2007 and the New Agriculture Network

Three universities --Michigan State University, Purdue University, and the University of Illinois -- have joined resources to bring seasonal advice to field crop and vegetable growers interested in organic agriculture. New information is posted twice a month during the growing season and less frequently during winter (see calendar). Our on-line newsletter features crop updates from organic growers and articles from university specialists about a variety of practices and new findings useful for organic growers. The information serves those interested in transitioning to organic as well as those currently practicing low-input or organic agriculture. We've been writing grant proposals with some success and hope to have expanded resources to initiate during 2007.

If you have topics you would like addressed, please submit them to: newagnet@msu.edu and we will do our best to develop articles for them.

Welcome to the New Agriculture Network from your network organizers:
Dale Mutch, Joy Landis and Vicki Morrone, Michigan State University
Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant, University of Illinois
Elizabeth Maynard, Purdue University

Meet our team of organic growers

We’d like to thank the team of growers and other collaborators who've agreed to report information for the 2007 New Agriculture Network. We appreciate their updates and sharing of questions and answers.

Southeast Michigan, Lenawee County - Beverly Ruesink of Needle-Lane Farms, Tipton, Michigan.

South Central Michigan, Calhoun County - Anthony and Don Cinzori farm in Ceresco, Michigan, south of Battle Creek. They have been certified organic since 1985.  They are Michigan's largest organic vegetable farm and have 35 organic acres of greens, tomatoes, green beans, green peppers, winter and summer squash.They also raise vegetable transplants and herbs in the greenhouse.  Rotational acres include 35 acres of oats and 35 acres of red clover. The Cinzori's market most of their produce in Detroit and Chicago, but also participate in several farm markets in Michigan. Anthony will join the conference calls most of the time.

Michigan's "Thumb" region, Sanilac County - Gene Vogel of Minden City, Michigan.

Michigan's ""Thumb" region, Sanilac County - Jim Sattelberg of Thistledown Farms in Snover, Michigan.

Southwest Michigan, Berrien County - Greg Vlaming of South Haven, Michigan. Greg Vlaming is an organic grower and MSU Extension educator. Greg and his wife Lisa Vlaming own and operate Maple Grove Organic Farm located less than two miles from Lake Michigan in South Haven. After many years on an organic farm in the mountains of Colorado, Greg and Lisa wanted to see what it would be like to double the length of their growing season and enjoy the benefits of the thermal mass of Lake Michigan. They are finishing their first year in operation and are not certified organic.  They sell all of their products through direct marketing via the South Haven Farmer’s Market and on-farm by appointment.

Primary crops include hoophouse tomatoes, onions, garlic, lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, kale, cucumbers, summer and winter squash, various herbs, beans, broccoli, carrots, red and yellow beets, three types of potatoes, cut flower bouquets, transplants of most of the above and free range eggs. Their biggest seller is tomatoes. They start them from seed indoors in March and move them to the unheated hoop house in April. They use various methods for frost protection and began harvesting early tomato varieties this year on June 15. The heirlooms came on two weeks later and they enjoy an exclusive following at the farmer’s market and are developing many relationships with regular customers who want to know where their food comes from, and want to enjoy the quality of fresh, healthy, local produce. They have planted 70 peach trees this year, and plan to put in a block of blueberries this fall. Their philosophy is beyond the NOP guidelines as far as inputs and strategies, and they consider their soil to be their greatest resource and treat it as such with minimal tillage practices, cover crop/green manure rotations and careful selection of inputs. They make their own compost and potting mixes and have used no insecticides, fungicides or herbicides to date.

Indiana
Southeast Indiana, Decatur County- Gary Reding is president of Langeland Farms, Inc. in Greensburg, Indiana. He farms 600 acres, of which 249 are certified organic pasture and hay used for an intensive grazing operation. He also processes organic and conventional food crops, including popcorn, dry beans, soybeans, wheat and corn.

South Central Indiana, Brown County - Dale and Sandra Rhoads farm is located near Nashville, Indiana (south of Indianapolis). The farm began in the early 1990s with the clearing of three acres of hillside scrubland. After making major soil improvements, the Rhoads began growing crops for local restaurants. Within several years this was their sole income. While the farm was always organic, the Rhoads did not certify that until 2001. That certification continues through the OEFFA/OCIA in Ohio. The major sources of income are derived from leafy greens. These include salad greens, head lettuce, kales, and dandelion. In addition, the Rhoads grow specialty tomatoes and some herbs like cilantro and basil. The farm also has a young planting of Asian pears, which are just coming into bearing age. 

West Central Indiana - Kevin Cooley, Tippecanoe County . The Cooley Family Farm specializes in growing over 275 varieties of naturally grown produce. They believe in providing high quality products to promote healthy living and are committed to builiding healthy soil for the growth of nutritious fruits and vegetables. They grow a wide variety of vegetables nearly year round and sell the produce at their 100-year-old farmstead.

