Notre Dame graduate continues work on ‘responsible’ farming

Notre Dame grad Ryan Rowinski ’95 (NDHS) has had his hands in dirt or near dirt for almost his entire adult life.

Years ago, he saw a great need locally for matching the huge amount of food that is thrown away because it is “not presentable” enough with the area hungry and worked to establish the nonprofit “Harvest for Hunger,” which takes in produce that is grown by other farmers but may not be store-shelf worthy­—even though it's perfectly fine. 

As an agent with Forgetten Harvest, Rowinski, who holds a B.S. degree in crop and soil science and biotechnology from MSU, was keenly aware of both the need for food for those impoverished and the availability of food largely ignored in today’s retail grocery industry. He worked with local farmers to identify produce (at farm stands or in the field) that may potentially go to waste due to unexpectedly high yields, overly picky consumers or simply harvest timing. He then gathered volunteers to harvest at these partner farm sites.

Altogether, Forgotten Harvest Farms, the Harvest for Hunger program and farm-to-market donations top more than 1.5 million pounds of fresh produce each year for the area’s hungry, according to Rowinski.

Now Rowinski is working with an innovative international company based in Israel that manufactures specialty commercial fertilizers that are more environmentally friendly and efficient for farmers across the world.

“It really is my dream job,” said Rowinski. “I am a sales agronomist with ICL and I cover the entire central U.S. from the Rockies to the Atlantic and Canada to Mexico. I am a specialist in precision fertility and we are at the cutting edge of innovation when it comes to farm fertilizer. We have developed what is called CRF (Controlled Release Fertilizers), which means it's like “just-in-time" manufacturing, but for farms. It is fertilizer that is available only as each plant needs it, with no leaching, runoff or other environmental impact or waste of money on materials.” 

He says for a plant geek like him the job has everything he wants. “I travel all over the country and world; we are a global company and the worlds largest importer of phosphorus and potassium; and I get exposure and experience to just about every crop grown in America, and most importantly, I get to use the gifts God gave me to help feed people around the world,” he said. 

When he’s not working with ICL, Rowinski continues to work with local communities in the Detroit area to deliver food for the “common good” with a company called Farm to Factory.

“Farm to Factory is another great program locally,” he said. “We work with workplace wellness programs to deliver locally grown farm produce — healthy food — to factories and offices throughout Metro Detroit.” 

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org.

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 About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy

Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.