Thank you to each and every one of you who played a part; Jeff Clark, Jason Tallant, Linette Lao, all the children and adults who came out in the snow a few days ago to help prepare the site, the kids of Summers-Knoll and Yspi Middle School who really took ownership of the project and helped immeasurably, everyone who contributed toward the making of the 2,745 seed bombs that were produced over the past two weeks, all my neighbors who came to the site this evening with delicious food to share, the 27 individuals who pledged money toward making the whole thing happen, the incredibly motivated men and women of the Ypsi Free Skool, and everyone who stood happily packed together on the sidewalk, hurling seed bombs onto our burgeoning native meadow this evening.

We live in an awesome little community, and our possibilities are endless. When we work together, as we demonstrated today, we can really make things happen… beautiful things. And, if you don’t believe me, just keep an eye on this little piece of property along Michigan Avenue, as the native plants come back to life, and people begin to spend more time there.

My sense is that a true community commons is evolving.

[All photos, except for the last one, which I took, come courtesy of our friend, the world-famous Doug Coombe.]

It’s worth noting, I think, that these kids very much wanted to come as a group to Water Street to walk the site, help remove invasive species, and see what we were planning firsthand. Unfortunately, however, due to budget cuts, and the district’s reliance on private buses, they couldn’t make it. (I’m told that they would have had to pay $300 to use a bus for the day.) So, we did the best that we could to make them a part of the process, given the parameters. Last week, we shot video of the site and sent it to their teacher, so that they could get a sense of what we were doing, and, today, Jeff and I went into their classroom to show them how to make seed bombs, while talking with them about everything from the history of May Day to colony collapse.

Given the feel good nature of this post, this probably isn’t the right place for me to launch into a tirade about the systematic defunding of public education in Michigan, but I really do think it’s criminal that these kids, and their incredible teacher, Tonia Porterfield, lack the ability to even make it across town to work on a project that would tie together so much of what they’re learning about in the classroom, from the real life application of math (in laying out the site), to the importance of species diversification. Assuming this initiative of ours takes off the way that we’re hoping, and the seed bombs made by these young folks this morning actually work, and successfully bring about positive change in our downtown, I’m thinking that we should have another fundraising campaign next year, so that we can rent buses and bring them to the site, so that they can see firsthand what they’ve helped to create… And, yes, I know that a lot of them will have other opportunities to get to the site on their own, but they won’t have the benefit of being able to hear from native plant experts, and professionals working in brownfield remediation, etc, the way they would if we set up something comprehensive for their entire class.

When one of the girls in the class thanked Jeff and me for coming out today, saying excitedly, “This makes it so much more real than a video,” it really brought home the fact that these kids are anxious for real, hands-on opportunities to learn and make a difference in the world. (As much as Michigan Republicans would like it to be the case, on-line education isn’t sufficient by itself.) And, even with a teacher as creative and resourceful as Ms. Porterfield, who took the initiative to call me after hearing about the seed bombing project, asking me to include them somehow, the opportunities for project based learning outside the traditional school setting are few and far between. And, since meeting with them this morning, I can’t stop thinking about ways to get them more engaged… So, if you do come out to help us slingshot and catapult seed bombs onto Water Street this Wednesday, and you happen to see a few middle school-aged kids standing around, thank them for helping make the bombs, and talk with them about the kinds of things they’d like to do in the community. Not only will it be good for them to know that adults actually give a damn, but I think you’ll get something out of it too, as they begin talking about the kinds of contributions they’d like to make, and the kinds of experiences they’d like to have. It’ll restore your faith in humanity. I promise.

Speaking of May Day, thanks to the efforts of the lovable young radicals of the Ypsi Free Skool, a number of other activities will be taking place in addition to the seed bombing. Here’s the schedule.

12:30 – 1:30 – Skill Share – MiniZine Workshop with David Chapman

1:30 – 2:00 – International Worker Solidarity March

3:00 – 4:00 – Skill Share – Radical Labor History with Phil Patterson

4:00 – 5:00 – Skill Share – Food Forests with Jesse Tack

5:00 – Seed Bombing

5:30 – Potluck and Bonfire

Further information can be found at YpsilantiMayDay.org.

And, one last thing… It’s just come to my attention that, as luck would have it, the voice of the international worker, Billy Bragg, is scheduled to be in Ann Arbor on May Day for a show at the Ark. And I’m thinking that it would be really cool if we could get him out to Ypsi for a while, to join us in a song or two. I don’t know how realistic it is, as I’m sure his schedule is tight, but I’ve just reached out to a brilliant designer friend, asking him to drop everything and begin work on a “This Machine Plants Flowers… The People of Ypsilanti Would Love to Share a May Day Meal with You, Billy” poster. My thought is that, if we can get people to put them up all over Ann Arbor tomorrow, there’s a chance that he might see one, or someone might mention it to him. (It’ll also, of course, draw the attention of folks in Ann Arbor to our May Day activities. As I’m not aware of a May Day event taking place in Ann Arbor, I suspect there are some folks who would like to come out and join us on Water Street.) I’ll keep you posted… In the meantime, though, please do what you can though your networks to reach Billy Bragg. If you know someone at the Ark, pick up a phone and call them. Or perhaps send him an invitation through Facebook.

[note: Background on the seed bombing of Water Street can be found here.]

Those who would like more information about Ypsilanti’s May 1 seed bombing event are encouraged to check out our Facebook page. Also, the audio quality is pretty terrible, due to the gusting winds we experienced a few days ago, but there’s now video on Youtube of native plants expert Jason Tallant and me, shot on Water Street, discussing the project with a school group… And, it’s not required, but, if you’re planning to join us on May Day, and would like to either RSVP, or share the event with your friends, you can do so here.

[note: The photo with the beer can was taken at Totally Awesome Fest, not at the school.]

