MDARD Grant Program Announces Newest Recipients

Grant awards support 51 projects, will create hundreds of jobs to improve local agricultural business processes

LANSING, Mich. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) today awarded Underserved, Value-Added, and Regional Food System grants to Michigan producers, processors, and community development organizations.

Thanks to continued investments through Governor Whitmer's bipartisan budget, these grant funds -- which total more than $3.8 million for 51 projects -- support traditionally underserved businesses, cultivate value-added agricultural processing and strengthen area supply chains and regional food systems.

"MDARD is proud to make bold investments in Michigan's food and agriculture industries," said MDARD Director Tim Boring. "These investments highlight the diverse and expansive agriculture opportunities that contribute to economic prosperity and strengthened food access across the state. We want everyone to know that Michigan is the best place for the food and agricultural industry to thrive."

Underserved, Value-Added and Regional Food Systems grant dollars come from state funds and are not impacted by federal actions. The application process for Fiscal Year 2025 will be announced in April.

In total, the selected projects will create 146 full-time jobs and 203 part-time jobs. The recipients are:

Ptashka LLC (Oak Park) - $100,000. Purchasing of an automated packaging line to streamline and expand packaging capabilities, helping them meet the increasing demand for their high-quality, handmade crepes. This project will generate two full-time jobs and 10 part-time jobs.

WhatsEatLike, Inc. (Detroit) - $100,000. Establishing a dedicated Farm Stop retail space in Detroit's Brush Park neighborhood. This project will generate two full-time jobs and four part-time jobs.

New City Neighbors (Grand Rapids) - $100,000. Creating a new Western Michigan Urban Agricultural Training Center. The facility will house several training programs to create a pipeline for the next generation of urban growers, prioritizing historically underserved producers. This project will generate nine full-time jobs and 39 part-time jobs.

Lindemulder Properties LLC (South Haven) - $100,000. Developing Geneva Animal Processing, a USDA-certified multi-animal processing facility serving local farms. This project will create four full-time jobs and four part-time jobs.

Mr. Leslie s Cheesecakes (Lansing) - $76,893. Relocating to a larger facility to increase wholesale production, expand their summer hiring program for student workers and hire one full-time job and one part-time job.

Boulangerie 9 LLC (Suttons Bay) - $40,656. Building a small-scale milling facility that will support the needs of the 9 Bean Rows Farm, Bakery, and Cafe while supporting local agriculture, food artisans and community members. This project will generate three full-time jobs.

Bailey s Farms, LLC (Traverse City) - $62,564. Funding a bottling line to increase their throughput from 81,000 to 243,000 bottles per year. This project supports Michigan entrepreneurs, triples the sourcing of local farm products, and expands the founders work and partnerships with Tribal Nations. This project will generate two full-time jobs.

Campbell s Creekside Farms, LLC (Owosso) - $94,188. Opening a new, year-round farm market offering meat and produce through an on-farm retail space and delivery service. This project will generate one full-time and two part-time jobs.

Social Vines LLC (Dexter) - $100,000. Enhancing winery and vineyard equipment, improving wine production quality and volume, and engaging the community through educational programs and interactive visitor experiences. This project will generate two full-time jobs and two part-time jobs.

Harvestville LLC, DBA Harvestville Meat Market (Breckenridge) - $81,624. Restoring local access to nutritious whole food and farm fresh meat by opening Harvestville Meat Market. This project will generate three full-time jobs and three part-time jobs.

Hallstedt Homestead LLC (Northport) - $100,000. Converting an existing agricultural building to a commercial processing facility for expanded cherry vinegar production and new product development. This project will create one full-time job.

The Other Way Ministries (Grand Rapids) - $100,000. Converting a residential-style kitchen into a licensed commercial kitchen to enhance existing food access programs and benefit low-income neighbors. This project will generate five full-time jobs and three part-time jobs.

MI Farm Co-op (Suttons Bay) - $44,080. Purchasing the first delivery vehicle for MI Farm cooperative. Allowing the co-op to be sustainable without ongoing outside resources. This project will generate one full-time job and one part-time job.

Beaverland Farms LLC (Detroit) - $18,080. Creating a community u-pick fruit and perennial vegetable enterprise that invites local residents to connect with nature, learn about sustainable agriculture, and enjoy fresh, delicious fruits straight from the source. This project will generate one part-time job.

Rainbow Packing Inc (Escanaba) - $100,000. Updating and expanding processing capabilities to include a more automated process for USDA cooking processes, production, and cooling processes. This project will generate two full-time jobs and one part-time job.

