Volume 4 • No. 18 • Full Moon • October 6, 2025
Savanna Grazing • 8" x 10"
806 Firewood Gathering • 6" x 10"
Buster on Farrell Rd. Hill • 8" x 10"
Graphite Drawings • Malaika Whitney of Whitney Farmstead • 2025
Events like the 2025 Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference make Crosshatch Center for Art and Ecology's work tangible. Click above for a quick glimpse of our programs, or simply to catch some of the sights from the August event.
Hungry for a more detailed breakdown of what Crosshatch has been up to? You're in luck. This year's annual report is now available.
The Warp — Ideas and Inspiration
|| 1 || LIE DOWN! Lie down! That'll do! That'll do. Long after we had walked away, those shouts still rang in my mind. While the words themselves were familiar, the sweep of the intonation was different. They sounded more like "lai-din!" and "thou-do!" Maybe that was a hint. They were being used to communicate something beyond what they normally do, or at least in ways particular to their circumstances.
The words were commands emanating from a sheepdog demonstration at the Webster Fall Festival, just outside of Ann Arbor. We're a couple of years into an annual tradition of visiting my in-laws on the fourth weekend of September, and heading along the dirt road (Farrell Rd.) in the morning to get to the festivities. One of the highlights is what I mentioned above: witnessing "the ancient relationship" of dogs working sheep. It's an encounter with a very unique and real example of partnership amongst the human and non-human world, and it has to do with vocation, reciprocity, and creatures that can "fully express their nature, [and] live a natural life..."
|| 2 || Does that last line refer to us? Or is it in reference to border collies? It could be both, but the true answer is neither. The words were used in relation to shepherded sheep. Those two quick quotes above come from Ryan Romeyn of Central Lake's Providence Organic Farm. Here are two more sheepdog commands: Ryan shares "come by" and "away", which again, roll off the shepherd's tongue peculiarly. Something more akin to "come-baiii" and uh-waee", which signal to Lass, the sheepdog Ryan is training, to circle the flock from clockwise, or counter-clockwise, respectively.
Here's the rest of the piece from Elize Manoukian, who spent time with Ryan and Andrea of Providence while weaving an Interlochen Public Radio bit for the Transom Story Workshop. You can also click here for more photos of the herding and context on how the interview was recorded.
|| 3 || Again, I'm intrigued by very real ways humans can observe and heed natural patterns in support of livelihood. Most of these are not solitary affairs, and they often span multiple generations. They're passed along. They're shared. They're offered. That's part of the beauty of the Webster Fall Fest and that IPR audio story. Those accounts are small doorways; glimpses into expansive modes of being rooted in place and connection. Here's another of those little doorways, a brief note from Malaika on the significance of Buster, their draft horse, trodding Farrell Road, as pictured in one of the drawings featured at the top of this email.
The Weft — News and Events
We’re heartened by a wide-range of expressions of resilient communities and gatherings. Here’s a smattering of regional events and happenings that reflect that diversity, collected for your consideration. Choose your own adventure!
|| 1 || Ship Yard: Faceless Jay & Andi Anderson. Tuesday, October 7th, 5:30-8pm, at The Alluvion. Ship Yard is a community artist program supporting emerging local musicians. Be among the first to experience our region’s rising talent and support their journey as they set sail as artists! Suggested donation at the door, no pre-sales. Find more information, including notes on Jay and Andi (this month's artists) here.
|| 2 || Wagbo Farm & Education Center's Full Moon Feasts and Creative Projects. There's still time to stop in for a gathering at Wagbo. Options range from tonight's potluck and discussion on disability and ableism to wreath-making and more. Find the full program schedule here.
|| 3 || Little Traverse Beekeepers Guild—Monthly Meeting. Monday, October 13th, 6-8pm. Featuring a John Stephens presentation and the annual "honey tasting." Check in here for further details on the Petoskey gathering.
|| 4 || "Are you taking care of yourself and those you care about? At Michigan State University Extension, we know farming can be tough. Whether you or a farmer you work with needs support, Michigan State University Extension is committed to helping. All services are free. Teletherapy • Educational Presentations • Farm Financial Analysis • Business Management Strategies • Other Farm Stress Resources • Free Online Courses • Mental Health First Aid. For more information, visit: extension.msu.edu/legacygrants or contact Remington Rice at riceremi@msu.edu."
|| 5 || The Tip of the Mitt New Hunters Guild—If you are interested in self-reliance skills, sourcing your own meat, and/or gaining a better connection to nature, consider checking out this flyer for information on gatherings, events, and how to get involved with the guild.
|| 6 || NextCycle Michigan Accelerator Program Opportunity—Applications are now open. NextCycle is seeking projects that are developing new recycling technologies and processes, as well as those developing or expanding organic material solutions. Public, private, and nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply. The free six-month accelerator provides coaching and mentoring to advance projects toward implementation, filling gaps and strengthening Michigan’s circular economy. Projects must focus on material reuse, repair, recycling, recovery, or the use of recycled content in new products. Deadline for applications is October 29, 2025. Learn more about the program here and/or check out details on the upcoming October 7th regional workshop in Gaylord.
|| 7 || The Northeast Michigan Regional Food Summit. Tuesday, Oct. 21st, 9:30am-4:30pm, in Hale, MI. A gathering aimed towards working together to strengthen and envision NE-MI's food system. Free and in-person, with keynote speakers, breakout sessions, networking, and hands-on learning. More information and registration here.
|| 8 || Happenings at The Alluvion Between Now and the Next Whole Field include: Ship Yard Series: Faceless Jay & Andi Anderson, Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble, The Jeff Haas Trio featuring Laurie Sears, Lisa Flahive and special guest: NMC Jazz Lab Band, Jake Cinninger & Joel Cummins of Umphrey’s McGee, TCDesign Week Radical Design Celebration, Funky Uncle, The Bad Plus, and Big Fun.
Find more information at thealluvion.org.
sponsored by:
Desmond Liggett Wealth Advisors is a mission-driven, fee-only wealth management company with a simple purpose: to generate exceptional value for the individuals, families, small business owners, and non-profit organizations they serve. Desmond Liggett Wealth Advisors believe in and adhere to triple-bottom-line analysis for portfolio investments, ensuring that they review how a company’s environmental and social values impact its long-term resilience and, consequently, value.
Crosshatch’s The Whole Field is a biweekly (meaning roughly every other week) human-written newsletter. We aim to provide engaging, thought-provoking content that’s worth your time. If you’ve been forwarded this email and want to receive future editions, click here to subscribe to our mailing list or view past newsletters.
We also envision this best as a collaborative work. If you have any suggestions, leads, questions or feedback, we appreciate your reply directly to this email.
Copyright (C) 2025 Crosshatch. All rights reserved.