MFAI and College launch an educational tour of gastronomic delights

By Dori Sorensen, Education Coordinator

An innovative approach to culinary education has begun with a partnership between Michael Fields Agricultural Institute and Robert Morris College of Chicago. This August, a group of hand-selected, third and fourth-year culinary students will explore the Wisconsin countryside to truly experience where good food comes from.

The project began as a way to better connect future chefs with their food and the farmers who produce it. Earlier this year, Executive Director and Dean of the Robert Morris College Culinary Program, Nancy Rotunno, began exploring ways she could create incentives for excellence among her students and set the College's Culinary Program apart from others. When she located MFAI on the web and saw pictures of Stella Gardens, our CSA farm, Ms. Rotunno knew right away that a visit to the Institute would get her students thinking about the origins of the ingredients. Shortly afterwards, Ms. Rotunno began corresponding with me. Together we developed a plan that would extend far beyond the borders of Stella Gardens.

Students from the Robert Morris College culinary program will spend four days exploring regional foods from a variety of perspectives. They will begin by being introduced to variety of food and agriculture issues, including food system development and resources for finding local foods. Instructors for the classes will include specialists from MFAI, Slow Food WISE, and other organizations. The students will also tour several farms and markets throughout the region, stopping in Milwaukee, Lake Geneva, and Madison.

At every location, students will be expected to engage in hands-on activities that will allow them to experience the value of food that is grown and raised with care. Several restaurants have volunteered their expertise. They have offered to introduce students to practical examples of how professional chefs can use local foods to offer diners high quality meals. Participating restaurants include L'Etoile in Madison, Gilbert's of Lake Geneva, and Root's in Milwaukee. Every stop on the tour was selected to offer the students illustrations of the benefits to chefs and diners of supporting local farmers and incorporating local and fresh foods into menus.

The culmination of this four-day learning experience will be in the form of a cooking challenge. Students will be asked to work in small groups to prepare courses of original dishes that together will make up a feast of local foods. During the first three days, students will be encouraged to pick up food items from farms, markets, and shops along the way that will be used to create their final gastronomic masterpieces. Students will present their dishes to classmates, instructors and the other tour participants.

We hope to replicate this Culinary Tour of Wisconsin annually. The connections between Wisconsin cuisine and local ingredients are an important part of both a comprehensive culinary education and a sustainable agricultural system. This reciprocal relationship between farmers and chefs is one that benefits all parties. It is an exciting opportunity for Michael Fields Agricultural Institute to facilitate creative and experiential education opportunities that will work to bridge this relationship.

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Pollinating our future: making urban agriculture possible in North America

By Ron Doetch, Executive Director

In collaboration with Fondy Food Center, Growing Power, University of Wisconsin-Extension for Milwaukee County, The Kitchen Table Project, and the City of Milwaukee, MFAI and Slow Food Wisconsin Southeast will host the Urban Agriculture Conference in Milwaukee at the downtown Hilton, February 29 to March 1, 2008. Our goal is to work side-by-side to overcome the barriers to sharing our urban resources and building an urban agricultural future.

There will be 20 workshops covering five themes: Food Justice, Enterprise Development, The Garden as Classroom, Ecology and Policy and Planning. Keynote speaker Michael Ableman will launch the conference. Michael is a farmer, educator and founder of the Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens in California. He is also the author and photographer of several books, including From the Good Earth, On Good Land and Fields of Plenty: A Farmer's Journey in Search of Real Food and the People Who Grow It. The Beyond Organic documentary, which aired nationally on PBS, is based on Michael's books.

Preceding the conference, we will hold a day and half workshop on intense urban food production, entitled Small Plot Intensive Farming (SPIN). For the first time last year, MFAI hosted a SPIN workshop, which received enthusiastic response - so much so the workshop sold out. SPIN originated in Canada and the workshops build on the experiences of the dedicated urban farmers in Philadelphia, who will be the instructors. A suitable greenhouse in Milwaukee will provide the "hands-on" experience.

