Selma Cafe now holds its monthly breakfast fundraisers in the common house dining room at Sunward Cohousing in Scio Township. (Photo courtesy of Lisa Gottlieb.)

According to co-founder Lisa Gottlieb, the IRS approval of Selma’s 501(c)3 application came late last week. Artrain, an Ann Arbor nonprofit that took on fiscal sponsorship of the cafe in early June, will transfer about $43,000 in cash assets back to a Selma Cafe account at University Bank as soon as a new account is set up. That’s likely to happen later this week, Gottlieb wrote in an email to The Chronicle. Artrain will take a 5% fee for their fiscal support in the transition to Selma’s 501(c)3 status.

Selma Cafe began as a weekly breakfast salon in 2009, held on Friday mornings at the home of Gottlieb and Jeff McCabe in Ann Arbor’s Eberwhite neighborhood. Operations were suspended in mid-April of 2013, after the city notified the group that the breakfasts were violating local zoning ordinances. At roughly the same time, Selma’s previous fiscal sponsor – the nonprofit Food System Economic Partnership (FSEP) – froze funds it held on behalf of Selma Cafe, citing violations of a memorandum of understanding between the two entities. FSEP set a May 31 deadline for organizers to find a new fiscal sponsor, or receive a 501(c)3 nonprofit designation from the IRS. Artrain agreed to take on the sponsorship responsibilities, and the IRS expedited Selma’s application for nonprofit status.

The volunteer-supported fundraising breakfasts resumed in June at a new location – in the common house dining room at Sunward Cohousing, 424 Little Lake Drive. The cohousing community is located off of Jackson Road, west of Ann Arbor in Scio Township. The events shifted to a Saturday brunch, and are being held on a less regular basis. A second breakfast was held on Aug. 3, and others are set for Sept. 14, Oct. 12, Nov. 9, Dec. 14, and Jan. 11. All brunches run from 9 a.m. until noon, with suggested donations of $12-$15.

Of the transition, Gottlieb wrote in an email: “The Sunward Cohousing community has been extremely warm and welcoming, and many of the cohousing residents have been volunteering, which is generous of them and really fun. Selma Cafe guests and volunteers are sharing that they love the new digs. It’s a beautiful setting, with a great kitchen and spacious dining room. The first two breakfast events there were successful and everyone had a great time. Everyone is happy that Selma Cafe didn’t miss a beat in getting things going again.”

Selma’s nonprofit board members are Susie Baity, Kyoko Yamamoto, Nathan Lada, Nick Roumel and Jeff McCabe, with Gottlieb serving as board president and operations/general manager. Gottlieb stated that the board is reviewing projects and events it might pursue, in light of its new independence as a nonprofit.

She also addressed previous concerns that had been raised regarding a possible conflict of interest by McCabe. He owns Nifty Hoops, a business that sells kits to make hoop houses to extend the growing season. “Selma Cafe hasn’t purchased any kits from Jeff, ever, and does not intend to do so,” Gottlieb wrote in an email. “All the hoop houses Selma loaned farmers money to purchase happened before Jeff started Nifty Hoops.” Kits that were purchased using Selma loans were bought from a hoop house company in Ohio, she stated.

For additional background, see Chronicle coverage: “Selma Cafe Finds New Fiscal Sponsor: Artrain” and “City Notifies Selma Cafe of Zoning Violation.”

Greenbelt advisory commission chair Jennifer S. Hall, left, talks with Peg Kohring of The Conservation Fund prior to GAC's Dec. 8 meeting. (Photos by the writer.)

Staff gave an overview of agricultural production statewide and in Washtenaw County, with the goal of providing some context as commissioners consider how to support local farmland within the greenbelt. It’s an issue that’s emerged frequently at previous GAC meetings, and one that the commission’s chair, Jennifer S. Hall, said they’ll be continuing to address in the coming months.

Farmland also played a role in reaching a milestone announced later in the meeting: With the recent acquisition of development rights for the Ledwidge Farm in Webster Township, the greenbelt program has completed its first 1,000-acre block of protected open space. The news prompted a round of applause from commissioners.

Agriculture in Michigan, Washtenaw County

Ann Arbor’s greenbelt program, which voters approved in 2003, is funded through a 30-year Open Space and Parkland Preservation millage and allows the city to buy developments rights for property within a specified boundary surrounding the city. [.pdf of greenbelt map]

The greenbelt has included farmland from the start, but because federal matching dollars are available only for larger farms, those have been given priority. Over the past year or so, the greenbelt advisory commission – which oversees the program and provides recommendations to city council about which properties to protect – has been discussing ways to support small farms as well. Part of those conversations have focused on the definition of “local” food, and on the issue of the greenbelt’s role in ensuring a sustainable local food network. [See Chronicle coverage: "Greenbelt: How Best to Support Small Farms?" and "Leveling the Field for Small Farms"]

Within this context, Ginny Trocchio and Peg Kohring of The Conservation Fund – which has a contract with the city to provide staff support for the greenbelt program – gave a presentation on Wednesday with data on agriculture in Michigan and Washtenaw County.

Agriculture is the state’s No. 2 industry, Kohring noted. There are about 56,000 farm parcels statewide, covering over 10 million acres. Agricultural products account for $5.7 billion in sales statewide, with $3.3 million billion of that coming from crops and the remainder from livestock.

The state’s southeast district – which includes Washtenaw, Wayne, Genesee, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland and St. Clair counties – is No. 1 in the state for whole food (foods that are unprocessed or unrefined), dairy and meat processing, as well as organic farming, the amount of acres producing tomatoes, and the value of direct-to-consumer sales.

Yet the district ranks low on the local food production index, a measure developed by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. The index looks at the quality and diversity of a region’s agricultural production. The southeast district has a 7 out of a possible 100, Trocchio reported. Washtenaw County has a 9, and Michigan’s index is 30.

There are 1,300 farms in Washtenaw County, covering 166,881 acres, Trocchio said. The average farm size is 128 acres, based on 2007 census data – the most recent available. Crop sales account for 75% of the market value of agricultural products in the county – or $54.84 million. Livestock sales are valued at $18.35 million. [.pdf of Washtenaw County agricultural profile]

Greenbelt commissioners Catherine Riseng, left, and Tom Bloomer. Bloomer owns Bur Oaks Farm in Webster Township, where the greenbelt recently reached its goal of protecting a 1,000-acre block of open space. Bloomer's farm makes Rabble Roasters, a dry-roasted soybean snack, and Bur Oaks gourmet popcorn.

Tom Bloomer, a greenbelt commissioner who owns Bur Oaks Farm in Webster Township, clarified that there are actually far fewer farm businesses – the 1,300 figure represents farmland holdings, he said, and some farm businesses include multiple parcels.

The census reports that the largest portion of Washtenaw County farms – 599 – are 10 to 49 acres. There are 372 farms between 50-179 acres each. Only 27 farms are over 1,000 acres, according to the census. The main crops produced in the county are corn for grain farms, soybeans and wheat for grain.

The census reports that there are 1,984 farm operators in Washtenaw County, but that figure includes much smaller growers, such as backyard gardens that sell produce at local farmers markets or roadside stands, for example. Demographic data showed that the majority of those operators – 1,903 – are white. There are 248 farms with a woman as the principal operator.

Trocchio also provided information about where farms protected by the greenbelt program are selling their agricultural products. Farthest afield are non-GMO (genetically modified organism) beans shipped to Japan and countries in Europe. Corn is sold throughout Michigan for ethanol plants, and corn, wheat and soybeans are sold to ADM and Michigan Agricultural Commodities. Food that’s sold in Washtenaw County includes hay for horses, maple syrup, lamb, beef, farmstand vegetables, popcorn and wool, among other things.

Agriculture in Michigan, Washtenaw County: Commissioner Comments

Peter Allen said he keeps seeing references to Michigan being No. 2, behind California, in agriculture. In what way does Michigan rank second, he wondered.

Peter Allen, left, talks with Dan Ezekiel before the start of the Dec. 8 meeting of the Ann Arbor greenbelt advisory commission. Both serve on the commission. Allen is a local developer, while Ezekiel – the commission's vice chair – is a science teacher at Forsythe Middle School.

Tom Bloomer, a farmer from Webster Township, replied that Michigan is second in diversity of products. Allen then asked what the state’s top five crops are. By value, Bloomer said, the top five would include dairy – assuming you consider that a crop – as well as corn and beans. In aggregate, fruit might be on the list, he said – apples and cherries would certainly be high. Kohring said she’d follow up by getting that data from government agriculture sources.

Bloomer noted that Michigan tops all states in the production of certain crops, including blueberries, tart cherries and navy beans. “We grow a lot of different things in large quantities,” he said.

Jennifer S. Hall thanked Trocchio and Kohring for their presentation, saying it was helpful in terms of terms of contemplating what it means for food to be local, and how that relates to the greenbelt. She noted that although the report doesn’t quantify the amount of food generated by greenbelt-protected farms, it does indicate the diversity of products produced here.

The commission started talking about local food production in terms of small farms, Hall said, but that seems limiting. The report is helpful in thinking about what their priorities should be, she added, and to gauge what the greenbelt program is accomplishing.

Kohring wrapped up the presentation by noting that when they talked with farmers, most indicated that they sell their products in whatever market will yield the highest price. That made the very dynamic nature of the market hit home, she said.

Greenbelt Property: Acquisitions, Grants

During her staff report, Trocchio told commissioners that with the recent closing of the deal to buy development rights from Ledwidge Farm in Webster Township, the greenbelt program had completed its first 1,000-acre block of protected land – one of the program’s stated goals. The news was met with a round of applause from commissioners.

By way of background, at its Nov. 15, 2010 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council had approved up to $179,025 for the Ledwidge purchase of development rights (PDR). The resolution noted that the farm’s owner, Norman Ledwidge, contributed 10% of the $468,039 appraised value of the deal, while $182,535 of the PDR cost was covered by a federal Farm and Ranchland Protection Program (FRPP) grant awarded to Webster Township. The township has its own millage-funded land preservation program, and contributed $59,676 to the deal.

Ledwidge Farm is located at the northwest corner of Joy and Zeeb roads, adjacent to two other protected farms. The greenbelt PDR protects 65.17 acres of the farm.

