Better Choices

Through Local FoodsTri-County Community Food Connections

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In Partnership With: The C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at Michigan State University works tosupport people and communities as they develop sustainable, community-based food systems. As publicscholars, we serve as a resource for the development of knowledge, programs and policy.www.mottgroup.msu.edu

PrefaceThis community food guide is intended to give readers a better sense of how producing,processing, distributing, retailing, preparing and eating food influence and interconnect acommunity’s economic, ecological and social wellbeing.We hope this guide will stimulate you to consider your relationship to food and how your foodpurchases affect your community. Use the guide to better understand how agriculture andfood fit into your work. When we base our food choices and food-related activities in ourcommunity, multiple benefits are possible.Allow the stories in this guide to suggest new - and perhaps unexpected - partners as youcontinue to make your community a better place to work and live. This guide focuses on theSaginaw area. However, it is our hope that it becomes a model and inspiration to develop

similar food system guides for communities across Michigan.

“A human community, too, must collect leaves and stories, and

turn them to account. It must build soil, and build that memory of

itself - in lore and story and song - that will be its culture. These

two kinds of accumulation, of local soil and local culture, are

intimately related.”

Wendell Berry

MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity institution. Michigan State University Extension programs andmaterials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, politicalbeliefs, sexual orientation, marital status or family status.

Saginaw Local Foods Initiative Network Contributing Members

Holly Tiret, FCS Extension Educator, MSUE Saginaw

Ruth Miller, Acting County Extension Director, MSUE Saginaw

Steve Poindexter, Sugarbeet Advancement Extension Educator, MSUE

Mark Seamon, Agriculture Extension Educator, MSUE

Dan Keane, Saginaw Downtown Farmers’ Market

Amy McDonald, Saginaw Family Child Care Network

Laurajeanne Safford Kehn, Frankenmuth Farmers’ Market

Brian Thomas, Instructor, Saginaw Valley State University

Barb Mutch, C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems

Marty Heller, C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems

Ruth Mancina, Mancina Marketing

Terry and Mary Klein, TM Klein & Sons Honey Bee Farm

David Swenson,Ph.D., H.H. Dow Professor of Chemistry, Saginaw Valley State University

Teresa Harrison, Hemlock Farmers’ Market

This material was funded in part by the USDA’s Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program.

Circle of Connections

The Community Food Guide uses the “Circle ofConnections” diagram to focus attention on theconnections between food and farming in the SaginawValley. Let the diagram be your lens to see newopportunities and partners - new connections - that willmake your community a better place to work and live.

Table of Contents

Legend

Inner Ring food system components

Outer Ring community-basedfood system outcomes

Local Food Processing ................9Food Security ............................ 11What Does it Look Like? ........... 15Strengthening Connections........ 16

Introduction ..................................1Land Use and Farming ................3Farmers’ Markets .........................5Family Farm Markets ...................8

GrowingFood

Distributing

Retailing

EatingPreparing

(e.g. ,restaurants)

Processing

Community-based Food

SystemJobs

HealthyIndividuals

EconomicDevelopment

FarmlandPreservation

Community &Social Vitality

Small & Medium ScaleFarm Viability

EnvironmentalStewardship

Where Does Your Food Come From?Everyone in ourcommunity hasconnections tofood. Food isessential to ourhealth and wellbeing. It plays acentral role in thesocial networks

and cultural traditions that help define community.Agriculture is an important industry in Michigan andin the Saginaw Area consisting of Saginaw, Bayand Midland counties.

However, communities rarely see opportunities fordevelopment in the food and farming connectionsthat make up their local food system. We see aglobalized and industrialized food system, oftenleaving farmers and consumers separated bydistance and understanding. Fresh produce eatenin the Midwest travels an average of more than1,500 miles, and thetypical consumerdoesn’t imagine hissteak as “livestock”, letalone appreciate theresources used in itsproduction.

Yet we can addresscurrent pressing issues and diverse as obesity,urban sprawl and economic development in part bypaying closer attention to our food - what we eat;where it comes from; how it was produced,processed and distributed. Evaluating ourcollective food habits can open a host of newopportunities.

This guide maps some of the food and farmingconnections in the Saginaw Area through stories,maps and facts and figures.

Why community-based food systems?Community-based food systems emphasizerelationships between growers and eaters, retailersand distributors, processors and preparers of food.They give priority to local resources and focus onlocal markets. Social equity and environmentalsustainability are emphasized along with efficiencyand profitablity, and food security is a right andresponsibility of all community members. Most

importantly, they rely on the participation of well-informed consumers who have a stake and a voicein how and where their food is produced,processed and sold.

When local agriculture and food productivityare integrated in community, food becomes partof a community’s problem solving capacityrather than just a commodity that’s bought andsold. By eating locally-produced food, anddeveloping connections among local consumers,farmers, processors and retailers, we can haveprofund effects on the health and wellbeing of ourcommunity.

Using this GuideUsually, we think of food as following a linear pathfrom farm to table - produced on farms, processedin factories, distributed in trucks, purchased byconsumers at grocery stores or restaurants.Thinking, instead, of the food systems as a circle,as in the diagram on the Table of Contents page,reminds us that we are all linked in multiple ways.By paying attention to these connections and,when possible, making them within our community,we begin to see that a host of outcomes arepossible. The outer ring in the Circle ofConnections diagram suggests a number ofoutcomes of a community-based food system (youcan probably think of others). The following pagedetails their importance.

Everyone, regardless of economic status, ethnicityor political bend; whether economic developmentprofessional, farmer, grocery retailer, public healthadvocate or eater - has a stake in the food system.

It is indeed reasonable to ask: “What type offood system do I want for my community?”

This Community Food Guide is a step inanswering that question.

A Food System

includes the: who,when, why and howof our food - fromfarm to plate.

1

OutcomesLocal Food” campaigns can foster anunderstanding that purchasing choices affect theeconomic well-being of people in our community.

Healthy IndividualsMichigan is in the midst of an obesity epidemic.Sixty-two percent of Michigan’s adults and 12percent of high school students are overweight. In2003, obesity related medical costs in the statetotaled $2.9 billion. Most people becomeoverweight from inadequate physical activity andpoor diet. Community-based food systemsencourage healthy lifestyles by making fresh,delicious fruits, vegetables and other foods moreaccessible. Healthier citizens mean reducedhealthcare premiums, making Michigancommunities more business friendly.

