Michigan Land Trustees held their first annual meeting and pot-luck dinner on September 28, 1980, at the Land Trust Homesteading Farm in Bangor. It was followed by a second pot-luck and Director's meeting in early November. Minutes from this second meeting are included in this Newsletter. These occasions enabled about 35 adults to tour the MLT farm and gain a firsthand impression of present activities. Several of the directors and the farm manager had the opportunity to describe their experiences in conceiving of and operating Land Trust programs. Most important, perhaps, is the fact that these meetings enabled the Trustees (members) who were present to express their thoughts and feelings.
The next potluck/Director's meeting will be on December 7 at the Land Trust Homesteading Farm. The dinner will be at 1:00 p.m., followed by the meeting at 2:15. Meetings'of the Board of Directors are open to all Trustees, and you are enthusiastically encouraged to attend. The Land Trust Farm is 1 1/4 miles north of the blinker light on M-43 and Center Street in Bangor, on the west side of the road.
Sally Kaufman, Editor.
Excerpts from Land Trust Newsletters
We have begun the exchange of Newsletters with some of the other land trusts in the country and are learning of new ones emerging. The Northern California Land Trust, in Berkeley, responded warmly with a letter which began as follows: "You are not alone!! Which means we aren't either, which is reassuring." Their January, 1980 Newsletter contains a New Year's Report written by Dale Becknell. Here is a paragraph from it:
We've not been without our problems. First, there has been the problem of education. What is a CLT (Community Land Trust, Ed.)? Why is it important? It has been no easy task for us to unlearn 1960 values enough to recognize that the quality of our lives, and indeed life itself, depends on our ability to sensitively husband the Earth's resources. Which brings us to the assumptions about access and control which are even more difficult to dispel—namely, that some people have more rights to natural resources than others by virtue of "ownership," a concept carried over from earlier feudal and colonial empires. Beyond education there are the problems of actually acquiring good land, and locating responsible stewards who can benefit from it. Then there are the more technical problems like securing tax-exemption, and writing lease agreements. And, of course, there are the perennial problems of fund-raising, getting the various administrative tasks done, etc.—all of which require active support and cooperation from people. CLTs can have trouble in any one of these areas, and often do. Powered largely by idealists, the CLT movement has thus far fallen short of some of the more Utopian expectations of it.
Those of us who have worked with the development of Michigan Land Trustees can identify with this statement of problems.
The Homesteading Program for 1981
One of the major aims of MLT is to promote access to land. In line with this aim our educational activity has focused on the homesteading program since it emphasizes technical know-how in the productive use of land which is informed and disciplined by ecological concerns.
Starting on May 1, 1981, homesteading courses will be offered on two cooperating but separate living-learning farms. Jon Towne will direct learning activities at the Land Trust Homesteading Farm and the Kaufmans will offer a living-learning course on their farm across the street. Both require a full-time commitment for students in residence. Students need not be registered in any college to apply.
Readers of this Newsletter may know young, or older people who might be interested in this living-learning experience. We will be glad to send a copy of our brochure and application form to interested persons. Applications for admission are due on March 1 with consideration given to later applications as room for students opens up. Fees on both farms for room, board, and instruction are $125.00 per month with refunds or reductions allowed to students who stay for longer periods. Inquiries should be addressed to either Jon Towne or the Kaufmans in care of MLT. Or phone (616) 427-8971 or 427-8986.
Minutes of the Board Meeting, Nov. 2, 1980
In addition to Board members Dahlberg, Kaufman and Kobza, there were a number of Trustees and guests present.
The agenda was adopted and the minutes of the Annual Meeting approved with one correction on the financial report. The total for the 35 memberships should have been $325.00, thus bringing the overall balance to $1511.03.
The Membership and Nominating Committee gave a report and nominated the following three Trustees to membership on the Board:
Sally Kaufman—who declined;
Judy Kobza—who accepted; and
Werner Krieglestein—who accepted.
The Board will vote on those nominees who accepted after they have attended at least two more meetings of the Board of Directors.
Jon Towne reported on the progress towards developing a leasing agreement for the MLT farm. An inventory of farm equipment and livestock was done Oct. 1, and its value was set at $6,200.00. The leasee will maintain the value of this inventory and compensate for a 10% annual depreciation on machinery. The leasing fee will be $50.00/month until May 1, 1981 and $100.00/month thereafter. Tom Breznau has been asked to prepare the final written lease agreement.