We now have almost everything we need to carry out the seed bombing of Water Street on May 1, as you can see from the above photo, which I just snapped in my living room. The seeds arrived today from Native Connections, and, on my way home from work, I purchased 100-pounds of red clay powder from Rovin Ceramics. (I thought that I was going to have to buy the clay online and have it shipped, but I kept searching and finally found Rovin, which is a subsidiary of Motawi Tileworks, through a tip from someone at the Ann Arbor Art Center. Not only were they great people to work with, but we saved quite a bit of money by not having to ship the clay across country. So, we’ll have a little more cash left over than we’d expected, with which we can buy shrubs and the like to augment the plants we’ll be growing from seed.) I also bought a tarp, six dust masks for those individuals who will be mixing the dry clay, and a couple of slingshots, which I thought might be fun to launch seed balls with.

Here’s what we’ve spent thus far.

Clay: $42.40
Seed: $306.92
Dust masks and tarp: $51.82
Slingshots: $33.55
TOTAL: $434.69

And, as of today, we’ve taken in $676.80 from the 27 donors who contributed to our FundRazr campaign. (Thank you so much to all of you. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I launched the campaign, and it was incredibly cool to see us zip past our goal in less than one day.) After the FundRazr and Paypal charges, which were $56.83, that gives us a total of $619.97 to work with.

And, after the charges incurred today, which I outlined above, that leaves us with $185.28.

I’m sure there will be a few more incidental charges here and there, but I expect that we’ll end up spending the bulk of what remains at Wildtype Native Plant Nursery later this spring. (Bill, the owner of Wildtype, has some ideas for shrubs and other plants that might work well with the forbs and grasses we’ll be planting on May Day.)

So, now we need to start focusing on making seed bombs, and preparing the site. I hope to have a little more clarity tomorrow, after I speak with representatives of the two schools that have expressed an interest in being involved, but I’m thinking that we’ll need to set up a few seed bomb making events over the next several days, and at least one site prep day. (My hope is that the students, who are looking for an opportunity for project-based learning, will help not only with the seed bomb making and throwing, but also with the math… marking out our seed bomb target areas, figuring out how many bombs we’ll likely get from 100-pounds of clay, and therefore how much seed to put in each, etc.)

If you’re interested in helping, and haven’t already, please join the Seed Bomb Water Street Facebook group, as that’s how I intend to distribute most of the details from here on out. And, speaking of Facebook, there’s also now an event page for the May 1 seed bombing, in case you’d like to see who else is planning to attend. (As of right now, it’s only me.)

And, one last thing… The seed bomb throwing is just one of a few different things that will be taking place on Water Street come May Day. I don’t have a comprehensive schedule, but I’m told that events will be taking place from noon onward, culminating in a pot luck at 5:00, so, if you’re coming to toss seed bombs, you might also want to bring a dish to pass… I hope to see you there.

We reached out to a few reputable, in-state suppliers of native seed, and heard back from Native Connections in Three Rivers, Michigan that they had a prepared mix that might meet our needs. It contains significantly more species than we’d requested, but it seems as though, all things considered, it might be a good way to go. Not only would it be less expensive than the custom mix we’d inquired about, but it contains a number of interesting plant species that we’d originally thought would be difficult for us to acquire.

In addition to the two species of native grass that we’d requested (Canada Wild Rye and Indian Grass), their proposed mix would include: Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Side-oats Gramma, Bicknell’s Sedge, June Grass, and Switchgrass. This mix has a little less Canada Wild Rye than we’d wanted, but the folks I’ve consulted with thus far seem to think the other species would more than make up for that fact. (A few of these species are ones that we talked about early in the process, but decided against, as we thought they’d be too expensive.)

As for the forbs, we’d requested Yarrow, Black Eyed Susan, Common Evening Primrose, Common Milkweed, and Sand Tickseed. Of that list, the proposed Native Connections mix contains only Black Eyed Susan and Common Evening Primrose. (While the mix doesn’t include Common Milkweed, it does include Butterfly Milkweed.) Again, however, they’re adding several species that should be competitive on the site, which we’d thought might be out of our price range, like Showy Goldenrod, New England Aster, and Yellow Coneflower. In total, their mix contains 27 species of forbs, whereas we’d only requested 5. (The complete list of species included in their proposed mix can be found here.)

And, as all of these seeds have been cold-stratified, it’s likely that we’ll see some growth this year, assuming we get more rain and sun, than we do seed-eating predators.

If we go this route, the price for the seeds would be $275. (The mix that we’d originally asked for, to give you a point of comparison, would be $415.) Everyone I’ve spoken with thus far has suggested that we go for it. While it’s unlikely that every species included in the mix will make it on the site, quite a few have a good shot, and it should be interesting to see what happens, and learn from the experience… And nothing, of course, would preclude us from planting Common Milkweed and Yarrow later, if this first attempt doesn’t take off like we’re hoping that it will.

Also, I think I’ve found a source for dry red clay. 20-pound bags are $23, and cost $15 to ship. Since we’d like to make quite a few seed bombs, I’m suggesting that we purchase four bags, which would bring the total to $152.

So, assuming everyone is OK with this plan, we’ll need to raise $427… which I’ll round up to $500, to cover incidental items, like poster board for day-of-event signage, twine to mark the target areas, taxes and the like. If you’d like to contribute, I started an online FundRazr campaign earlier this evening, and we’ve already made almost the entire $500. (FundRazr takes a %5 cut, and I believe that PayPal takes some as well, so the total raised will be less than $475, but still sufficient.) If you’d like to join me in making a contribution, I’d appreciate it.

JUST CLICK HERE TO CONTRIBUTE.

Once we’ve raised the money, I’ll order the seeds and the clay, and we’ll begin scheduling some times to meet and make bombs together… Oh, and, if you aren’t able to contribute financially, you can always contribute compost! By my calculations, we’ll need at least 100 pounds of it.

And, if you haven’t already, please join the Seed Bomb Water Street Facebook group.

