Story by Maddy Baroli
The evening of the Misty Acres Pasture Walk was as gorgeous as autumn gets. As I pulled up to a rolling pasture dotted with stoic cattle and lined with glowing trees in all shades of yellow and red, I was impressed by the size of the crowd that had come to learn about this operation. The Misty Acres Farm is not your average cattle ranch; it is located just outside of Benzonia, Michigan on a nature preserve owned and managed by the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy which operates it as an experiment in raising high-quality grass-fed beef.
The Northwest Michigan Food and Farming Network (FFN) yesterday announced eight mini seed grants to organizations in the local food system. FFN’s partners at the Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities and the Northsky Nonprofit Network provided funds for this program via Networks Northwest, the Regional Prosperity Initiative, and Rotary Charities. 
Northwest Michigan Food and Farming Network (FFN) Business Meeting
Here is Sharron May’s Lakes to Land Regional Initiative: Farm and Food System Assessment 
Sarah Lucas, Networks Northwest Regional Planning Department Manager, 
Sharron May, Lakes to Land Regional Initiative, 
Northwest Michigan Food and Farming Network (FFN) Business Meeting
The Food and Farming Network held its January business meeting at the GT Foodshed Alliance/TLD offices on Wednesday January 20th, 2016. Minutes from the meeting and a full video as recorded from our ZOOM video conferencing system can be found below. 
INTRODUCTIONS: Brian Bourdages, Mark Coe, Stephanie Cumper, Carol Danly, Sarah Eichberger, Sharron May, Steve Nance, Bill Palladino, Tricia Phelps, Heather Ratliff, Amber Ressl, Scott Smith, Mikaela Taylor, Kris Thomas, Wendy Weiland
If you’re reading this blog, you probably already have an understanding of some of the
Northwest Michigan Food & Farming Network 