Leelanau School hosts Small Farm conference

Above photo: The tour outside the hoop house is at Z&N Farm. Below photo: Bevin Cohen, who presented on Small Scale Seed & Nut Oil Production at the 2024 conference.

By Ross Boissoneau

Sun contributor

Farmers today face a number of challenges. Climate change, increasing costs for land, seeds, insurance and staffing, and development pressure all weigh on an endeavor that has always operated on thin margins.

Any advantage they can accrue will help. Enter the annual Small Farm Conference, taking place Aug. 18-19 at the Leelanau School.

Christina Marbury is the community engagement specialist for Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology, which puts on the conference. She says the conference will be beneficial for most anyone connected with the land, from small-scale growers to those interested in sustainable practices or ways in which they can diversity their offerings to make a profit. “It’s great for farmers, of course,” says Marbury. “Also people interested in farming, (those) growing at home—there’s a nice variety of business focus.”

Which is important as those and other challenges make it difficult to enter the field. Longtime farmers are aging out, and they are not being replaced by younger people. The average age of a Michigan farmer is 56.5 years, according to the USDA Census of Agriculture from 2022. More than half of the state’s farmers are age 55 and up. Include those 45 to 54, and you’re looking at approximately three-quarters of the state’s farmers. Marbury says bringing that average down by increasing the number of younger people farming is essential for the long-term stability of the food system in northern Michigan and beyond.

Those younger people who are interested in farming can find the start-up costs—land, equipment, etc.—a hurdle that’s difficult to overcome. So many of those who do opt for farming start with smaller farms, making this conference a perfect place to network and gain knowledge. “We are extremely lucky to have a lot of younger farmers. The Small Farm Conference inspires and provides resources and support,” Marbury says.

This year’s conference will feature two keynote presentations: Monday’s will be from chef, award-winning cookbook author and one-time farmer Abra Berens from Granor Farm, while Tuesday will feature Bridget O’Brien and Dr. Charlie Brennan of Gateway Farm in Plymouth and Garden Juju Collective.

“I’m so honored to be asked,” says Berens. Known for her series of engaging cookbooks—Ruffage, Grist and Pulp—she has worked in the kitchen from Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Arbor to opening and helming the café at Local Foods in Chicago, following training at the garden-focused kitchen at Ballymaloe Cookery School in Cork, Ireland. In between all that, she was chef and farmer at Bare Knuckle Farm in Northport for eight years.

The title of her keynote is “It’s the people, silly,” which she admits is a play on the phrase “It’s the economy, stupid,” from Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign in 1992. “The theme is connection and integration, connecting the producers to consumers,” Berens says. “The supply chain, the labor force—it’s all people.”

Berens believes that it’s important for farmers to help consumers connect with their food, where it comes from and who produces it. Whether it’s meat, bread, fruits or vegetables, even Wheat Thins and Doritos, it all comes from somewhere before it’s on the grocery store shelves.

Not only does it come from somewhere, it also comes from someone. “Whatever you are eating, there is a farm associated with it. So anytime farmers can tell their story, it connects us to what feed us, what gives us life,” Berens says. “I encourage farmers that their story is important.”

Marbury says the conference began in 2000 and has taken place every year since. It has been held at numerous places, from Grayling High School to Grand Traverse Resort. During COVID, the conference went virtual, and in the years since the decision was made to rotate the location to enable farmers from the various regions to more easily participate.

Providing attendees an opportunity to tour various farms is another reason for the rotating location of the conference. “We move around each year to a different city so it’s a different … farm experience,” says Marbury. This year, the tours will include visits to Lakeview Hill Farm, 9 Bean Rows, Bardenhagen Berries, Hallstedt Homestead, Green Bird Organic Cellars, Grand Traverse Band Gitigaan, Lively NeighborFood Market, and the Glen Arbor Farmers Market.

“I’ve been going to the conference for years,” says Jim Lively, owner of Lively NeighborFood Market. “It’s been a source of inspiration and spawned some of our business ideas.” Those ideas include incorporating a farm market at a property that had previously hosted a music festival, as well as a campground and farm site. “We’re doing something relatively new, a farm stop, a year-round farm market.”

The retail side incorporates offerings from more than 30 farms beyond their own Lively Farm, as well as prepared foods from Michigan-based producers. The Lively NeighborFood Market is also home to a commercial kitchen. It is hosting both farm-to-table dinners and events where attendees can bring their own food as well as order and purchase items prepared onsite.

Besides the keynotes and the farm tours, the conference also features numerous breakout sessions. They are organized around the topic of “Incubate + Integrate,” including organic production, pest control, farm to school, farmer wellness, permaculture, agroforestry, soil health, food access and community engagement.

There will also be a focus on farmer wellness, recognizing the importance of resilience and well-being in farming. “Mental health can be a challenge,” says Marbury. “We’re excited to host it at Leelanau School. It will feel like a vacation to be there,” she adds, noting its proximity to the Crystal River, Lake Michigan, and the other amenities that bring visitors to the region.

For tickets and more information, visit SmallFarmConference.com.