Our Work
Our work spans the many people, processes, and places involved in regional food systems. Current work advances:
Food System Infrastructure, Planning and Policy
- National Food Hub Survey
- Michigan Food Hub Network
- Michigan Local and Regional Food System Workforce Assessment
- Michigan Local Food Council Network
- Racial Equity in the Food System Workgroup
Michigan Good Food
- Michigan Good Food Charter
- Michigan Good Food Charter Shared Measurement Project
- Statewide and Regional Food System Plans National Community of Practice
Farm to Institution/School
- 10 Cents a Meal
- Michigan Farm to Institution Network
- Michigan Farm to ECE
- Michigan Farm to ECE Network
- Michigan Farm to School
Farm and Food Business Development
- Farm Business Record Keeping for the Global Majority
- Food Systems Partners Investing in Communities and Entrepreneurs (Food SPICE)
- Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center
- Michigan Good Food Fund Business Support
- Michigan Incubator Kitchen Network
- Michigan Organic Farming Exchange
- Organic Farmer Training Program
Find information about past areas of work at the bottom of this page.
Food System Infrastructure, Planning and Policy
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Food Systems Partners Investing in Communities and Entrepreneurs
Food systems stakeholders working together to strengthen the viability, resilience, and equity of Michigan regional food economies.
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Michigan Food Hub Network
The Michigan Food Hub Network brings food hubs together to create something larger than the sum of its parts: A network of regional food distributors across the state dedicated to supporting the growth and success of Michigan’s local food economy.
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Michigan Local and Regional Food System Workforce Assessment
Michigan’s local and regional food sector is important to the state’s economy. Does Michigan have the workforce to sustain and grow this system?
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Michigan Local Food Council Network
Convening and engaging food councils through peer-to-peer learning to build individual and collective capacity, address food and food policy issues, and engage communities.
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National Food Hub Survey
A series of national surveys offering one of the most comprehensive data sets on food hub operations to date.
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Racial Equity in the Food System Workgroup
A community of Cooperative Extension professionals and community stakeholders who connect, learn and collaborate to facilitate change within our institutions and society to build racial equity within the food system.
Michigan Good Food
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Michigan Good Food Charter
The Michigan Good Food Charter is a guide for creating and sustaining good food systems rooted in Michigan communities.
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Michigan Good Food Charter Shared Measurement Project
Improving understanding of the impact of good food efforts in Michigan by building capacity statewide to assess and communicate food system change.
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Michigan Good Food Fund Technical Assistance Providers
A statewide loan fund that supports good food entrepreneurs working to increase access to healthy food and spark economic opportunity in places that need it most.
Farm to Institution/School
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10 Cents a Meal
10 Cents a Meal for Michigan’s Kids and Farms is a state-funded program that matches what schools and other non-school sponsors spend on Michigan-grown fruits, vegetables, and dry beans with grants.
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Michigan Farm to ECE
Farm to early care and education helps children and families eat more local foods.
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Michigan Farm to ECE Network
Helping Michigan’s children grow, choose, and eat more nutritious local food.
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Michigan Farm to Institution Network
Seeking new approaches to institutional food purchasing. Growing Michigan institutions’ capacity to serve local food. Expanding markets for food grown, raised and processed in Michigan.
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Michigan Farm to School
Sharing ideas, tools and resources to support a range of efforts to serve local foods in schools and early care and education settings.
Farm and Food Business Development
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Farm Business Record Keeping for the Global Majority
An online and virtual course for farmers of color to learn how to enhance cash flow, profitability, and financial performance.
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Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center
The Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center will coordinate a network of technical assistance providers that are dedicated to the sustainable success of small to mid-sized farm and food businesses across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin.
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Michigan Incubator Kitchen Network
The Michigan Incubator Kitchen Network (MIKN) supports shared use commercial kitchens and their communities of food business entrepreneurs.
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Michigan Organic Farming Exchange
Equipping farmers and consumers with knowledge about organic production practices and suggesting methods to successfully transition conventional production to organic.
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Organic Farmer Training Program
Join beginning farmers, homesteaders, educational gardeners and food system change-makers: Learn by growing food, visiting sustainable farms, and writing a business plan that fits your values, goals, land and community needs.
Past Work
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Economic Impact Analysis of Local and Regional Food Systems
Economists and local food system researchers convened to assess existing practices and recommend future strategies for economic analyses of local and regional food systems.
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Financing Farming in the U.S.
A national team of community-based lenders and farm business advisors.
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Food and Community Connections
A national outreach effort to cultivate environments and infrastructures for the development of equitable good food systems and healthy communities.
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Food Innovation Districts
A planning and economic strategy toolkit to address regional food system infrastructure needs and support the clustering of markets, food business incubators, and facilities for common storage and distribution.
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Local Governments and Local Food Systems
Building capacity for local government engagement in food system development through research and outreach programming.
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MI Farm to School Grant Program
From 2011-2018, over 70 K-12 schools/districts and early care and education programs received over $200,000 in grant awards to increase the amount of local foods purchased and served in food programs serving Michigan children.
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Michigan Food Hub Learning and Innovation Network
Providing development and leadership expertise for Michigan businesses that facilitate the aggregation, storage, processing, distribution, and/or marketing of local and regional food products.
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Michigan Meat Network
A network of livestock producers, meat processors, distributors, buyers, and food professionals looking to make business connections, find answers, and build viable markets for local and regional meat in Michigan.
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Michigan’s Emerging Farmers
Making farming a more prosperous, secure, and sustainable career by providing training and tools for Michigan’s beginning and emerging farmers.
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Northwest Michigan Agriculture and Food System Sector Alliance
Facilitating collaboration, planning, and action between stakeholders from the Northwest Lower Michigan food system, including growers, processors, preparers, packagers, distributors, servers, and retailers.
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Season Extension Outreach
Sharing resources, research, and other support for production, marketing, and business planning for year-round farming.