Food Entrepreneur Accelerator & Startup Terminal, LLC (Feast Detroit) (Inkster) - $79,800. Automating key aspects of their Modified Atmospheric Packaging process, eliminating bottlenecks and growing production from 6,000 to 12,000 units per day. This project will generate four full-time jobs.

Greater Bridgman Area Chamber and Growth Alliance (Bridgman) - $95,000. Renovating the vacant building into a mecca for local produce, value-added food products, and craft beverages. This project will generate 20 full-time jobs and 10 part-time jobs.

Willowbrook Farms (Leroy) - $99,986. Expanding its production of pasture raised meat while simultaneously enhancing community agriculture education in Michigan. This project will generate two full-time jobs and four part-time jobs.

Saginaw Community Food Club and Kitchen (Saginaw) - $96,300. Addressing and improving food equity by providing access to healthy foods and nutritional resources to individuals and communities. This project will generate four full-time jobs and 10 part-time jobs.

Sunberry Paw Paw Beverages (Paw Paw) - $100,000. The project will benefit Michigan s agricultural community by expanding the market for local products like cherry, apple, cranberry, and grape juices, now planned for 64 oz bottles for USDA and other customers. With this added line, Sunberry will not only increase product offerings beyond the current one-gallon size but also serve different market segments more effectively. This project will generate between 10 and 20 full-time jobs.

Pietrzyk Foods LLC (Detroit) - $99,906. Upgrading production equipment, which will enhance efficiency and increase production capacity by a minimum of 20 percent. This project will generate two full-time jobs and one part-time job.

Amber Kischnick Farms LLC (Frankenmuth) - $76,755. Implementing an optical and metal sorting system using modern processing equipment. This project will generate one part-time job.

Little Liberia LLC (Detroit) - $95,346. Covering essential equipment costs, from kitchen appliances to packaging for the company retail center featuring Keyeh Hot Sauce. This allows the company to operate efficiently, serve their customers with high-quality offerings, and meet health and safety standards. This project will generate four full-time jobs and 13 part-time jobs.

Fresh Coast Baking Co LLC (Detroit) - $79,401. Implementing four key pieces of equipment that will dramatically change their ability to effectively produce a range of products at scale. This project will generate six full-time jobs and two part-time jobs.

Hinz Farms (South Haven) - $69,637. Constructing a new processing facility in rural Van Buren County. This project will generate one full-time job and four part-time jobs.

Shankar Distillers (Troy) - $49,659. Incorporating a centrifugal sifter into the tail end of our distilling process. This project will generate one part-time job.

Henningson Farms, LLC (DeWitt) - $93,876. Implementing a production expansion project that will involve the addition of two high tunnels to extend the season and improve the product, the addition of an irrigation well and drip irrigation system to increase watering capacity and efficiency, and the addition of eight honeybee hives and honey harvesting equipment to increase honey production and harvesting capacity. This project will generate two full-time jobs and five part-time jobs.

Tawas Wellness (East Tawas) - $31,492. Renovating the commercial kitchen, creating a shared-use space where local producers can develop value-added products from locally grown crops for retail sale. This project will generate three part-time jobs.

Pott Farms, L3C (Willis) - $34,710. Establishing value-added agricultural processing for the underserved development of the hemp industry in Michigan. This project will provide for the purchase of equipment that will empower small-scale farmers to profit from growing hemp for fiber. The project will fund the purchase of a mobile hemp decorticator to be used on the farm to process hemp stalks into usable end products. This project will generate four part-time jobs.

Scott Meats, Inc. (Muskegon Heights) - $100,000. Purchasing an efficient, state of the art sausage production machine which will enable staff to keep up with the high demand. An additional objective is to purchase energy efficient, sanitary retail meat display cases. This project will generate two full-time jobs and one part-time job.

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (Baraga) - $20,000. Developing a food code that establishes food safety standards tailored to the community that incorporates culturally relevant food practices. These standards will protect community members and guide local producers, enhancing the overall quality of food distributed within KBIC and throughout Michigan. Through this project, KBIC will make significant strides in its food sovereignty efforts, creating a sustainable, culturally relevant food system that promotes the health and well-being of the community.

Riley Orchards Receiving and Storage, LLC (Mears) - $100,000. Installing the new packing line at RORAS, early season validation of the operation for full-scale operation at the beginning of the 2025 harvest in late April. This project will generate 25 part-time jobs.