Tours of urban agriculture-related activities in Milwaukee will be offered Friday afternoon, February 29, followed by a reception dinner with local food. All meals will include local offerings at a "slow" pace. Check the MFAI website for updates and registration, but mark your calendars today!

» Full conference schedule

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Farmer-Chef Connection

By Jeanne Merrill, Associate Policy Director

Jeanne Merrill recently spoke to Deb Deacon about her work with the Farmer-Chef Connection in southeastern Wisconsin. Deb's answers follow Jeanne's questions below.

Question: What is the Farmer-Chef Connection?

"The project began in 2004 and it is a regional effort in southeastern Wisconsin to help restore the connection between people who grow food and people who prepare it. We're focused primarily on farmers and chefs."

Question: What are the project's goals?

"We want to have 20 restaurants and 40 farmers regularly working together to provide local food to consumers."

Question: How did the project get started?

"The seeds were sown in 2001 when I joined Slow Food, which is an educational organization very committed to connecting people with the taste, traditions and pleasure of local food. Around the same time I joined Slow Food, I met with a chef who was newsletter editor for the Milwaukee chapter of the American Culinary Federation. When I approached her about doing a series of articles, we decided on a quarterly feature entitled "The Wisconsin Pantry". I started by writing about family farms that I visited on Slow Food tours."

"Looking for additional story ideas, I went to my first agriculture conference in 2002 - an annual direct marketing conference conducted by UW Extension. I attended with my former employer Jack Kaestner, chef at the Oconomowoc Lake Club and we were the only non-farmers in the room. The conference included a so-so lunch, and I suggested to an Extension agent that there was room for improvement. For the next four years, Jack and I prepared lunch for the conference, using almost all locally sourced ingredients. We started to include other chefs in preparing the annual lunch and then we thought: Why not connect with farmers more than once a year?"

Question: Is that when the Farmer-Chef Connection was born?

"Yes, we started by wanting to stroke the interest of chefs and farmers in selling and buying regionally. As part of Slow Food Wisconsin SE, Jack and I held a get-together for chefs and farmers in 2004 at a small restaurant on the east side of Milwaukee. Expecting a dozen attendees, we were staggered by the number of people who actually turned up. We had about 60 people and it was standing room only."

Question: What do you do after that?

"I put together a list of the farmers who came to the meeting and mailed it to the chefs who attended. We decided to do the farmer-chef gathering again the next year and searched for a larger facility. The associate dean of the Culinary Department at Waukesha County Technology College (WCTC) sponsored our use of their Education Center. We had over 100 people attend, and we based part of our format on the Portland (Oregon) Farmer-Chef Connection."

Question: How did you decide to focus on connecting farmers and chefs?

"As a recent graduate of the culinary program at WCTC I thought I was well suited to help farmers learn about how to market what they grow for chefs. As part of the Southeast Wisconsin Farm and Food Network (SWFFN), we also did a survey of food buyers at schools, grocery stores, restaurants and nursing homes. We wanted to know their level of interest in sourcing food from local farms. The most interest in working with farms came from restaurants so we decided that's where to focus our efforts. "

Question: What are the challenges to connecting chefs and farmers?

"Time is key issue for both chefs and farmers. They have a limited amount of hours to spend away from the kitchen and fields to find one another."

"Education is very important. We held a forum this year at MFAI for farmers on what they need to know if they want to tap into the restaurant market. You can't just throw farmers and chefs together; you need to prepare both sides. That's an important part of what we've done this year. With financial support from the Club Managers of America (Wisconsin Chapter), we put together a guide for chefs that includes tips on how to work with farms to source ingredients. "

Question: How many chefs and farmers are you currently working with?

"We have a mailing list of about 150 chefs and 200 farmers in the region. The food buyers primarily come from a five county region (Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, Walworth and Waukesha). Our farmers come from a larger area with an emphasis on the same five counties."