So, while there are still a few issues to be worked out, it looks as though the seed bombing of Water Street will happen on Wednesday, May 1… While we’ll likely have a school group or two come out during the day to throw a few seed bombs, my sense is that the bombs will begin raining down in earnest at about 5:00 PM. Things could, of course, change, but, as of right now, the plan is to have people standing on the sidewalk, and launching their seed bombs, either by hand, trebuchet or slingshot, into the field, aiming for one of eight areas where we’d like to concentrate our efforts. (I hope to have those areas marked with flags that people can aim for.) We realize, of course, that some seed bombs will fall outside these areas (marketed in green below), but we’re thinking that it makes the most sense to focus on these distinct plots, for reasons I’ll get to after this aerial view of the site.

The idea of focusing on smaller target areas comes from my friend Jason Tallant, who, for the past ten years, has been handling ecological restoration projects for the city of Ann Arbor. In Jason’s experience, what you want to do in instances like this is increase the number of “edges” between the newly planted native species and the invasives you’re looking to displace. Those dividing lines, says Jason, are where the intense competition between species will happen. And that’s what we want. We want to create eight strong native cores that plants can then radiate out from, battling with the spotted knapweed, and the like. (The goal eventually is to have the entire acre filled with native species.) Toward that end, we’ll be lining up volunteers prior to May 1, to turn over the ground in these eight areas, and get the soil ready for our seed bombs. (We’ll also be removing invasives at that time.) Then, after the seed bombing, some of us will go through and seed those areas by hand, making sure that we’ve got seeds planted right up to each of the 32 edges that we’ve created.

Here’s a satellite image of the space in question, which will show you where we’ll be working in relation to the Dairy Queen.

As I expressed the last time we discussed the possibility of seed bombing Water Street, a great many people have come forward with ideas as to which native plant species we should include. I’d reached out to the folks at Ann Arbor’s Native Plant Nursery, Mason’s Wildtype, Ann Arbor’s Wild Ones chapter, the Michigan Botanical Club, the Michigan Native Plant Producers Association and the MSU Extension Service, and almost all of them got back to me with suggestions. And I’ve spent the past several days synthesizing the information, and trying to determine the most cost-effective and impactful way forward… As Bill Schneider from Wildtype astutely pointed out to me, the key is to “balance the aesthetic and the horticultural”. We want immediate pay-off in terms of attractive native plant growth, in order to show progress, and secure the support of folks in the City, but, at the same time, we also want to move things forward in a way that’s ecologically sound.

So, I’ve spent the past week knee-deep in emails with people debating the relative merits of Jerusalem artichokes and butterfly milkweed, and trying to determine which species of natives might actually stand a fighting chance against the hardy invasives that have already taken root. And here’s what, as of right now, seems to make the most sense.

4-6 species of forbs:
Yarrow, Black Eyed Susan, Common Evening Primrose, Common Milkweed, and/or Sand Tickseed

1-2 grasses:
Canada Wild Rye and Indian Grass

According to Jason and Bill, this mix would be good because suppliers are likely to have the quantities of seed that we need, they aren’t generally expensive, and, most importantly, they’re competitive. “These species,” according to Jason, also “produce reliable seed, are pollinated by wind, generalist insects and birds, and are successful in establishing themselves in intense conditions.”

It may not, perhaps, be the sexiest wildflower mix, but it should be a great first step toward turning this parcel around, and breathing some life into the former industrial site… And, there’s nothing stopping us from transplanting some butterfly milkweed, and a few shrubs, along the Michigan Avenue edge.

Now, unless there are any objections, I need to reach our to seed suppliers and see if they have seeds for the forbs indicated above that are already cold-stratfied. (If they aren’t already cold-stratified, they’ll won’t germinate and produce plants until they’ve been on the ground through a winter.)

There are still, of course, things that need to be worked out… not the least of which is how we’ll raise the funds for seeds and clay… but I think we’re well on our way. We’ve got the City behind us, over 160 people have joined our Facebook group, and my sense is that the pieces are starting to fall into place. The next step is to get seeds, compost and clay, and start making bombs.

To stay up-to-date on the project, please join the Seed Bomb Water Street group on Facebook… and be sure to put May 1 on your calendar. It should be fun.

MARK: So, how are things going at Growing Hope?

AMANDA: It’s great now that we’re finally moved into the Growing Hope Center (as of April). We can finally begin to focus more intently on our work, and our impact, and less on managing construction, which has been my role for the last five years. Our new home — which we already feel cramped in, since our staff has continued to expand (including paid staff, Americorps volunteers, interns, youth employees, et al) — is great, and has exactly the home-y feel we were hoping for. People stop in all the time who don’t know us. People who live in the neighborhood just stop in to say hi. People driving by stop in, curious to learn more. People drop in just to ask a quick question. So, just that presence on Michigan Avenue alone has allowed us increase our reach and impact.

Now that we’re situated in the Growing Hope Center, it’s much easier to lend books from our library and tools to Growing GardensGrowing members. And we even lend canning equipment now! And having our own meeting/teaching space is awesome.

We’ve expanded our summer youth programs, and, this summer, we held garden and nutrition-based camps at the Boys & Girls Club, in West Willow, and at Parkridge, with our teen interns acting as peer educators. And those interns also started their bicycle-powered smoothie business.

The big exciting news (exciting to me, at least) is that we’ve just started a year-long strategic planning process to chart the next several years for Growing Hope. We’ve got a bunch of focus groups coming up, and we’ll will be inviting community members to give voice in those, as well as thought one-on-one interviews and surveys… Anyone interested in learning about any of those, or giving input, can write to us at rsvp@growinghope.net.

