Organic farms seek workers

By MIRIAM MOELLER, Journal Staff Writer
MARQUETTE — Brigitte Brown of Marquette likes to know where the food she eats comes from.


That’s why she attended Monday night’s Farm Intern and Volunteer Fair at Northern Michigan University. The event was sponsored by the Marquette Food Co-op and the NMU Sustainable Agriculture Club.


“Learning where your food comes from is important,” said Brown, a NMU sophomore. “If more people would support local farms, then it would help out the community live a healthier lifestyle.”


Brown and the other 15 or so people who attended the fair listened to presentations by representatives of five farms in the Skandia and Trenary areas, learning about internship and volunteer opportunities.


“I’m trying to get into nutrition and dietetics,” Brown said, adding that she is planning on volunteering at one of the farms this summer.


David and Erika Schaefer of Lake Runner Farm in Trenary said it is nice to have volunteers come out to their farm.


“It’s also important to teach people what we’re doing,” Erika Schaefer said.


“We like to connect with people who are interested in what we’re doing,” David Schaefer said.


The Schaefers mainly raise chickens naturally, but they also produce natural yarn, goat’s milk, eggs and holiday turkeys. Last year the farm sold 350 chickens, they said.


“We take good care of our animals,” Erika Schaefer said, adding that the chickens grow up in pens pulled by tractors that are moved to a new spot on the field every day.


The animals are fed local grains and organic minerals.


“It just makes them healthier and the meat has a lot more flavor,” she said.


Jeff Chiodi, 34, of Seeds and Spores Family Farm in Chocolay Township was also at the fair, telling to the mostly student audience the story of how he got interested in natural farming.


“I came to a discussion group just like this,” he said, adding that an initial volunteer position on a farm led him to a full-time position and eventually to becoming part owner of Seeds and Spores.


“What we try to focus on is community supported agriculture,” he said.


Chiodi said supporters buy a share of vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, flowers or pasture raised eggs for the season.


“The individuals know where their food is coming from,” he said. “And we have their commitment of financial support.”


The farm is looking for two interns who would receive compensation and free room and board for their work.


“Things we offer for you to learn are to understand how plants are grown from seed and you get to see how a small family business is run,” he said.


Chiodi said not many people grow up on farms anymore — including himself — and have the opportunity to learn what it takes to be a farmer. Therefore, volunteer positions such as the ones offered at the fair are important, he said.


Dancing Crane Farm’s Natasha and David Gill are looking for four or five interns for their farm.


“We primarily focus on vegetables and flowers but we also offer classes and workshops,” Natasha Gill said. “If you’re interested in how to cook, weed, run our market stand, harvest ... you’ll learn all this.”


Gill added that it is a rewarding experience for her to grow the food she consumes.


“There is something very exciting about planting a seed and watching it grow,” she said.


Representatives of Catnip Creek Greenhouse and Hyer Farm of Skandia also attended the fair.