Economic DevelopmentPeople in the Saginaw area spend millionsannually on food and beverages in stores,restaurants and other eating establishments. Thevast majority of these food dollars are spent onproducts originating outside the area. Community-based food systems capitalize on opportunities forentrepreneurial farmers and small businesses toadd value to local agricultural products and keep alarger portion of each food dollar within the localeconomy.

Farmland PreservationCommunity and state efforts are underway topreserve farmland from the growing threat of urbansprawl. Preserving farmland, however, must gohand-in-hand with assuring farm viability. Re-localizing the food system - relying more on localand regional sources for our food needs - formsvaluable markets that help keep farmers farmingon farmland and increases awareness of theimportance of preserving local farmland.

Community and Social VitalityAt the heart of a community-based food systemare relationships that build social capital,strengthen social networks and form the basis ofcommunity identity. Food is a deep-rooted aspectof our social interactions. In fact, the Latin root ofthe words companion and company means “withbread”. Food is an inclusive focal point forrebuilding community, in urban as well as ruralsettings, and especially between the two.

2

Here are some of the issues a community-basedfood system can influence. Which ones affectyou?

Small and Medium Scale Farm ViabilityIf current trends continue Michigan will lose 71percent of farms that are between 50 and 500acres by 2040, representing nearly 50 percent ofthe total farms statewide. In the Saginaw Area, thiswould translate to 1120 farms - 1/3 of the area’stotal. This loss is not just farms, but also farmland,farmers, skills and infrastructure necessary forlong-term food production capability. Many studieshave demonstrated the importance of small- andmedium-scale farms in maintaining the social,economic, and environmental health of ruralcommunities.

Environmental StewardshipFood production is inextricably linked to theenvironment. However, the intensification andindustrialization of agriculture over the past 50years have resulted in practices that aredetrimental to environmental health. A community-based food system highlights the connectionbetween food and environment, creatingopportunities for consumers to recognize andvalue the environmental services provided by localfarms, such as water filtration and wildlife habitat.

JobsIn a time when job outsourcing is a painful realityfor many communities, local food production andprocessing can create significant numbers ofstable jobs. Like “Buy American” campaigns, “Buy

Land Use and Farming

For the past 50 years, U.S. agriculture has beenmoving toward fewer and larger farms, andincreasingly specialized agriculture. The Saginawarea is no exception. Yet studies have repeatedlyshown that a diversity of farms, including small-and medium-sized farms, is important to the socialand economic health of rural communities.More small- and medium-sized farms mean morebusiness operators and their families involved incommunity life. A greater diversity of farms canalso provide more food choices. In many cases,smaller farms allow for better land stewardship -taking care of the ecological services thatfarmland provides. However, smaller farmsstruggle to compete in global “commodities”markets - tankers of milk, bulk grain, or mass-produced meat. Smaller farms thrive in specialtyand niche markets - tailoring their production tomeet changing consumer demands, adding valuethrough processing, and selling locally grown foodto local consumers. All farms in the community canbenefit from developing differentiated products.The trend to fewer, larger farms is notinevitable - it can be changed. But it isconsumers that need to act. More foodpurchased at a fair price from small- andmedium-sized, diversified farms will allowthose farms to stay in business.Michigan agriculture is among the morediverse in the nation. It would indeed bepossible to support nearly all of ournutritional need in-state. Yet, most of thefood eaten in east-central Michigancomes from out of state, and increasinglyfrom overseas.Though the sprawl of urban populationsinto rural communities threatens farming,it also presents opportunities for farms tomarket directly to consumers. Farmers’Markets and Family Farm Markets areexamples of how farmers can markettheir products directly to consumers.

Saginaw Area Farm Facts

12 percent of Michigan farmland is inthe Saginaw Valley - that’s 1,264,031acres.

The value of agricultural products in1997 was $372,143,000.

Agriculture contributes 27,252 jobs toSaginaw Valley’s economy - that’s 8.9percent of the District’s total job market.

There are approximately 5,200 farms inthe Saginaw Valley.

The average Saginaw Valley farm is 231acres and about 2,700 farms areconsidered full-time.

Growing FoodFarm ViabilityEnvironmental StewardshipEconomic DevelopmentFarmland PreservationCommunity Vitality

3

Land Use and Farming, continued

Research Helps Farmers Reap HigherYieldsThe 2004 sugar beet yield in the Saginaw Valleywas more than 21 tons per acre and 19.3 percentsugar, which was the highest tonnage and bestquality on record.

The Sugarbeet Advancement program began in1997 in response torecord low yields (15 tonsper acre) and unprofitablebeet production.Yields have increased tothe level that the sugarbeet growers have boughtboth Michigan and Monitorsugar companies andmerged them as acooperative calledMichigan Sugar Company.Recent Sugarbeet

Advancement efforts haveincluded the harvest ofalmost 30 research trials.The data from thesestudies will be compiled into a book of results thatwill be distributed to sugar beet growers.

This research continues to serve as a source ofinformation to growers for producing larger andmore profitable sugar beets. In conjunction withthis reseach, six production meetings were heldthat will help producers select the best varieties fortheir farms. Industry research and educationalefforts are prioritized by the Sugarbeet

Advancement’s 24-member committee. For moreinformation, contact: Steve Poindexter, Sugarbeet

Advancement Extension Educator, (989) 758-2500.