Illinois
Northern Illinois - Dave Campbell and his wife, Mary, own and operate a certified organic grain and hay farm located in northern Illinois. They moved onto their present farm in 1988; by 1991 the entire farm was certified organic.  Prior to 1988, Dave farmed organically on his father’s dairy farms in both northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.  Oats, wheat, corn, soybeans, hay, buckwheat and spelt have been grown at Lily Lake Organic Farm, as well as a variety of cover crops.  In the past two years, Dave has conducted some research for Michigan State University and the University of Illinois on his farm on controlling Canada thistle.

West Suburban Chicago - Steve Tiwald of Green Earth Institute in Naperville, Illinois, made a mid-life career change and now is in his fourth year as a farmer. He grows vegetables on a 60-acre farm in the western suburbs of Chicago and markets them through a CSA serving 225 families. Steve and his son, Nathan, along with interns and volunteers, cultivate 40 different vegetables and herbs on 6 acres. They maintain cover crops of alfalfa and red clover on the remainder of the farm, in anticipation of rotating the vegetable fields to other areas of the farm in future years. They use organic growing methods although they are not yet officially certified. The Green Earth Institute farm is located in suburban Naperville , 30 miles west of downtown Chicago . The farm, now surrounded by suburban houses (see photograph at http://www.greenearthinstitute.org/about.html ), is leased from The Conservation Foundation, a local not-for-profit land and watershed protection organization. The land is protected from development by a conservation easement. In 2002 Steve founded the Green Earth Institute, a not-for-profit educational organization dedicated to nutritional health and environmental sustainability. The organization leases the farmland to grow organic vegetables and provide educational programs for children and adults.

West Central Illinois - Anne Patterson of Living Earth Farm in Farmington, Illinois has been involved in sustainable market gardening since 2001. She has been an advocate for the taste, health and nutrition benefits of local, organic food systems for ten years. As a registered dietitian and former food consultant, her attitude began to change regarding how food is grown and raised after hearing Patrick Holden, Director of The Soil Association, UK, speak at Natural Products Expo.

Anne owns and operates Living Earth Farm located on 80 acres in Peoria County and 15 acres in northeast Fulton County. The farms consists of three acres in vegetables, fruit, herbs, cut flowers and hazel nut bushes along with ten acres of pasture, seven acres of prairie, fourteen acres of hay, an acre of walnut and pecan trees and a large amount of woodland. She has sold at local Farmers’ Markets, natural food stores and ran a CSA for four years. Presently she sells to a fine dining restaurant and direct to customers via customized orders through her Friends of Living Earth Farm E-List. Anne spent two years researching organic farming practices before she left full time nutrition consulting and made the “jump.” There was an instant bond between her philosophy and love of food and that of organic farmers. She started Living Earth Farm in 2001. Anne divides her time between the farm and part time nutrition consulting. She and her husband Jim are converting an 80-acre farm near Trivoli to a more diverse farm that grows a variety of nut trees, vegetables, fruit brambles and natural prairie.

Southwest Central Illinois - Floyd Johnson of Shoal Creek Farm has lived on his farm northwest of Raymond all his life. He had FFA plots in 1976 and 1979 and then started renting the farm in 1979 from his parents. He worked a lot with no-till at first and liked what he saw but it fell short of his expectations. In 1992, he started sustainable farming with cover crops and aeration tools. In 1996, he started transitioning into organics. He has 500 acres certified organic now with the hilly ground in four-year rotations corn, soybeans, small grain, (oats, rye, wheat, spelt), then red clover on strip cropping. He uses120 strips with two crops in a field – “you only work half of a field at a time.” On the flatter ground, he has a three-year rotation consisting of corn, soybeans, small grains w clover. He started pastured poultry in 1996 and is raising about 4,000 per year now using movable pasture pens. He is also working on free range eggs. He direct markets from Chicago to St Louis and Macomb to Champaign. He is a church elder, a Fertrell organic feed dealer, a volunteer ambulance driver and weather spotter. He is on the board of directors for Midwest Organic Farmers Coop (MOFC) and a representative to OFARM (Organic Farmers Agency for Relationship Marketing). He is very interested in developing more efficient distribution methods of organic farm produce (meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, vegetables, and fruits) with the goal of keeping more money in farmers' pockets and improving the lifestyles of rural and urban people.

Iowa
Northwest Iowa, O'Brien County - Paul Mugge of Sutherland, IA.

We're expanding the New Ag Network ...

Minnesota
Carmen Fernholz is a farmer and the organic coordinator for research management at the University of Minnesota.

Wisconsin
Erin Silva is a specialist within the Center for Integrated Ag Systems at the University of Wisconsin.