Farm to future: Farmers in Southwest Michigan host roundtable discussion on the future of farming in the area
BENTON HARBOR, Mich -- Farmers across Southwest Michigan met at Lake Michigan College Thursday afternoon for a panel discussion about the future of farming. They went into a deep dive on what's in the foods we eat and how to keep the business going for another 100 years.
The panel discussion featured five farmers; all committed to preserving the future of farming in this area.
However, it's hard to focus on the future of farming when Paula Camp of Carriage House Ciders, says farmers have taken a direct hit with the Strait of Hormuz being blocked. She says many of the chemicals used when farming comes from overseas.
"All of us, every individual, is dependent upon farms for their food. If the prices go up for things like fertilizers and other chemicals that are used in farming, they’re going to go up for us as consumers. It also points out how vulnerable we are with the current farming system to chemicals that come from very far away rather than say, using animal excrement as a fertilizer and a natural product to enrich our soils," Camp explained.
The discussion heavily focused on the use of chemicals and how to choose the cleanest option at the grocery store.
Paul Meuleman of Wild Coyote Organic Farm says buy organic.
"The key is identifying what actually is in that product. Does it have chemical residue on it? Does it have chemical residue within it or is it micro biologically diverse where it’s going to be benefiting your health? This is a choice as a consumer for you to make for yourself to identify food that’s going to be beneficial for you in the long-term as well as the short term," said Meuleman.
With unknown chemicals in the food and farmers paying the price of war, Camp shares how there can still be another generation of farmers to pass the baton to.
"Making conscious decisions about what you put in your body. Every individual, you can decide to buy organic food or not organic foods, they can decide to buy processed food or natural food. You can decide to buy an apple or you can decide to buy an apple pie," shared Camp.
"If we make individual decisions that say 'I'm going to put clean food that doesn’t have a lot of processing, that doesn’t have a lot of chemicals in it into my body' that decision by itself helps the small farmer help the individual that’s trying to create these clean foods and wean themselves off of chemicals.”
Many of the people in attendance said Thursday's discussion was just the first step in making sure that farms in Southwest Michigan can continue to thrive.