Trocchio noted that on the same day as the Ledwidge closing, Webster Township closed on two additional properties: (1) 78.41 acres on Mast Farm, at the southeast corner of Mast and Gregory roads; and (2) 76.63 acres on Sullivan Farm, on the west side of Mast Road north of Gregory Road. The city’s greenbelt program did not participate in those deals.

Trocchio said the greenbelt program is gearing up for other closings before year’s end, including two more in Webster Township and one in Northfield Township. In addition, Ann Arbor Township expects to close on two properties before the end of the year, she said – that township also has a land preservation program.

Earlier this year, the Ann Arbor city council approved three other greenbelt agreements that are in the works. In addition to the Ledwidge Farm PDR, at its Nov. 15 meeting the council approved $182,939 for the Bradley D. and Mary J. Clark Farm, also in Webster Township. The 33.7-acre farm is located on Farrell Road, adjacent to the Webster Church property that was protected by the greenbelt program in 2009. In this deal, the owners are contributing 20% of the $174,000 appraised value. The farm is too small to qualify for federal grants. (Closing, due diligence and endowment costs are part of the deal, coming to a total of $43,739.)

Also on Nov. 15, the council approved $145,154.50 for the 74.17-acre Edward C. and Muriel Pardon Farm in Ann Arbor Township. The farm’s appraised value is $556,783. The township is contributing $141,979.50, with another $272,824 coming from an FRPP grant.

And on Dec. 6, the council approved a participation agreement with Webster Township regarding the 146.1-acre Gilbert L. Whitney Farm, located at Webster Church and Farrell roads in Webster Township. The council had committed $1,125,592 toward the PDR at its July 6, 2010 meeting, with $418,470 of that to be reimbursed by a FRPP grant. The Dec. 6 agreement relates to a $50,000 contribution toward the project by Webster Township.

Greenbelt Property: FRPP Grants

At Wednesday’s meeting, Trocchio announced that the deadline for applying to the next cycle of federal Farm and Ranchland Protection Program (FRPP) grants is mid-February. Usually the deadline falls later in the year, she said, so the earlier date caught them by surprise. She said she and Kohring would be talking with commissioners and city councilmembers about applications for those grants in the coming weeks.

Dan Ezekiel pointed out that given the stepped-up date, they’d be looking for nominations for potential acquisitions as soon as possible.

As is typical for the greenbelt commission meetings, the group later went into a closed session to discuss land acquisitions. When they emerged, they voted on two resolutions related to FRPP grants – both were unanimously approved.

The first resolution recommended that the city council approve applying for FRPP grants on four potential greenbelt properties. The properties were identified only by application number – the properties aren’t revealed until they are voted on by the council.

The second resolution directed staff to move forward on appraisals needed for FRPP applications, allocating up to $20,000 for that purpose, pending approval of the commission’s executive committee, and with an end date of February 2011.

Present: Peter Allen, Tom Bloomer, Dan Ezekiel, Jennifer S. Hall, Carsten Hohnke, Gil Omenn, Catherine Riseng, Laura Rubin

Absent: Mike Garfield

Next meeting: Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011 at 4:30 p.m. at the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners boardroom, 220 N. Main, Ann Arbor. [confirm date]

Lisa Gottlieb, organizer of the Selma Cafe, made a presentation with her husband, Jeff McCabe, at the Nov. 10 meeting of the Ann Arbor greenbelt advisory commission. (Photos by the writer.)

Noting that this was the second time they’d looked at the issue, GAC chair Jennifer S. Hall suggested exploring other ways that the greenbelt program might achieve the same result, but that wouldn’t involve regularly moving the program’s fixed boundary.

Another theme of the meeting was local food. Two local food advocates – Lisa Gottlieb and Jeff McCabe – gave a presentation about their work raising money to fund construction of hoop houses at local farms. Gottlieb and McCabe host the weekly Selma Cafe, a breakfast gathering every Friday morning at their home that regularly draws more than 120 people. Commissioner Dan Ezekiel praised their work, and GAC chair Jennifer S. Hall expressed the hope that they could find ways to work together in the future.

Also during Wednesday’s meeting, commissioners voted to recommend an agreement with Webster Township, which is offering to contribute $50,000 to the purchase of development rights for the 146-acre Whitney farm. The city council has already agreed to pay $707,122 toward that purchase.

Greenbelt program manager Ginny Trocchio reported that the city has closed on the 51-acre Gould property, adjacent to the recently protected 286-acre Braun farm – both farms are located in Ann Arbor Township. The Braun acquisition bumped the greenbelt program over the 2,000-acre mark, she said – about 2,200 acres are now part of the greenbelt. The Brauns have agreed to open their property for a celebration in the coming months.

In other action, GAC voted unanimously to set public commentary rules in alignment with other city boards and commissions. And Hall noted that two vacancies will be opening up next year on GAC – she encouraged local residents who might be interested in serving on the commission to attend some of their meetings, or talk to their city councilmember about their interest.

The commission also got an update from city treasurer Matt Horning, who was responding to questions that commissioners had raised regarding a drop in investment income on the latest year-end financial statement.

GAC Financial Report: Coda

At the commission’s Sept. 8, 2010 meeting, Kelli Martin, financial manager for the city’s community services unit, gave an update on the greenbelt program’s unaudited financials for FY 2010, from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. Some commissioners questioned a sharp drop in investment income – from $815,261 last year to $130,011 in FY 2010 – and Martin agreed to ask the city treasurer, Matt Horning, to give a more detailed explanation of that decrease.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Horning began by giving a description of how the greenbelt monies are handled within the city budget. There are two funds: Fund 24, which includes revenue generated by the Open Space and Parkland Preservation millage; and Fund 29, which was set up for bond proceeds. [In FY 2006, the city took out a $20 million bond that’s being paid back with revenue from the millage. At the end of FY 2010, the remainder of the bond monies was $2.952 million.]

The bond proceeds (Fund 29) were invested separately from the city’s general operating portfolio, which pools money from various city sources to make investments. Separate investment decisions were made for the bond proceeds based on projected cash flow needs, Horning said, knowing that the city would be using the money for greenbelt purchases. There was a certain amount of guessing involved, he said, though they had targets for how much they thought they’d need for greenbelt acquisitions, and when those deals might flow. Every greenbelt purchase to date has been paid for out of the bond proceeds.

As the city has made greenbelt acquisitions, the bond fund has decreased, Horning said, so that by now, it’s approaching zero. [This includes purchases that have been earmarked from the $2.952 million, but not yet spent.] The intent is to merge the two funds, and close Fund 29. He noted that some confusion might have stemmed from the fact that the financial report given to commissioners consolidated the two funds, for reporting purposes.

When the two funds merge, Horning expects there will be $17.6 million in the combined fund balance. Additionally, he said there will likely be between $2 million to $4 million annually in excess revenue from ongoing millage proceeds available for the greenbelt program, after debt service payments are made.

Regarding concerns over investment income, Horning said the good news is the amount reported to GAC in September was an unaudited figure – the final number will be much higher, at about $492,000. To explain the difference, Horning said that at the end of the year, the city does a reclassification entry, required by the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB). This mark-to-market accounting requires that the city record the actual market value of its investments at the end of the fiscal year – that is, what the value of their investments would be, if liquidated. If it’s worth greater or less than the book value of the investments, you have to record that difference, Horning said.

At the end of the last fiscal year – on June 30, 2010 – the city made a mark-to-market entry of about $362,000 for greenbelt investment income. That figure isn’t reflected in the financial statement that had been presented to the commission, Horning said. So the total investment income is actually about $492,000, he said.

Responding to a request for additional detail, Horning explained that on June 30 of this year, the fair market value of the city’s investments – its mark-to-market – was much higher than the book value, which is based on the investments’ original price. So on June 30, they recorded a large mark-to-market gain, Horning said, then closed the books on that fiscal year and prepared their financial statements. The next day, however, they made a reverse entry, he said. So the end-of-year snapshot showing a gain is almost immediately recorded as a loss for the start of the new fiscal year.

Horning said this accounting method, which is required by GASB, skews the financial statements when you look at them on an annual year-end basis. He described it as an accounting requirement, not a reflection of actual gain or loss.

Jennifer S. Hall said that Martin had indicated the investments for bond proceeds had performed better than the city’s general investment portfolio – was that the case? she asked. Yes, Horning said. He attributed the better return to the timing of their purchases of securities for Fund 29, which he said were able to achieve a higher rate of return than the general portfolio.

The current rate for the general portfolio is about 2.12%, and is projected to yield 1.57% in FY 2012. “Hopefully, I’m wrong,” he joked. “Hopefully it’s higher.”

Ezekiel asked what kinds of securities the city invests in. Horning said decisions are guided by the city’s investment policy and limited by state law – Public Act 20 – which describes the types of investments that government entities can make. Currently, the city’s portfolio is invested in the following percentages: 65% U.S. instrumentalities, 30% U.S. treasuries, 5% cash, in the form of repurchase agreements that Horning described as overnight investments collateralized by bonds.

Hall thanked Horning for coming, saying they now had a better understanding of how investments are handled.

Selma Cafe

Lisa Gottlieb and Jeff McCabe – hosts of FridayMornings@Selma, also known as the Selma Cafe – gave a presentation about their efforts to support the local food economy.

Gottlieb began by giving some background on the breakfast salon, which they hold each Friday in their home from 6:30-10 a.m., bringing together different volunteer chefs each week and using locally sourced food. The event, which regularly draws between 120-150 people, raises money for building hoop houses at farms in this region.

The effort started when they hosted a fundraising dinner for the nonprofit Growing Hope more than two years ago, Gottlieb said. But the tickets were high priced – even out of reach for them, she said – so they decided to hold something more informal. They hosted a breakfast for the filmmaker Chris Bedford, and called it Diner for a Day. The event drew about 160 people, and generated excitement for coming together to support the local food economy, she said.

They decided to keep it going as long as there were volunteers to support it, Gottlieb said. They now have about 500 people in their volunteer pool. They’ve served thousands of meals made by dozens of chefs – from some who own “fancy” restaurants to people who simply love to cook. They’ve raised about $120,000, she said. About $40,000 of that has gone back into the economy by purchasing local food and supplies. The remainder is being used for microloans to build hoop houses for local farms. To be eligible, farmers need to grow food to be sold locally at a reasonable price.

