Honoring the Earth, Honoring Our Farmers

Happy Earth Month!

Spring arrives with a quiet urgency. The thawing ground reminds us of the resilience of our land, of the ancestors who tilled it, and of the communities who still gather to nurture its abundance. But this year, as we step into Earth Month, I carry a deep and growing concern for the future of our food system—one that has been shaken by policy decisions that threaten the very foundation of food sovereignty in Ypsilanti and beyond.

The recent funding freezes and budget cuts—from the loss of the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program to the closure of USDA offices—are not just bureaucratic shifts; they are existential threats to our farmers, our food access programs, and the families who rely on them. I have sat across the table from our legislators, pressing them on these cuts and their real-life consequences. Time and time again, I have asked them:

How will our small farmers recover from the sudden disappearance of revenue they had come to rely on? How will low-income communities access fresh, local produce when the programs designed to bridge that gap are gutted?

The answers, when they come at all, ring hollow. And the weight of these decisions falls heaviest on Black farmers. Over the past few months, I have spoken to Black farmers across the state who have lost tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding. Each has asked to remain anonymous, fearing retaliation if they speak out. We’ve spent years investing in trust—through policy change, the Washtenaw County Black Farmers Fund, and steadfast community advocacy—and now, that trust has been shattered.

The jar that held every marble of faith and progress has been smashed to the ground.

I am deeply concerned about the long-term implications of these actions—not just for our farmers but for the fight for equity in our food system as a whole. If we continue down this path, we will see more land lost, more livelihoods destroyed, and more barriers to sovereignty erected. But let me be clear: while these attacks are meant to dishearten us, they will not stop us.

Hope is not lost.

We are building and investing in a local food system that ensures the right to food for all.

We are planting, growing, and sharing. We are organizing, advocating, and refusing to be silenced. Our programs at Growing Hope continue to provide fresh, local produce to our neighbors, even as the environment shifts around us. We continue to uplift local growers, ensuring they have the resources they need to weather this storm as they have weathered past storms and will weather future storms. We demand that our legislators listen—not just to us but to the land itself, which has long whispered the truth of what justice looks like.

This Earth Month, as we honor and commune with Mother Earth and the ancestors who fought for our right to grow, we reaffirm our commitment to a just and sovereign food system. We will not let short-sighted policies or political indifference derail the work of generations. And we ask you to join us—whether by growing, sharing, advocating, or simply refusing to look away.

In solidarity,

Julius

P.S. If you’re looking for a practical way to participate and support our local food system, visit and become a friend of the market, where we’re reimagining how we invest in and support growers, eaters, and everything in between.

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A Just Food System Is Not Given--It's Grown

By Julius Buzzard • June 3, 2025

Beloved Community, We are living through a moment of transformation, where food is not just nourishment, but resistance. Not just a value, but a strategy for survival. Right now, the federal government is proposing deep cuts to SNAP and agricultural programs—policies that will land hardest on those already carrying generational weight: low-income families, elders, youth, and Black and Brown growers who have built life out of scarcity. These are not fiscal decisions. They are declarations: hunger is acceptable. Control is preferred. Liberation through land and food is a threat. At Growing Hope, we reject that logic. We are building food sovereignty in Ypsilanti. We grow not for charity, but for power. We believe our people deserve more than handouts—they deserve the tools to feed themselves, their kin, and their neighbors with dignity. The stakes are real. SNAP cuts will force impossible choices: rent or groceries, insulin or dinner. Food pantries, already threadbare, will shoulder what systems abandon. And local growers, especially Black farmers, will feel these cuts in shrinking markets, broken promises, and lost infrastructure. One grower shared, “We were finally starting to believe we had a place in this system. Now they’re pulling the rug again.” This isn’t new. This is legacy. This is the pattern. And still, we grow. Because food sovereignty is not a trend—it is a birthright. It is the right to grow what sustains us, share what we harvest, and control our future without permission. So what now? We move. Speak up. Call your reps. Tell them: cuts to SNAP and ag supports are attacks on our future. Invest local. Every dollar at the farmers market is a vote for resilience. Organize. Join us in shifting land, infrastructure, and food power into community hands. Grow. Grow food for yourself, your family, and your community. We are unwavering. A just food system is not given—it’s grown. Let’s grow together. With grit and love, Julius P.S. Our teens are actively engaging in this work every day, laying the foundation for generational health and a truly just food system. Read from them firsthand here .

