The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
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Growing local
Shopping at area farmers' markets is 'taking root'
By Edward Freundl, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: June 5, 2008
Choose your own metaphor: "taking root," "growing like a weed," "sprouting" -- the increasing demand from consumers for more locally grown foods can only help local farmers.
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"The 'support your local merchants and farmers' movement is really taking root," said Chelsea Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bob Pierce.
Schools, restaurants, grocers and other institutional services are receiving increased requests to use food from local farms to meet consumer needs.
According to Michigan State University Extension-Washtenaw County, a smaller percentage of food dollars is spent on transportation costs when food is sourced from nearby farms, and purchasing from local farms strengthens regional economies.
Consumers often prefer food products that can be traced back to local fields, and small and mid-sized farm businesses have received price premiums by selling directly to consumers through local businesses.
In Southeast Michigan, the Food System Economic Partnership is a five-county initiative which provides research, education and outreach resulting in agricultural development opportunities, sustainable communities, and healthy local economies.
MSU Extension works through FSEP to help entrepreneurs develop plans for new farm-related businesses, and to assist entrepreneurs in launching new or expanded ventures.
Mike Score, MSU Extension Agricultural Agent and Regional Agricultural Innovation counselor, has been working with local farmers, non-farm businesses and consumers to increase farm profitability and improve consumer access to local farm goods.
"The lack of distribution businesses which operate efficiently and effectively to place local farm goods in our regional marketplace has been a bottleneck to broader food system economic development," Score said.
He realizes that farmers will continue to sell through traditional marketing channels.
"This new distribution business is not designed to replace farm markets, roadside stands or other sales opportunities," Score said.
"It does present an opportunity to diversify marketing strategies of regional farm businesses and increase the amount of food sold by local farms into Southeast Michigan communities."
Score said there has been a fair amount of interest in the FSEP Web site, fsepmichigan.org, which utilizes new software developed at MSU, "Market Maker."
"It is a Michigan version of online directory other states have used to help farmers find consumers for those products," Score said.
Consumers and institutional buyers can use Market Maker for finding sources in Washtenaw, Jackson, Lenawee, Monroe and Wayne counties.
About 70 different producers are listed in Washtenaw County itself, and groups can be sorted by age, income and education level.
Score said Superior Foods, a large food distribution company near Grand Rapids with 2006 gross sales of $156 million, is interested in setting up an enterprise that focuses on organic produce to improve access to Michigan organic produce in the marketplace.
"They would like to open up a warehouse in Ann Arbor where farmers could deliver goods and it could be sorted, grocery stores and other institutional buyers could buy from them," Score said.
"I worked with a group of farmers, distributors and retailers last year to set up a business plan. When we completed it, we found that for the scale of business to be feasible we could not set up a profitable operation at this point.
"(Superior) already has a large operation that will absorb some of the overhead."
About 35 members of the group attended a meeting in December from the Ann Arbor area, Manchester, Ypsilanti, Lenawee County, Monroe County and Lansing, Score said
"The demand for local food is extremely high, but the challenge is overcoming the overhead costs," he said.
It's one of the most important economic development projects related to the food system in Southeast Michigan, Score said.
"Every institutional buyer is getting more pressure from consumers," he said.
The way it is now it's very inefficient. There needs to be some local collection point for local food, and if this business falls into place it will fill the gap."
Local growers speak up
Mike and Kathy Fusilier have a greenhouse and farm operation near Manchester that primarily produces bedding plants, vegetables and traditional field crops.
Although the demand is there from consumers, retail establishments are still lagging behind in supply.
"We've never yet seen a Michigan tomato in the stores in the summer," Kathy Fusilier said.
"I know people who grow for wholesale, but you don't see their stuff in the stores."
The Fusiliers grow literally "tons of stuff" on about 200 acres.
"Different types of lettuce and spinach, onions, eggplant, peppers, melons, beets, green beans, radishes, and we just added raspberries this year," she said.
"And we're trying to figure out how to grow carrots on a large scale."
They also have chickens for a ready supply of fresh eggs, and grow and sell annuals and perennials.
The majority of their produce can be found at about a dozen farmers markets a week, keeping the couple and their children busy throughout the big market rush of May through October.
Still, "it's better than it was, when we had hogs and corn," Fusilier said.
The couple started the greenhouse in 1996, and business has improved every year for one simple reason.
"We try to grow what the customer wants," she said.
Mike DuRussell is one of the owners of DuRussell Potato Farms, which grows not only potatoes but about 20 different crops like vegetables and grains on almost 2,000 acres near Manchester.
The family-run business has been selling to grocery chains like Spartan and Meijer for more than 10 years, and is a select supplier for the Campbell's Soup Co.
DuRussel said he is seeing a definite corporate shift toward the "buy local" side of the field.
"They are changing their ad policy so that people are aware that the produce is local," DuRussell said.
"The grocery stores now request that we label things with point of origin."
The Ypsilanti Food Co-op has made buying local a key component of the business since day one.
"We've been in business for 33 years, and we get as much as we can get locally," said manager Corinne Sikorsky.
"Customers request locally grown produce and we've always done that.
"For us, it's not a fad. It's been going on for a long time."
The co-op even features local vendors every month or two in its newsletter for members, Sikorsky said.
The majority of the items the co-op carries come from either local or regional suppliers.
Shoppers can find Michigan beans and flour, some in bulk and some in packages; local beer and wine, local poultry and eggs, pasta, corn chips, bread, honey, even hand-made soap and shampoo.
"I supply rhubarb when I have extra, and we get some from neighbors like that," Sikorsky said.
The co-op even gets some of its stock from an unusual local source.
"We also shop the Ypsilanti Farmers' Market on Tuesdays and Saturdays," Sikorsky said.
And much like a farmers market, the co-op's selection varies seasonally.
"Right now, there's not as much as there will be in August and September," Sikorsky said.
"Almost 100 percent of our lettuce, spinach and other greens will be local."
That availability brings up another issue of buying local: Michigan's climate isn't exactly what you'd consider optimal for year-round growing and harvesting.
"It's a lot of work and expense to prolong the growing season year-round," Sikorsky said.
Just as important as coming from a local source, Sikorsky said, is the quality of locally grown or manufactured products.
"There is a market — if high-quality products are available, people will buy them," Sikorsky said.
"People are choosing them because they're good products, not just because they're local."
Nancy Thelen, Washtenaw County MSU Extension director, agreed that availability of local products is a concern that needs to be addressed.
"One of the biggest problems is to have enough supply for the entire year," Thelen said.
"From my perspective, it takes extra work to sell to Meijer and other large retailers, but it's certainly been profitable because the interest in buying local food continues to increase," she said.
"There have been oodles of interest, but the problem is just trying to get everybody together."
Edward Freundl is a reporter for Heritage Newspapers. He can be reached at 475-1371 or efreundl@heritage.com.
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