Next year’s goal is to build 20 hoop houses in 20 days, and they’re working to raise funds for that. The Farmer Fund was created for that purpose.

McCabe told commissioners that they are trying to plug into the goals of 10% Washtenaw – a campaign to ensure that 10% of the $1 billion that’s spent in this county on food each year is sourced locally. [See Chronicle coverage: "Column: The 10% Local Food Challenge"]

There are two main challenges to achieving that goal, McCabe said – finance, and four seasons. The Farmer Fund addresses this in two ways. Their microloan program will provide funds at a 2% interest rate, he said – he noted that a lot of farmers can’t walk into the bank and get financing. And by funding hoop houses, they’re providing a way for farmers to extend the growing season in this climate. By using volunteers to build the hoop houses, they’re also developing a skilled workforce, he said.

McCabe said he hoped that they could find ways to work with the greenbelt commission, and they are looking at next steps. He cited the example of the PCC Farmland Trust, a nonprofit created by the Seattle food coop PCC Natural Markets, as one model.

Selma Cafe: Commissioner Questions

Dan Ezekiel said he’d enjoyed several breakfasts at Selma Cafe, saying “your efforts and your activism are amazing.” He asked what their definition was of local food. It’s an issue that’s been tying the commission up in knots, he said.

Gottlieb said they first look for sources within Washtenaw County, or around the edges of the county. For things that aren’t grown locally – like tea and coffee – they buy from small local businesses and people who live and work in this community, she said, including the People’s Food Coop. McCabe added that sustainability is another factor. Sugar is one example, he said – do you buy Michigan GMO (genetically modified organism) sugar, or non-GMO sugar that’s non-local. It’s a difficult choice, he said.

McCabe said that for him, the slogan “Know Your Farmer” was a good one. The idea is to have a personal relationship with the people that provide your food.

Gottlieb said she was interested in opening up the definition of local food. She noted that they’d held a fundraiser the previous night featuring Michigan wines – the Mitten WineFest, hosted by wine expert Joel Goldberg. [Goldberg also writes a monthly wine column for The Chronicle.] Wine is an agricultural product too, she noted.

When asked by McCabe if his question had been answered, Ezekiel said that McCabe’s response doesn’t make the commission’s dilemma go away. GAC’s job is to advise the city council about how to spend taxpayer money, and that can’t be based on relationships – quite the opposite, he said.

In addition to geographical constraints of the greenbelt boundary, Ezekiel said they also struggled with the definition of locally grown food. Does it mean food that’s intended for local consumers, or just food that’s grown here, regardless of where it’s sold? For example, if a farmer grows sunflower seeds and some of it ends up as birdseed mix that’s sold locally, does that count as local food?

There are many nuances, McCabe said. For him, farms that grow corn and soybeans don’t contribute to the local economy, and might actually work against the local food system. He’d like to see an emphasis on food grown for local consumers.

Carsten Hohnke asked about the loan program – when loans are repaid, will the money go back out in new loans, creating an “evergreen” fund? Yes, that’s the plan. McCabe said they wanted to create something that wasn’t simply handing out money, and that could be a model to use as the dollar amounts grow.

Ezekiel asked for more information about the project to build 20 hoop houses in 20 days. McCabe said part of the impetus was that he didn’t want to give up 20 Saturdays next year, so they were aiming to consolidate their efforts into a shorter period. They also wanted to do a 20-day blitz to take advantage of student volunteers, and to get the work done between the time that farmers were planting and harvesting. Gottlieb added that the model harkens back to the time when farmers would help each other out for major projects on their farms.

Jennifer S. Hall wrapped up the discussion by acknowledging that these were difficult issues. She said when she first became involved in the greenbelt project, she’d been shocked to discover how many vendors at the farmers market came from outside of the greenbelt boundary. She said she hoped they could find areas of overlap to work with Gottlieb and McCabe, and to continue this discussion.

McCabe noted that the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture maintains a local food index, sorted by county. Right now, Washtenaw County has one of the worst local food index numbers in Michigan, he said, reflecting how most of the food consumed here comes from outside of the county. We have the opportunity to be one of the strongest, he said.

Subcommittee Formed to Study Greenbelt Boundary

At Wednesday’s meeting, GAC vice chair Dan Ezekiel proposed forming a subcommittee to examine possible expansion of the greenbelt’s boundary. [.pdf map of existing greenbelt district]

By way of background, in August 2007 the Ann Arbor city council expanded the greenbelt’s boundaries for the first time since the Open Space and Parkland Preservation millage passed in 2003. A summary of the ordinance for that expansion reads as follows:

Ordinance No. 26-07 amends Section 3:62(13) of Chapter 42, Open Space and Parkland Preservation of the City Code enlarging the boundaries of the Greenbelt District one mile to the west in both Webster and Scio Townships, one mile to the south in Pittsfield Township and one mile to the east in Superior Township and incorporates a new map of the boundaries, as revised, as part of Chapter 42.

Dan Ezekiel, left, talks with Carsten Hohnke before the start of the Nov. 10 greenbelt advisory commission. Ezekiel is GAC's vice chair; Hohnke is a GAC member who also serves on city council.

On Wednesday, Ezekiel explained that the original boundaries created a “nice, neat square.” As the commission started to develop a strategic plan, it became clear that some tweaks were needed, to take advantage of opportunities they had to protect land outside of those boundaries.

Similar reasons are driving the desire to again examine the boundaries, he said. As an example, Ezekiel cited two farm properties in Salem Township, owned by the same people and separated by a road. The owners wanted to sell development rights for both properties, but only one is inside the greenbelt.

He noted that several important properties that are now part of the greenbelt – including the Nixon and Smyth farms, which are helping to form a 1,000-acre block of protected land in Webster Township, as well as the Biltmore farm in Superior Township – lie outside of the original greenbelt boundary.

Another example can be found in Lodi Township, Ezekiel said. Until recently, there was little activity there related to the greenbelt. But that’s changed, and greenbelt properties now include the Girbach/Frederick farm, which will be put back into active farming.

Things have changed politically and economically over the years, he noted, and it’s worth another look at the boundaries.

Gil Omenn asked whether the subcommittee would simply look at the fixed boundaries, or whether they’d consider new criteria as well. He observed that no matter where you set the boundaries, there will always be exceptions that fall outside of those lines.

Ezekiel said he’s given that a lot of thought, and has talked to Peg Kohring of The Conservation Fund, which has a contract with the city to manage the greenbelt program. Kohring has a lot of creative ideas that they can consider, he said.

Omenn also asked Carsten Hohnke, a GAC member who represents Ward 5 on city council, whether Hohnke had any sense of council’s sentiment on this issue. Hohnke said he didn’t – other than the council would be open to investigating it. They’d probably want to know what properties have potential to join the greenbelt both inside and outside of the current district.

Jennifer S. Hall said she supported forming a subcommittee to discuss the issue, but she has some concerns. When they changed the boundary last time, her concern was that they were diluting the impact that the greenbelt had on Ann Arbor – proximity had been a selling point of the millage campaign. It was a large political change, she said. One proposal that didn’t get support in 2007 was a suggestion to leave the boundary in place, but to give them the option of going outside the boundary, if necessary. People wanted a fixed line, she said, and now they’re in the same position again. Rather than move the boundary every few years, they need to come up with a more permanent way to deal with this issue, she said.

Ezekiel said he took her concerns seriously, and they aligned with what Omenn had mentioned. They could look at language that would be more flexible and achieve the same goals. The last time they examined the boundary, Bob Johnson was a GAC member and on city council. At the time, Ezekiel said, it had been important to come up with something that would receive support on council.

Outcome: The commission unanimously agreed to form a subcommittee to examine whether to change the greenbelt boundaries, led by Dan Ezekiel. Any recommendation would then be considered by GAC, and ultimately the city council.

Agreement with Webster Township: Whitney Farm

The commission briefly discussed a resolution to accept a partnership agreement with Webster Township, which has agreed to contribute $50,000 toward the purchase of development rights for the 146-acre Whitney farm, located along Webster Church and Farrell roads. In July 2010, the Ann Arbor city council voted unanimously to pay $707,122 toward the purchase. The total cost is $1,125,592 – the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service is contributing $418,470 in matching funds.

Ginny Trocchio of The Conservation Fund, which manages the greenbelt program, told commissioners that they planned to take the resolution to city council in December, and hoped to close on the property by year’s end.

GAC chair Jennifer S. Hall thanked Webster Township officials for their contribution.

Outcome: The commission unanimously agreed to recommend that city council enter into a partnership agreement with Webster Township.

Greenbelt Update: Gould, Braun Farms

During her staff report, Ginny Trocchio noted that the city had now closed on the 51-acre Gould property, adjacent to the recently protected 286-acre Braun farm – both properties are located in Ann Arbor Township, which has its own land preservation millage. [For background, see Chronicle coverage: "Greenbelt Supports Ann Arbor Twp. Deals"] That brings the total greenbelt-protected land to about 2,200 acres, she said.

The Brauns have agreed to open their property for some sort of community celebration, Trocchio said. It is a significant property, she noted, because it pushed the total of greenbelt land over the 2,000-acre mark. Details are still being worked out for an event.

The city paid $1,412,417 of the total $3,878,583 purchase of development rights for the Braun farm, plus an additional $82,500 in due diligence, closing and monitoring costs. Ann Arbor Township contributed $1,412,416. The city also received a federal grant of $1,053,750 through the USDA Farm and Ranchland Protection Program (FRPP). For the Gould property, the total $669,833 purchase price included $238,667 from the city of Ann Arbor, $238,666 from Ann Arbor Township and $192,500 from an FRPP grant. In addition, the city paid $51,500 in due diligence, closing and monitoring costs.

Later in the meeting, the commission held a brief closed session and emerged to vote on another Ann Arbor Township property. They unanimously approved a resolution recommending that the city council accept 50% of the due diligence costs associated with the property. [The identity of the property and its owners are withheld until council approval.] Describing it as a great project, Dan Ezekiel noted that the township has taken the lead on this deal, which has been in the works since 2007.

