MDARD Announces Last Food Mile Grants to Expand Access to Michigan-Grown Foods

Grants invest in transport infrastructure that connects local growers with retailers, processors, consumers and community institutions

LANSING, Mich.-Following overwhelming interest from Michigan farmers and agribusinesses, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) today announced the recipients of its Last Food Mile grant program to improve transportation infrastructure and give more Michigan families access to nutritious, affordable, locally grown foods.

"Farmers and communities across Michigan continue to signal rising consumer demand for locally grown foods, but the transportation and distribution infrastructure necessary to get those foods to market hasn't kept up," said MDARD Director Tim Boring. "MDARD's Last Food Mile grants invest in refrigerated transportation that will safely and reliably move more Michigan-grown foods from farm to market to the family dinner table. By addressing gaps in food distribution and promoting regenerative agriculture, we're building more resilient and sustainable food systems for Michigan."

The grant program launched through MDARD's Farm to Family Program following community conversations that repeatedly pointed to infrastructure as a barrier to success for Michigan agribusinesses received more than 130 applications. The interest in the grant opportunity exposes current gaps in Michigan's regional food supplies, which Farm to Family is working to address thanks to ongoing bipartisan support brokered by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

"The Last Food Mile grant is a meaningful step forward for Third Leaf Farm and our wider grower network, as it strengthens our cold-chain and delivery capacity so Michigan-grown regenerative food can move more reliably from orchard to table, across more months of the year, and into more communities that need it," said Kyle Rasch, director of Third Leaf Farm, a grant recipient. "Investing in locally grown foods here in Michigan keeps farms economically viable, keeps food dollars circulating close to home and builds the practical infrastructure that helps our state feed itself with fresher, higher-quality food."

Today's Last Food Mile grants will support the following 21 projects throughout Michigan. These projects will involve more than 300 Michigan food producers, more than half of whom implement regenerative agriculture practices.

Mid-Michigan

• Asbury Community Development Corp (Flint) $100,974 for acquiring a refrigerated delivery van to ensure affordable, locally grown produce safely and consistently reaches retail store shelves in Eastside and North Flint.
• Shiawassee Family YMCA (Owosso) $99,537 to purchase a refrigerated cargo van to enhance procurement and distribution of fresh vegetables and other foods in rural communities with limited retail food options.

Northern Michigan

• Apsey Farm LLC (Reed City) $100,900 for procuring a refrigerated truck to transport Michigan-raised frozen meat products from USDA-inspected processors to their fulfillment center and on to end consumers.
• Bonz Beach Farms LLC (Onaway) $100,750 for purchasing a refrigerated trailer to increase delivery of fresh, affordable, locally grown produce to community institutions and to elderly, rural, and other residents with limited transportation.
• Mshkode LLC (Brutus) $101,000 to invest in a refrigerated vehicle and logistics tools to strengthen regional food aggregation and delivery with a focus on serving Tribal communities and indigenous producers.

Southeast Michigan

• Babowaba s Delivery LLC (Romulus) $97,019 for purchasing a refrigerated truck to expand door-to-door deliveries of healthy foods and for shared use with local farm hubs.
• First Gen Farm LLC, which does business as Cedar Field Farm (Dearborn Heights) $101,000 for purchasing a refrigerated cargo van to source a larger and more diverse quantity of Michigan-grown organic fruit for their direct-to-consumer Community Supported Agriculture subscriptions.
• Old City Acres (Ypsilanti) $66,000 for purchasing a refrigerated van to increase the volume of local produce, dairy and protein at their year-round farm stand and in their home delivery program.
• Monroe Family YMCA (Monroe) $101,000 to invest in refrigeration infrastructure to increase the safe and reliable transportation of fresh produce, dairy and value-added products from local farms to community distribution sites.
• Three Farmers Meat LLC (Belleville) $97,101 to purchase a refrigerated food truck to increase community access to certified Halal meat and strengthen partnerships with Halal processors, retailers, and community institutions across east Michigan.
• Green Hope LLC, which does business as Rosewood Products (Ann Arbor) $101,000 to purchase a refrigerated truck to expand delivery routes for Michigan-made tofu and to increase processing of Michigan-grown soybeans.

Southwest Michigan

• Hawkeye Farms, LLC, which does business as Mick Klug Farms (St. Joseph) $99,410 to retrofit a cargo van with refrigeration to expand product offerings for their Community Supported Agriculture program and strengthen partnerships with regional food distributors.
• MI Dad s Farm, LLC (St. Joseph) $101,000 for purchasing a refrigerated vehicle to increase distribution of Michigan-grown foods to grocers, farmers markets, food pantries and other community institutions.
• South Michigan Food Bank (Battle Creek) $81,000 to invest in a refrigerated truck to increase distribution of Michigan-grown produce to community partners in an eight-county service area.

Thumb Region

• S.J. Organic Farms LLC (Peck) $98,944 for purchasing a refrigerated vehicle to deliver fresh, locally produced foods directly to consumers and to strengthen partnerships with local Amish growers and other Michigan producers.

Upper Peninsula

• Boersma Family Roots (Houghton County) $101,000 for acquiring a refrigerated van to increase Michigan-grown produce deliveries to local schools, senior programs and restaurants throughout the western UP.
• Ghost House Farm (Houghton County) $100,969 to purchase a refrigerated van and low-till equipment to expand their capacity for the delivery of locally grown foods to rural consumers, senior programs, farmers markets and wholesalers.

West Michigan

• Community Food Club (Grand Rapids) $100,400 to purchase a refrigerated truck to source more local produce for households with limited food access.
• Farmhaus Cider Company (Hudsonville) $101,000 to invest in a refrigerated truck to deliver Michigan-grown fruit to school districts, health systems and other community institutions across ten west Michigan counties.
• Middle Mitten Farms LLC (Vestaburg) $81,000 for purchasing a refrigerated truck to increase deliveries of local produce, meats, eggs, maple syrup and honey to communities with limited access to Michigan-produced foods.
• Tom Rasch & Son Orchards LLC (Greenville) $69,585 to invest in a refrigerated box truck to increase retailers', processors' and community institutions' access to locally grown apples from farms that practice regenerative agriculture.

MDARD's innovative Farm to Family Program strengthens market opportunities for Michigan producers while increasing families access to local foods. Late last year, the program launched the Good Food for Michigan project to help community institutions procure local foods and earlier delivered food hubs and farm stops grants that spurred an additional $1 million in local food purchasing statewide.

For more information about the Farm to Family Program, visit MDARD's website.

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