Looking Back

People choose to live a greener lifestyle in a myriad of ways. Perhaps you start recycling more, buy organic vegetables at the Farmer's Market, ride your bike instead of drive or carry reusable bags to the supermarket. Taking things further, some people become "flexitarians" (skipping meat once a week) or even vegetarians, purchase clothing made from organic fibers, buy everything locally-made and grow their own vegetable garden.

Even after you consider all these options, there is still so much to learn and try. Living close to the Earth and all her creatures is a lifelong occupation! After all, we're all part of the interdependent web of life and we need to do our best to get along together.

One major source of inspiration for how to live in the future can be looking back at the past. How did our human ancestors, no matter when or where they lived, meet their daily needs? You don't have to look too far back before you find that almost everything people used for survival was local and all of it was  organic - there weren't any other options! 

Over the next month, we'll turn back the clock and let the past inspire us. How did people once survive and thrive on the land that is now Chippewa Nature Center? After all, people have lived here for about 10,000 years - there's bound to be something we can learn!

Breakfast on the Farm in Shepherd (and it's FREE!)

Breakfast on the Farm is a family-oriented program that welcomes neighbors and area residents to enjoy a complimentary pancake breakfast along with a self-guided tour of a family-owned farm that includes visits to various educational stations and opportunities to ask questions of local farmers. The July 24 breakfast and farm tour takes place rain or shine from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (breakfast served from 9 a.m. to noon) at the Joe and Beth Bryant family farm near Shepherd.

The self-guided tour of the Bryants’ beef and cash crop farm will feature a variety of educational stations and interactive activities including a baby farm animal petting area and a maple syrup-making demonstration where people can see firsthand how maple tree sap is cooked into real maple syrup. Attendees of all ages will be eager to stand alongside and climb aboard modern-day farm equipment as well as to pet and feed baby farm animals, take a tractor and wagon ride, and touch and smell the feeds that animals eat.

There is no cost to attend the event or take the tour, but tickets are required for the free breakfast. Free tickets can be obtained from the following locations: Family, Farm and Home, Alma; Siler’s Market, Breckenridge; Johnston Elevator, Clare; Napa Auto Parts, Ithaca; Midland County MSU Extension Office, Tractor Supply Co. and West Midland Family Center, Midland; Animal Health Associates, Chamber of Commerce, First Bank, the Isabella County MSU Extension Office, Papa’s Pumpkin Patch, the Soil Conservation District and Tractor Supply Co., Mt. Pleasant; First Bank, Remus; Baders, Rosebush and St. Louis; First Bank and Shepherd IGA, Shepherd; Wincell Cellular Corporation and Winn Telephone Co., Winn; and all locations of Brown Milling, Inc.

The Isabella County Breakfast on the Farm is organized by the Isabella County MSU Extension Office and the Isabella County Michigan Farm Bureau.

To get more information about Breakfast on the Farm or to reserve tickets, contact Jayme Martin at 989-772-0911, ext. 302 or marti879@msu.edu.

How much space do you really need?

How Much Land Does It Take to Feed a Bee Colony? More Than You Think

It's a classic image of summer - busy bees buzzing in the bushes (sorry, I couldn't resist!) But what's really going on when a hive of honeybees take to the air in search of food? How much do bees eat? What flowers do they prefer? And how might their food choices relate to Colony Collapse Disorder of which we've heard so much in recent years?

Kim Flottum, of thedailygreen looks at these questions and more in her blog essay: How Much Land Does It Take to Feed a Bee Colony? More Than You Think. Check it out and next time you see those bees on your bushes or reach for that bottle of honey in the supermarket you'll have a new appreciation for all their hard work!