Michigan Sugar CompanyMichigan Sugar Company was formed in 1906with six factories. Today, we have four operatingfactories: Bay City, Caro, Croswell andSebewaing, including three warehouseterminals located in Michigan and Ohio. Ourbrand name of Pioneer Sugar is now joined withBig Chief Sugar as of October 1, 2004.Michigan Sugar Company is the largest sugar

beet processor east of theMississippi River andfourth largest in theUnited States. TheCompany is a cooperativeowned by approximately1,300 sugarbeet growers,employing 450 year-roundemployees and 1,750seasonal. It generatesnearly $300 million indirect economic activity inthe local communities inwhich it operates.Michigan Sugar Companybecame a cooperative in

2002 and the Monitor Sugar Beet Growers andMonitor’s Bay City factory joined theCooperative on October 1, 2004. Beginning withthe 2004 crop, a single, grower-ownedcooperative processed all sugar produced in thestate of Michigan. Michigan Sugar Companyannually produces nearly one billion pounds ofsugar under the Pioneer and Big Chief brandnames.The employees and grower-owners are veryproud of their company. Please check out therecipe page on the website, learn howsugarbeets are grown and processed, or visit

the store, Michigan SugarCompany, 2600 SouthEuclid Avenue, Bay City,Michigan, 48706, (989)686-0161.

www.michigansugar.com

What You Can DoIndividuals: Spend $10 per week during the growing season at afarmer’s market, CSA farm, or roadside farm stand.Community: Develop a local food directory to help identify placesto buy locally produced food in your community. See, for example,www.buyappalachian.orgMunicipality: Keep your community’s food system in mind when

making decisions about land use, planning and development.

4

Farmers’ Markets

Tri- County (Saginaw, Bay and Midland)Farmers’ Markets

Saginaw County Farmers’ Markets

Downtown Saginaw Farmers’ MarketLocation: Corner of Thompson and S. WashingtonSeason: Friday, May 26th - Saturday, Oct. 28thDays: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

(Also on Saturdays beginning July 8)Hours: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. M, W and F

9 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Saturdays

Chesaning Farmers’ MarketLocation: Market Street Mall (625 Broad Street)Season: Saturday, June 3rd through Saturday,

Oct. 28thDays: SaturdaysHours 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Frankenmuth Farmers’ MarketLocation: Main Street near CassSeason: Saturday, May 20th through Saturday,

Oct. 21stDays: Every SaturdayHours: 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Hemlock Farmers’ MarketLocation: Richland Township ParkSeason: July 13th through September 28thDays: Every Thursday Evening and Saturday

of Sawdust DaysHours: 4 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Bay County Farmers’ Markets

Bay City Farmers’ MarketLocation: 108 Adams Street

Season: June 15th - November 2nd

Days: Tuesdays & ThursdaysHours: Noon to 6 p.m.

Midland County Farmers’ Markets

Midland Farmers’ MarketLocation: Market Pavillion at base of Ashman St.Season: May 6th - October 28thDays: Every Wednesday and SaturdayHours: 7 a.m. to Noon

Sanford Farmers’ MarketLocation: 17 E. Saginaw Road

(corner of N. M-30 & E. Saginaw)Season: May 8th - October 30thDays: Every Monday

Hours: 7 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Around the country and across the region, farmers’markets offer a way for local farmers to connectdirectly with consumers. Fresh fruits andvegetables are the mainstay of famers’ markets,but locally produced meat, eggs, honey, maplesyrup, baked goods, bedding plants and flowersand craft items are often available.

By selling directly to consumers, farmers eliminatethe middle man and maximize their profits. Formany farmers, the direct connection withconsumers gives them a deep sense of purposeand community. Consumers also benefit from achance to buy the freshest food available fromfarmers they know and trust. Farmers’ marketsalso generate economic benefits for thecommunity. According to studies conducted inOregon and Ontario, Canada, 40 to 60 percent offarmers’ market customers also shop atneighboring businesses before or after their visit tothe market. In addition, spending at farmers’markets has a high multiplier effect - moneycirculates more times in the local economy beforeleaving.

Well-functioning farmers’s markets are vibrantsocial occasions, offering a meeting place andgiving a community a sense of identity. Thefriendly, relaxed atmosphere of the marketrepresents a valuable alternative to mainstreamsupermarket shopping.

What You Can Do

Individuals: Shop regularly at your localfarmers’ market; tell others about it!Community: Make your farmers’ market afestive community event with music, cookingdemonstrations, kids’ activities.Municipality: Sponsor a farmers’ market inyour town center. See: www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/farmmarket.pdf

DistributingFarm ViabilityHealthy IndividualsCommunity Vitality

5

Farmers’ Markets, continuedHemlock Farmers’ MarketTeresa Harrison 

In the spring of 2005 several fiber (wool and llama)growers met with Dan Keane to discuss demonstrationsthat might be provided to the Downtown SaginawFarmers market.  Dan’s enthusiasm for the Farmers’Market fueled a lot of ideas and soon after the meetingseveral of those in attendance met to discuss thepossibility of a Hemlock Farmers’ Market. 

Encouraged by the Community Food meetings,Frankenmuth’s Farmers’ Market start up and theenthusiasm within our own group we held a trialmarket at Sawdust Days in September 2005. Theresponse was great. We had five producers. Peoplebought and signed up as potential producers andinterested buyers.

We have decided that the market will be heldThursdays, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. from July 13 to August 31and at Hemlock’s annual Sawdust Day inSeptember. We have recently met with the townshipmanager to discuss location and insurance issues. Hereagain we have found great support. Soon a letter will goout to those individuals who indicated an interest inbeing producers so they can plan accordingly in orderingseeds and other preparations. Stay posted.

Saginaw Downtown Farmers’ MarketDan Keane, Market Coordinator

For over 75 years farmers have been bringing theirproduce to sell in Downtown Saginaw. In early 1990,Saginaw City officials asked PRIDE in Saginaw Inc.,(Positive Results in a Downtown Environment), toorganize and reestablish a farmers market in the corecity area. The first season began under a single tent withtwo farmers, two days a week. By focusing on directsales of high quality, Saginaw Valley fruits, vegetablesand bakery products, we have grown tremendously overthe years.

In 2002, PRIDE joined with the Saginaw RiverfrontCommission and the Downtown Development Authoritysponsoring a Non-Profit Downtown Saginaw Farmers’Market Corporation and Board of Directors. This newgroup brings more leverage and talent to support theMarket. With funding from a USDA Food Grant andMatch from St. Mary’s Medical Center, the Marketmoved to its current site on Washington Street undernew tents. Supporting funds were also provided throughthe Saginaw Community Foundation and the SaginawBay Watershed Initiative Network.

