Autumn is in the air, what a perfect time to go visit a farm and find out more about our local food economy.
$2.4 Billion in economic output, 26,000 jobs and $579 Million in labor income. That's the impact that Metro Grand Rapids' agricultural community has on the region. Though agriculture sales in West Michigan have skyrocketed by over 50% just since 2002, net individual farm income is down -- an unsustainable situation. Buying local food has become a hot topic in West Michigan, yet we still lag behind. Eight CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farms now operate in West Michigan, yet smaller metro areas like Madison, Wisconsin have over 40 operating CSAs.
All this and more will be discussed at our next Not Your Average Speaker Series event: The Future For Food, October 9th at Trillium Haven Farm. We're bringing together a great panel of food entrepreneurs and business owners to discuss the current state of our local food economy. Panelists include Anja Mast of Trillium Haven Farm, Matt Poole of Marie Catrib's, Trevor Corlett of MadCap Coffee, John Biernbaum of MSU Student Organic Farm and Rick Chapla of The Right Place as Moderator. We'll dig into the location of the local food economy today, where it's going and what are the challenges, gaps and opportunities to be found along the way.
Join us Saturday, October 9th from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Trillium Haven Farm, 1300 Maplewood Drive in Jenison. Grub, refreshments, an inspiring talk and a musical performance by Jen Sygit and Sam Corbin are free of charge. Space is limited for this event, so please be sure to RSVP at our Facebook event page or in the form below.
This event is sponsored by Local First of West Michigan, Michigan State Housing Development Authority, Trillium Haven Farm and produced by Rapid Growth Media.
*West Michigan Agriculture Report, 2009, West Michigan Strategic Alliance and Land Policy Institute
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