Marion Microfarm Project

20/07/2022

Such an exciting milestone! Stay tuned for opportunities to go see for yourself 👩‍🌾🧑‍🌾

After a slight delay due to the ground needing more attention than was originally anticipated, Curtis explained, the project has launched smoothly.

21/05/2022

What a great turnout for the Marion Microfarm Spring Gala at The Brickyard in downtown Marion! Over 100 guests enjoyed a delicious menu that incorporated fresh microfarm produce from the Mansfield Urban Microfarm! Dean Jacob was the host of a fun Microfarm Jeaopardy game. Heidi Jones announced Marion Matters as the overseeing agency for the Marion Microfarm Project! Dr. Kip Curtis shared about the microfarm journey and the community fundraising effort to raise funds for the Microfarm Project.THANK YOU to everyone who attended!
Our next event is July 14 at the first microfarm in Marion....at Harding High School! Stay tuned for details!

18/05/2022

Marcela Barrios received her carrots 🥕 today for her soup for Friday night's event, straight from the microfarmers in Mansfield. We can't wait to try it!!

16/05/2022

We are so excited to have The Marion Four - String Quartet play for us at our event THIS Friday evening 🎻

Right now, the weather is looking wonderful to be able to enjoy both the beautiful indoor AND outdoor spaces at The Brickyard Friday night 😎

Grab your tickets today!

11/05/2022

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT for the Marion Microfarm project 📣

We officially have our community nonprofit partner: Marion Matters, Inc. 👏

Marion Matters has been part of the steering committee for the project since the beginning, so this partnership developed organically as it was recognized that the organization aligned very well with where the project was headed.

This is BIG STEP, as this has always needed to be embedded into the community, and now it has its anchor ⚓️

Thanks to Heidi Jones for leading this life- and community-changing organization; we’re so excited for what’s next!!

11/05/2022

Tickets on sale now! Join us at The Brickyard Friday, May 20th at 6pm for this upcoming Microfarm Project event! Small plates of food from local Marion restaurants will utilize Microfarm Fresh produce!!
Click here to register:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/marion-microfarm-spring-fling-tickets-326332177327?utm_campaign=Microfarm%20Springfling&utm_medium=web

10/05/2022

👉Answer: A fun event in downtown Marion NEXT FRIDAY (5/20) that will help raise funds for the Marion Microfarm project so that our cohort of microfarmers can purchase their first microfarm kit to provide Marion with more fresh produce "farm to table" style.

👉What Is: The Marion Microfarm Spring Fling at The Brickyard on Main?

🎉Marion's very own Dean Jacob from Marion Community Foundation will be acting as our Marion Microfarm Jeopardy host at the event! This will be a fun, interactive way to learn more about the project, and be entertained by Dean of course 😁 You might even win a little something sweet 🍬 (and, bragging rights, obviously!).

Click on our link to purchase your tickets today!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/marion-microfarm-spring-fling-tickets-326332177327

03/05/2022

Have you bought your tickets for the May 20th Spring Fling event yet?! If not, see the QR code below to snag yours today!

We want to take a moment to give a shout out to our participating restaurants and businesses, who we are SO EXCITED to partner with for this fundraiser event:

Amato's Woodfired Pizza Marion
Baires Restaurant
Baking People Happy LLC
The Board Bee
Candy Shack Café
Kimmel Corporation
KK’s Macarons
Marion Area Chamber of Commerce
Marion CANDO!
Marion City Schools
Marion Matters, Inc.
Marion Public Health
Marion Technical College
OhioHealth Marion General Hospital
The Ohio State University at Marion
Ohio State - Marion County Extension
United Way of North Central Ohio
Whirlpool- Marion

THANK YOU!!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/marion-microfarm-spring-fling-tickets-326332177327

09/04/2022

Exciting things on the way!! We can do this, Marion!!

After years of research, planning and first launching a successful pilot project in Mansfield, The Microfarm Project has finally arrived in Marion.

20/03/2022

Another event to share from the Marion Microfarm Task Force: An informational meeting for our potential buyers!! 🎉🎉

This is a no-commitment meeting. We simply want to share with those who could be future buyers of the produce from the microfarmers our timelines with training our farmers, how Mansfield has been successful, and what we have coming next to continue to engage our community.

We want to help YOU as a potential buyer define how this will support you and your business. We want our microfarmers to grow what YOU want and need for YOUR customers/consumers.
We've heard our community loud and clear: Marion wants more locally-grown options!
Think:
👉Farm-to-Table
👉Niche crops that you know your customers want.
👉 A healthier, more food-knowledgeable Marion!