Public Commentary Rules, GAC Term Limits

Jennifer S. Hall, the commission’s chair, introduced a resolution to set rules for public commentary. She noted that other boards and commissions have similar rules, but GAC did not. The proposal called for a five-minute limit per speaker, with a limit of four speakers at the meeting’s first opportunity for public commentary, and a requirement that they speak on issues related to agenda items. For the final public commentary time, there would be no topic requirement or limit to the number of speakers.

Catherine Riseng asked whether these rules would also apply to public hearings. Hall said that GAC had never held a public hearing, but that those were, by their nature, limited to a specific topic. She noted that the commission could waive these rules by a vote at any time.

Outcome: Public commentary rules were unanimously approved.

Later in the meeting, Hall noted that GAC members are limited to two, three-year terms. She and Gil Omenn will be ending their service at the end of June, leaving two vacancies on the commission as of July 2011. She encouraged anyone who might be interested to attend some GAC meetings and talk to their city council representative.

For most city boards and commissions, the mayor is responsible for nominating members, and those nominations are voted on by city council. However, GAC and the environmental commission differ in this respect – for those bodies, nominations are made by city councilmembers.

Misc. Items: NAPP Renewal, “Dirt Road Washtenaw”

During Wednesday’s meeting, commissioners and staff mentioned several items connected to land preservation issues and other related topics.

Dan Ezekiel highlighted the fact that on Nov. 2, voters had approved a 10-year renewal of the Washtenaw County natural areas preservation program (NAPP) by a “generous margin.” [The vote was 57.4% approval.] He noted that the outcome was wonderful, especially given that it’s hard to vote yes on a millage during these difficult economic times. He also observed that the county had tweaked the language related to NAPP funding so that farmland is eligible – that means the county might be able to partner more with the greenbelt in the future, he said. [See Chronicle coverage: "Washtenaw Natural Areas Tweaked for Ballot"]

In another election-related note, Gil Omenn reported that during governor-elect Rick Snyder’s acceptance speech, he’d stated that protecting and creating jobs was his No. 1 priority, but that his No. 2 priority was protecting the state’s quality of life and the environment. That’s “highly congruent with our priorities here,” Omenn said.

Book cover for "Dirt Road Washtenaw" by Rob Pulcipher.

Jennifer S. Hall called attention to a new book by Ann Arbor author Rob Pulcipher: “Dirt Road Washtenaw.” The book is a guide to cycling the county’s back roads, and Hall said that some of the land protected by the greenbelt is noted in the book. She also observed that an interview with GAC vice chair Dan Ezekiel is included in the book – along with a photo of Ezekiel’s bike. “Dirt Road” can be purchased online or at several local stores, including Nicola’s Books, Downtown Home & Garden and the downtown Ann Arbor Borders.

Present: Tom Bloomer, Dan Ezekiel, Jennifer S. Hall, Carsten Hohnke, Gil Omenn, Catherine Riseng

Absent: Peter Allen, Mike Garfield, Laura Rubin

Next meeting: Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2010 at 4:30 p.m. at the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners boardroom, 220 N. Main, Ann Arbor. [confirm date]

Lindsay-Jean Hard, standing, gives a presentation about Real Time Farms to the Ann Arbor greenbelt advisory commission. In the foreground is Cara Rosaen, marketing director for the business. Peg Kohring of The Conservation Fund, which manages the greenbelt program, looks on. (Photo by the writer.)

Financial manager Kelli Martin reported that revenues from the 30-year open space and parkland preservation millage, which funds the greenbelt as well as land acquisition for parks, were $2.262 million in FY10. Combined with grants and other sources, total revenues for the year reached $3.413 million.

Some commissioners questioned a sharp drop in investment income – from $815,261 last year to $130,011 in FY 2010 – and Martin agreed to ask Matt Horning, the city’s treasurer, for a more detailed report on that issue.

Total expenditures rose 19% to $5.087 million, an increase mostly attributable to greenbelt projects – $3.427 million spent during FY10, compared to $2.641 million in FY 2009. The program bought development rights to three properties during the fiscal year: the Nixon farm in Webster Township, the Girbach farm Lodi Township, and the Webster Church property in Webster Township.

The Sept. 8 meeting began with a presentation by two representatives of Real Time Farms, who asked the commission to help them market their business – an online guide to local foods.

Real Time Farms

Lindsay-Jean Hard and Cara Rosaen made a presentation about a business that launched earlier this year – Real Time Farms. Founded by Rosaen’s husband Karl Rosaen, Real Time Farms is an online guide that provides information about farms and farmers markets within a given area, allowing both farmers and consumers to post photos and commentary. Though it started in Ann Arbor, the site includes locations in other parts of Michigan and in other states, with listings in California, Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina and Oregon.

The latest addition to the site is a section for restaurants that use locally sourced food. Cara Rosaen, the firm’s marketing director, told commissioners that the business will make revenue from a $120 monthly fee that restaurants pay for their listings. (Farmers don’t pay to be listed.) Locally, five restaurants have signed up so far: Jolly Pumpkin, Grange Kitchen & Bar, Selma Cafe, Logan and Zingerman’s Roadhouse.

Rosaen said they were hoping for some kind of partnership with the city’s greenbelt program, and she hoped that commissioners would use their networks to inform people about the site.

Dan Ezekiel clarified that the venture was a for-profit business, not a nonprofit. Rosaen said they’ll soon be looking for funding to push the site nationally, now that they’ve signed on five customers – the five Ann Arbor restaurants – and proven the business model.

Laura Rubin asked how the business defines “local” and whether the size of the farm is a factor. Rosaen said that anyone can post to the site, regardless of the size of the farm. People can search for farms in their area by zip code, city name or the name of the farm.

Jennifer S. Hall, who’d heard the Real Time Farms presentation at the July 2010 meeting of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, noted that local food is one strategic focus for the greenbelt program. She wondered whether the site would allow people to search for farms that are part of the greenbelt. Rosaen responded, saying it would be possible to tag the farms to indicate their affiliation with the greenbelt. And since anyone can add a listing, she said, it would be possible to include all greenbelt properties.

Greenbelt Financial Update: 2009-10

Kelli Martin, financial manager for the city’s community services unit, gave an update on the greenbelt program’s unaudited financials for FY 2010, from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. [.pdf file of financial statement]

Revenues coming from the 30-year open space and parkland preservation millage, which funds the greenbelt as well as land acquisition for parks, were slightly higher in FY 2010 – $2.262 million, compared to $2.232 million in FY 2009. [Two-thirds of the millage proceeds fund the greenbelt program, with the remaining third allotted to parks. The parks funding is overseen by the city's park advisory commission.]

In FY 2006, the city took out a $20 million bond that’s being paid back with revenue from the open space and parkland preservation millage. The fund balance from the bond stands at $15.427 million, down from $17.1 million in FY 2009.

Millage revenue exceeds the amount needed to make debt service payments on the bond – the surplus is accruing in a separate account. Of the $15.427 million fund balance, $12.475 million is the accrual of funds from the millage and $2.952 million is the remainder of the bond monies.

The greenbelt program received $1.03 million in federal grants during the year from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm and Ranchland Protection Program, or FRPP. That was up from $681,800 received in FY 2009.

Interest income dropped from $815,261 in FY 2009 to $130,011 in FY10, and commissioners had several questions about the change.

Martin explained that lower interest rates were one factor contributing to the lower interest income. In addition, open space millage-related funds had previously been kept in a separate investment pool, where longer-term investments had yielded higher returns – in the 4-5% range. But last year, because the greenbelt program had several projects in the works, there was the need for greater liquidity, which necessitated shorter-term – and lower yield – investments, closer to 1%.

Those short-term yields were less than what the city’s general investment pool was earning, Martin said. That – coupled with the fact that the open space fund balance has been decreasing – led to the decision to combine those funds into the city’s general investment pool. In general, that pool yields 2-2.5% in returns.

Jennifer S. Hall, who chairs the commission, asked that they receive more information about the interest income, including what the projection is for the current fiscal year. The commission would be interested in maximizing the return, she said, which would allow the program to fund additional purchases. Martin said that the city’s treasurer, Matt Horning, had indicated that future returns would likely be in the 2% range. She offered to have him prepare something more formal for the commission, to explain the investment’s past performance and future expectations.

Peter Allen wanted to know why the millage proceeds were up in FY 2010, when the city’s tax revenue was generally down roughly 5%, due in part to the “Pfizer factor” – a reference to the drug company’s decision to leave Ann Arbor and sell its research campus to the University of Michigan, a tax-exempt entity. Martin speculated that the “Pfizer factor” was reflected in the line item indicating an $11,087 tax refund, but she said she needed to double-check whether that was the case. [In a follow-up phone call from The Chronicle, Martin said that Horning will be preparing a memo for commissioners on both the investment income issue as well as the "Pfizer factor" question. He'll likely attend the commission's November meeting to discuss those topics, she said.]

On the expense side, total expenditures of $5.087 million represented a 19% increase over FY 2009. Most of that increase was attributable to an increase in expenditures related to greenbelt projects – $3.427 million spent during FY 2010, compared to $2.641 million in FY 2009.

Overall, administrative expenses accounted for 3.5% of total expenditures in FY 2010.

Mike Garfield asked why the line item for personnel and IT (information technology) had nearly doubled between FY 2008 and FY 2009 – from $22,905 to $42,999. (It dropped slightly in FY 2010, to $41,130). Martin said that previously, the greenbelt and park acquisition program hadn’t been properly charged for computers and IT services it used. The increase also reflects a percentage of administrative salaries from staff in the community services unit – such as herself and the director, Sumedh Bahl – to pay for the time they spend on the program.

Administrative expenses for The Conservation Fund – which manages the greenbelt and park acquisition programs, under contract with the city – were $131,374 for FY 2010, down slightly from $139,443 the previous year.

Peter Allen asked for clarification about how The Conservation Fund’s contract is structured. Peg Kohring, one of The Conservation Fund’s staff members who works on the greenbelt and park acquisition programs, explained that every three years, the nonprofit bids on the contract. The greenbelt advisory commission reviews it, and it’s ultimately approved by the city council. The staff’s immediate supervisor is Bahl, with whom they meet periodically, Kohring said. They have a detailed, annual work plan that’s reviewed by Bahl, the commission and council, she said.

