Season 2

In It Together

Episodes 1-2:
Eric Kampe –
Green Things
Farm Collective

Episode 1

Getting Started, Keeping Going – Day One | Length: 39:00 Organic no-till farmer Eric Kampe shares experiences and perspectives on launching a small farm enterprise with a focus on both personal values and farm economics.

Listen to Eric Kampe – Day One in parts.  

Episode 2

Getting Started, Keeping Going – Day Two | Length: 52:43 Organic no-till farmer Eric Kampe speaks to the practices that he and his farm partners have used to maintain the integrity and viability of small farm operations in their community.

Listen to Eric Kampe – Day Two in parts.  

About Eric Kampe

Farmer Eric Kampe started out as an engineer after completing a degree in computer engineering from the University of Michigan. After working for several years in automotive and electrical engineering, in 2007, Eric began volunteering at Abbondanza Organic Seeds & Produce, a farm in Boulder, Colorado… more

Buy-Protect-Sell + Leadership = Saving the Aprill Farm

Episode 3: Barry Lonik –
Treemore Ecology and
Land Services

Saving the Aprill Farm

When an exceptional piece of farmland became available in Scio Township, Michigan, longtime land conservation specialist Barry Lonik and township officials found a way to protect it through an innovative “Buy-Protect-Sell” transaction strategy. Barry details the synchronicities and forward-thinking community leadership that made it possible.

More About The Aprill Farm

Barry Lonik

Barry Lonik has led the effort to establish the model farmland and natural area protection programs in Washtenaw County for nearly 30 years, some of the most successful in Michigan. Barry started the Legacy Land Conservancy and served as its first executive director for six and a half years, developing it into an effective, durable nonprofit organization.

More About Barry Lonik

Listen to Barry Lonik in parts.  

Game Changer for Local Food Economy

Episode 4:
Kathy Sample &
Bill Brinkerhoff:
Argus Farm Stop

Next Generation Farmers Market

Imagine a year-round, 7-day farmers market that sells only locally produced foods. With the opening of Argus Farm Stop in 2014, Kathy Sample and Bill Brinkerhoff made that happen, creating a win-win for the whole community: Customers have convenient access to fresh local food supplied by over 200 producers while producers receive 75 cents on every dollar sold by Argus on consignment. Listen to Kathy and Bill share about the farm stop model, which is now being replicated in other communities.

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About Kathy Sample & Bill Brinkerhoff

With the launch of Argus Farm Stop in 2014, Kathy Sample and Bill Brinkerhoff transformed their passion for local food into a community mission. Having subscribed to CSAs for years, the married co-founders wanted to find a way to strengthen area farms and bring healthy local food to consumers.

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A Hospital Farm is Part of the Cure

Episode 5:
Amanda Sweetman:
The Farm at
Trinity Health

Cultivating a Healthy Community

Amanda Sweetman describes how a small farm on the hospital campus of Trinity Health St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor is having a big impact on food, medicine, community health, and local agriculture.

Cultivating relationships (in addition to vegetables, flowers, and hay), The Farm at Trinity Health features a CSA that connects people with fresh produce from local farms.

Note: During the production of this podcast, the name of the farm changed from The Farm at St. Joe’s Ann Arbor to The Farm at Trinity Health Ann Arbor.

More about The Farm at Trinity Health Ann Arbor

About Amanda Sweetman

Amanda Sweetman graduated from the University of Michigan in 2007 with a BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and from Utah State University in 2012 with an MS in wetland plant ecology. After working as a scientist, farmer, educator, and chef she landed her dream job as the Farm Manager at The Farm at Trinity Health Ann Arbor in 2015.

More about Amanda Sweetman