The other big exciting news is that we’re working to expand our social enterprises, and thus our ability to earn our own revenue, create more jobs, etc. I’ve been in a fellowship in Detroit called Enterprising Health since June, which is for social entrepreneurs who are working to alleviate health disparities, and we’ve been working on business planning (that also includes a component of community voice, planning for impact, etc). We’ve got a survey right now we welcome anyone near or far to take. You can find it here.

MARK: And can you tell us a bit about what you’ve got going on this Sunday?

AMANDA: This Sunday is the last of three Chefs in the Garden amazing dinners. We’ve got three chefs — the two wild women of Bona Sera, and Brandon Johns of Grange — cooking up deliciousness right on our urban farm. The first two dinners (featuring Chefs Emil Boch of From the Hearth Food & Kim Nichols of Harvest Kitchen in August, and Chefs Silvio Medoro of Silvio’s Organic Ristorante & Pizzeria and Benjamin Meyer of Iridescence) were amazing and sold out, and there are fewer then five tickets remaining for this Sunday’s event! Hopefully we’ll schedule more.

MARK: How did the Chefs in the Garden series come about?

AMANDA: Chefs in the Garden is an evolution of our annual fundraising dinner, previously called Hope’s Harvest. There, we had maybe 8 or 9 chefs, all on site, and the event was much larger — maybe 125 guests. We scaled it down, and now we’re having two chefs at once, with more like 50 guests each time. It’s a bit more intimate, and simpler for us to put on. We’ve thrifted enough that we have 50+ sets of dishes, tablecloths, napkins, etc (could still use more silverware!), and we have tables, etc. So, right now, all we need is a tent. By next spring, though, we’ll have another hoophouse up, which will serve as an education and event space, and then we can have dinners in there instead!

MARK: Any big things to note concerning this season at the Downtown Ypsi Farmers’ Market? Any trends that you’re seeing develop? Any lessons learned this year?

AMANDA: The Market has had another record-breaking year, in terms of numbers of vendors, customers, sales, and, most importantly to us, our SNAP (food stamp) sales have continued to break all previous records. There’s no disputing — people of all income levels want healthy food, and, when they have access to it, they’ll buy it! We’ve also been doing food sampling every week, and have finally got our portable four-bin sink, and other equipment in place, so that we can put on full fledged (and officially “food safe”) outdoor cooking demos!

MARK: What should we expect from Growing Hope over the winter?

AMANDA: The strategic planning is one — so folks should stay tuned to give input into that…

We’ve also been doing almost weekly classes, and there are still more of those planned in the next months. We’ll have classes on food preservation, season extension, and more. So folks should come on out for those. And, just tonight, we did an intro two-hour session to our Garden Leadership Training, which trains teams starting, expanding, or reviving community, school, and faith-based gardens. We’ve got another intro session next week. And, we’ve got our training dates set for February for the full course (and we’re offering a Saturday option this time!).

And, of course, we’ll have the winter farmers’ market inside the Corner Brewery. This winter, though, it will be every week instead of every other week. And it will run from Election Day (November 6) through December 18/

And, we’re going to do an online holiday auction again this fall — featuring local services & goods, which hopefully helps support those businesses. We hope that people who don’t win the auctions that they bid on will then go and purchase that item instead. And, we’re taking contributions now. It needs to be something that a gift certificate can be used for, which makes it easier for include in the format of an online auction. Email to sponsor@growinghope.net if you’d like to participate… Oh, and we’re still taking ads for our 2013 wall calendar. You can drop us a line using that same email address.

And we finally got the plant material installed to complete our green roof on our adobe oven structure! Thanks to an Ann Arbor Farm & Garden grant, not only do we have the green roof, but we have plans for a second hoophouse, a solar panel to power our cistern pump, some more accessible pathways through our gardens, and new signage. All of this will be getting in place in the next six months.

I’m spending a lot of time thinking and talking about broader economic and community development in Ypsi through healthy food. I think we (we in the broad sense, not necessarily Growing Hope) have a very real opportunity in the neighborhood immediately surrounding the GHC, and even on Water Street, and I’m working on getting some solid economic analysis in place to further “make the case”. I’m super inspired right now by how Cleveland is taking the lead on this — from some of the best zoning around urban agriculture, to public market revitalization, to pilot urban grazing projects on vacant land, to excellent marketing, to worker-owned co-ops… I was just there at the International Public Markets Conference put on by the Project for Public Spaces, an amazing organization that’s all about place making.

MARK: I imagine the Growing Hope Center is going to be a work in progress for the foreseeable future, so I won’t ask if it’s where you want it to be, but I’m curious to know if it’s coming along the way that you’d anticipated when you first took possession of the property?

AMANDA: I think in many ways it is exactly what we envisioned, and I think over the next year, as we are more and more settled in, get our commercial kitchen certified, get our LEED certification (looking for a volunteer or intern who wants to work on that (http://www.growinghope.net/get_involved/jobs), and are more set up to welcome school field trips, host events for others, etc., that it’ll continue to come to life. When I take the rare moment to step back and reflect, I’m overjoyed.

Our next big phase is going to be getting plans in place and funds raised for solar panels. We could actually be net zero energy, possibly, if we do this, because we already use geothermal for our heating and cooling system. I hope we can find a partner in the green building world who would like to market/use our space to educate around all of the sustainable redevelopment we did. We definitely talk about it during tours, but it’s not our main thing so we don’t do presentations and such about it. We rebuilt our old windows, installed geothermal, used tons of reclaimed materials, maximized insulation, have a 12,000 lb recycled glass plaza, have solar powered parking lot lights, a cistern system we designed, etc, etc…

MARK: How much produce have you generated in the hoop house so far this season?

AMANDA: Oy, I don’t have that number — someone else on my staff does… But we do grow over 1 ton each year on our 1/4 acre… And we’ve increased our wholesale sales this year. Have you had the Growing Hope frittata at the Wolverine? Kevin says it sells out a lot!

MARK: What’s going on in Ypsi schools? How active have you been so far this school year? Are kids coming out to the Center, working on the urban farm, learning about how food makes its was from the farm to table?

