers Aaron Brower of Bluestem Farm in East Jordan, and Leah and Jessie Smith of Nodding Thistle Farm in Nashville.  All are eager to share their substantial experience with poultry and livestock on their very diversified farms. 

We still have a limited number of scholarships available.  Thanks to a generous donation from George and Anne Bird, we are able to subsidize all but $25 of the registration fee for those whose participation is limited by the cost of registration.  We also have a “mini-grant” from North Central SARE which covers the registration fee for Michigan educators as well as agriculture professionals (MSUE, NRCS, USDA, Soil Conservation, etc) — anyone who is involved with imparting agriculture-related information to people in Michigan.  For more information about either type of scholarship, please email us at moffaorganic@gmail.com.