The Saginaw Downtown Farmers’ Market boasts morethan 40 farmers and vendors operating 3 weekdays andon Saturdays from May through October. The averagedaily customer count is over 1600, including the manysurrounding communities. This lends itself to a wonderfulmulticultural, multigenerational blend representing thediverse community of Saginaw County. Seventy percentof customers say they come to the Downtown areaspecifically for the Farmers’ Market. This influx ofpeople and money boosts our economy as well as ourimage.

The Market is a hub of community activity. Lunch hour isparticularly busy with many local workers stopping by forburritos, tacos and bakery treats, as well as shopping forlocal produce. The Market also sponsors the verypopular Soup Days, in collaboration with the local SoupKitchen, with much-needed profits going to the SoupKitchen.

Saturdays at the Market prove to be extra special withcooking demonstrations from Scott Kelly, local Chef atthe Saginaw Montague Inn. Scott can also be seenduring the week at the Market as he shops, looking for thefinest vendors’ fresh produce to prepare his originaldelicacies for the Montague Inn.

Outreach is a core value of the Saginaw DowntownFarmers’ Market. Each year market space is madeavailable for Project Fresh, a partnership between WIC,MSUE, the USDA and local farmers. Over 2,000 eligibleWIC Participants come to the market during the seasonto get Nutrition Education from MSUE, and receive $20in coupons to purchase fresh Michigan Produce. Manyof the 40 vendors accept Project Fresh Coupons,receiving $2 profit from the coupons. This also helps tosupport our local economy. In part because of the successof this program the Market also offers space and supportfor Senior Project Fresh, which offers the same NutritionEducation and $20 in coupons for low income seniors.

6

Frankenmuth Farmers’ Market

The Impact of a Farmers’ Market...Through theEyes of a Market MasterLaurajeanne Safford Kehn

A phenomenon such as a farmers’ market can be farreaching. The social and economic influences of thisevent leave lasting memories and create a strongcommunity.

During the first year of our market in Frankenmuth,from beginning to end, the level of appreciation fromthe consumer as well as the grower never faded.Week after week the patrons would arrive and leavewith their arms full of produce and product. Theproducers became friends to the community. Themarket had become a location for commerce andsocial exchange.

Looking at the word agriculture: The science, art, andbusiness of cultivating soil, producing crops, andraising livestock; farming. [Middle English, from Latinagrcultra : agr, genitive of ager, field]

Looking closer then to the meaning of culture: theintegrated pattern of human behavior that includesthought, speech, action, and artifacts and dependsupon the human capacity for learning andtransmitting knowledge to succeeding generations;the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traitsof a racial, religious, or social group; the act orprocess of growing living material in prepared nutrientmedia; a product of cultivation in nutrient media.

Ultimately the experience at the FFM became acultural event within our community. Historically,farming has played an important role in ourdevelopment and identity as a community and anation. From strongly agrarian roots, we have nowevolved into a culture with few farmers. Less thantwo percent of Americans now produce food for allU.S. citizens. To know the source of our food is rare.

The business at hand then for the FFM is to sustainthis vital link from the farmer to the consumer in asocial environment that is healthy and serving to theneeds of the community.

The Frankenmuth Farmers’ Market is a link to otherfarmers market creating a chain of sustainablefood systems that support the local farmers andfeed our communities.

Time and again - nearly daily - I am reminded ofthe impact our market has had on our community.There is no social event, no trip to the hardwarestore, no stop at the pharmacy, in the dentist chairor at a filling station that I am not asked about ourmarket.

What does this mean to our community? It meanswe are getting the word out and fulfilling ourmission. We will reach further and further toeducate the lower income community to the benefitof local harvest and how it is possible to eat healthon a budget. We will enlighten our community tothe ‘local’ taste of produce. We will plant a seed ofwonderment and memories in our youth to carry onthe tradition of agriculture where ever they go-toseek out farmers markets. We will honor our localheroes - our farmers. Visit our web site atwww.frankenmuthfarmersmarket.org

Farmers’ Markets, continued

7

Family Farm Markets

Thiel’s Farm MarketCorner of Fordney and M-57

Chesaning, MI 48616Season, June - October

Friday, Saturday and Sunday 8 am - 8 pm(989) 845-6707

Hemmeter’s Farm Market4050 Lawndale

Saginaw, MI 48603Season, May - October

7 days a week, 8 am - 8 pm

(989) 792-8381

For more than 75 years, the Hemmeter family hasbeen selling its produce to customers big andsmall. The family raises its produce on two farmsthat are about 120 acres and located in Saginawand Tittabawassee townships.

Years ago the family sold tomatoes to Hunt’sKetchup factory in Ohio and sweet corn to A&Pstores all over the state. The business providedgreen peas and squash to Gerber Baby Foods andcucumbers to the former Dailey Pickle andCanning Company.

However, itwas theindividualcustomersthat hasturnedHemmeter’sinto thepopularfarm marketthat it istoday. Inthebeginning, the family sold bread and strawberriesunder a tree in their front yard. Over the years thefamily has grown the business to what it is todayand sells a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, bakedgoods and flowers. Customers can pick their ownstrawberries and during the month of OctoberHemmeter’s has become a tradition for hundredsof family looking for the perfect pumpkin to carve.

Businesses such as Hemmeter’s and Thiel’s FarmMarket in Chesaning began as small fruit andvegetable stands and maintain a preference for

RetailingEconomic DevelopmentEatingFarm ViabilityGrowing FoodJobsHealthy IndividualsCommunity Vitality

8

Voting with your dollars by shopping or eating atbusinesses that purchase Michigan farm productsis one way to help create a community-based foodsystem.

What You Can Do

Individuals: Ask your favorite grocery storesand restaurants to buy local and Michiganfoods - the purchase it from them!

Community: Sponsor “buy local” campaigns toencourage eaters to seek out locally grownfoods. See www.foodroutes.org

Municipality: Encourage schools, hospitals,and senior centers to regularly purchase localfood to include in served meals.

Michigan-grown products. The purchasing freedomof independent grocers allows them to differentiatethemselves from supermarket chains by featuringlocal foods.

Currently the barriers include convenience,accessibility, and often, price. Ultimately, demandfor local products needs to come from buyers. Canyou justify paying a few extra cents when itsupports the local community and helpsmaintain the visibility of local farms?

