Green Communities...    

Let me count the ways.... Here you will find information about how some counties in Northeast Ohio are taking measures to identify and promote their community farm businesses, the potential for us as a region to proactively plan for the future of farming and lessons we can take away from other states that have implemented best practice policy.

Are you a "wild farmer"?

No, the question does not involve a six pack and a tractor.  "Wild Farming" is a term that describes farmers that work in partnership with nature and foster wildlife diversity.  A future of changing farm programs may bode well for farmers who provide ecosystem benefits in addition to food and fiber.

Visit The NewFarm to read more about what a wild farmer does.

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Study says Buying Local Food would Boost State Economy

This article by Patty Cantrell and Michael Hamm reports on:

Eat Fresh and Grow Jobs a study by Michigan State University and other partners.  The report found that employment and personal income can both be increased by increasing sales of

fresh, local foods.

“What this study shows is Michigan can improve the economy by creating linkages between farmers and consumers throughout the state,” said co-researcher Michael Hamm, director of the C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at Michigan State University.

If Michigan can create jobs while increasing farm profitability and protecting farmland ... Why can't Ohio??

Read the full article by visiting the Michigan Land Use Institute website.

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Did you know that we have an opportunity to create more jobs in Ohio by investing in a local food economy?

We would also be providing healthier, fresher foods for our families while at the same time keeping our working farms in production and reducing our community tax burden.

Investing in a local food economy is investing in the health of our families and a clean environment. Investing in a local food economy is also an investment in quality of life. Good quality of life will attract more good jobs to Ohio.

Support a local food economy and farm conservation. To learn more-Contact The Farmland Center.

What is a local food economy about?  Visit FoodRoutes

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Study says flexibility, innovation are new keys to prosperous agriculture

Patty Cantrell, Great Lakes Bulletin News Service article for the Michigan Land Use Institute

"...With nearly everything changing in the world of farming—from federal subsidies that may soon decline, to the increased vulnerability of cross-country shipping, to rising fuel prices—it's high time Michigan developed a new vision for successful agriculture," Dr. Adelaja said. And, in an era when only very small and very large farms seem to be prospering, he insists that size really does not matter. “It's a matter of which farms are the most resilient, diverse, and flexible,” Dr. Adelaja said.

According to Dr. Adelaja "Under future market conditions, medium-size family farms actually have the most going for them in terms of resiliency, diversity, and flexibility...I'm saying the farms in the middle are more likely to be successful and that's why we should help them, versus they're in trouble and we should help them,”

...Read More of this article by Patty Cantrell Great Lakes Bulletin News Service

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Starting a farmers' market the right way

Are you considering setting up a farmers' market in your community?  Have you started a market as a volunteer effort that needs some help?  This article by Andy King from The New Farm website has helpful tips to attract the farmers you need and keep the customers they need.  Vist The New Farm to read this informative article

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How can the state of Ohio support agriculture?  By taking the lead from our neighbor.

Farmers Rejoice as Governor Orders State to Buy Michigan First Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm orders that all state purchases "buy Michigan fist" 

This program allows farmers to "sell their products to the state's 44 correctional facilities, the biggest buyer of food in state government, and later perhaps to state hospitals, state office building cafeterias, and state-funded universities. And the new directive puts Michigan in the forefront of states making their purchasing clout work double duty as economic investment tools—putting dollars into preserving and building farm jobs, strengthening family farmers, and protecting farmland from sprawl. "  Read the full article by Dianne Conners from the  Great Lakes Bulletin News Service posted at the Michigan Land Use Institute web site.

...“As the manufacturing sector of our local economy continues to diminish in importance, the importance of the agricultural economy to the overall economic health of the community will grow.”

While this quote refers to the need to support agriculture in Michigan, the sentiments are as true for Ohio.  Read more from the Michigan Land Use Institute about how Michigan is meeting the farmland preservation challenge and learn about how we can apply these lessons here in Ohio.

Wayne County's Agriculture Success Team Plans for the future of ag in their county.

Read a summary of their producer survey

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How do farmers markets contribute to downtown economic development? This article by Diane Conners from the Great Lakes Bulletin News Service will tell you....

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View this innovative way that Portage County farmland preservation advocates are supporting their agricultural producers by creating a map and brochure listing all agricultural producers that direct market their products.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture, Office of Farmland Preservation has developed guidelines for the newly established tool- Agriculture Security Areas.  Visit the ODA website for all of the specifics.

Read updates from American Farmland Trust including: How Virginia is being proactive in protecting the future of farming by developing Agricultural Enterprise Districts and how North Carolina has developed a plan for the future of working lands.

The Agriculture of the Middle project wine case tells the story of how a desire to protect and promote grape growers in New York state has benefited not just producers nd consumers, but also provided many quality jobs and increased economic development to New Yorks grape growing regions. 
winecase.pdf

What can towns and counties do to support small and mid-sized farms? Judith LaBelle of the Glynwood Center talks about what her organization has learned about effective farmland protection from years of working with municipal and county governments—where most of the real decisions are made.
www.newfarm.org/features/0904/glynwood/index.shtml