Breakfast on the Farm: A great learning experience on Sept. 6

Want to know how your food gets from the farm to your table every night? Breakfast on the Farm will answer that question on Sept. 6 at Uphaus Farms in Washtenaw County.

The final Breakfast on the Farm (BOTF) for 2014 will be Sept. 6 at Uphaus Farms in Washtenaw County. This event is a free family-friendly event that gives consumers and farm neighbors a firsthand look at modern food production. Uphaus Farms is a family-owned and operated beef cattle feedlot located at 14324 Pleasant Lake Rd., five miles north of Manchester. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Breakfast will be served from 9 a.m. to noon.

Lyndon Uphaus is the owner and operator of Uphaus Farms, along with his family, Ann, Sarah and Katy. Uphaus Farms has been in operation for 139 years, spanning six generations. The family cares for around 1,000 beef animals annually, in addition to growing 600 acres of corn, soybeans and wheat. The farm houses a grain-handling facility and uses ethanol byproducts as a food source for their cattle.

“We want to give the public a chance to get on a working farm and see the equipment, animals and facilities it takes to operate a farm,” Lyndon Uphaus said.

Those attending the Washtenaw County event will be able to enjoy a home-cooked breakfast featuring Michigan-grown and produced menu items before setting off on a self-guided farm tour featuring numerous educational exhibits for all ages. There will be a chance to see the feedlot, the grain-handling center and farm machinery, and to learn about all the jobs that must be done every day on a farm. Volunteers will be on hand to answer any questions or share their firsthand expertise about farming. You will be able to easily identify them by their BOTF T-shirts.

“We are not afraid to show people what we do and how we do it on our farm,” Uphaus said. “So many people are generations removed from farm life; BOTF gives them a chance to return. We want people to see that our animals are raised and well cared for in a humane way and also in a clean environment.”

The event is free, but tickets are required to eat breakfast. Tickets are available from the following businesses:

Adrian: Lenawee County Farm Bureau, Lenawee County MSU Extension. 

Ann Arbor: Downtown Home and Garden, GreenStone Farm Credit Services, Meri Lou Murray Recreation Center, Nicola’s Books , Washtenaw County Farm Bureau, Washtenaw County MSU Extension.

Canton: Wayne County Farm Bureau.

Chelsea: Chelsea District Library.

Clinton: Clinton Public Library.

Dexter: Dexter Mill.

Ida: Monroe County Farm Bureau.

Jackson: All Jackson County libraries, Jackson County MSU Extension.

Manchester: Linda’s Diner, Manchester District Library, Wacker Oil & Propane.

Milan: Milan Public Library.

Saline: Saline District Library.

Sand Creek: Read It and Reap Library.

Stockbridge: Stockbridge Library.

Tecumseh: Living in Lenawee Realty Office.

Ypsilanti: All Ypsilanti district libraries.

Breakfast on the Farm is a statewide Michigan State University Extension program. More than 150 local volunteers help organize each event. In addition to the Washtenaw County Breakfast on the Farm, two other breakfast events have taken place in 2014:

  • July 19, hosted by Crandall Dairy Farms LLC, Battle Creek (Calhoun County).
  • Aug. 16, hosted by De Grins Oer Dairy Farm, Blanchard (Mecosta County).

The statewide sponsors for the 2014 BOTF events are the Corn Marketing Program of Michigan and the Michigan Corn Growers Association, Crystal Flash, Dairyland Seed Co., Farm Bureau Insurance, GreenStone Farm Credit Services, the Kroger Company, Michigan Farm Bureau, the Michigan Milk Producers Association, the Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee, the Michigan Wheat Program, Northrop Trucking Inc., Pioneer Brand Products and the United Dairy Industry of Michigan.

For more information about the Washtenaw County Breakfast on the Farm or other BOTF events, visit www.breakfastonthefarm.com, or contact Ashley Kuschel at kuschela@anr.msu.edu or Nancy Thelen at thelenn@anr.msu.edu.

 

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