Farm to Family is an innovative program of the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD) that offers grants, networking opportunities, and marketing consultations for farmers, food businesses, and others in local food supply chains. To launch program activities in 2025, the Farm to Family Program offered a grant opportunity to strengthen Michigan food hubs and farm stops. This grant was designed in direct response to needs reported by farmers and other stakeholders during community engagement events across the state.
Background and Definitions:
Farm Stops play unique and increasingly important roles in food systems across Michigan. According to Kathryn Barr, author of How to Start a Farm Stop, Farm Stops are "markets that support small-scale farmers and strengthen local and regional food systems.” Farm Stops offer a year-round, every day, retail-style market where consumers can buy local produce from farmers or producers, typically on the consignment model. This offers flexibility and a fair price to producers who can sell more products with less of the time commitment required to attend weekend farmers markets. Through this market channel, farmers also retain a higher percentage of profits compared to a conventional retail model. Producers set their prices and own their product until they are sold. Elements of farm markets, farm stands, and regular retail markets are all integrated into the Farm Stop model. Farm Stops are mission-driven, and prioritize supporting and enabling small-scale producers by sourcing directly within a specified, local radius. Another hallmark of the farm stop model compared to retail is the dedication to customer education. Often seen features at Farm Stops include clear signage within the market that showcases the farm name, location, and growing practices. Since farmers are paid for the products that get sold, it’s important for customers to know the name of their farmer when they approach the checkout building transparency for consumers for the most of or the entire value chain. Farm Stops also rely on some whole purchases to fill out inventory with items that producers are unwilling to sell on consignment (Is the Farm Stop Revolution Upon Us? - Modern Farmer).
Food Hubs: USDA’s Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS) notes that food hubs are an important subset of food value chains. By offering a combination of aggregation, distribution, and marketing services at an affordable price, food hubs make it possible for many producers to enter larger-volume markets that boost their incomes and provide opportunities for scaling up production. According to Sustainable America, food hubs are a crucial, but often invisible, part of the local food system. They help small farms grow by offering a combination of production, distribution, and marketing services. There are now more than 200 food hubs in the United States according to AMS and 11 of those in Michigan, according to Michigan State University. Food hubs often include physical spaces, while occasionally, some are virtual only or partially, but all are concerned with connecting the dots between producers and consumers of food. Sustainable America notes that they can be thought of as helpful “middlemen” that connect producers with institutional buyers (restaurants, hospitals, schools, etc) with the end consumer(s). They help farmers gain access to larger markets so that farmers can focus more on farming and less on marketing, distribution, etc.
Eligibility:
Eligible applicants for this grant program must be Michigan-based farm stops adhering to the definitions listed above or Michigan-based food hubs recognized by and listed on the Michigan Food Hub Network Directory Food Hub Directory.