Ginny Trocchio, another Conservation Fund staff member, clarified that the council had most recently approved a new one-year contract in January 2010, with the option to renew over the next two years.

Laura Rubin noted that the commission hadn’t actually reviewed the work plan in at least a couple of years. She said that when she served as chair, she had asked Jayne Miller – the previous director of community services for the city – to serve on the committee that reviewed the plan, but that Miller had denied that request. Rubin didn’t think the commission had seen the work plan, and she suggested that it be forwarded to commissioners, if possible.

Dan Ezekiel asked about the line item for bank service fees, under the category of administrative expenses. There was no charge recorded in previous years, he noted, but there was a $1,535 expense in FY 2010. Martin explained that the city had been paying those fees in previous years as well– they are charges for wire transfer fees when an acquisition is made. She said that in the past those fees had been recorded as a line item for project expenses, rather than administrative expenses. Martin said she would move those expenses back to the project category, for consistency.

In reviewing the greenbelt projects, Trocchio reminded commissioners that in FY 2010 they had closed on the Nixon property in Webster Township (a $1.89 million expense), the Girbach farm Lodi Township ($770,706) and the Webster Church property in Webster Township ($553,840). In addition, there were due diligence costs associated with projects that are in the works, she said.

Allen urged Trocchio to make sure the financial statements are posted and easily accessible on the greenbelt program’s website.

Ezekiel noted that the John and Bev Alexander project, which closed in 2007-08, still doesn’t have an endowment, and that the line items for the Merkel, Webster Church and Hilton endowments don’t have any dollar amounts listed. The endowments are important, he said, so they should make sure those amounts are listed. Trocchio clarified that the endowments are set aside to cover future costs associated with the properties, including possible enforcement of the purchase of development rights (PDR) agreements.

Ezekiel also asked whether the program is awaiting any federal FRPP reimbursements on properties that have already been acquired. Trocchio said they were not.

Ezekiel also clarified that over the life of the 30-year millage, which ends in 2033, roughly $22 million hasn’t yet been allocated to projects or debt service. That amount would ultimately vary depending on investment income and millage revenues, which fluctuate annually based on property values.

Open Space & Parkland Preservation Activity Report: 2009-10

Ginny Trocchio of The Conservation Fund gave commissioners highlights of the 2009-10 activity report for the open space and parkland preservation program. [.pdf file of draft report]

During the fiscal year, three greenbelt acquisitions were completed, totaling 460.89 acres of farmland: 1) the purchase of development rights (PDR) in November 2009 for property along Farrell Road in Webster Township, owned by the Webster United Church of Christ; 2) the December 2009 PDR for the William and Cherie Nixon farm in Webster Township, at the corner of Zeeb and Daly roads; and 3) the December 2009 PDR for the Frederick and Christopher Girbach farm (also known as the Frederick farm) in Lodi Township.

Two properties on which the city owns a conservation easement were sold to new owners – this is the first time such a transfer of ownership has occurred on greenbelt properties, Trocchio noted. The Hilton Trust farm in Pittsfield Township was sold to a local farmer, Duane Mason, for $3,200 per acre. And the Girbach/Frederick farm in Lodi Township was bought by Michael and Hope Vetergaard for $4,300 per acre. [See Chronicle coverage: "Frederick Farm in Line to Join Greenbelt"]

Last year was also the first time the greenbelt program received a contribution from Lodi Township, which gave $1,000 toward the purchase of development rights to the Girbach/Frederick farm, and from the Legacy Land Conservancy, which contributed $37,000 toward the PDR.

Trocchio reported that during the year, the city received $679,380 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm and Ranchland Protection Program, awarded for the purchase of development rights on the Gilbert and Kathryn Whitney farm in Webster Township and the Honke property in Northfield Township. Those deals haven’t yet closed. When the Whitney PDR is done, it will complete the greenbelt’s first 1,000 block of protected land. The greenbelt program’s strategic plan calls for prioritizing purchases to form large blocks of protected farmland and open space within the greenbelt boundaries.

Not mentioned in Trocchio’s verbal report – but included in the written document – are program goals for 2010-11:

• Apply for grant funds on two properties.
• Close on four properties.
• Complete the 1,000-acre block in Webster Township.
• Complete the first greenbelt bus tour and develop a plan for future tours.
• Obtain at least 20% matching funds on all transactions.

Misc. Staff Updates

Ginny Trocchio reported that on Friday, Sept. 3, the city received word that they’ve been awarded two additional grants from the Farm and Ranchland Protection Program, via the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: 1) $282,750 for the Maulbetsch property in Northfield Township, and 2) $611,030 for the Geiger property in Salem Township. Combined with two previous grants during the 2010 calendar year, the greenbelt program will have received just over $1.5 million from the FRPP this year. Resolutions will be going to city council on Sept. 20 to accept these grants, she said.

Ezekiel thanked Trochio and Peg Kohring for their work on getting these grants, noting that it helped leverage taxpayer dollars for the greenbelt.

Trocchio also reminded commissioners that there would be a booth for the greenbelt program at Saturday’s HomeGrown Festival. The Sept. 11 event runs from 6-11 p.m. at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market in Kerrytown.

Kohring mentioned the July 17 greenbelt tour, saying they were thrilled with the event. She noted that commissioners Jennifer S. Hall, Gil Omenn and Dan Ezekiel had taken the tour, and she asked Ezekiel to give a report. Ezekiel said they first traveled to Don Botsford’s farm in Scio Township, where Botsford greeted them and talked about his farm. They next went to Tom Bloomer’s farm in Webster Township – Bloomer is a greenbelt commissioner – and heard about the work he does there. The tour included a stop at the Nixon farm, also in Webster Township, as well as a stop at the site of the future farm incubator in Ann Arbor Township. About 20 people went on the tour, he said.

These kind of public outreach efforts will become increasingly important, Ezekiel said. Now that they’ve preserved property in the greenbelt, it’s incumbent on the commission to inform the public about land that’s already protected, how it’s being used and why it’s a benefit to the community. He suggested putting in a section on public outreach in the strategic plan, when it’s updated.

Present: Peter Allen, Tom Bloomer, Dan Ezekiel, Mike Garfield, Jennifer S. Hall, Carsten Hohnke, Catherine Riseng, Laura Rubin

Absent: Gil Omenn

Next meeting: Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2010 at 4:30 p.m. at the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners boardroom, 220 N. Main, Ann Arbor. [confirm date]

These deals have been in the works for more than two years. The city has binding purchase agreements with the owners based on appraisals taken when land values were higher. New appraisals, required to get funds from a federal program, came in with much lower values. That means fewer-than-expected federal funds will be available, and the city would be required to come up with the difference.

Saying that Ann Arbor Township was their partner, Moran urged commissioners to support the purchase of development rights. He called the Braun farm a “poster child” for the township’s land preservation movement, and said it would be a significant error to reject the deal simply because of the new appraisals.

Later in the meeting, commissioners also got an update on committee work being done to help support small farms in the greenbelt.

Impact: Land Values, Delayed Application Approval

Problems with the Braun and Gould deals came up at the commission’s February 2010 meeting. From The Chronicle’s report:

New appraisals for two properties – the 286-acre Braun farm and 51 acres of Gould land, both in Ann Arbor Township – had been requested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm and Ranchland Protection Program, or FRPP. The city is requesting FRPP funds to help pay for the purchase of development rights to those properties, but previous appraisals were more than a year old by the time the federal program accepted all of the application paperwork, according to Kohring. [The city council has already approved the purchases, but the deals haven't yet closed, pending FRPP funding.]

At its January meeting, the greenbelt commission had recommended that the city council authorize the new appraisals. On Wednesday, Kohring reported that the Braun farm, which originally appraised for just over $4 million, was now appraised at $2,107,500. For the Gould property, the appraisal was lowered from $691,000 to $385,000.

In response, the available FRPP funds dropped from $1.43 million for the Braun farm to just over $1 million, Kohring said. For the Gould land, FRPP funds fell from $256,000 to $192,500. To cover the difference, an additional $377,000 is needed for the Braun property, and an additional $63,500 for the Gould property – those costs could be split with Ann Arbor Township, if township officials agree, Kohring said. The city had previously committed to paying $1,363,500 for Braun and $269,000 for Gould.

Ginny Trocchio of The Conservation Fund said that the next steps would be to ask city council to approve the additional funds. It takes the FRPP between three months to a year to process the federal portion, she said, adding that she’s been told the FRPP would expedite this application because the deals need to close by Sept. 30, 2010.

Peter Allen asked what the implications would be if the commission postponed action until its next meeting. Trocchio said they’ve been working with the landowners since 2007, and both owners are “pretty antsy.”

Jennifer Hall confirmed with Trocchio and Kohring that the city had binding purchase agreements with the landowners. Allen said the commission was hearing for the first time that the financing contingency in the agreements wasn’t valid. “What we’re hearing tonight is the reverse of what we were told by the attorney at the last meeting,” he said, referring to Mary Fales from the city attorney’s office. He suggested scheduling another meeting – perhaps an emergency meeting – to bring back someone from the city attorney’s office to clarify the situation.

Fales attended the March 10 meeting, along with Sumedh Bahl, the city’s interim community services director. They joined the commissioners in a closed session that lasted over an hour.

Public Commentary

Just before going into closed session, commissioners heard from Ann Arbor Township supervisor Mike Moran, who spoke during the time set aside for public commentary. The Braun farm is a significant parcel, he said, noting that years ago it was the site of a proposed mobile home development – a project, called Colt Farms, that helped spur residents to mobilize and pass a land preservation millage, both in the township and for the city’s greenbelt.

Initially, Moran said resistance to the greenbelt program came from homebuilders, not surprisingly, but also from farmers. It’s taken a long time to build up significant credibility, he said. Now, however, farmers will take township officials at their word when approached about being part of the greenbelt. “Our word is our bond,” he said, and it’s very important to live up to their commitments.

Moran also expressed concern over the views of some commissioners whom he’d heard are reluctant to close on these deals at a time when the city is facing significant budget cuts. But the city can’t use greenbelt monies for other purposes, he noted, and if purchases aren’t made when land values are low, they won’t be making the best use of taxpayer dollars.