Local Food Processing and Adding Value

Star of the West Milling Company,FrankenmuthMark Seamon

The Star of the West Milling Company was built in1870 by the Hubinger family in Frankenmuth. In1903 the Mill was purchased by 53 local farmersjoining the 500 mills in Michigan at that time. By1929 the company changed to being held publicly

by over 400 stockholders.

They began an expansion in 1980 to otherindustries such as grain, dry beans and farminput supply. Currently Star of the West Millinghas 5 wheat mills in three states.

The Frankenmuth site mills 15,000 bushels ofwheat per day, which works out to be nearly5.5 million bushels per year. Grower value ofwheat is over $16 million per year. Star of theWest is one of 7 mills in currently operating inMichigan.

Soft white wheat produces flour for pie crust,cookies, pastries, pretzels, bran, breakfastcereal, wheat germ, and Pop Tarts.www.starofthewest.com

Hausbeck Pickle CompanyMark Seamon

What You Can Do

Individuals: Seek out and purchase locallyprocessed foods.

Community: Start a community kitchen as acottage-industry food processing businessincubator. See: www.uwex.edu/ces/agmarkets/kitchdir.html

Municipality: Create opportunities andincentives for food processing businesses inyour area.

ProcessingFarm ViabilityJobsEconomic Development

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Hausbeck Pickle Company, founded in 1923, isa family owned and operated business locatedin Spaulding Township. Hausbeck processesand packages pickles for commercial andconsumer use. Their original processing facilityis located on M-13 South of Saginaw. Recentlyadditional commercial markets have led toexpansion of operations and the purchase of anew processing and warehousing facility onHess Road in the City of Saginaw. During thisexpansion, thought was given to efficiencies oflocating closer to their major markets (possiblyIndiana) but strong family roots and the supportand efforts of Saginaw Future kept them local.

Cucumbers used in the pickling process are grownthroughout Michigan and supply the company witha steady stream of high quality product. Hausbeckhas added jalapeno and banana peppers to theirproduct line up to diversify and penetrate newmarkets. For more information on the company,visit its web site at www.hausbeck.com

Local Food Processing and Adding Value, continued

Hensler’s Country MarketTittabawassee TownshipThe Henslers raise about 80 head of Holstein cattle on

the 140-acre farm that has remained in the family for

nearly 130 years. The family also harvests corn, wheat,

and soybeans. They buy animals as calves and visit

farms to see how the farmers feed and raise their

animals.

The calves they

buy are three

days to one

week old and are

bottle fed until

weaned. They

are then fed on

corn, hay and an

all natural

protein

supplement.

When the

animals grow to about 1,200 pounds they are taken to

Bernthal Packing Inc. in Frankenmuth. The cuts of meat

are then taken back to Hensler’s Country Market. The

meat is packaged and frozen. The market also sells

quarters, halves and whole cows. Henslers also buys

chickens from Amish growers in Southern Michigan and

Northern Indiana. They are all federally-inspected, free-

range chickens. The market, located at 7620 Freeland

Road, is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. each Thursday and

Friday by appointment. The number is (989) 695-2196.

Leaman’s Green ApplebarnBayne’s Apple Valley FarmBintz’s Cyder MillFreelandApples are Michigan’s most lucrative fruit crop withabout $82 million in sales annually. Depending upon theyear Michigan ranks second or third in the nation in

apple production.In Mid-Michigan, there are several familyoperations that grow apples - three in Freelandalone. The Bintz family planted the first of theirtrees in 1949 and have scaled down the operationin recent years from 300 acres to just 10 acrestoday and they offer 10 varieties. Leaman’s is aseven-generation family business that has a giftshop and bakery in addition to its four acres oftrees. Family members have worked on cuttingpesticide usage by almost 40% in recent years.Bayne’s Apple Valley Farm is another familybusiness that in addition to growing apples, sellscider, caramel apples, baked goods, gifts and

furniture. The number at Leaman’s is (989) 695-2465;Bayne’s can be reached at (989) 695-9139 and Bintz’s at

(989) 781-2590.

“Going local does not mean walling offthe outside world. It means nurturing

locally-owned businesses which use localresources sustainably, employ localworkers at decent wages, and serve

primarily local consumers”

Michael H. SchumanGoing Local

T.M. Klein and Sons Honey FarmHemlockKlein bought his first hive to keep his garden and appletrees thriving soon after moving to St Charles in 1969.Soon, family and friends were hounding him for honey,so he added colonies. Today they have about 1,000honeybee hoards, which create products that travelthroughout Michigan and the surrounding states.At the same time, the Klein’s are buys stocking shelvesat Jack’s Fruit and Meat Markets in the Tri Cities, St.Charles Township and Chesaning Frank’s and MeijerInc. stores throughout the state. The business can bereached by calling (989) 865-9377.

Zastrow’s Wholesale Popcorn andSuppliesLloyd Zastrow’s father, Clarence Zastrow, ventured intopopcorn by buying some seeds from a catalog in 1929and planting them in his garden. Since then acreagededicated to popcorn varies between 75 and 150 acreseach year. The popcorn business was an addition to thecash crop farm. Zastrow always has farmed the 550 plusacres. Zastrow credits the quality of his corn to thehybrids he uses, harvesting with a corn picker instead ofa combine and putting the ears in cribs where they drynaturally.

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Saginaw Valley Bee KeepersAssociationSixty percent of the food you eat comes from honeybees, directly or indirectly. Many agriculture cropscouldn’t exist without bees to pollinate them. The USDepartment of Agriculture estimates that about a third ofour diet is derived from insect-pollinated plants, and thehoneybee is responsible for 80% of pollination.In 1999, a Cornell University Study concluded that thedirect value of honey bee pollination to the country’sagriculture is more that $14 billion.Another byproduct Klein reaps is beeswax. The insectsconsume three pounds of honey to produce one poundof wax. A church group from Ohio buys thousands ofone-pound, hexagon-shaped cakes of yellow beeswax tomake into candles. Religious organizations prefer tomake ceremonial candles from clean-burning beeswax

rather than paraffin, which drips.