AMANDA: During the school year, we mostly do after-school programming. Speaking of which, our Seed 2 Plate club started today! Apparently they did a junk food makeover. They made kale chips and banana ice cream (which is literally frozen banana then put in a blender, and it’s apparently great), and it was a big hit. We do a lot of healthy cooking with these middle schoolers.

MARK: What kinds of new things are you working on for next spring? Any big plans afoot?

AMANDA: The launch of Growing Ventures — our social enterprise division — will be branding some things we already do that help people grow healthy food at home, but will also be offering new things. We’re exploring compost delivery and raised bed installation services, but nothing’s guaranteed yet. We’re working through the financials right now to see what is really feasible.

And there are some top secret things we’re not ready yet to talk about because we’re still working out the details.

MARK: How close are you to making your last fundraising goal?

AMANDA: For the Growing Hope Center, in the last five years we’ve raised just about $700,000 in cash, grants, pledges, and in-kind support… It’s kind of overwhelming to think that we’ve done that at the same time as raising our annual operating budget from scratch each year. (No wonder I feel so tired.) And as you know, this has been through very grassroots, one-gift-at-a-time contributions and amazing in-kind contributions. To pay off the entire debt on the building, finish up things like solar panels, accessible pathways, et al, and pay off other construction debt (not a giant amount, but some), we’ve still got about $250,000 to go.

So, by meeting the goal of the challenge grant we got last fall (which we just completed!!!), and getting our Certificate of Occupancy and moving in, we’ve successfully completed the first phases of our capital campaign! It’s very exciting– and while we’re gearing up to raise that last chunk of funds, we’re also turning our focus to our regular operating funds.

Our funding really is dependent on broad community support, so as much as we’re always trying to be more innovative in earning revenue, that charitable support from people is still really key.

Any gift of $100 or more designated to the GHC/capital campaign gets you a leaf on our tree of gratitude– which local artist Robb Todd did a breathtaking job of bringing to life on the side wall of the garage in the GHC back yard. (Any gifts by end of October will have leaves go up by the end of the year!)

MARK: So, you’re presenting on the subject of agricultural commodities markets?

PETE: Sort of. Specifically, I will be speaking on the financialization of agricultural commodities and how it relates to the unprecedented rise in worldwide food prices since the early 2000s. People tend to assume that prices for food are set using basic supply and demand criteria. In part, it is the case, though the real story is much more complex. Wall Street plays an important role in creating conditions that lead to high volatility and rapid increases in food prices.

MARK: What’s the group that you’ll be presenting too?

PETE: NWEAG (New World Ecology and Agriculture Group). They are a loose group of scientists concerned with all topics regarding agriculture. They meet weekly to discuss topics including sustainable agriculture, GMOs, corporate food production, farmers’ social movements, and others. The group erupted out of Science For the People, another left leaning group that was active in the 1970′s. They have done a lot of work in Latin America (including Cuba), setting up extension services and building local research infrastructure.

MARK: And there are chapters of this organization across the globe?

PETE: Cornell has to only other active NWEAG group that I know of. I’m not sure if Harvard’s is still going, though Richard Levins, the group’s unofficial godfather is certainly still pursuing relevant topics in his lectures.

MARK: As the University of Michigan doesn’t have an agriculture program, I’m curious as to who attends these meetings.

PETE: Communists! It’s really a small group. There are a few faculty from the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, a few retired facultly and students from a variety of departments including Public Health, Social Work, SNRE and the EEB.

The group is inherently political. Though all of the participants are scientists of one kind or another, the group isn’t afraid to inject leftist political topics into the discussion.

MARK: And is this open to the public?

PETE: Yes, anyone can come. It is going to be in the Nat Sci Building on the 27th of this month.

MARK: I don’t want for you to give too much away, but what do you expect will be the main take-aways from the presentation?

PETE: As I said before, people tend to view food prices as being supply driven. They instantly think that a drought, for example, will reduce supply and drive costs up. For much of human history, this has been true. In an increasingly globalized and financialized world, the prices we pay for non-manufactured goods are at the mercy of speculators and hedge fund managers.

To me, this is a human rights issue. All humans have a right to food. Without food there cannot be health. Here in the States, most households can absorb even a 100% increase in the cost of food. We can eat out less, drink less, buy in bulk or just suck it up. We can also do things like widen access to food stamps. We already seem to be doing this, though I’m not sure it’s a response to increasing food prices.

To a Malawian living on less than $1.00 a day, even a 10% increase could be devastating. If prices go up, people in Malawi have no choice but to eat less. They already don’t eat enough. I don’t see how any retirement package is worth that cost.

MARK: What do you make of the headlines today attributing rising pork prices to the global drought? Surely there’s some connection, right?

PETE: Of course there is some connection. The point is that these instantaneous events do not explain the trend of rapid increases in the price of all foods over the past decade. We need to look at the bigger picture here.

Think about how critics frame climate change. While snow today in Oklahoma City might bring down the global mean slightly, it doesn’t say anything about long term rises in world temperatures.

MARK: Can you explain how it is, in simple English, that speculators are driving up the costs?

PETE: Unlike gold, agricultural products cannot be purchased today at a low price, and stored until the price goes up. They rot. People do, however, buy contracts, promising to pay a fixed price for something that hasn’t even been grown yet. Farmers like this, as it gives them stability. There is nothing wrong with this practice.

The problem is that these contracts can now be bought and sold, a practice that was once illegal. Traders will buy and sell these contracts over and over so that the price increases every time it changes hands. Contracts are rolled into derivative packages and continually sold and resold like mortgages were before the economic crash.

Buyers and sellers really don’t care what’s in the package, only whether it will yield instantaneous profit. Basically, people are gambling with ag contracts (often mechanically), increasing prices and inducing unprecedented levels of volatility. The farmer, of course, only gets what he’s initially promised.

