While Michigan is a national trailblazer of local food economy, much is yet to be done to support farmers, groom talent and connect regional markets. Ranked as the second most diverse state for agricultural production (behind California, yet with a much more limited growing season), Michigan farms, institutions, distributors and consumers are at the cross roads of opportunity. Now is the time to connect, grow and build business and relationships to maintain our diversity, strengthen local food economy and improve access to locally grown, fresh, healthy and affordable foods. Through research with partners such as One-Community Consulting, R. Neuner Consulting, Morse Marketing Connections, Allen Market Place, Michigan State University Extension and the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems, it was found that small to mid-sized farms are still in need of certain supports to compete with mass producers. Therefore Prima Civitas, a non-profit economic developer catalyzing Michigan, is working to help align funders, business and government to support further education, messaging and business capacity development across the state of Michigan with support from the United States Department of Agriculture and Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
With this in mind, the "Mid-Michigan Specialty Crop Knowledge Network" was developed to regionally pilot a process for Michigan’s small to mid-sized growers to access resources and build new networks capitalizing on proven and practical learning methods. Via surveys, interviews, phone calls and discussion growers have repeatedly requested workshop education focused on business capacity development and scaling, financial empowerment, food safety, marketing and branding and access to wholesale markets. Additionally, across the state many farmers desire more connection to one another and informal learning opportunities to share tips, best practices and to network.
Since 2012 with the support of the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems Food Hub Learning and Innovation Network, about nine local food aggregation, distribution and marketing organizations (food hubs) are in operation with several more in the development process throughout 2016. Within Mid-Michigan, Allen Market Place, SVRC Industries INC and Tuscola Economic Devlopment Corporation food hubs are assisting to form this Network by working with researchers to link growers already hubbing, offering strategic workshops, GroupGAP certification, conducting institutional purchaser research and coordinating "Meet the Buyer" events.
Specifically, the "Mid-Michigan Specialty Crop Knowledge Network" project will link veteran hubbers from Allen Market Place to up and coming SVRC Food Hub Bay area farmers (with focus on Saginaw County) beginning to form a knowledge network through mentoring, learning circle and joint workshop opportunity. Behind the scenes, Prima Civitas and partners such as the Michigan State University Product Center and the Eli Broad College of Business are working to facilitate new market demand by analyzing current food supply chains, building purchaser relationships and working on an economical model to make dollars and "sense" for organizations such as school systems, hospitals and restaurants to buy local. Through this work, it is our goal to help facilitate meeting the goals of the Michigan Good Food Charter by building a healthy food system rooted in local economy to grow healthy people.
About Us
Background
The Model
The Goal