Community-Based Programs

Increase Food SecurityDistributingGrowing FoodEatingCommunity VitalityEnvironmental StewardshipHealthy Individuals

Food security is a necessary aspect of acommunity-based food system. People in manycommunities lack reasonable access to fresh,health, culturally appropriate foods. Communitygroups in the Saginaw Valley and across the statehave organized around a systems approach tofood security. For example, the Michigan StateUniversity Extension Family Nutrition Program(FNP) works to serve the nutrition, health andbudgetary needs of our county’s low-income, food-stamp eligible or recipient families. This programhelps adults and children improve their dietaryquality through educating them about healthy foodchoices.In addition the Saginaw County MSUE FamilyNutrition Program worked with the Saginaw FamilyChild Care Network and other communityorganizations to establish gardens in child daycare homes, neighborhood homes and othercommunity sites. The purpose was to teachnutrition education principles around theimportance of eating fresh fruits and vegetables.

On the next few pages you will read about othercommunity-based programs that are workingtoward increasing food security for all citizens inSaginaw County.

Food assistance programs, such as the NationalSchool Lunch Program, the Food Stamp program,and Women, Infants and Children (WIC) programare important safety nets for community members.In February 2005, there were 13,912 open FoodStamp cases in Saginaw County. Saginaw alsohas an overall poverty level of 13.9%, which is3.4% above the state average, according to the2002 US Census Data. Additionally, 46% of thetotal student population in Saginaw Countyreceives free and reduced lunch. However, thenetwork of private, non-profit food banks, foodpantries, soup kitchens and gleaning organizationsis critical to ensuring food security at a local level.In October 2005, two non-profits joined forces tocreate the Hunger Solution Center at 940 E.Genesee in Saginaw. The center is a joint venturebetween Hidden Harvest and the East Side SoupKitchen. Each year, Hidden Harvest collects morethan a million pounds of fresh and prepared foodfrom restaurants, food wholesalers, bakeries,farms, and other certified sources and distributesthe food at no cost to non-profit agenciesthroughout Saginaw, Bay and Midland counties.The East Side Soup Kitchen serves 400 after-school meals to children each day. In SaginawCounty more than 10,000 children - nearly 20percent of children ages 0-17 - live below thepoverty level.

What You Can Do

Individuals: Volunteer for a neighborhoodor other community group interested inimproving access to healthy food.Community: Conduct a community foodassessment. See: www.foodsecurity.org/cfa_home.htmlMunicipality: Start a local Food PolicyCouncil. See: www.worldhungeryear.org/fslc/faq/ria_090.asp

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Growing Healthy FoodsGrowing Healthy NeighborhoodsFood Security Through Family Gardening NutritionEducation Pilot Project 2005Holly B. Tiret, Extension EducatorVickie Flynn, Program Associate II

Michigan State University Extension - Saginaw County

Saginaw County MSUE Family Nutrition Program workedwith the Saginaw Family Child Care Network and othercommunity organizations and their families to establishgardens in child day care homes, neighborhood homesand other community sites. The purpose of the project wasto teach nutrition education principles around theimportance of eating fresh fruits and vegetables, to increasethe availability of and access to fruits and vegetables, toteach food preservation techniques, to encourage peopleto grow and try new varieties of produce, and to encouragephysical activity through home gardening.

The project’s community goal was to improve dietaryquality by assuring access to fresh fruits and vegetables.The economic goal was to improve food security byassuring that adults and children will have more to eatso that there will be less dependency on emergencyfood assistance. The environmental goal was to improvefood safety by teaching the value of food preservationtechniques and by ensuring soil is tested as to be safegrow and maintain gardens. This project addressed theneeds of low-income families to improve food security,dietary quality and food safety.

To date, 30 low-income families in Saginaw Countyhave established vegetable gardens in their own yards.Eleven of those participants were childcare providerswho care for low-income children. A total of 75 childrenwere directly involved in planning, planting, weeding,watering the gardens as well as harvesting and eatingproduce from the gardens.

Participants started gardens in containers, in groundalong side their homes, garages and fences, and raisedbed gardens. They grew vegetables such as pole beans,broccoli, brussel sprouts, collards, cucumbers, eggplant,greens, lettuce, peppers, pumpkins, and of course manytomato plants. There were a few fruit plants such asmuskmelons, watermelons, and strawberries planted.

Many participants wish to plant gardens again; many ofwhom were first-time gardeners. There are 30 additionalfamilies who have heard about the program from friendsand neighbors and are participating for the 2006 season.

ChildcareProviders andthe DowntownSaginaw

Farmers’ MarketAmy MacDonald

The Saginaw Family Child Care Network is a non-profitorganization comprised of daycare providers living in, ornear the city of Saginaw. Most of the childcare providersin our network provide childcare services to the workingpoor. The SFCCN works with the childcare providerswho belong to the network to mentor and educate them.We are particularly interested in offering educationalopportunities regarding children, children’s health andwell-being, nutrition, business development, financialmanagement, CPR and much more.

In 2005, we had the wonderful opportunity of partneringwith this group to encourage members of our childcarenetwork to take the children in their care to visit theDowntown Saginaw Farmers’ Market. This project notonly introduced low-income individuals to the farmers’market, it encouraged children to buy fresh, healthy,nutritious fruits and vegetables.    

Together, we sent a letter to the childcare providers withcoupons for children to use at the farmers’ market. Theletter discussed the importance of eating 5-9 vegetablesand fruits daily, the lack of healthy eating today, and thewonderful farmers’ market. Our hope was to get childrento the market.

And, it worked. Of the 35 childcare providers we mailedcoupons to, 15 of them took the children in their care tothe farmers’ market!  During follow-up phone calls, theproviders shared their experiences with us. Many told usthe children had a wonderful time and learned a lotabout the fruits and vegetables they bought. Childcareproviders indicated to us that it was also their desire toprovide healthy food choices for the children in theircare. 

One childcare provider stated the children in her carebought green beans. She stated she took the childrenback to her home and taught them how to clean, snapand cook the green beans. She indicated the experiencewas very rewarding and plans to take the children backto the Farmers’ Market.  

We believe this partnership was extremely rewarding,and can’t wait to encourage more activities like this onenext gardening/harvest season.