Now, understand that I’m an Epidemiologist/Statistician, not an Economist, though this has become a major interest of mine as of late.

MARK: Do you have evidence that his is happening?

PETE: Yes. There is ample evidence out there. If one looks at food commodity prices, one can see that the pattern follows that of the stock market. The NASDAQ and the FAO’s food price index have mirrored one another for the past decade.

There is plenty of advice out there from brokers recommending that everyone get into ag commodity investments as it is guaranteeing an increasing, and very good, rate of return. Of course, this fuels the demand for contracts, increasing the price.

MARK: Is there a movement afoot to change this? If so, who’s leading it? What economists and political leaders are addressing this?

PETE: People are very concerned. Joe Stiglitz has written on it. Howard Stein, an economist here at the University of Michigan, has also written extensively on the problem. The United Nations has raised several flags. Pegging the world’s food to the stock market is just about the worst idea ever and it’s got many, many people worried.

MARK: Would I be the biggest douche in the world if I blew off your lecture to go and experience Herman Cain’s College Truth Tour instead?

PETE: Oh man. I guess that’s the price of comedy.

[note: If you're interested in this topic, but can't make it out tomorrow to hear Pete speak, he's got a lot of the data up on his website.]

MARK: Can you tell me about the trees that were planted along Cross street earlier this year… how you chose the types, how many there are of each variety, and how we funded their planting?

TERESA: I don’t know much about tree selection – so I got help from local landscape architect Rachel Blistein, and a MDOT landscape architect out of Lansing, Jamie Nauta. We worked together on a list looking for salt-tolerant and drought-resistant varieties not necessarily commonly used in town, mainly to promote variety. Jamie worked out the placement of the trees, trying to be strategic so they wouldn’t block signage when they’re full grown in blocks with stores and restaurants, and providing larger species in the more residential areas.

We ended up with 4 types:
• Syringa Reticulata (Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilac)
• Tilia Cordata (Greenspire Little Leaf Linden)
• Corylus Colurna (Turkish Filbert)
• Taxodium Distichum (Common Bald Cypress)

The entire streetscape project was funded with a transportation enhancement grant. It was a 60/40 split, with 60% of the funding coming from the federal government, and the 40% match coming from local sources. The Depot Town improvements (seatwall, stamped concrete crosswalks, rain gardens) had the 40% local match covered by the City and the DDA. The larger project was in West Cross – where the City and DDA had to provide only 20%, with MDOT covering the other 20% of the local match as it’s a trunk line west of Huron. That project included the bump outs, stamped crosswalks, the City’s first LED street lighting and 74 street trees.

MARK: And I believe, just a few days ago, volunteers got together to plant trees at what’s being called the Ypsi Tree Nursery. Those trees, as I understand it, are being planted at Water Street, and the intention is that they’ll be moved at some point to streets and parks around the City, right?

TERESA: Right. The project grew out of few things. First, DPS was looking to do an updated tree inventory and forestry plan, but didn’t have funding. We were looking at interim uses at Water Street to promote some minimal activity (the stone trail built from crushed concrete from the Water Street building demolition for example) to keep some life on the site, and to prevent it from being a literal dumping ground. We learned about a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Grant, and had the idea to ask for funding for the inventory, a forestry plan, and to set up a small tree nursery to grow street and park trees. The City doesn’t budget money for street tree replacement. It only happens from grants, like the Cross Street Streetscape, through DTE grants (every other year at best), and from residents adding them in themselves. So street tree replacement is down. We learned from the inventory that more than half of the City’s public trees or maturing or mature, so there’s a need to add to the stock.

So the volunteers were out last weekend along with Michigan Works youth/young adult program participants and we’ll be back this Saturday to plant the second half of the spring planting (total of 350). We’re planning on a similar number in the fall. So, we should have somewhere between 600-800 trees in the nursery by the end of the year.

MARK: Would I be right to assume that this work being done by volunteers is something that used to be done by the Public Works department?

TERESA: Yes. As I mentioned, they add trees when they obtain grants from DTE – and that’s around 30-40 during that year. I’m not sure what the previous levels were.

MARK: What’s the status of Ypsi’s tree stock? Are we making any progress getting rid of invasive species? Is there a master forestry plan of some kind? Are there big niches that need to be filled?

TERESA: Well – more than half of the public trees are some sort of maple (55.2%) and more than half are in fair condition (59%). There is a need for more diversity and for more young trees, to even out the average age in the City. And, thanks to this grant, we do have a new forestry plan.

I’m assuming that, with reference to the invasive species, you’re thinking more about things like tree of heaven and buckthorn growing in the parks? DPS trims a lot of this back, but I don’t think we have a specific strategy for combating this now.

MARK: We’ve talked on the site before about the guerrilla grafting movement, and the possibility of planting more fruit trees in Ypsi, in hopes that doing so might make us a little more self-sufficient, and encourage some folks, who otherwise might not do so, to eat better. As several people noted, however, fruit trees take some care, as rotting fruit attracts rodents and the like. I’m curious to know where you stand on this.

TERESA: I do like the idea of more fruit and nut trees, but I have to admit that I have little experience with them. As street trees, we have to consider whether the fruit might cause a hazard on sidewalks (smashed fruit can be slick, or sticky, or potentially clog drains). In parks, depending on the size of the fruit and nuts, it could also cause some serious wear on mowers. I’m sure there is a way to balance these issues. There are some fruit-bearing trees in the recommended street tree list as part of the forestry plan – but they are more in line with service berries, than something like crabapples.

MARK: I think people all know that trees are important, as they make the heat of summer less dangerous, clean our air, etc, but I’m wondering if there’s any research that would indicate that trees positively impact economic development. Are you aware of such studies?

