Center for Regional Food Systems

• Farmer Perspectives on Farm to Institution in Michigan

  Published on May 5, 2016
  In 2015, Michigan farmers were interviewed about their experiences and perceptions of selling to institutions.

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  Local Governments & Food Systems - 2015 Survey Results

  Published on May 5, 2016
  CRFS worked with the International City/County Management Association to conduct a second comprehensive national survey of local government policies, programs, plans, and other activities supporting food systems.

• Farm to Summer: Incorporating Local Foods into Summer Food Service Programs Webinar

  Published on May 5, 2016
  This webinar covers the basics of Farm to Summer, how to incorporate local purchasing into summer food service programs, and provides examples of Farm to Summer programs happening throughout Michigan.

• Increasing Local Food Purchasing through Forward Contracting

  Published on April 22, 2016
  This webinar discusses the different ways schools can use a forward contract when purchasing local foods, how to get started, and the benefits for both farmers and K-12 schools and early childhood programs.

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  2016-2017 MI Farm to School Grantees

  Published on April 15, 2016
  This document provides a list of current and previous MI Farm to School Grantees for 2016-2017, including K-12 schools/districts and early childcare and education programs.

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  MI Farm to School Grant Program Information Webinar

  Published on April 15, 2016
  This webinar was an information session for prospective applicants for the 2016/2017 MI Farm to School Grant Program. Covering key information like eligibility, expectations, and the grant calendar as well as examples of previous grantee activities.

• Encouraging Local Food Enterprise Through Zoning and Planning

  Published on April 13, 2016
  This webinar provides tips and guidance for food businesses and entrepreneurs on how to navigate existing zoning rules and regulations.

• Michigan Local Food Council Network Webinar Summary - Feb 24, 2016

  Published on March 23, 2016
  Andrea Brown led a presentation and discussion on how to transform the occasional event attendee into a dynamic leader and how to grow council membership beyond the usual participants.

• MLFCN Membership & Leadership Development Webinar

  Published on March 18, 2016
  Andrea Brown, Executive Director of the Michigan Association of Planning, led a presentation and discussion on how to transform the occasional event attendee into a dynamic leader and how to grow council membership beyond the usual participants.

• Introducing a Healthy Food Access Survey Webinar

  Published on March 17, 2016
  This webinar presents a new draft survey tool for measuring food access and summarizes the process for applying to pilot the survey.

• Garden to Cafeteria: Using On-Site Gardens to Supply Meal Programs Webinar

  Published on February 17, 2016
  This webinar is meant as a companion to the resource Garden to Cafeteria: A step-by-step guide, which provides a framework for sourcing products from school gardens for use in food programs.

• Sourcing Local Foods: Understanding Procurement Rules and Regulations Webinar

  Published on February 17, 2016
  This webinar on proper procurement procedures for sourcing local food for school and early childhood food programs includes strategies for successfully navigating the process.

• Shared Measurement Project Update Webinar

  Published on January 19, 2016
  This webinar summarizes findings from both key informant interviews and surveys, and it discusses emerging areas of focus for the Michigan Good Food Charter Shared Measurement project.

• A Cultivate Michigan Local Food Distribution Tour

  Published on January 18, 2016
  Offered in conjunction with the Michigan Green Healthcare Conference, this Cultivate Michigan tour highlights a local food distribution facility. Cherry Capital Foods provides only Michigan foods to Michigan customers, including institutions.

• Creating a Statewide Information Technology Platform for Food Hubs: Lessons from Michigan Webinar

  Published on January 15, 2016
  Recording of January 8th 2016 webinar and pdf of presentation slides - Creating a Statewide Technology Platform for Food Hub: Lessons from Michigan

• Evaluating the Economic Impacts of Local and Regional Food Systems: Best Practices Webinar

  Published on January 4, 2016
  This webinar is an overview of the local food economic impact toolkit funded by USDA AMS.

• Overview of Program Evaluation Webinar

  Published on December 22, 2015
  This webinar provides an overview of program evaluation. The training covers a common definition of program evaluation, steps in the process, evaluation questions, evaluation types and feasible methods to consider.

• Michigan Food Hub IT Platform Feasibility Study - Public Summary

  Published on December 22, 2015
  This report is the public summary of the feasibility for Michigan food hubs to develop a shared Information Technology (IT) platform that would integrate a host of business functions to help cooperating food hubs improve their businesses.

• Overview of the Research Process Webinar

  Published on December 21, 2015
  This webinar provides an overview of the research process with a focus on community-based participatory research (CBPR). Topics covered include designing research, data collection methods, protecting research subjects..

• The CDFI-Farmer of Color Capital Access National Project Report

  Published on December 17, 2015
  Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) tested outreach strategies, partnership enhancement, and lending strategies with the goal of improving both organizational capacity and farmer of color relationships.