Michigan Small Farm Network

What is the Michigan Small Farm Network?

The MSFN is an opportunity for small scale farmers from around the state of Michigan to communicate and learn from each other. The first piece of this network is the Michigan Small Farm Newsletter. Check here and subscribe to the newsletter for updates as additional pieces are developed for the network.

Michigan Small Farm Newsletter

The monthly newsletter is an opportunity for growers to share what is happening on their farms with the network. Monthly field report requests will be sent to the network, requesting short summaries about what is happening on member farms, including weather conditions, sales reports, pest and disease issues, equipment, etc. Requests may include prompts to stimulate conversation, or participants can include anything that is on your mind. Reports will be compiled and distributed,occasionally alongside information or event notices that are relevant to the group.

Simply put, it is an opportunity for you to share what is happening on your farm, as well as hear what is happening around the state. There are no length requirements for the field report, and you are not required to write every month (though it would be great if you did!).

A sample field report might look something like this:

MSU North Farm, Chatham, MI - Greenhouse season is upon us. We’ve done our spring cleaning, which consisted of building new benches and improving our flat/pot storage system. We’ve also reinforced our germination chamber and installed new hinged, insulated doors. Our current setup fits 77 flats, which works, but it’s going to be filled to the brim with onions in a couple of days. We are trying a few new varieties of onions this year, and also expanding on some we loved last year. Last year’s new standout was Blush - it is a bronze/red skinned onion that sized up beautifully and stored like a champ. This year we will be trying Calibra from High Mowing to round out our sweet onion offering.
We are getting some warmer temperatures, but the fields are still covered in snow and likely will be for another month or so. Greens are sizing up nicely in the greenhouse, but we had some losses due to the cold and lack of sun this winter. Several of our overwintered varieties ended up not surviving, so we are doing more spring sowing than usual. We did a spinach trial that included five different varieties (Carmel, Space, Gazelle, Woodpecker, and Kookaburra). All performed quite well, but Gazelle and Space seem to be the strongest performers this year.

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Details and Rules:

Each field report will include farm location to provide context.
Farm names are optional - we will facility connections between growers who want to have further private conversations, but we want to respect individual privacy.
Keep it clean - we reserve the right to edit and moderate submissions to make sure it is appropriate for the forum.
More submissions = more conversation and learning. Field report submissions are not required, but we encourage you to participate often!
Contact Will Jaquinde, jaquinde@msu.edu for inquiries.