Question: What is next for the Farmer-Chef Connection?

"With the help of Rose Skora from UW-Extension, we received a USDA grant this year. The Farmer-Chef Connection project is now one of SWFFN's local food initiatives. We are doing a series of on-farm tours and tastings for chefs. We just did one on pastured products - eggs, poultry, and meat. We'll do one on heirloom vegetables and possibly one at an orchard. On October 22nd, we'll have our third annual farmer and chef gathering at the WCTC Education Center."

Question: Is there anything else you would like to say about the project?

"I can really see a difference in Milwaukee - consumers are increasingly requesting food products that are good for their health, protect the environment, and keep farmers on the land. We have a thriving CSA coalition and a very well received local food guide with a current regional circulation of 80,000. Chefs have a high profile role to play in promoting and purchasing food with a face, a taste and a place."

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Harvest Festival celebrates the season's bounty

By Therese Philipp, Registrar and Executive Secretary

Join in the fun at Michael Fields Agricultural Institute's Annual Harvest Festival, Saturday and Sunday, October 6th and 7th, from 11:00am to 4:00pm. It is one of many events taking place during Walworth County's "Country with Character" event, from September 15 through October 28. The program is intended to showcase the county's agricultural resources through farm tours, on-farm activities and the Harvest Festival. Be the first on your block to participate in an agri-tourism¹ event.

MFAI's Harvest Festival celebrates the bounty of the 2007 season through an assortment of activities: Fresh, local produce is highlighted at Fields' Best Farmers Market. Farm and gardens tours provide the public a view into the education and research activities at MFAI while enjoying the late summer view of the working fields and garden beds. Antique tractors come from miles around, offering ideal photo-ops. Children have an array of unique (and free) activities to participate in.

Since 1984, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute has been devoted to developing an agriculture that can sustain the land and its resources. As a public, non-profit learning center, we seek to revitalize farming with research, education, technical assistance and public policy. Our mission is to cultivate the ecological, social, economic, and spiritual vitality of food and farming systems through education, research, policy and market development.

Lecture/presentations offered at the festival include:

• Home Brewing Beer - this session will cover ingredients used: Where do they come from? Can we grow them here?
• Renewable Energy - topic to be announced. Session ends with an opportunity for group discussion on home projects.
• On-Going Seed Exchange - seed savers can share ideas and seeds while enjoying a cup of sun tea.

For times and other details on these events or the Harvest Festival, contact Therese Philipp, (262) 642-3303, ext. 4.

This annual celebration takes place at on MFAI grounds in East Troy, located between Milwaukee, Madison and Chicago in rural Walworth County at W2493 County Road ES (see our driving directions).

Plan to spend the day in the country. For more information on the Village of East Troy, visit the Village of East Troy web site. This family-friendly event in East Troy, Wisconsin offers free admission and parking.

You Can Participate!

• Interested in bringing an antique tractor?
• Are you a storyteller looking for a stage?
• Are you a musician looking for an audience?
• Want to be a vendor at the Farmers Market?
• Are you a seed saver with seeds to share?
• Want to volunteer to help with a wide variety of tasks at the festival?

To participate, contact Therese Philipp, (262) 642-3303, ext. 4.

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Announcements

Volunteers needed!

The staff of the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute will attend and host a number of festivals in September and October this year. Please consider joining us by volunteering. It is a great way to check out the Institute and help support sustainable food and farming in Wisconsin. Whether it's 1 hour or 4 hours, your support will be greatly appreciated, and you can attend some of the best fall festivals in Wisconsin. See the listing below for more details. No experience necessary.

If you would like to volunteer at any of the events listed below, please contact Therese Philipp, (262) 642-3303, ext. 4.