“I hope you’ll be strong in this regard,” Moran said.

He ended by saying that the township is a partner with the city in this matter and is ready “to do what needs to be done” to close the deal. “We will share with you those difficulties that have been occasioned by the delay of time,” he said.

Resolution of Support

About an hour and 20 minutes later, the commission returned from its closed session on attorney-client privileged communication about the land acquisition deal. Laura Rubin, the commission’s chair, said they’d discussed the two properties and had spent considerable time reviewing decisions that were made two years and four months ago. Back then, the properties had first been considered for the greenbelt and had received high scores on measurements used to evaluate potential acquisitions. Rubin said the commission was ready to consider a resolution related to the topic of the closed-session discussion.

Carsten Hohnke, who also represents Ward 5 on city council, said the commission had concluded that the new information they’d received didn’t impact their support for the deal. He moved a resolution stating that the commission “wishes to express its continued support of the acquisition of the Braun and Gould property development rights, in compliance with FRPP requirements and in partnership with Ann Arbor Township and the property owners.”

There was no further discussion.

Outcome: The resolution of support passed with no dissent. The matter will next be considered by city council at an upcoming meeting.

Supporting Small Farms: Working Out the Details

Dan Ezekiel gave an update on the commission’s small farms subcommittee. A recent meeting had included Ezekiel and fellow commissioner Tom Bloomer; Molly Notarianni, manager of the Ann Arbor Farmers Market; local farmers Tomm Becker and Shannon Brines; and Mike Moran and Ray Grew of Ann Arbor Township.

Ezekiel said they kicked around possible language for a conservation easement specifically for small farms. They used the boilerplate easement language required for the FRPP applications (U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm and Ranchland Protection Program), but considered how it could be adapted without some of the federal requirements. Ann Arbor Township is doing a lot of parallel work, Ezekiel said, and it was good to get their perspectives.

One issue they discussed was impervious surfaces. What would be a reasonable amount of temporary, impervious surface to accommodate hoop houses? The requirement should meet the needs of farmers, Ezekiel said, but also take into account the fact that neighbors probably don’t want to have a collection of hoop houses packed close together and covering the entire property.

They also discussed water needs and drainage issues, and whether the greenbelt program should play the role of “farm police” – that is, how closely should these properties be monitored? Should these small farms be required to submit annual reports? Ezekiel said everyone agreed that requiring a business plan was important. One of the fears is tied to the potential failure of the farm – what would happen to the property in that case? Would it just become someone’s nice yard that’s protected by taxpayer dollars?

Affordable housing was another issue they discussed, Ezekiel reported, including the idea of having housing on the land for an intern or apprentice farmer. What are some creative approaches to fund housing for small farms, and how might that be written into the easement agreement? [This issue was discussed at some length during the greenbelt commission's December 2009 meeting. See Chronicle coverage: "Greenbelt Explores Support for Small Farms: Federal housing grants could offer funding options"]

Ezekiel described the conversation as fruitful, saying it was good to have a lot of stakeholders involved. No decisions were made and it will be a continued discussion, he said, but they had made a lot of progress.

Present: Laura Rubin (chair), Jennifer Santi Hall (vice-chair), Mike Garfield, Peter Allen, Dan Ezekiel, Carsten Hohnke, Tom Bloomer, Catherine Riseng

Absent: Gil Omenn

Next meeting: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 4:30 p.m. at the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners boardroom, 220 N. Main, Ann Arbor. [confirm date]

It’s an unlikely resource that might actually be able to help answer those questions: the federal housing programs administered by the Office of Community Development, a joint county/city department.

Jennifer Hall, OCD housing program coordinator, attended the Nov. 4 meeting of the greenbelt group and floated some ideas for how federal funding might provide resources to retain land for the farming community.

The commission also heard from the managing organization of the greenbelt program, The Conservation Fund, about strategies for preserving small farms.

Ensuring a Farming Legacy

Peg Kohring of The Conservation Fund, which is under contract with the city to manage the greenbelt program, gave a presentation to commissioners designed, she said, to give them something to “chew on.” She reported she’d recently attended a conference hosted by the Land Trust Alliance, a national organization, and had come back with some ideas about how to preserve farmland in this area. To see an example of the kind of thing that’s possible, Kohring suggested that commissioners go online to view a clip from a documentary called “The Last Crop,” about an attempt by owners of an organic farm in California to make sure their land remains a farm for future generations.

Kohring outlined several ways that farmland could be secured for farming. One option is an agricultural easement stipulating that at least 50% of the landowners’ gross income, averaged over five years, comes from farming. Another option might be for the city, via the greenbelt program, to own the land, with a farmer signing a long-term lease to use the property.

Commissioner Tom Bloomer, a farmer from Webster Township, wondered why there couldn’t just be a deed restriction on the land, limiting it to agricultural use. Kohring said that one issue was the cost of the land itself. New farmers don’t necessarily have the capital to buy the land, she said. Leasing the land to farmers would make it more affordable for them.

Carsten Hohnke, city council’s representative to the greenbelt commission, asked how these other approaches differed from the purchase of development rights (PDR). He noted that just recently the greenbelt advisory commission had approved a deal that would allow a family to sell their farm at a lower price, because of the greenbelt PDR. [See Chronicle coverage: "Frederick Farm in Line to Join Greenbelt"]

Kohring said that none of the greenbelt’s conservation easements – the agreements which put restrictions on property, such as preventing dense housing developments – have required that the land be farmed. The easements put restrictions on what it can’t be used for, not what it must be used for. It would be possible to buy a farm, for example, and use the land as a large mowed back yard, she said.

Laura Rubin, the commission’s chair, clarified that there were two issues of concern: 1) making farmland affordable for new farmers, and 2) permanently restricting the use of the property to farming.

Commissioner Jennifer Santi Hall brought up the fact that Ann Arbor Township had received a federal grant to explore the development of sustainable agriculture. From the project’s website:

The primary outcome of this project is to establish small farms producing for regional markets using purchase of development rights (PDR) to reduce land costs, improve farm profitability and preserve farmland in a near-urban setting. Ann Arbor Township, with its proximity to the City of Ann Arbor and its ample open space and farmland, is an ideal location for this initiative.

In the short term, the project will identify and introduce interested landowners and potential farmers to learn about opportunities to work together and establish small farming operations. In the intermediate term, those relationships will be established and farmers will be encouraged to seek guidance in formulating sound business plans to meet market demands. The long-term outcomes (third year and beyond) will be to have established several operations and to share the results and lessons of our work with others in the immediate region, before reaching out to southeast Michigan, the entire state and beyond.

This project is being viewed as a demonstration for other communities interested in agricultural profitability, land use at the urban/rural interface and local food production. It is expected that new relationships will be created, small farm operations will be established, more local food and other produce will enter the marketplace and lessons will be learned to provide insight and establish the area as a center for innovative approaches to preserving farmland.

Commissioner Dan Ezekiel said that the greenbelt commission’s committee on small farms had been discussing this issue too, in light of the commission’s efforts to prioritize farmland within the greenbelt program. Unfortunately, he said, the size of properties that would be ideal for small farms would also make it attractive as a large estate with a single house. Even if the greenbelt program buys development rights with the expectation that the land be used for farming, right now there’s nothing to prevent the land from being used merely as a residence.

Kohring encouraged commissioners to consider ways that they might institutionalize the commitment to small farms.

Affordable Housing for Farmers

Jennifer L. Hall, housing program coordinator for the Office of Community Development, talked to greenbelt commissioners about how the Urban County program might be a path for helping to make small farms affordable. The Urban County is a consortium of townships and cities within Washtenaw County that are eligible for the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, which funds low- and moderate-income housing, infrastructure and other community development projects.

Hall said that for the Urban County’s federally-funded affordable housing projects, restrictions can be placed on the property with regard to the buyer’s income level at the time of purchase. Owners can also be restricted from reselling the dwelling to anyone who doesn’t meet those income requirements. She said that the Urban County hadn’t targeted farms in the past, but there was no reason why they couldn’t use federal dollars and apply the same income restrictions for someone purchasing a small farm through the Urban County’s housing program.

Right now, 11 jurisdictions are part of the Urban County partnership. They include the cities of Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor, and the townships of Ann Arbor, Bridgewater, Northfield, Pittsfield, Salem, Scio, Superior York and Ypsilanti. Nationwide, dollars are awarded to designated urban areas and urban counties based on a calculation that includes factors such as population, poverty rate and infant mortality rate, among others. Locally, an Urban County Executive Committee, chaired by county commissioner Leah Gunn, determines how those funds are used within the participating municipalities, which propose projects for consideration.

Hall said that rural communities who participate in Washtenaw’s Urban County might be excited about a focus on small farms. York Township, for example, is considered a “donor” township because it typically contributes more federal dollars to the Urban County pool than it gets back in projects.

In response to questions from commissioners, Hall said that funds could be available for rehab as well as new construction. The deed restrictions – requiring that the property be sold to people below a certain income level – would apply in perpetuity. The owner’s income level could increase while they owned the property – the only thing that mattered was their income level at the time of purchase.

Commissioner Gil Omenn said that the program seemed to offer more options than they’d previously considered. The harder question, he said, is whether they feel strongly enough to promote this approach. “That’s a whole other level of activity,” he said.

Marianne Rzepka

Five years ago, Alex Young spent his days trying to get Zingerman’s Roadhouse up and open. A long-time chef, Young signed on as manager and chef there, moving his family to a farm outside Dexter.

But on his one day off each week, he picked up a shovel and started his garden. Every week, he dug one row, laboriously turning up deep layers of soil, trading physical labor for the stress of embarking on the new business venture.

That spring, Young wore out the heavy sole of his boot from the edge of the shovel and had a dozen rows in his 75-by-75-foot garden.

“It was a stress reducer,” he says now, and he still sees the calming and even meditative side of growing food as that garden sprouted into Cornman Farms, a business that still is growing.

As a chef, Young worked all over the country before moving with his family just down the road from the farm where his wife, Kelly, grew up. Now, from the deck of his home just outside Dexter, he can look out at acres of vegetables, as well as at the new barn, used mostly for storage and for spring plant propagation, and the hoop house, both built in the past few years.