Sheridan Acres (Ubly) - $70,000. Expanding a small processing facility for edible beans and food-grade grains to keep up with growing demand for heirloom dry beans and other specialty grains. This project will generate four part-time jobs.

Nicklas Sheep (Hersey) - $16,860. Purchasing a wool shredder, pelletizing machine, and various die plates to adjust for materials for a pellet mill. Pelletizing wool and other materials turn wool and compost into usable products for sheep producers. This project will generate two part-time jobs.

Grand Traverse Conservation District (Traverse City) - $90,000. Constructing a year-round, post-harvest handling facility to address the critical need for accessible food processing infrastructure in the region, supporting both established local farmers and the next generation of agricultural entrepreneurs.

Coveyou Scenic Farm (Petoskey) - $39,330. Adding freezer storage capacity to the current operation. This project will generate two part-time jobs.

Willis Family Maple Farm LLC (Iron River) - $100,000. Expanding and modernizing the sugaring operation. This will meet increased market demand for pure maple syrup and value-added maple products. This project will generate one full-time job and four part-time jobs.

A.L. Johnson & Sons, Inc. (Suttons Bay) - $100,000. Purchasing of new packing and sorting equipment along with adding a second packing line to the facility in Leroy, MI. This project will generate six full-time jobs.

Riveridge Produce Marketing (Sparta) - $100,000. Adding a weigher and batcher to its current cherry packing line in Grant. This will create efficiencies by allowing for a more accurate pack with weight as well as more seamlessly moving between types of packaging with limited downtime. This project will generate one full-time job and six part-time jobs.

Goetz Brothers Organics LLC (Blissfield) - $98,603. Establishing a new cleaning, storage, and processing line to locally distribute organic and regeneratively grown whole grains and culinary oils to the southeastern Michigan community. This project will generate two full-time jobs and three part-time jobs.

Harrand Hill LLC (Buckley) - $57,311. Establishing a commercial kitchen within an already existing pole barn with utilities, enabling the company to produce value-added products such as spice blends, flours, and frozen vegetables. This project will generate two part-time jobs.

Two Step Ventures, LLC, BDA Delski s Prime Meats (Wyoming) - $100,000. Expanding equipment upgrades and safety enhancements to further scale production. This project will generate two full-time jobs and two part-time jobs.

Buzzed Beekeeping LLC (Detroit) - $79,975. Investing in production-oriented and post-harvest tools to increase output of farmed and value-added products and investing in infrastructure with matching funds to provide clean water and a hoophouse growing structure. Creating cooler storage space and post-harvest handling area that is dual purpose as a neighborhood farm stand. This project will generate one full-time job and two part-time jobs.

B & B Outlet (Watervliet) - $100,000. Purchasing equipment to support increased access to fresh, healthy foods in a USDA food desert community. This project will generate four full-time jobs and six part-time jobs.

Cold Creek Farm LLC (Frankfort) - $41,925. Installation of a hoop house to increase the growing area for hot peppers. This project will generate one full-time job and two part-time jobs.

Bair Lane Farm (Marcellus) - $16,759. Constructing a climate-controlled hoop house in Southwest Michigan to improve the production of tomatoes, increase climate resilience of local food systems, and increase access to locally produced food.

Steaks & Cupcakes LLC (Ubly) - $44,145. Introducing a delivery service equipped with freezing capabilities powered by three phase electricity, to provide a healthier, more accessible food supply and a stronger, more resilient local economy. This project will generate one full-time job and one part-time job.

Sprout Urban Farms, Inc. (Battle Creek) - $100,000. Establishing regional farmer development through the purchase of products and expansion of sales outlets; increasing food access to underserved markets with local supply through a partnership with Bronson Battle Creek to improve health indicators of a target population and enhancing local food systems through business support of start-up value added food entrepreneurs. This project will generate 12 full-time jobs.

Big Red Orchard (Washington) - $34,000. Purchasing and installing a fresh juice processing line to produce apple cider. This project will generate three full-time jobs.

Barry Community Foundation (Hastings) - $87,631. Developing essential components that will sustain a rural Community Food Center and benefit local and regional agricultural producers by offering services in one location. This project will generate seven full-time jobs and 11 part-time jobs.

Terrill's Market (Marcellus) - $73,812. Purchasing and installing a new walk-in meat cooler and a 16-foot meat display case. This project will expand the market's capacity to provide high-quality fresh meats and essential products to a community designated as a food desert. This project will generate one part-time job.

For more information about this program and future funding availability, please visit the Underserved, Value Added, and Regional Food Systems Grants website.

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