farming

Avian Influenza is running rampant through Michigan and other parts of the country. Bird flu is nothing new, but this year, it has spread to dairy cattle. The impacts affect animal farming, consumer prices and the economy. As such, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) has issued an emergency order to try and stop its spread. Department director, Dr. Tim Boring, provided the most up-to-date information in his conversation with WEMU's David Fair.

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFOs, are a significant part of the American food and agricultural systems in Michigan and around the country. We knew CAFOs posed hazards to the environment, but a new report indicates it is worse than previously thought. WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director, Lisa Wozniak, spoke with one of the authors of the report, Katie Garvey. She is a staff attorney with the Environmental Law and Policy Center, and she discussed the troubling findings in the center’s 2024 report.

Connecting to the earth, learning to work, play and learn from the soil below our feet: That’s the mission Willow Run Acres in Ypsilanti and the personal mission of its founder, Farmer T.C. Collins. In addition to nurturing the earth and taking joy in its bounties, Farmer T.C. uses Willow Run Acres to fight food injustice and inequities in economic opportunities for the Black community. The land also serves as an education center for young people, so future generations can connect to the earth. Farmer T.C. joined WEMU’s David Fair on an Earth Day edition of "Washtenaw United."

There are a great number of positives when people operate and work on urban farms and community gardens: access to fresh and healthy foods, community building and reduced transportation needs in areas known as food deserts. A new study from the University of Michigan discovered some areas where improvement is needed with some urban farms and gardens creating a carbon footprint much greater than conventionally grown produce. WEMU's David Fair checked in with Benjamin Goldstein to learn more about the research and why it caused such an uproar. Goldstein is co-lead author of the study.

Informational meetings on rural solar farms will be held into March, with the first tomorrow at 7 PM at the Manchester Township Hall. WEMU’s Taylor Bowie has more on what the series aims to clarify for residents.

Food prices are kicking a lot of people right where it hurts…the wallet. Supply issues during the pandemic and inflation are sending prices soaring. As a result, more people are beginning, or returning to, home gardens. Stacy Mates is seed company manager for the Green Things Farm Collective in Ann Arbor. She shares her expertise in a conversation with WEMU's David Fair.

The agricultural industry is a tough business under the best of circumstances. Add in systemic barriers to get underway, and it adds up to a lack of diversity in small, family farming. Kathy Sample is co-owner of Argus Farm Stop and is committed to increasing opportunity for minorities interested in agriculture. Because of her work in that realm, she has been named the United Way of Washtenaw County’s 2023 Power of the Purse Woman of the Year. Learn more in Sample's 'Washtenaw United' conversation with WEMU’s David Fair.

There are some who describe Ypsilanti Township as a "food desert", where access to healthy and affordable food is difficult to those without transportation. But businesses and government officials are working to address the lack of food access in Ypsilanti Township. In today's edition of "On The Ground Ypsi," WEMU's Cathy Shafran talks with Concentrate Media Reporter Rylee Barnsdale about her site's reporting on efforts to bring fresh food opportunities closer to the community, along with one of the community members working to make this possible, 2Marines co-founder Josh McAllister.

Did you know there are less than two dozen Black farmers in Washtenaw County? It is another example of inequity, often caused by lack of access. The Legacy Land Conservancy is working to increase access and address issues of agricultural equity, while continuing its work to increase land preservation throughout the region. Conservancy development associate, Krista Jacob, joined WEMU's David Fair to fill in the details.

You may know Dawn Farm as a recovery center in Ann Arbor, but the property has much more going on. The Dawn Farm Cooperative is a group of individuals farming more than 60 acres of land and using the guiding principles of permaculture as its foundation. It is about agricultural integrity and regenerative sustainability. Jesse Tack is one of the founders, and he joined WEMU's David Fair to share more details on the program and where it's headed.