Though affordable land has become a significant barrier to entry, the Tilian Farm Development Center is helping a new generation of farmers work local fields. They're savvy about social media, understand the strengths of niche marketing, and are, increasingly, women.

It's not often that the Big House gets smaller, but that is exactly what happened to Michigan Stadium this summer. Concentrate's Jon Zemke asks MGoBlog's Brian Cook what these changes mean for Football Saturdays.

The first residents began moving into the luxury apartments at 618 South Main late last week as one of downtown Ann Arbor’s newest construction projects comes online and on time. "We currently have 40 units occupied with more moving in each day," says Meg Murphy, community manager for 618 South Main. While a number of other high-rise apartment buildings in downtown Ann Arbor have fought to keep up with their construction schedules, 618 South Main is opening its first phase in August, a predicted, and is set to open the rest of the building a month from now. "It's a matter of a lot of people working well together," says Dan Ketelaar, president of Urban Group Development, co-developer of 618 South Main. "Our whole focus is on our tenants. That drives us." The $27 million development is building a six-story apartment building on the southern edge of downtown Ann Arbor. It replaces the old Fox Tent & Awning business. The new building will feature 164 apartments, including studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units. Prices range in price from $1,395 per month to $2,905 per month and the building is 82 percent leased now. 618 South Main comes with a lot of extras. It has a common deck with a pool, outdoor grills, fire pits and lounge areas both inside and outside of the building. It also has 132 underground parking spots. 618 South Main also has some big-ticket green features, including a rain garden that filters all of the water runoff from the building, is estimated at 900,000 gallons annually, and sends it back into the Huron River. "It's pretty unique," Ketelaar says. “"t captures 100 percent of the water runoff and filters it." Ketelaar and his team are putting the final touches on the common areas of 618 South Main this month. Murphy expects to have the building fully leased and occupied by the end of September. Source: Meg Murphy, community manager for 618 South Main; Dan Ketelaar, president of Urban Group Development Writer: Jon Zemke

Arbor Teas is hitting the sweet spot for its tea production, clocking double-digit revenue growth and pushing its packaging to become even more sustainable. The Ann Arbor-based online retailer for loose-leaf tea prides itself on selling its teas in compostable packaging. It upgraded that system earlier this year by adding a compostable adhesive that makes it packaging easier to assemble and biodegrade. "That was fairly revolutionary for us," says Jeremy Lopatin, co-founder of Arbor Teas. Jeremy Lopatin launched Arbor Teas with his wife, Aubrey Lopatin, a little more than a decade ago. It now has a staff of seven people, including three hires since early 2014. The new jobs include inventory management at its warehouse on Ann Arbor's north side and customer service. Arbor Teas sells a broad variety of organic-certified teas from around the world. It recently added teas from Kenya, Korea, and Hawaii. It sells them online but is aiming to expand into brick and mortar sales over the next year. The Lopatins are also looking at opening an organic tea bar in Ann Arbor. Arbor Teas grew its sales by 25 percent last year. It is exceeding its sales forecasts for this year so far. "We're doing about 21 percent this year," Jeremy Lopatin says. Source: Jeremy Lopatin, co-founder of Arbor Teas Writer: Jon Zemke

Concentrate's Patrick Dunn kicks off a four-part series on the state of mass transit in our community: who's riding, what it needs, and how we plan for the future.