In his life as a chef, Young, who has been nominated for a prestigious James Beard Award three years in a row, oversees operations at the Roadhouse, one of 10 businesses under the Zingerman’s umbrella. The restaurant emphasizes American food, and while fresh produce, cheese, meat and other items come from all over the United States, more and more appear from Young’s own growing farm.

He’s already had the first of four heirloom dinners – the next, on Aug. 25, will feature a tomato tasting, the last, on Nov. 11, will emphasize pickled produce, and Cornman Farms just happens to have rows of pickling cucumbers growing right now.

Though he knows he can’t really supply all the Roadhouse’s needs with his small operation, Young is hoping to maybe provide half of it.

At the farm now, you’ll find all the basics – garlic, beans, cucumbers, lettuce, squash – growing in the sandy loam soil, but basic to the farm are the native American crops: tomatoes, potatoes and corn.

Alex Young, chef of Zingerman's Roadhouse, in a hoop house at his farm near Dexter, where he grows heirloom tomatoes. He's wearing a Cornman Farms T-shirt. (Photo by the writer.)

There are eight or nine varieties of tomatoes in the fields at Cornman Farms, but heirloom tomatoes dominate the 92-by-30-foot hoop house. The structure, built two years ago, has a shape akin to World War II Quonset huts, but instead of a covering of metal plates, it’s covered in plastic, which catches and holds the warmth from even a weak spring sun to give plants an early start.

In the case of Cornman Farms’ hoop house, young plants also are helped by a radiant heating system installed in the ground. To regulate the warmth in the hot months, the lower part of the plastic wall can be raised to provide a little cooling cross-ventilation. Young would like to add solar heat, and maybe expand by adding two more hoop houses.

This season, the hoop house incubated a number of tomato varieties, including Mortgage Lifter, Brandywine and Valencia – some of them so tall they needed to be topped off.

Mark Baerwolf, the farm’s full-time manager, says that’s a good thing at this time of year. It will take at least two months for any new fruit to ripen – maybe more, given the cooler and shorter days of fall – so when you see newly blooming flowers in August, you can be pretty sure they’re not going to produce any ripe tomatoes. Pruning them just lets the plant direct its energy to the tomatoes that are already on the vine.

Overall, the farm produced about 18,000 pounds of tomatoes last year, and is planning on about 23,000 pounds this year, Young estimates.

Heirloom potatoes are planted in a nearby field, arranged according to when they’re ready to be harvested, from the early Red Gold and knobby Irish Cobbler, through the Green Mountain, Bintje and German Butterball, to the Kennebec and Russell Burbank varieties.

The potatoes currently take up an acre lent to Cornman Farms by Young’s neighbor. Next year, Young plans to grow about four acres of potatoes on part of the 100 acres he rents from another farmer nearby. His goal is to have at least 10 acres of potatos, his estimate of what the Roadhouse needs each year.

“It will take a few years to get there,” says Young, “but I will.”

A farm named Cornman has got to be growing some corn, and there is a yellow variety, Henry Moore, growing along with winter wheat and a red bean variety “Merlot,” on part of a rented field a few miles away.

But outside his house, Young is trying out a patch of hard-to-get red Trentino flint corn, an heirloom variety from Italy, hoping the deer won’t bust in for a taste before it’s ready.

There haven’t been any total crop failures, says Baerwolf, though there have been some vegetables that were disappointments. Both the sweet potatoes and the Moon and Stars watermelons grew all right, but they needed a longer season to be at their best, he says. That just means that they should be started early in the season in the farm’s hoop house to give them lots of time to ripen.

Baerwolf was a line cook at the Roadhouse when he started spending half his time each week working at the farm three summers ago.

“Everything I was growing was showing up (at the Roadhouse),” he says.

The number of hours he spent at the farm grew, and now he’s there full-time, along with two seasonal employees. Once a month, a group of Roadhouse employees come out to do a little work and get lunch on the deck. Sometimes, says Young, some of his good customers come out to the farm and help with jobs like gathering potatoes.

Cornman Farms isn’t a certified organic operation, a designation that requires a long process, but it’s the kind of place where they use compost tea – made by steeping a bag of compost in water before spraying the mixture onto the plant – instead of chemical fertilizers.

They’ll even use food scraps from the Roadhouse to make their compost, says Baerwolf.

Young sees his farm as an alternative to the food industry’s agricultural methods, where human hands may never even touch crops growing in the field. It’s an idea that seems to be catching on, with recent books and movies that show the often unappetizing ways much of our food is now produced.

Still, when it’s cheaper to buy a $3.99 burger from MacDonald’s than the Roadhouse’s macaroni and cheese for  $13.50, what’s a better deal?

Young will say it’s the mac and cheese – which is made with handmade cheddar and pasta from Italy – because though you might pay less money for industrial ground beef at a fast food outlet, you’re not looking at the true costs, such as the toll on your health, on the welfare of animals or on the agricultural environment.

While he was at the Washtenaw County 4-H Youth Show last month, Young was taken by a bumper sticker that read, “No farms, no food,” though he might change it a little to reflect his support of many smaller farms over massive agricultural conglomerates.

“I’m thinking there should be another one: ‘More Farms, Better Food,’” he says.

About the writer: Marianne Rzepka, former reporter for the Ann Arbor News and Detroit Free Press, is a Master Gardener who lives in Ann Arbor and thinks it’s fun to turn the compost pile. 

Bumper sticker on a car parked at Matthaei Botanical Gardens, site of Thursday's local food summit.

The Chronicle arrived midway through Thursday’s day-long Local Food Summit 2009, and found evidence of the morning’s work plastered all over the walls of the Matthaei Botanical Gardens conference room: Colorful sticky notes on butcher paper, categorized by topics like “Food policy/legislation,” “Resources for young/new farmers,” “Distribution,” “Heritage” and “Community Self Reliance.”

Each note listed a resource, idea or goal, and together represented hundreds of ways to strengthen and expand this region’s local food system. About 120 people had gathered to focus on that topic, and organizers hope the momentum from Thursday’s event will transform the way our community thinks about food, and in turn transform the health of residents and our local economy.

Sticky notes line the walls of the conference room at Matthaei Botanical Gardens during Thursday's Local Food Summit 2009.

The idea for the summit grew out of last fall’s HomeGrown Fest, which highlighted local farmers, restaurants using local products, and retailers selling products grown in this region. For the summit, organizers wanted to gather as many players as possible to make connections between farmers, businesses, nonprofits, educators and others interested in a sustainable food network, and to strategize about how to build on what already exists.

Part of the day was devoted to speakers, but much of the time involved brainstorming and discussions, with the promise that organizers would synthesize the work and make it public. (If you didn’t attend but you’d like to be on the list, send an email to info@localfoodsummit.org.) Here’s a much-condensed summary of ideas generated in just a few of the categories discussed at the summit:

• Resources for young/new farmers: Form mentorship programs, start a farm incubator (modeled after the more common tech business incubators), find land and funding for new growers, hold job training for unemployed or laid-off workers focused on agriculture.
• Bringing producers and purchasers together: Hold a community forum for food sharing, provide online resources to connect growers and buyers, create a barter system for food and services, develop a local currency for local food.
• Food processing: Deregulate the food-handling system, create a local USDA-approved processing plant, get more distributors to handle local foods and get local foods into more groceries/supermarkets, create mobile food-processing units.
• Education: Teach kids how to cook/shop/eat local foods, hold a Local Food Campaign to promote locally grown products, create incentives for attending cooking or food classes, hold training on how to farm.
• Accessibility/food security: Provide more food-stamp processing machines (Electronic Bridge Transactions, or EBTs) in farmers markets and other local food retailers, expand Project Fresh, have more places to sign up for food stamps, expand the Plant a Row for the Hungry program to encourage gardeners to donate extra produce to local food banks.
• Infrastructure/systems: Create a coordinated food network, form more community gardens and community greenhouses, plant an edible park, create a transit infrastructure for transporting local food from growers to buyers.

Participants in Thursday's Local Food Summit listen to Patty Cantrell of the Michigan Land Use Institute.

Speakers for the day picked up on many of these themes. Patty Cantrell of the Michigan Land Use Institute described several initiatives that the Traverse City group is leading, including an online local food exchange, and training classes for farmers.

Ann Arbor consultant Fran Alexander gave an overview of a study on food security for low-income residents of Washtenaw County, part of a broader food security initiative led by the nonprofit Food Gatherers. To lay the groundwork, she noted that nearly 50,000 people in Washtenaw County are living in poverty, and that food pantries are needed by hundreds of households as a regular way to keep food on the table.

Residents using local food pantries were surveyed in August 2008. Some of the findings include: only 12% said they eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day – people who didn’t said it was too expensive; 45.3% said they use the food pantry as a supplemental source of food on a regular basis, not just in an emergency; 41% of food pantries said they either usually don’t or never have fresh produce, a situation dubbed “canned compassion” by food activist Mark Winne.

A list of people and groups that those attending the Local Food Summit thought should be involved in future efforts.

Strategies for dealing with a crisis in food security include increasing advocacy and increasing the procurement of healthy foods, with a focus on local sources. In that latter category, the Food Gatherers board of directors is pursuing the idea of buying or leasing a local farm to produce food specifically for distribution to low-income households – they discussed it at their last board meeting, Alexander said. The full report of all these findings and strategies will be posted on the Food Gatherers website by the end of February.

The day’s final speaker was Chris Bedford, president of the Center for Economic Security. He told the group that our country is in a crisis of over-consumption, of spirit and of trust. It’s imperative that we “re-localize” our economy, he said, especially in the areas of food, finance and energy. It’s all about economic renewal and community resilience – if we’re to survive, he said, we need to “trust each other, know each other, work with each other and love each other in our communities.”

Bedford described some initiatives in the Muskegon area aiming to do just that, with a major focus on getting local food into the school system. But the challenges are many, including a federal commodity program that subsidizes megafarms to produce food for schools, and liability exposure that would cripple small growers if they were sued over food contamination. School boards – and thus, the community – have power to influence decisions, Bedford said. Muskegon Heights schools, for example, contract with Chartwells (which also holds a contract for Ann Arbor schools). Bedford believes that Chartwells is “scared witless” about the local food movement.