TERESA: There are lots of studies about the benefits of street trees for all the reasons you mention. The Arbor Day Foundation has a bit of a hodge-podge collection of facts and figures with sources. There are lots of studies related to energy-savings, increase in property values (even vacant lots with trees have been shown to improve property values of neighboring properties). I definitely consider this project to be about economic development. There is the value of curb appeal in selling/buying properties, in attracting people to neighborhoods and business districts, and in increasing property values. The nursery is a way to try to cheaply grow our own stock for replacement so that with any potential changes in staffing levels, we can still provide new stock, either by having volunteers/neighbors using stock to plant on their streets, or incorporating this into the future streets projects, where contractors can have stock ready as part of any road project, for instance.

MARK: What non-volunteer resources do we currently have to deal with street trees? I’m thinking specifically about overly-mature trees around town that have dead and dying limbs hanging precariously over sidewalks and streets. Do we have the resources to deal with them?

TERESA: Yes. DPS does keep a budget to maintain (prune) and remove dead and dying trees. This spring they were able to catch up a bit, which you may have noticed. Without the snow they were able to focus on tree removals and pruning in parks and along streets. I noticed a lot myself in Riverside Park along the steps and in Peninsular Park as well. The DPS group seems to be doing a good job overall – one of their main measures is the number of downed branches after storms, and lately it’s been fairly minimal, which is good.

MARK: I conducted an Ypsi Exit Interview late last year with a fellow by the name of Casey Dixon. During the interview, he mentioned that there was an “evil tree” somewhere in Ypsilanti. Are you aware of this tree’s existence?

TERESA: I know not of the evil tree. But would like to see you produce a zine about it.

If you’ve been at all inspired by this interview, there’s an Ypsi Tree Nursery work day is this Saturday, April 29, from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. The location is the old Gilbert Park, at the rear of the Water Street site. To get there, take South Park Street to the dead end, go over the curb, and follow the orange cones west along the river to the planting site. More information can be found on Facebook… Also, we’re in need of a handful of stewards, who can keep an eye on the nursery going forward, making sure that the trees grow straight, and that none of them turn evil. If you’re interested, just send me your contact information and I’ll pass it along to Teresa.

CityFARM wants to save the world by furthering the urban agriculture movement and improve our community by alleviating hunger in southeastern Michigan. We would like to start an organic urban farm in Ypsilanti, MI. We are very fortunate because the land was donated for the farm, but we need help with the transformation from lawn to urban farm. All the produce that is grown on the Adams Street FARM in Ypsilanti, MI will be donated to Food Gatherers–a non-profit organization that helps to feed the hungry in Washtenaw County. This urban farm will help fight hunger and improve the surrounding community.

Supplies needed for the transformation include a fence, raised beds, soil and compost, irrigation systems, water catchment, seeds/seedlings, and farming tools. The Adams Street FARM will be comprised of a series of raised beds that we will grow a variety of fruits and vegetables for fresh and local food donations.

I have a few questions concerning how much produce can realistically be grown in the yard of the home at the intersection of Adams and Pearl, and how exactly the money will be spent, but, generally speaking, I like the idea of more urban gardening, and I suspect that there’s enough need in our community to warrant the creation of another group supplementing the good work that’s already being done by the Ypsilanti non-profit Growing Hope. But I’m struggling a bit with the other side of the CityFARM equation, which is a for-profit entity, and how all of these pieces fit together. A friend reached out to them yesterday, with similar questions, and was told the following.

“The difference between our For-Profit model & Growing Hope’s Non-Profit is that our profits help our social mission: helping to alleviate hunger in Washtenaw County. For every raised bed you purchase we will install one of the same size at our Adams Street Farm (103 N. Adams, Ypsilanti) & donate the food grown there to Food Gatherers–a local NGO that works toward fighting hungry.”

As for the prices of building these raised bed gardens, my friend was told that installation costs would run anywhere from $700 to $3000 depending on garden size (smallest 6×10, largest 20×20).

I’m all for innovative business models, and I want to be supportive of this endeavor, but I don’t know that many people in S.E. Michigan have upward of a $1,000 to invest in the construction of a raised bed vegetable garden. And, to be honest, I’m struggling with how the dollars add up, especially when it looks as though a great deal of the work on Adams street is to be done by volunteers. (At least that’s my impression, based upon the request for unpaid interns they’ve posted on Craigslist.) So, if someone pays $1,000 for a raised bed garden at their home, I’m wondering, how much of that is going to the non-profit? Will the for-profit arm just drop off lumber and soil sufficient for the construction of an identical raised bed garden on Adams Street, or will they build it as well? And what happens when the space on Adams Street runs out?

With these questions in mind, I’ve reached out to Stewart Beal and Lauren Maloney, who is managing the endeavor for Beal, and asked them a few questions. Here’s our interview…

MARK:The price for a raised bed seems high. Clearly, the thought is that people will be willing to pay more, as they know that there’s this socially responsible angle, right? I mean, you’re hoping that people will buy into this idea that not only are they investing in their own garden, but they’re also building an identical garden for those without the resources…

LAUREN: I believe that are prices are not high. However, I understand that there may be a learning curve to educate people in buying something they have never bought before. We intentionally priced our services below what landscaping companies charge for landscaping in the area and our staff is significantly more educated in farming, gardening, and landscaping than the average company in the outdoor maintenance industry. For $32 per hour we offer an expert farmer designing, building, and maintaining your urban farm and gardens. Our price for urban farm packages includes everything you need to grow food for a season including compost/soil mix, mulch for pathways, organic fertilizer, NON-GMO seeds and organic seedlings, complete irrigation kits, garden hose, bamboo trellis, and tomato twine and stakes. This price also includes material delivery, ground rototilling, removal of weeds and grass, leveling the bed, forming the raised bed mounds, seed and seedling planting, irrigation setup and pathway mulching. Of course our packages are completely customizable, and I am happy to do a free at home consultation to create a plan that works for any vision or budget.