See our attached flyer for details and reach out to us if you have questions and/or can't make the event but want to offer your input.

15/03/2022

The first session for our microfarmers will be on Tuesday, 3/29 at 5:30pm at Marion OSU in Morrill Hall (see attached map). If you are planning to attend, please go to the link below to register. We are SO EXCITED to get started with our first group of microfarmers!!

https://osu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eti6nMQ3JVRfrWS

13/02/2022

Update: Yesterday was the last day to register for our event on Feb 22, and we are SOLD OUT! What an incredible surprise!!
For those registered, there is a CHANGE in LOCATION, as we quickly have outgrown our initial plan AGAIN! Amazing!!

We will be at 100 Executive Drive (the Sherriff's building/Marion City District Service Center) on the 2nd floor in the Harding Room. We'll be sure to be there to help you find your way that evening from the main entrance.

If you didn’t have the chance to register but want to learn more, you can email [email protected] or message us here, and we will be sure to include you in our post-event communications.

A meeting to discuss and provide more insight into the Marion microfarm project and what it means to become a microfarmer.

11/02/2022

"Opportunity is a kind of social justice."

Check out this TEDx talk from Kip Curtis as he explains more about what he means by that, including how the idea of microfarming was birthed out of wanting to not only remove barriers, but implant opportunity for those who need it the most.
Both Kip and Walt (who's story Kip is telling here) will be at our event on 2/22/22, right here in Marion!

https://youtu.be/KFccSuM7HoY

How does one achieve social justice? In his talk, Kip Curtis explains how land grants can lead the way to justice and empowerment in the 21st century. Kip Cu...

07/02/2022

📢📢
Have you heard about the Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture? Check out the article below to understand more about what is happening at a national level to support efforts just like Marion’s Microfarm project.

As US Senator Debbie Stabenow says, “With every new urban farm, rooftop garden, and indoor crop, urban agriculture is helping create jobs, increase green space, and feed friends and neighbors.”

I don’t know about you, but I want all of those things for Marion!!

https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2022/02/01/usda-announces-inaugural-federal-advisory-committee-urban

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2022 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack selected 12 members to serve on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) inaugural Secretary’s Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture to provide input on policy development and to help identify barriers to urban agriculture as U...

05/02/2022

Hopefully everyone has dug out from the season’s first big snow ❄️ Believe it or not, spring 🌷is around the corner, which means our first big step for the project: The training center for our farmers, in partnership with Marion City Schools!!

Have you registered for our Feb 22 event yet? You have until Feb 14, so click the link below! We can’t wait to see you there 👩‍🌾👨‍🌾

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/marion-microfarm-project-farmer-discussion-tickets-244077170387

A meeting to discuss and provide more insight into the Marion microfarm project and what it means to become a microfarmer.

29/01/2022

A big step for the project 🪴

We are SO excited to partner with the city schools and the opportunity this creates for Marion! 👩‍🌾👨‍🌾

Marion City Schools announced Thursday the district was awarded a $200,000 grant to launch Micro Farming as a new Career Pathway.

23/01/2022

"Dream big. Start small. But most of all, Start" (Simon Sinek)

That's what we're doing here in Marion with the Microfarm Project- Dreaming up big possibilities and getting started with the plans that will get us there, with the help of our community.
There are endless possibilities with this initiative.... Let's dream big, Marion!

Here's a short video to provide just one example of what is possible with urban farming. This is a group in the Akron area that started as supplying a single local restaurant with fresh produce, and now they've expanded into a lot more. An added bonus: those in the community have a better understanding of where their food comes from.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfCQ0GRy9Qg

A profile of Living City Farms in Akron and Tallmadge, Ohio.

18/01/2022

Check out this short video of Kip Curtis talking about the Microfarm Project and its birth in Mansfield a couple of years ago.

This is our "blueprint" for what we're bringing to Marion, using both Mansfield's input on what works, as well as our community's voice here to help drive what the future holds.

What do you think? Follow our page here for more updates and register for our upcoming event in February. Help us make this a success for Marion!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWhGbhvZskc

A brief description of our innovative new outreach and engagement project designed to address food insecurity by developing economic opportunities in local f...

11/01/2022

Welcome to our new public page for the Marion Microfarm project! We will use this page to post updates about what's happening next. Please share with your family and friends 🙂 We can't wait to share with you a couple of upcoming events we are planning; exciting things to come!!

11/01/2022

11/01/2022