LANSING, Mich. — Today, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Director Jamie Clover Adams announced nine projects awarded funds under the competitive Value Added and Regional Food System Grant Program.
“Michigan continues to assert itself as a leader in food and agriculture both nationally and globally, and these grants clearly reflect that,” said Clover Adams. “Not only do these projects offer opportunity for additional growth in revenue and jobs, but they also demonstrate the vision, ambition, and leadership of our state’s incredible food and agriculture companies.”
The department received 62 proposals with requests totaling more than $6.6 million. Of those, MDARD awarded the following nine projects leveraging more than $1 million in matching funds:
- Campbell Milarch Vines LLC of Copemish – $140,400. Produce and market the first locally sourced and cold-hardy vinifera “Truly Michigan Vines” for Michigan vineyard owners and grape growers.
- Chestnut Growers Inc. of Clarksville – $43,500. Improve production capacity in processing and preparing Michigan chestnuts for market.
- Food Lab Detroit of Detroit – $54,000. Develop a “Detroit Grown & Made” campaign to strengthen the relationship between farmers, added-value processors and the broader community.
- Growing Hope of Ypsilanti – $79,800. Develop the food hub components of the Ypsilanti Farmers MarketPlace, including creating an incubator kitchen for value-added product development.
- Indian Brook Trout Farm Inc. of Jackson – $150,000. Expand aquaculture processing facility and refrigerated transportation to grow marketing channels.
- Kitz Koop of Sault Ste. Marie – $19,400. Expand egg farm production for the Eastern Upper Peninsula.
- Michigan Sugar Company of Bay City – $100,000. Construct a liquid feed plant in Carrollton in partnership with Westway Feed Products, adding value to beet molasses.
- Rainbow Packing Inc. of Escanaba – $100,000. Expand facility to keep pace with meat processing needs in the Upper Peninsula.
- Sprout Urban Farms Inc. of Battle Creek – $65,000. Increase food hub producers and double sales of regional produce through wholesale markets.
MDARD promotes and manages several competitive grant programs through the Agriculture Development Division. More about these programs can be found at www.michigan.gov/mdardgrants.
— Michigan Department of Agriculture
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