Community-Based Programs

Increase Food Security, continued

12

Obesity and Food InsecurityMichigan State University Extension

Programs

Many adults are not practicing healthy nutrition andphysical activity behaviors. This puts them atincreased risk for heart disease, diabetes, high bloodpressure, stroke, some types of cancer andosteoporosis. Fewer than one-in-twenty (4%) ofMichigan adults maintain a healthy weight, eat at leastfive fruits or vegetables per day and are regularlyphysically active. The prevalence of obesity amongMichigan adults nearly doubled between 1987 and1999. Since 1989, Michigan has consistently beenamong the top 20% of states with the highestprevalence of obesity. Only about one-quarter ofMichigan adults reported eating the recommended5 or more fruit and vegetable servings daily. Lessthan one-quarter of Michigan adults were estimatedto be exercising regularly. Source: Weight Status and

Healthy Diet. “Results from the Michigan Behavioral

Risk Factor Surveillance System, Internal Report from

the Epidemiology Services Division” March 2001. .

Even in times of a strong economy, a significantnumber of households experience food insecurityand are unable to acquire nutritious and safe foods.One in ten U.S. households was food insecure,including 3 percent—3.1 million households—inwhich people were hungry at times during the yearbecause there was not enough money for food.Source: Economic Research Service, U.S.

Department of Agriculture

According to the Economic Research Service in2002, 26,920 persons or 13.9% in Saginaw Countywere below the poverty level. FIA statistics fromFebruary 2005 indicate 13,912 open Food Stampcases in Saginaw County, an increase of 2000 sincelast year. Saginaw also has an overall poverty levelof 13.9% which is 3.4% above the state averageaccording to the 2002 US Census Data. Accordingto the 2004 Kids Count In Michigan Data Book of the53,881 children in Saginaw County between the agesof 0-17, 10,388 or 19% live below the poverty level.Additionally 46% of the total student population inSaginaw County receives free and reduced lunch.

The Michigan State University Extension FamilyNutrition Program (FNP) works to serve the nutrition,health, and budgetary needs of our county’s low-income; food stamp eligible or recipient families. Ourgoals include helping adults and children improvetheir dietary quality through educating them abouthealthy food choices to meet their needs, bettershopping behaviors and use of proper food storageand preparation methods. Lessons are also givenon how to stretch their food dollar to offer greaterfood security and on the integration of healthy eatinginto their meal plan.

The Family Nutrition Program works one-on-one andin group settings with parents of minor children whoare food stamp recipients, applicants or eligible. Ourprogram teaches healthy eating along with parentingskills to help build the confidence that our childrenhave adequate nutrition for proper growth anddevelopment. The program also works withcollaborating agencies like the MSUE Parenting andBetter Kid Care Programs, Head Start, WIC, ARC,the Child Abuse and Neglect Council, Teen ParentServices and Saginaw Public Schools Birth-5Program to teach nutrition to income eligible parentsof children age birth to five. For more information onthese programs and more please contact SaginawCounty MSUE at 989-758-2500, or visit our website:

www.portal.msue.msu.edu/portal

Community-Based Programs Increase Food

Security, continuedThe level of poverty encourages MSUE to seek waysto assist families to meet their nutrition needs.

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SVSU Greenhouse ProjectAt SVSU, we are in the process of constructing two 20foot by 96 foot hoop greenhouses to test the conceptthat green housing can become a profitable venture inthe Saginaw region. This concept depends on theavailability of inexpensive heat, such as may beobtained from a power plant, a sugar beet plant, afoundry, or even by the combustion of agricultural orwoodlot waste in the form of pellets or chips. 

At the same time, we are interested in evaluating foodsthat may be preferred in the region, or alternatively, mayhave high export value. The former would include fruits,berries, greens, peppers, etc., while the latter mayinclude freshwater shrimp (prawn), tilapia, and freshherbs.

The output of the greenhouses can be tied to the MSUextension program headed by Holly Tiret, in which hersummer urban agricultural efforts can be extended to ayear-round season. Thus, not only will fresh foods beavailable to local food banks and charitableorganizations, but the opportunity for people to acquiregreenhouse culture skills, and job training, willeventuate.

The project has a background vision of better nutrition inthe region, the development of jobs, creation of exportmarkets, and development of a food industry thatensures regional food security.

The vision can only work by the dedicated cooperationof several sectors of our regional society, and by takingthe best practices and extending them into the vision.

David H. Swenson, Ph.D.H. H. Dow Professor of Chemistry(989) 964-4292www.svsu.edu/~swensonwww.svsu.edu/Chem102A

SVSU Sustainable Aquaculture Prawn FarmBrian Thomas

The Sustainable Aquaculture Initiative is a researchpartnership between Saginaw Valley State Universityand the Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network(WIN). The initiative hopes to demonstrate thepossibility of creating environmentally sustainablebusinesses along the Saginaw Bay watershed.

Our first research project seeks to determine whether itis technically and economically feasible to use wasteheat from sugar refining to warm aquaculture ponds inmid-Michigan. If possible, the technology has thepotential to create jobs and net exports while improvinglocal water quality.

This section studies whether it will be feasible to partnerwith an existing manufacturer in the Saginaw BayWatershed (Monitor Sugar) to develop anenvironmentally sustainable business that utilizes thewaste heat and water from the business. Specially, theteam will study the waste water management process atMonitor Sugar with a view toward recommending anenvironmentally compatible business to utilize thecompany’s wastewater.

Monitor Sugar’s processing of sugar from beets generatessignificant quantities of hot water. The water is derivedalmost entirely from the beet itself. It is theoreticallypossible to utilize the excess hot water generated by beetprocessing to support alternative sustainable aquacultureadjacent to the manufacturing facility.

For this purpose, we have begun to consider thepossibility of freshwater prawn aquaculture. Prawn farmsare common in the most southern parts of our countrywhere winter weather temperatures seldom approachfreezing. The only perceived limit to aquaculture inMichigan is the availability of adequate warm water inrearing ponds.

If prawn farm technology developed in the warm watersof the Gulf coast could be transferred to Michigan, byutilizing the water from industrial processes, thenenvironmentally sustainable aquaculture businessescould be established not only throughout the SaginawBay Watershed, but also throughout the state. With thehigh probability of export markets for this commodity,likelihood of job creation and utilization of an industrialwaste product (hot water), this project would represent amajor goal of the Saginaw Bay WIN: sustainable,ecologically sound businesses.

