Michigan Food & Farming Systems (MIFFS) is a statewide, non-profit organization c onnecting beginning and historically underserved farmers to each other and resource opportunities; ensuring social justice, environmental stewardship, and profitability. 
Hello MIFFS supporters!

Holiday Greetings! We are so thankful for all of the support at our GLEXPO workshop and Meet the Buyers Event this year and look forward to next year! The Michigan Family Farms Conference (MFFC) is coming up soon. We have opened up registration and are very excited to start printing all of those name tags!
The MFFC will be held on February 9 at the KVCC Texas Township Campus. This year we are really excited to offer an extended workshop that includes a lunchtime tour to the Food Innovation Center AND The Culinary and Allied Health Building! The MFFC is a forum to network, learn and build sustainable family farms but also a space to learn about agriculture for your own home as well. Our event includes a keynote to be delivered by Melvin Parson, founder of We the People Growers Association. Register at bit.ly/mffc2019

The theme for 2019 MFFC is "Tools for Agricultural Success - What's in Your Shed?" To get some energy and excitement around the conference this year, we would like to see #whatsinyourshed today! The campaign is sure to be a delight as we look at the current tools we have and what others we might be able to add at MFFC2019. Think outside the shed; your personal shed may be a desk, classroom, office, or production facility!

Event sponsorship is open for MFFC which is a great opportunity for networking and promoting your resources or products!. The deadline for a special joint sponsorship rate is November 15. Register as a sponsor/exhibitor here today! We are also looking for donations for the event, please contact [email protected] for more information.

Have an innovative farm food safety practice that you would like to share? MIFFS has $100 stipends available for up to 20 farmers that submit DIY instructions/examples of low cost on Farm Food Safety Practices for a database that we are creating. Please review the flyer here and share with any farmers you work with who may be interested. The practices should be in-compliance with low risk practices in the Michigan Produce Safety Risk Assessment (which can be accessed here )
As the year comes to a close and tax season starts, think of MIFFS! We will gladly take cash donations to help ease your tax burden (talk to your accountant for details!)

