2011 Michigan Junior Chef Cookbook Available!

Congratulations to the 2011 Michigan Junior Chef competition winners!

First Place: Eight is Enough from St. Brigid Catholic School

Second Place: Brown City Good for you Girls from Brown City Schools

Third Place: Small Town Chefs from Hopkins Public Schools

The 2011 Michigan Junior Chef competition was sponsored by Michigan Team Nutrition, Michigan Department of Education, The C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at MSU, the United Dairy Industry of Michigan and Michigan State University.

To download the 2011 Michigan Junior Chef Cookbook featuring photos, information and recipes submitted by all the participating school teams, please visit the Michigan Junior Chef website. A special edition for School Food Service Directors is also available.

Stop Junk Food Marketing to our Children!

The Oakland California based Prevention Institute just released a 2 minute video called "We're Not Buying It!" aimed at stopping current junk food marketing to our children. In 2 minutes they sum up the current abhorrent marketing practices aimed at selling our kids sugar and fat-filled foods.

If you have two minutes it's worth a watch: "We're Not Buying It!"

There's also a petition you can sign asking President Obama to support our children.

At Eat Local Food, we've long been opposed to marketing to children unless it's an educational endeavor aimed at teaching kids about fruits, vegetables and healthy eating. Big business has spent billions of dollars creating cartoon characters, licensing children's book characters and infiltrating schools and libraries with "charitable" programs that are intended to establish customer loyalty at an early age. We don't get up on our soapbox too often, but this is one practice that has to stop. Our kids' health is paying the price.

Low Interest Loan Opportunity for Michigan Farmers

Are you a farmer or non-profit organization interested in expanding your current operation? Through a partnership between the Michigan Economic Development Corporation; the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development; and Michigan State University, low interest loans are now available to Michigan farmers and non-profit (501(c)) organizations.

Funds are targeted for passive solar systems (PSS) (e.g. high tunnel/hoophouse structures). PSS can be used to grow produce year-round in Michigan without additional heat or light and provide a revenue source for farmers during the winter months. Technical assistance is being provided by the Michigan State University Student Organic Farm.

Loan terms are set at 4% fixed interest for six years with interest-only payments for the first six months. There is no penalty for early repayment. Loan amounts for PSS for this program can range from $5,000 to $15,000. Loan funds are eligible to cover materials, supplies and equipment costs for PSS.

Applications are being reviewed on an ongoing basis and are available for download at: www.michiganadvantage.org/PSS. For more information please contact Terri Novak: novakt@michigan.gov or 517.930.3170.