Bedford said neither the federal nor state governments support local food initiatives, and noted that the industrial food system is endorsed by Jim Byrum, the powerful president of the Michigan Agri-Business Association and an ally of Gov. Jennifer Granholm. Yet Bedford believes there’s a chance to change Michigan’s food policy, and that the 2010 elections will be crucial in that regard: “We need to at least bring up food policy in these elections.”

Someone in the audience asked Bedford how having a local currency might help develop a local food system. Bedford said it keeps money in the community, and also brands the community – he pointed people to the example of BerkShares, which is currency used in the Berkshire region of Massachusetts. He held up a $10 BerkShares bill, with images of turnips on one side and on the other a picture of Robyn Van En, who started the country’s first community supported agriculture (CSA) project. [The Chronicle knows of only one group in the Ann Arbor area that has its own currency: The Dexter-Miller Community Co-op. If there are others, we'd be interested in hearing about it.]

Bedford is also a filmmaker, and is working on a new film about reinventing the local economy. Ann Arborite Jeff McCabe, who attended Thursday’s summit, is hosting a breakfast at his home on Feb. 15 to raise funds for the film. Details on the event – called Diner for a Day – are online here. [confirm date]

Mary Wessel Walker takes notes in a small group focused on collaboration.

The day ended with small group work, organized by categories that had been determined in the morning’s brainstorming session. The idea is that the people in these groups will determine next steps, which will later be communicated with other summit participants and the general public. Amanda Edmonds of Growing Hope urged participants to keep the topic of accessibility, justice and food security top of mind, noting it was an issue that crossed all categories. [Earlier in the day, someone had noted that the summit wasn't as racially and socioeconomically diverse as it needed to be, and that those voices should be part of the local food system.]

Though many ideas being hatched at the summit are in the embryonic stage, one concrete effort is already being planned: the month of September this year will be designated Local Food Month, with several events in the works.

Finally, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the role of food in Thursday’s summit. Zingerman’s provided coffee and bagels in the morning, and the lunch was catered by A Knife’s Work, using local ingredients:

Just before lunch, Brendan McCall of A Knife's Work talked about the compostable dishware they use, and showed people where the compost bin was located.

Food Summit Lunch Menu

• Moorish Lamb, Chickpea and Kale Stew (Cinnamon and smoked paprika spiced lamb meatballs in a cumin scented chickpea and kale stew)
• Spicy Swiss Chard, Tomato, Garlic Soup (Roasted green chili and garlic tomato broth with sauteed swiss chard and white beans)
• Roasted Butternut Squash, Pear and Red Chili Salad (Pan roasted pears and butternut squash tossed with mixed greens and dressed with a sweet red chili vinaigrette)
• Fresh Baked Cinnamon Apple Cobbler with Vanilla Creme Anglaise (Fresh baked Michigan apple cobbler with cinamon, butter and brown sugar. Served with a vanilla bean custard)

And though they generally aren’t edible (or at least, The Chronicle didn’t see anyone eating them), fresh flowers were provided by Lisa Waud of Pot & Box.

The event wrapped up at 3 p.m., but for several folks it wasn’t quite over – they were headed to Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti, where owner Rene Greff had promised a tour and, quite possibly, a few beers.

Lisa Brush of the Stewardship Network in Ann Arbor was facilitator for the Local Food Summit. In the background is Shannon Brines of Brines Farms, one of the organizers.

Mike Garfield of the Ecology Center in Ann Arbor loaded up a plate for lunch.

Amanda Edmonds of Growing Hope talks with Chris Bedford, left, and others attending Thursday's Local Food Summit.

Kim Bayer, one of the summit organizers, holds a compostable cup that at one point held apple cider. The compostable dishware was destined for the compost heap at Matthaei Botanical Gardens.

A Knife's Work chefs/business partners Jay Haamen (serving soup) and Brendan McCall (serving apple cobbler) at the summit's lunch they catered.

Peg Kohring of The Conservation Fund talks to members of the Ann Arbor Greenbelt Advisory Commission on Wednesday, as commissioners Gil Omenn and Peter Allen (far right) look on.

The Greenbelt Advisory Commission met Wednesday, spending about 45 minutes in their public meeting before going into a closed session to discuss land preservation proposals.

Field trip: The first major item on the agenda was a presentation by Peg Kohring, Midwest director of The Conservation Fund, which manages the city’s greenbelt program. She gave a brief talk about the Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy, describing it as a think-and-do tank focused on local land use and food systems. Kohring said that she, city staffer Ginny Trocchio and Susan Lackey of the Washtenaw Land Trust made a trip to northeast Ohio to take an up-close look at this organization, and glean ideas that might be applicable to the Ann Arbor area.

The conservancy has five main initiatives:

1) The Countryside Initiative partners with the National Park Service to rehabilitate historic farms and farm buildings, then make them accessible for local farming. The conservancy oversees the RFP (request for proposal) process, which includes a long-term lease and a business plan to produce food locally, among other things. Farms leased under this program produce a range of goods, from herbs to goats whose milk is used for cheese.

2) The conservancy operates two farmers markets, but Kohring didn’t spend much time discussing these since Ann Arbor already has a robust market.

3) The conservancy offers several public education programs, such as cooking demos at the farmers market, farm tours, festivals and other activities aimed at highlighting the local food system.

4) FarmLink is a program that Kohring described as “speed dating for farmers.” The idea is to pair up existing farmers who are looking to retire with “farm seekers” who are interested in being farmers. At a gathering of people from both categories, participants pair up and talk for 15 minutes, then switch to a new partner and repeat the cycle. These kinds of connections can lead to deeper conversations, with the ultimate aim of facilitating farm transfers.

5) The FoodWorks initiative includes a guide to locally grown and produced food for consumers, a similar guide for chefs and restaurants, and a guide to certified commercial kitchen facilities for use or rent.

Joint working session with market commission: A discussion of the conservancy programs quickly led to a report on last month’s joint working session with the Ann Arbor Public Market Advisory Commission. Greenbelt commissioner Mike Garfield, who’s also director of the Ecology Center, said that the groups discussed ways they could collaborate to promote local farms, and that they had mentioned the conservancy as a possible model. Commissioner Sylvia Taylor, who also attended that meeting, said the general sense was that neither commission could play the role of the conservancy, but they could both support such an agency if it existed locally. One example might be to support a local farm incubator, she said.

Greenbelt commissioner and local developer Peter Allen said he’d been surprised at the meeting to learn that some farmland owned by the county through its natural areas preservation program was going fallow. That’s an extraordinary resource that could be used, he said.

Garfield noted that the market for local food is booming right now, and that the greenbelt commission has the potential to provide a missing link – namely, the ability to contribute money for preservation purposes that could also be used for farmers to grow food for the local market. It could be a great additional benefit for the community, he said.

Kohring said that the Waterloo State Recreation Area has buildings and farmland that they might be willing to rent, similar to the Cuyahoga model. That prompted a question from commissioner Dan Ezekiel, who wondered whether the state was involved in meetings with Preserve Washtenaw, a coalition of local land preservation groups. When Kohring said no, he suggested that Ron Olson, chief of parks and recreation for the state’s Department of Natural Resources, would be a good point person since he used to play a similar role for the city of Ann Arbor.

Brainstorming: At this point, Kohring said she expects some properties will be coming up for consideration that include farm buildings, and that the commission needs to think strategically about what kind of model it wants to use. The PDR (purchase of development rights) model doesn’t have legs, she said, because the value of farmland is rising while the value of land for development is falling. The PDR model only makes sense when there’s a wide gap between the two values. Kohring suggested a brainstorming session to discuss possible options.

Garfield noted that this might be a great time to buy land, but that the way they’ve been purchasing land might no longer be the best approach. He supported a brainstorming session, but urged Kohring and the other commissioners to be well-prepared beforehand. (Garfield and others alluded to a retreat last year that apparently wasn’t productive.) However, commissioner Tom Bloomer worried that too much structure might force them into a mental straightjacket: “We need to be able to say stupid things and not worry about it.”

To which Garfield replied, “I do that regardless.”

Pause … “Agreed,” Bloomer said.

Kohring said the greenbelt fund might be allocated differently than in the past. Instead of cash transactions, farmers might prefer payouts over time. This is the kind of strategic change that the commission needs to discuss.

Since Kohring had earlier described the meeting as one in which people could put their feet up on a coffee table and brainstorm, Omenn asked a pertinent question: “Who has a big enough coffee table?” To which Kohring replied, “I think you might.”

Everyone laughed, though it was actually a quasi-serious gambit – Kohring thought Omenn’s home might be a good place for the kind of informal discussion they’d be having, and hoped that he might serve as host.

“I’d be happy to,” Omenn said.

The extended meeting is set to replace the commission’s regular meeting on Feb. 11, with a time to be determined.

RFP process: Garfield asked Kohring for an update on a draft of the RFP process that had been crafted. She reported that the commission was already over its allocation of the city’s legal staff time, due in large part to the 10 land closings that were under way, including two that are going before council on Thursday. So the draft is still a draft, not yet reviewed by city attorneys.

Bus tours: In a report from the communications committee, Dan Ezekiel reminded commissioners that he’d emailed them a link to a Chronicle article about last month’s Washtenaw Land Trust bus tour. He said this kind of tour was something the commission might consider doing itself, or cooperatively with others in Preserve Washtenaw, perhaps as early as next summer. Sylvia Taylor said that at the joint meeting with members from the public market commission, they had also discussed doing a bus tour, perhaps as an event to launch information about driving tours of farms and preserved land that people could take independently.

At 5:15 p.m., the group voted to go into closed session to consider land preservation proposals.

Present: Peter Allen, Tom Bloomer, Dan Ezekiel, Mike Garfield, Gil Omenn, Sylvia Taylor

Absent: Laura Rubin, Jennifer Hall, Chris Easthope

Next meeting: Wednesday, Dec. 3, 4:30 p.m. in the council chambers, 2nd floor of the Guy C. Larcom, Jr. Municipal Building, 100 N. Fifth Ave.

Relevant coverage in other media: The Ann Arbor Business Review, Concentrate