By Ben Phillips
The Michigan State University Extension vegetable team is proud to announce a slate of webinar topics through the MI Ag Ideas To Grow With series this coming February. This set of talks will take you through the lived experience of community organizers building up food sovereignty programs through garden education, some marketing tips when wading into direct-to-consumer sales and—back by popular demand—deep dives into growing selected root, shoot and froot veggies!
Monday, Feb. 24, 9-10 am: Getting Going - Lessons Learned in First Three Years of Community Gardening
In this session, two community organizers will share their experiences leading grant-funded projects to develop gardening skills in their communities.
Nickole Keith is the food sovereignty coordinator for the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi, with a staff focused on cultural heritage preservation through growing and preparing food.
Ashley Hines, executive director of the Benton Harbor Community Development Corporation, started the Flourish Garden after a community asset mapping project identified the needs for a food sovereignty initiative, blight reduction, and improved social cohesion.
Tuesday, Feb. 25, 9-10 am: Froots - Pumpkins, Squash, Melons, Cucumbers
In this session, Salta Mambetova and Ben Phillips will cut into the production methods for pumpkins and squash, as well as melons and cucumbers.
Saltanat Mambetova is a Michigan State University (MSU) Extension vegetable educator covering eastern Michigan and located at the Saginaw Valley Research and Extension Center.
Ben Phillips is an MSU Extension vegetable specialist in southwest Michigan growing vegetables for research projects and giving advice to growers when desired. He likes listening to growers.
Wednesday, Feb. 26, 9-10 am: Shoots - Asparagus and Rhubarb
In this “spring-ahead” session, the Bens will snap in to the best ways to grow these two spring-harvested perennial vegetables.
Ben Werling is an MSU Extension vegetable educator serving commercial vegetable producers in west central and northwest Lower Michigan, the heart of asparagus land.
Ben Phillips is an MSU Extension vegetable specialist in southwest Michigan growing vegetables for research projects and giving advice to growers when desired. He likes listening to growers.
Thursday, Feb. 27, 9-10 am: Roots - Potatoes
In this “grounded” session, Nicolle Ritchie and Chris Galbraith will dig up some sage advice on going from seed tuber to feed tuber.
Nicolle Ritchie is the MSU Extension field crops agronomist educator working in southwest Michigan. She focuses on pest management in corn, soy, pickles and potatoes, and is passionate about managing resistance, improving soil health and incorporating sustainable practices.
Chris Galbraith is a vegetable educator for MSU Extension in southeast Michigan. His passion is in weed management, soil biology, market gardening and other areas of commercial vegetable production.
Friday, Feb. 28, 10-11 am: Starting with Direct Sales
In this presentation, Mariel Borgman will invite growers to consider various direct to consumer sales options through the lenses of skills, resources, and farm goals
Mariel Borgman is a community food systems educator with MSU Extension, working to support the development of accessible, equitable, fair, healthy, diverse and sustainable food systems across Michigan.
Source : msu.edu