Food and Ag Business Resources

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development offers assistance to Michigan Agri-Businesses in starting and growing your business.

The list below contains some of the core resource materials available to assist you.  We invite you to review these materials and if you have specific questions, please refer to the map of regional contacts for the Office of Agriculture Development for further assistance. 

Core Resources:

"Growing Michigan's Future" Marketing Guide - Comprehensive (117) page resource guide to starting and growing a business in the agri-food sector - http://www.michigan.gov/mdardmarketingguide

Sources of Financial Assistance for Food and Agriculture Businesses- A list of agencies that may  be in a position to provide loans, grants and business planning services.

Michigan Food and Agriculture Industry Snapshot

Office of Agriculture Development staff:

Michael DiBernardo - Economic Development/ Statewide/ U.P.
Nancy Nyquist - Economic Development/ U.P. and Mid-Michigan
Scott Corrin - Economic Development/ Eastern Michigan
Jodi Gruner - Economic Development / West Michigan
Jamie Zmitko- Somers - International Marketing      zmitkoj@michigan.gov
Linda Jones - Grape and Wine Council Program   jonesL9@michigan.gov

Supplementary Resources:

1. MDARD "At a Glance" - A trifold brochure describing MDARD's Mission and Structure.

2. Michigan's Food and Agriculture Industry Report - Annual update by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development that includes a list of major commodities, economic impact data provided by Michigan State University, export data etc.

3. Food Export Programs Brochure - A brochure describing the services available to assist companies with exporting their products

4. Cottage Food Checklist - Resources to educate the public regarding the regulations and requirements for "cottage foods".

5. Putting Michigan Produce on Your Menu - A guide for food service institutions and restaurants for including local foods in menu planning

6. MSU Product Center brochure - A brochure describing the services provided by the MSU Product Center, including MarketMaker.

7. Winery Start-up Booklet - A booklet providing very basic information about starting a winery or vineyard business.  Links to an online database of resources 
 
8. Farm to School Resources - A guide to sourcing local foods for school nutrition programs.

9. Specialty Crop Brochure - A  four color attractive digest sized booklet that lists and describes each of Michigan's major commodities and contact information for the commodity organization