Yes we definitely want people to be attracted to CityFARM because of the socially responsible angle. However we aren’t charging more to support this at this time. We believe alleviating hunger is an extremely important issue in our community despite our urban farming business. Being a for-profit business is an excellent way to help contribute to our community. We have this social mission because we believe everyone should have access to healthy food. It makes sense to use our for-profit business to support our social mission. NGOs and non-profits are extremely important to creating positive change in our community. We are also trying to make a change and contribute to our community. Many businesses give donations to charitable organizations, we are doing the same through our social mission.

MARK: You mention Food Gatherers a few times in your materials. How did that relationship come about, and will they be helping to promote the initiative as well?

LAUREN: Food Gatherers is a great organization in our community that helps to fight hunger in Washtenaw County. We immediately thought of them when we started this project. I’ve been in contact them about the project and they are happy to receive our donations. They will help promote our business and social mission by make our fliers available to visitors at their warehouse. Once our Adams Street Farm is installed we hope to make weekly donations to Food Gatherers.

MARK: What happens if the Kickstarter campaign isn’t successful? So far, it looks as though you’ve raised about $200 toward your goal. Will this happen regardless?

LAUREN: Yes, Adams Street Farm is the backbone of our social mission and will happen regardless of the Kickstarter funding. If our funding is successful this will help us transform grass to food production much faster, and in turn this will allow us to donate more food sooner to Food Gatherers. Despite the Kickstarter, we hold true to our mission, a portion of our profits will go to building, growing, and maintaining a donation urban farm.

STEWART: I have been wanting to try out Kickstarter for quite some time. I am currently pursuing several internet based business ideas, specifically at least one having to do with “crowdsourcing” and am generally interested in these types of business. When we started CityFARM I realized that this might be a great way to try it out. Furthermore, Kickstarter is a great way to continue to promote the business through social media channels. For the overall success of the entire business, I think it is more important to have more backers in total instead of more money in total. More backers will encourage word of mouth advertising which is the back bone of every successful business.

MARK: Is there any concern that you might be stepping on the toes of Growing Hope, which works in a similar space, building community gardens, etc? Have you had discussions with them about how there might be synergies between your organizations?

STEWART: CityFARM and Growing Hope have similar missions in encouraging healthy living, urban agriculture, and improving our communities. I have personally donated money to Growing Hope and will continue to do so. However CityFARM is a fundamentally a contracting business which we hope will soon be operation in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Toledo, and Detroit. One of the first people I emailed about the business was (Growing Hope’s Director) Amanda Edmonds and I do look forward any possibility of collaboration.

LAUREN: I recently attended a workshop hosted by Growing Hope called Garden Planning. It was really informative and will help us moving forward. This was an event I paid for, and so it will certainly benefit both organizations.

MARK: Some could look at this and say, “This is Beal seeing a business opportunity, as more people move into the world of raised-bed, backyard gardening, and finding an emotional hook which will allow him to charge a premium.” And, others will no doubt say, “Here’s a guy who wants to provide healthy food for the needy, and he found a way to do it within the free market system, without relying, for the most part, on charity and grants.” Which would be closer to the truth?

LAUREN: Certainly the 2nd is most accurate. Our for-profit business helps to support our social mission and to further our social and environmental goals. CityFARM offers services to our clients that want to grow organic produce at home but do not have the knowledge or time. So, not only do our clients get our urban farming services, but they are helping others at the same time. This is a great bonus when using our services.

We believe that urban farms and especially the transformation of grass to food production have a great environmental benefit. Lawns, grass, and traditional landscaping are often sprayed with harmful chemical fertilizers and pesticides. We are a practicing organic company, which means we only use natural fertilizer like compost and fish emulsion for our raised beds and integrated pest management instead of harmful pesticides that kill “good” predator bugs. Biodiversity can be beneficial even on the backyard scale.

MARK: You mention that the Adams Farm will create jobs. Will those jobs be paid, and, if so, how many people do you anticipate hiring?

LAUREN: CityFARM, of which the Adams Street Farm is a small part, launched with me being the only full time employee. All employees are paid, and this week we hired 2 more employees who have interest and experience in urban farming. As the business grows we will hire as many employees as needed including adding Detroit based employees. The field of sustainable agriculture is growing and as more urban farms get set up we will need experienced farmers to work those jobs. We would like to expand throughout southeast Michigan and Detroit and will need expert farmers in many different locations. Detroit is known for their empty lots, which a great place to fill with food.

MARK: What will you be growing on the lot at Adams and Pearl, and do you have any estimates concerning the level of productivity that might be possible? Is this project, in other words, likely to yield enough produce to make a significant dent in the problem that we’re facing?

LAUREN: Our Adams Street Farm will grow a wide variety of vegetables. We hope to have over 2000 square feet in production this season. Even one garden bed can produce quite a bit of food and we hope to have more than 30 beds at Adams Street. We will grow tomatoes, eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, spinach, potatoes, arugula, peppers, cucumbers, peas, beans, beets, carrots, kale, collards, swiss chard, onions, melons, winter and summer squash, herbs, and more! All of our seed will be NON-GMO and we will also use heirloom seeds when available. We hope to make weekly donations to and any donation big or small can make a difference. As Food Gatherers says a $5 donation or 1 row in a garden can help provide food to those in need in our community.

MARK: Assuming the lot at Adams and Pearl fills up, what’s next? Do you have your eyes on other properties?

LAUREN: Beal Properties, LLC is happy to provide more open space for CityFARM if the Adams Street Farm fills up, because that means more food will donated to Food Gatherers. Beal Properties owns a very large lot at 812 River, Ypsilanti and owns a vacant lot at 711 Pearl, Ypsilanti that would make a great urban agriculture space. The great thing about urban farms are that they can be started on many different types and sizes of land: an open lot, a backyard or front yard, space next to a commercial building, a school yard, or even roof top.

Those interested in getting a quote from CityFARM, will find an online form here.