The Whole Field • Volume 5 • No. 1 • New Moon • January 18, 2026
Forward Growth • Grand Rapids
Tufted Titmouse • Kalamazoo
Flourish • South Holland, IL
Additional note from Forward Growth: "Recent conversations about the freshwater usage of AI data centers brought to mind the loon’s connection to the waters of the Great Lakes. This mural painted on the windows of Atomic Object balances the natural world of the loon amongst glowing circuit board lines representing AI networks and their data centers. It gently explores the potential consequences of such convenient advances. Not a declaration, but a question. What responsibilities must we take up to ensure that technological human advances and the natural world can exist in harmony?"
Dania Grevengoed • Murals • 2025
Mountains of Data: The Physical Reality of the Virtual World.
by Taylor Reed
A note from Taylor: Stephanie Mills was scheduled to share on "Starting From and Staying With The Nature of Place" at the GT Circuit on Wednesday as a fundraiser for Title Track. I intended to attend and offer a reflection on her words here, as I knew they'd likely be a fitting complement to Dania Grevengoed's work (featured above).
As it turns out, whether for better or worse, there are forces on this planet beyond human control, and the event was postponed due to hazardous weather conditions. When the rescheduled event does happen, it'll be a treat worth attention.
In keeping with the themes of Mills' talk, a reprise of her speech at the Freshwater Summit in October, and Grevengoed's Forward Growth note, here are excerpts of a two-part writing of mine from 2023, Mountains of Data: The Physical Reality of the Virtual World.
The Warp — Ideas and Inspiration
|| 1 || If I were writing on the topics of physical impacts of data-centric endeavors today, I’d like to think my words would be different than my take from a couple of years ago. Ideally, they’d be a bit more focused and helpful, perhaps with a more actionable framework. The difficulties and quandaries they explore are fairly well recognized, especially two years post-publication, and I don’t know that continued harping is always beneficial. Maybe I’d write more about opportunities to meet needs regionally, rather than relying on globalized networks. Perhaps I'd offer takeaways akin to those of the Nourishing a Bioregional Economy event wefted below, presented by the Post Carbon Institute, where Stephanie Mills is a fellow. Or maybe it’d be something like the first installment of Farming Ontology with Rob’sHeat or Eat Series, which explores his happenstance experiential experiments in, and further possibilities with, cooperative firewood ventures:
“But even with some additional expense, the savings would be significant and the added sense of community which is inevitable when you share sweat and food and laughter together is real. And [that,] frankly, for me, is more important than the wood these days.”
“While it can be very exciting to think about the possibilities, the most important part of this all is the mind shift from despairing or turning a blind eye to the problems, to starting to act on the areas in your life that you have a surplus, and your neighbors have a need. And the opposite is absolutely true as well. This used to be commonplace— my father grew up attending threshing parties all throughout the township in central Wisconsin in the early 1950s when the threshing machine would travel to a new farm every few days and EVERYONE would move to that farm to work all day to thresh that farms wheat and have a helluva party and potluck and this would continue until all the fields were done.”
|| 2 || Did You Guys Eat?/¿Ya comieron? is a Michigan-based, Alma College-produced film on food and farming labor. You can check out the trailer here, and if you want to catch it in person, there’s a late January screening at The Garden Theater in Frankfort. The title pays homage to an exchange between a film participant and the camera crew, which led to a sharing about César Chávez’s recognition of the importance of meals together and the relational foundations for true advocacy.
As covered in Rob’s write-up above, as well as Chávez’s take, there’s something vital about making space for relational work. I’ve got hope bound up in the fact that that’s one of the key intentions behind Crosshatch Meeting Place + Mercantile in Bellaire. Things are a bit quiet and a bit dusty there now as we shift into construction and renovation mode over the next couple of months, but keep your eyes peeled for convivial updates and calls for involvement.
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 || 2026 Food and Farming Microloans. Crosshatch is now accepting applications for microloans, offered in partnership with Oryana Community Co-op. These loans are available to farms and food businesses in the following counties: Antrim, Benzie, Leelanau, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Manistee, Missaukee, and Wexford counties. Applications are due February 17, 2026. Find more information and apply here.
|| 2 || Nourishing a Bioregional Economy - Put Your Money Where Your Feet Are. A free online event, 1pm EST, January 29th, hosted by Resilience+. Learn more about the conversation with Diana Morton and Michael Shuman, focused on investing locally and building bioregional institutions, and register, here.
|| 3 || Food Literacy for All—January-April 2026. "Launched in 2017, Food Literacy for Allis a community-academic partnership course based at the University of Michigan. Structured as an evening lecture series, Food Literacy for All features different guest speakers each week to address challenges and opportunities of diverse food systems. The course is free and open to the public." Find the series schedule, more details, and instructions for registration here.
|| 4 || Antrim Writers Series presents: Teresa Scollon.
- Reading and Book Signing. Wednesday, Feb. 18th, 7-8:30pm, at Bee Well Mead & Cider, Bellaire, MI.
- Poetry Writing Workshop. Thursday, Feb. 19th, 1-3pm, at Grass River Natural Area, Bellaire, MI.
Find more details and register at the links above. The first 25 registrants will receive a free copy of Teresa's poetry collection, No Trouble Staying Awake.
|| 5 || Beekeeping. Various times, dates, and locations. Click the links for further details.
Benzie Bee Guild—Two workshops on Sat. Jan. 17th, "So You Want to Get Into Bees," 10am-2pm. Fondant Making: Winter Bee Feed Workshop, 2-5pm. Bee Classes begin on Saturday, February 7th.
Grand Traverse Beekeeping Club—Monthly meeting on Thursday, February 5th, 6:30-8:30pm. Open discussion on "What can we bee doing to prepare for the upcoming season."
Little Traverse Bay Beekeepers Guild—Monthly meeting. Tuesday, February 3rd, 6-8pm.
|| 6 || Sky High Farm Grants. Applications are now open through January 20th. "Sky High will award $350,000 in grants (total) to individuals working in agriculture, food justice, and/or land sovereignty. The average proposal funded in 2025 was $11,000 with grants ranging from $1500 up to $30,000." Find more on the grants, Sky High Farm, and applying, here.
|| 7 || Happenings at The Alluvion Between Now and the Next Whole Field include: Free events for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day sponsored by Building Bridges with Music, Poet Laureate Jessica Care Moore, The Jeff Haas Trio featuring Laurie Sears + Lisa Flahive, Hamilton De Holanda Trio, The Alluvion Big Band, Big Fun, Super Nuclear Presents: Surfedelic w/ Ramble Tamble & Zinc Vacuum, and the Vocal Opening Workshop Series with Laurel Premo.
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. Click here to subscribe to our mailing list.
We also envision this best as a collaborative work. If you have any suggestions, leads, questions or feedback, let us know.
Copyright (C) 2025 Crosshatch. All rights reserved.