2025 Teen Leadership Afterschool Program Highlights

May 22, 2025

Thursday, May 22 marked the last day of the after school program for our Teen Leadership Program. We wanted to take a moment to share some of the highlights from the past eight months and recognize all of the hard work done by our young food justice leaders: Tuula Martinez, Eli Harris, Josie Smith, Jaylah Cotton, Sienna Troy, and Nick Corvera-Garay! Deepening Knowledge The fall and winter months on the farm make way for many workshops in our Teen Leadership Program! This year, the majority of our meetings were youth-facilitated, and each of our teens planned and facilitated their own workshop relating to Food Justice, Cooking, or Community Organizing. They shared family recipes in their cooking workshops, talked about the effects of colonization on our food systems, and discussed power mapping in community change work. In the fall, we visited UM Campus Farm and the Community Food Forest at Leslie Park to learn from other food growers in our area and their farming practices. We prepared for the growing season at the Growing Hope Urban Farm with workshops about plant families, companion planting, and crop planning! Community Engagement This school year, our Teen Leadership Program planned and presented at least one free community engagement event every month! They hosted monthly Food Sovereignty Film Screenings and discussions with some of their favorite films being Seed: The Untold Story and Gather . They prepared and sold handmade tea bags and honey at the Ypsi Farmers Market. Each of our teens made their own zine for the first Ypsi Zine Jamboree at the Freighthouse. They hosted a public workshop on corn nixtamalization, and processed corn they grew last summer into fresh tortillas. In collaboration with the Washtenaw County Youth Commissioners, they planned and hosted Fighting Food Insecurity: One Bowl of Ramen at a Time event at our Urban Farm with the support of FedUp , Food Gatherers , and The Farm at Trinity . The goal of this event was to educate folks about food insecurity in our community and provide an easy way to elevate a simple meal like ramen with fresh veggies and edible weeds! They did informative tabling events at YCS schools, the Ypsi Library, and other community events. Perhaps the biggest accomplishment was the launch of the Growing Hope Seed Library! Our Teen Leadership Program saved and packaged seeds from our farm, sorted thousands of seed donations, organized varieties alphabetically, and planned a launch party for our permanent Seed Library! The Seed Library is open to all and is located at the Growing Hope Urban Farm. They revived their own Instagram account– you can follow at @growinghope_teens to get a first hand look at all their work! Seeding, planting, and growing The Teen Leadership Program manages three of the growing areas on our Urban Farm: the Children’s Garden, the Sharing Garden, and The Oasis. The teens are responsible for crop planning, seed starting, and planting the beds in each of these areas totaling over 20 garden beds! The teens worked together to make crop plans by calculating seed starting dates, transplant dates, how many plants per square foot, and creating cold and hot crop rotation plans. They soil blocked, started seeds, and planted all of the cold crops for the 3 garden areas which you can see growing now at our Urban Farm! They will continue to follow their crop plans all summer long to know when to harvest cold crops and plant more hot crops. Harvested food will be given out for free in our Community Produce Cart and also used in cooking lessons in our Summer Teen Leadership Program! We are incredibly proud of this group of young people and grateful for their hard work, commitment to the community and the local food system, and the perspective and joy they bring to our organization! In June our current group of teens will be joined by six new teen crew members for a summer full of learning, growing, and leading!

A wooden shelter with a ramp and chalkboards in a park.

Come as you are. Leave with what you need. Return when you can.

By Julius Buzzard • May 6, 2025

Beloved community, This season, as we plant new seeds of possibility and dig deeper into our shared commitment to nourishment and justice, I’m overjoyed to share something truly special: our brand-new produce stand , a beautiful structure dreamed up and built by the youth of Brightmoor Makerspace . It stands as a declaration—not just of what is possible, but of what is already happening when we invest in our young people, listen to the land, and center care in our collective work. Positioned near the parking lot for easier access, the new stand features a solid platform and a ramp—making it easier for neighbors with mobility challenges, elders with walkers, or caregivers pushing strollers to roll right up and gather what they need. More than just a structure, it’s an invitation: Come as you are. Leave with what you need. Return when you can. We’ve expanded the space to offer more. More produce, more flowers, more herbs, more abundance shared in community. And we’re able to do that because this isn’t just our stand; it’s yours. Our longstanding model of solidarity over scarcity continues: growers and farmers from across the county bring their surplus here, ensuring that good food never goes to waste, and that dignity remains on the table for all who visit. The need this season is real. Inflation is high, and legislative shifts have cut the legs out from under programs that once helped meet people where they’re at. Trusted partners, agencies, and food providers are being forced to scale back or shut down. And yet— our produce cart remains open , every single day of the week. No ID checks. No income tests. No red tape. If you need food, it’s yours. Period. We’ll begin stocking the stand later this month. We usually fill it in the mornings, but please don’t hesitate to call ahead. This is the work of youth, farmers, and neighbors who understand that liberation tastes like tomatoes in July and basil on your fingers and peaches you didn’t have to ask permission to pick. Come through. Eat well. And keep building with us. In solidarity and soil, Julius P.S. Don’t miss Pizza on the Farm—Thursday, May 23! Join us for wood-fired pizza, farm tours, and storytelling under the sky. It’s a gathering of hearts, mouths, and movements. Let’s eat, learn, and build together. RSVP here .

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