Trevor Johnson is the resident farmer at the greenhouse in Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital in West Bloomfield Township, Mich. While Johnson is responsible for maintaining the 1,500-square-foot greenhouse, a major part of his job includes being an educator for the community as a whole.
A: You may be surprised that my primary responsibility is as an educator for the community. We run classes based on preventative healthcare with the ultimate goal being the improved health of our patients and visitors over the long run. My secondary responsibilities are as a grower and event organizer. A 1,500-square-foot greenhouse doesn’t have a large production area; it’s just a platform from which we do our larger work.
Q: What are some projects you’ve worked on or led?
A: Henry’s Market on Main is a Michigan-only produce market I set up two years ago at the hospital after a monthlong pilot project. We purchase Michigan produce from a local wholesaler and set up a market in the main hallway, where we offer local bread, honey and flowers and sell transplants for home gardeners that I grow in the greenhouse as well. I also co-chair a committee that originated with the hospital’s Community Health Needs Assessment. We are working on projects to make healthy options available to those with food insecurity.
A K-12 district takes farm-to-school to the next level
Q: What advice would you give FSDs who would like to add a similar role to their staff?
A: I would advise kitchens to have realistic expectations of what can be produced in a new garden. Take on a few meaningful projects and measure their impact. Your experience will guide your next steps and growth.