Thank you all for supporting food and farming systems!
Community Resources & Events
Reinvestment Fund (RF) is inviting applications for financial and technical assistance through the Healthy Food Financing Initiative  (HFFI) inaugural grants program.  Reinvestment Fund is offering financial resources and expertise to eligible healthy food retail projects to expand access to healthy foods in underserved areas, to create and preserve quality jobs, and to revitalize low-income communities. HFFI is making available $1.8 million in assistance to support eligible fresh food retail projects. To be eligible for assistance, healthy food retail projects must:
  1. plan to expand or preserve the availability of staple and perishable foods in underserved areas with low and moderate-income populations
  2. accept or plan to accept benefits under the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP). 
The application and additional information is available through www.investinginfood.com . The deadline for applications is February 14, 2019. On December 13, 2018 and January 8, 2019, RF will hold webinars to confirm details about the application process and answer questions. Registration (here) for the webinars is required
The 2019 conference theme is Macomb Food Momentum (previously this event was called All About Food: From Farm to Fork). We seek conference speakers who can offer engaging sessions to illustrate growth, change, transitions or needs to be addressed in our food system. There will be two types of sessions offered at this year’s event:
  1. Presentation. A 60 minute presentation related to the theme, which should be engaging and participatory. Panels are acceptable. Hands-on activities are encouraged, but not required.
  2. Facilitated discussion. A 60 minute session that will focus on a particular need or gap to be addressed in the local food system, facilitating solutions-based discussion. The intent is that participants will leave with actionable items from these sessions. Applicants are encouraged to apply in a team of two or more. The conference planning team can assist with recruiting interested and active participants for these sessions.
Complete the online submission form no later than COB December 17 th , 2018 .
The Organic Farmer Training Program (OFTP) teaches organic farming through hands-on activities, farm walks, classroom activities & discussions, video lectures, readings, guest speakers, visits to 20+ Michigan farms and practical assignments, like writing a Farm Business Plan. The OFTP is a vibrant, diverse and positive learning community where students learn from each other and can share their unique skills, experience and goals. For more info, visit the OFTP Website  or email your questions to [email protected] . 
Food Literacy for All is a community-academic partnership course started in 2017. Structured as an evening lecture series, Food Literacy for All features different guest speakers each week to address diverse challenges and opportunities of both domestic and global food systems. The course is designed to prioritize engaged scholarship that connects theory and practice. By bringing national and global leaders, we aim to ignite new conversations and deepen existing commitments to building more equitable, health-promoting, and ecologically sustainable food systems. Food Literacy for All will take place for the third year on Tuesday evenings during the winter semester of 2019. More info here
If you are a farmer or rural entrepreneur in the Midwest, you are invited to use a free Grants Advising service of the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute. Our Grants Advisers help you decide whether a grant would be the best way to achieve your goals. If so, he or she will help you identify a grant program that best fits your goals and help you outline a plan of work for you to follow to meet the application deadline and all application requirements. If not, the Adviser will suggest other resources you may choose to approach. Examples might be federal, state or local loan programs, loan guarantees, as well as resource information and resource persons. For more information and to be on the e-list for program announcements, please feel free to contact one of our Grants Advisers: Martin Bailkey, at (608) 698-9478, [email protected] or Kitt Healy, at (630) 346-4749, [email protected] http://www.michaelfields.org/grant-advising-resources/
The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), operating through the Risk Management Agency (RMA), announces its intent to award up to $4.16 million to fund the Risk Management Education Partnership Program. The purpose of this competitive program is to deliver crop insurance education and risk management training to U.S. agricultural producers to assist them in identifying and managing production, marketing, legal, financial, and human risk. More info here
The National Young Farmers Coalition recently launched their Finding Farmland Calculator. Use this calculator to build scenarios for purchasing farmland. You can compare detailed estimates of total costs, monthly payments and affordability metrics, then download the results to have on hand when meeting with a loan officer.
Jobs!
King's Hill Farm in Mineral Point, Wisconsin is seeking new tenants to farm its 40 acres of highly productive vegetable and fruit land beginning in the 2019 growing season. Farming acreage is served fully by irrigation, water well and pumps. Contiguous to the farm are several hundred acres that consist of woodlands, ponds, conservation reserve land and separately leased farmland for organic crops (corn, soybeans, hay, cover crops, etc.) The farm, located in southwest Wisconsin, currently serves 225 CSA customers in the Madison and Chicago areas. For more information, visit  kingshillfarm.com   
NSAC Are you deeply committed to public service, experienced in administration and the field of sustainable agriculture, and would enjoy leading a passionate, high-performing, member-engaged, and collaborative organization that is dedicated to advancing racial equity in our work on sustainable agriculture and food systems policy. NSAC is looking for a new Coalition Director.  Please see this job announcement to learn more. 
Food Corps Michigan FoodCorps is seeking a part time Recruiter to provide critical support to the recruitment efforts of our rapidly scaling AmeriCorps service program. Reporting to your respective state team contact, you will assist in our efforts to recruit hundreds of diverse FoodCorps Service Members who commit to a year of paid service helping to support kids in developing healthy relationships with food and improving the school food environment. Your role will be to execute online and offline engagement efforts with prospective applicants, representing FoodCorps at targeted recruitment events. More info here
MI Flower Growers Coop is hiring someone to help us implement a state wide marketing and education campaign, for both growers and end users. The position is for one year, with possibility of extension. Hours and time of work are flexible. Person must live in S.E Michigan, and be able to travel for meetings and trainings. Please see the full job description here
National Farm to School Network   The National Farm to School Network (NFSN) is seeking a dynamic, values-driven and collaborative leader as Executive Director. The Executive Director leads innovation and strategic growth toward accomplishing the mission of the organization for scaling up impact so that farm to school and early care and education (ECE) are a norm in all communities across the U.S. The ideal candidate will possess a commitment to the principles of diversity, equity, access and belonging; excel at fostering and expanding relationships with diverse partners and funders; and ensure the long-term financial sustainability and advancement of the farm to school movement. Find more details in this position description . 

Support the many faces of farming:
Become a member of MIFFS and help us support the many faces of farming.

Joint Membership be tween MIFFS and National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) is also available.
We greatly appreciate any and all donations. Whether you’re giving to a specific program, project or our general fund, thank you! Donation options include Michigan Family Farms Conference, Women in Ag, Vets in Ag, or Tilian Farm Development Center.
Your contribution, in any capacity, is welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for playing a critical role in making Michigan farming an attractive and viable livelihood. 
Sincerely, MIFFS
Physical Address: 2465 Woodlake Circle, Okemos, MI 48864
Mailing Address: 480 Wilson Road, Room 172, East Lansing, MI 48824
Phone: 517.709.8271 Email: [email protected]