August 2022

August 2022: National Farmers Market Week

Selector: Clayton Hayes

After being missing from our lives for the past few years, I wanted to celebrate the return of Wayne State's Farmers Market with our Subject of the Month for August! And did you know that August 7-13 is National Farmers Market Week in the United States? NFMW is usually the first full week of August, and is not a standing observance but is established in a yearly proclamation by the Secretary of Agriculture.

Farmers Markets are not only a great way to find local produce, but also represent an entry point for newer farmers. Since 2008, Wayne State's own Farmers Market has been connecting students, staff, faculty, and the broader community to local and regional growers and makers. For 2022, the Market is open every Wednesday from 10am to 3pm from June 1st - October 26th.

Photo by mrdonduck on Flickr under a CC BY 2.0 license

Websites, August 2022

Databases, August 2022

AGRICOLA This link opens in a new window
Accesses the National Agricultural Library's Online Public Access Catalog and Journal Article Citation Index (AGRICOLA).
GreenFILE This link opens in a new window
GreenFILE offers well-researched information covering all aspects of human impact to the environment. Its collection of scholarly, government and general-interest titles includes content on global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, and more. The database provides indexing and abstracts for more than 384,000 records, as well as Open Access full text for more than 4,700 records.

Wayne State Farmers Market

Photo by the Michigan Municipal League on Flickr using a CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license

The WSU Farmers Market is a joint effort of the Center for Health and Community Impact and the Office of Campus Sustainability.

Materials from the Library of Congress

Barbara James Norman interview conducted by Anna-Lisa Cox
Interview with Barbara Norman about her experiences growing up on and working a multigenerational Black farm in Michigan. She also describes her efforts setting up local farmers to support the government's fresh fruit and vegetable programs and creating a farmers' market.
Bonnie Archer interview conducted by Kim D. Stryker
Discussion with Bonnie Archer of Zephaniah Farm and Winery in Leesburg, Virginia. A former teacher and IT specialist, Archer discusses history of the farm, her family, and the joys of winemaking and farming.
Farmers Market images in the Library of Congress Digital Collections

eBooks, August 2022

Detroit's Eastern Market by Lois Johnson; Margaret Thomas; Bruce Harkness
Call Number: [ebook]
Publication Date: 2016
Since 1887, Detroit's Eastern Market, the largest open-air market of its kind in the United States, has been home to an amazing community of farmers, merchants, and food lovers. Specialty shops, bakeries, spice companies, meat and poultry markets, restaurants, jazz cafés, old-time saloons, produce firms, gourmet shops, and cold storage warehouses cover Eastern Market's three square miles. Its many streets and vendors reflect the varied cultures and ethnicities that have shaped the city of Detroit.
One Size Fits None: A Farm Girl's Search for the Promise of Regenerative Agriculture by Stephanie Anderson
Call Number: [ebook]
Publication Date: 2019
"Sustainable" has long been the rallying cry of agricultural progressives; given that much of our nation's farm and ranch land is already degraded, however, sustainable agriculture often means maintaining a less-than-ideal status quo. Industrial agriculture has also co-opted the term for marketing purposes without implementing better practices. Stephanie Anderson argues that in order to provide nutrient-rich food and fight climate change, we need to move beyond sustainable to regenerative agriculture, a practice that is highly tailored to local environments and renews resources.
Cities of Farmers by Julie C. Dawson, Alfonso Morales (Editors)
Call Number: [ebook]
Publication Date: 2016
Full-scale food production in cities: is it an impossibility? Or is it a panacea for all that ails urban communities? Today, it's a reality, but many people still don't know how much of an impact this emerging food system is having on cities and their residents. This book showcases the work of the farmers, activists, urban planners, and city officials in the United States and Canada who are advancing food production.
Farmers' Markets of the Heartland by Janine MacLachlan
Call Number: [ebook]
Publication Date: 2012
In this splendidly illustrated book, food writer and self-described farm groupie Janine MacLachlan embarks on a tour of seasonal markets and farmstands throughout the Midwest, sampling local flavors from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
Selling Local: Why Local Food Movements Matter by Jennifer Meta Robinson; James Robert Farmer
Call Number: [ebook]
Publication Date: 2017
In an era bustling with international trade and people on the move, why has local food become increasingly important? How does a community benefit from growing and buying its own produce, rather than eating food sown and harvested by outsiders? Selling Local is an indispensable guide to community-based food movements, showcasing the broad appeal and impact of farmers' markets, community supported agriculture programs, and food hubs, which combine produce from small farms into quantities large enough for institutions like schools and restaurants.
Making Local Food Work: The Challenges and Opportunities of Today's Small Farmers by Brandi Janssen
Call Number: [ebook]
Publication Date: 2017
When it comes to local food, it takes more than "knowing your farmer." Brandi Janssen takes on some of the myths about how the local food system works and what it needs to thrive. Advocates claim that small biodiverse farms will fundamentally change farming, rural communities, and the American diet. For many, simply by knowing our farmers we become champions of a new way of eating that revolutionizes our economy and society. But that argument ignores the fact that if local food is to succeed, it requires many of the trappings of conventional food production, including processors, middle men, inspectors, and regulators.