Text was copied from www.svsu.edu/aquaculture

Community-Based Programs Increase Food

Security, continued

Community food security is a condition in which allcommunity residents obtain a safe, culturallyacceptable, nutritionally adequate diet through asustainable food system that maximizes communityself-reliance and social justice.

Mike Hamm, C.S. Mott Chair of Sustainable

Agriculture, MSU & Anne Bellows, Rutgers University

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The preceding pages present examples of parts ofa community-based food system. These examplesare by no means all inclusive, nor do theyrepresent a requisite or magical combination. Theyare a starting point. Much like the interconnectionsthat hold together any ecosystem, the webs ofconnections within a community-based foodsystem are central to its strength. Theseconnections create long-term stability, encouragecommunity self-reliance and present numeroussynergies and opportunities. The interdependenceamong people in the community and betweenthose people and the natural world becomes morevisible and widely recognized.

What is a community-based food systemlike in practice?

Eating in such a system may involve purchasingsome portion of your food directly from localfarmers. This simple act helps to support smallscale family farms in the area by passing thegreatest amount of your food dollar back to thefarmer. Local farmers in turn purchase goods andservices from local business people, keeping yourfood dollars within the community. Buying localprovides Michigan agriculture with a viable marketand thus helps keep farmland in farming and curburban sprawl. When more eaters choose adiversity of local food, the demand translates into

What Does a Community Food

System Look Like?farms that grow awide variety ofcrops rather thanlarge monoculturesof corn orsoybeans. These diverse farms offer local jobsbecause such mixed operations do not lendthemselves well to complete mechanization.

With appropriate incentives and start-upassistance, entrepreneurial on-farm and specialtyfood processing businesses develop that offergreater choice at the local market and bringadditional jobs and stable economic developmentto the area. Restaurants, cafeterias, hospitals,retirement homes and schools can all commit tobuying a portion of their food purchases from localsources, presenting even greater markets for localfarmers and food processors.

The interdependence that arises through this localfood system creates a strong sense of communityand encourages people to help one another andassure that everyone has equal access to healthyfood. As awareness of the food system increases,attention turns to diet quality as an importantaspect of preventative health care. Increasedaccess to local foods through farmers’ markets,CSAs and farm stands presents many options forhealthy eating – fresh fruits and vegetables,

antibiotic- and hormone-free meat andeggs, locally processed jams and sauces,and more. Healthy individuals translate intoa dependable work force and lowerhealthcare costs for employers. The strongsense of community encourages youngprofessionals to stay in the area.

In the end, a community-based food systemis a wonderful opportunity to improve publichealth, strengthen the local economy, anddevelop sound land use stewardship. But itcan be done only with a large number ofcommunity members working together.Strong connections and meaningfulpartnerships are needed.

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Strengthening ConnectionsNow that you have a clearer picture of what makes up community-based food system, it’s time tobegin building on the connections in your community. Much of this can be done simply by payingattention to your food choices and buying local and direct when possible. But some efforts needbroader support.

Below is a list of some community leaders and decision-makers and suggestions of roles they canplay. Share your ideas – and this guide – with them. A community-based food system frame canbe useful in finding common interests and building strong partnerships. Together we can build thetype of food system that we want, and strengthen our community along the way.

• County planning commissions make decisions that affect where food can be grown andprocessed.

• Local elected officials such as mayors and township supervisors may be able to offersupport in starting and building a farmers’ market.

• You may consider joining the citizen planners in your area to advocate for including foodsystem issues in local planning efforts.

• Health professionals may be interested in improving their patients’ awareness of andaccess to healthy food.

• Local Departments of Public Health provide WIC participants with Project FRESHcoupons for local, fresh fruits and vegetables. They also design and implement a host ofpublic health programs that are increasingly focused on disease prevention.

• Chambers of Commerce can assist in building alliances around business andinfrastructure development. They may also be interested in supporting a farmers’ market.

• Local and regional economic development teams can assist in creating opportunities forfood processing and other businesses. They may be able to identify potential fundingsources to develop food system infrastructure.

• Communities of faith might be able to organize CSA groups, offer space for aneighborhood farmers’ market, and teach “eating as a moral act.”

• Farmers grow the food and are essential in any partnership.

• Schools can incorporate food and agriculture in both curriculum and cafeteria.

• Environmental groups can support farming systems that preserve biodiversity, providewildlife habitat and minimize pollutions to air and water.

• MSU Extension can assist with information and facilitation expertise. They can also helpyou identify researchers interested in community-based food systems.

• Neighborhood groups and community organizations can help mobilize communities andimplement programs.

This is just the beginning!

You will think of many others to involve in your work.

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Some Community Food Systems Resources

Saginaw Valley Area

Food Bank of Eastern Michiganwww.fbem.org

Hidden Harvestwww.hiddenharvest.com

Michigan

Michigan Department of Agriculturewww.michigan.gov/mdaClick on the Michigan Marketplace tab forinformation and directories on Michigan grown andproduced foods.

Michigan Health Toolswww.mihealthtools.orgA suite of websites aimed at promoting goodhealth for all Michigan residents.

Michigan Surgeon General’s Michigan Steps Up

programwww.michigan.gov/surgeongeneral

C.S. Mott for Sustainable Food Systems atMichigan State University312 Natural Resources BuildingMSUEast Lansing, MI 48823-5243(517) 432-0712www.mottgroup.msu.edu

Michigan Land Use Institutehttp://www.mlui.orgSee especially “The New EntrepreneurialAgriculture” at www.mlui.org/downloads/newag.pdf

Michigan Organic Food and Farming Alliance(MOFFA) www.moffa.org

MSU Product Center for Agriculture and NaturalResourceswww.aec.msu.edu/production/index.html

Regional and National

Sustainable Agriculture Research andEducation Program (SARE)USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue, SwStop 2223Washington, D.C. 20250-2223(202) 720-5203www.sare.org

The Food Projectwww.thefoodproject.org

Growing Powerwww.growingpower.org

Hartford Food Systemwww.hartfordfood.org

Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculturewww.leopold.iastate.edu

Food Routeswww.foodroutes.org

Eat Well Guidewww.eatwellguide.org

National Sustainable Agriculture InformationServicewww.attra.org