Saturday, September 8 - Fighting Bob Fest in Baraboo, Wisconsin: This progressive gathering will include live music, speakers and plenty of workshops. This year's speakers include Jim Hightower, John Nichols, Cindy Sheehan and many more. We'll have a table at the fest. If you can join us for an hour or more to help distribute materials, please let us know. We'll pair you with a MFAI staff person. The fest takes place in Baraboo with bus service to the site offered from a variety of places around the state. Check out the Fighting Bob Fest web site for bus information and directions. We're looking for volunteers for 1-2 hour shifts from 9:00am to 5:00pm.

September 15th - Food for Thought Festival in Madison, Wisconsin: Madison's annual sustainable food festival will include cooking demonstrations, live music, and great food. We'll have a table at the festival. If you can join us for an hour or more to help distribute materials, please let us know. We'll pair you with a MFAI staff person. The festival is located off the Capitol Square in Madison. For more information on the festival, visit the Food for Thought Festival web site. We're looking for volunteers for 1-2 hour shifts from 8:00am to 1:00pm.

October 6th and 7th - Harvest Festival in East Troy, Wisconsin: This year's Harvest Festival is fast approaching and it's expanded to two days! The festival will take place on Saturday, October 6th and Sunday, October 7th from 11:00am to 4:00pm at the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute. Festivities will include a farmers' market, seed savers exchange, children's activities, food and drink, a tour of the Institute's farm and gardens, and displays of antique tractors and tools. If you would like to volunteer for an hour or more for the Harvest Festival, we have a number of opportunities.

Sustainable Agriculture Photo Contest

In celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program of USDA, SARE is holding its first-ever national photo competition. SARE is looking for photos from all corners of the nation that depict groundbreaking innovations, people and partnerships advancing the frontier of sustainable agriculture in America.

The top four photos, one from each of SARE's regions in the United States, will receive grand prizes of free attendance and accommodations at SARE's 20th Anniversary conference, to be held March 25-27, 2008 in Kansas City, Missouri.

» Contest details

Chicago wants YOU!

Things are changing in Chicago: the City of Chicago's Farmers Market Program is growing with quality vendors, independently run farmers markets are cropping up and expanding in several neighborhoods, and green-talk spills from the microphones of City officials. The buzz is exciting.

In Chicago's Farmers Market Program, part of the buzz is that re-selling is out... and farmers are in. Over the past two years, the application for the City's farmers markets has increasingly stressed that the City's markets are "producer only" markets. Small-scale, local producers are highly valued, and, in fact, more are needed. There are over 23 farmers markets in the City, featuring producers from Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. The markets serve diverse neighborhoods and diverse palates. As the conversation about eating local inches into mainstream press, more and more urbanites are making the extra effort (and paying the extra dime) to shop at farmers markets.

The time is ripe for expansion into City markets, and many organizations working in farmer training and farmer support see this as good news for their growers. If you are interested, please contact Sheri Doyel, Farm Forager by e-mail, or call 312-213-6607. The City of Chicago and Chicago's Green City Market support the Farm Forager position.

The University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee offers Sustainability Courses

The mission of GreenSmart programming is to improve the quality of life for consumers through educational promotion of environmental health and sustainable "green" best practices. Courses will focus on providing objective, factually-based information to educate consumers on the economic and quality-of-life benefits of green practices. Courses will emphasize the practical how-tos of implementation and measurement of results for immediate and long term commitment to best practices.

Courses start fall, 2007. Topics include:

• The Benefits of Living a Sustainable Lifestyle;
• Building a Green Home/Remodeling for Energy Efficiency, Health and More;
• Controlling Home Energy Usage to Reduce Cost; and
• Improving Indoor Air Quality.

For more information, contact Nancy Mathews, 414-227-3264.

University of Wisconsin-Extension offers list of resources for farmers and gardeners on drought-related issues

Several regions in Wisconsin are suffering from drought conditions. These conditions will pose challenges for Wisconsin farmers. Parts of the state are short on feed for livestock. Some farmers will have surplus feedstuffs and be willing to sell to those in need. Resources for gardeners also listed. Photo courtesy of USDA NRCS.

» Drought resources