The "barn plant" design proposed for the MLT letterhead was discussed. It was decided to include an address along with the name.
The proposed homesteading programs for the 1981 year were discussed and the flyer prepared by Maynard Kaufman distributed. A motion was made by Kaufman and seconded by Kobza that MLT recognize that two homesteading programs will be offered this summer (one on the MLT farm and one on the Kaufman's farm) and that MLT endorse both. Discussion stressed the complementary nature of the two programs rather than any competition between them. Motion passed.
In discussion other projects which MLT might assist or cooperate with, Werner Krieglestein noted that he had recently purchased an old building which will be able to accommodate 12-15 students for a program on alternative living and theater planned for this next summer. He plans 2-3 courses on the humanities, the staging of 2-3 productions, plus an arrangement where students can work off some of their tuition through homestead farming. Discussion was generally very supportive of the project and cooperation with MLT on it. Werner will bring more details and a possible proposal to the next Board Meeting.
Maynard introduced the idea of having MLT develop a quarterly journal and asked Paul and Luise Gilk to explain their conception of editing the journal. They expressed their interest in working on a journal that would provide a theoretical basis for the wide range of issues involved in the "back to the land" movement and in developing some sort of new rural culture. They felt a wide range of areas should be linked in—art, theater, the women's movement, ecology, religion, etc. There is now a vacuum, with no journal of thought or opinion focusing on rural matters in this broad sense. Considerable enthusiastic discussion followed with some questions being raised about both the practicalities of operating such a journal and the amount of resources that would be required. All agreed that it would take some time to develop properly. An ad hoc committee chaired by Werner was set up to discuss the next steps—focus, types of articles, board of editors, sponsors, production questions, etc.
Mike Kruk then reported on a meeting he had with the people at the Catholic Worker Farm last summer. The farm is in the Thumb area. They have put the farm into trust and are using it to develop a community around the farm. He then raised the question of why the MLT was doing so little to try to make farmland available to persons like himself who would like to start homesteading. Considerable discussion followed. Sally Kaufman suggested that we do need to search more systematically for land donors. Werner suggested that development of a more detailed statement specifically for potential donors.
Bill Kobza reported that Norm Bober had come across a reference to a study of tree cropping on locusts and that he was arranging to get a copy and would report on it later.
Respectfully submitted by Ken Dahlberg, Acting Secretary
Proposed Agenda for the Next Meeting
1. Leasing agreement with Jon Towne.
2. Nominating committee report.
3. Report from the Rural Arts Council.
4. Discussion of the Journal Project.
Musings From the Chair
One thrust of our Land Trust is to promote access to farm land for those who can manage it. Our efforts, after three years, have given us one 38 acre parcel from one generous donor. We appear as successful as Don Quixote, chasing after our elusive goal.
Can small farms grow food economically and ecologically? Can they make enough to survive? What are the values inherent in small farms and farming communities? Flitting between these questions about small farms in our communities and the global experience of urbanization arouses some provoking questions.
It does appear that when people migrate from the countryside to the cities, they gamble on a chance for a better life, at best. If forced from the land, either by higher taxes, management conglomerates, or claims that bigger will be better for everyone, there is enough evidence pointing towards the fallacies in this de-ruralization process. To begin with, are more people better off living in urban centers today, than if they had control of their own property? Is there some way to graph the incidence of pain associated with living in Harlem, N.Y., Mexico City, or Recife, Brazil and'hundreds of other cities in the world with their debilitating slum districts?
To promote rural life as a panacea surely is unreal today. But what about tomorrow, or the next generation? I do not think we humans are so masochistic as to keep inflicting pain on ourselves. But the incidence of welfare, unemployment, and repression surely are not encouraging signs of human development.
From some of our recent meetings, I sense a renewed fervor to redefine the culture, moral values and the human need for rural life. Come and join us in this search for tomorrow that is better than today.
Bill Kobza, Chairperson
A Note on Membership Dues
In our efforts to economize and use our limited resources wisely, we will mail Newsletters only to those who have paid their dues ($5.00 or more per person) within the last 18 months. We hope you have enjoyed these beginning issues of the MLT Newsletter and will want to contribute to MLT. Your last contribution was received We thank you for your support in the past and hope to hear from you again.