Last Food Mile Grant

"Most of us juggle farm work with off-farm jobs, making it difficult to manage a full-time retail store. Yet the need for tools to help farmers reach customers and create value-added products is still very real."

- Erin K., Farmer from Attica, MI

Overview

The Last Food Mile Grant is a one-time funding opportunity offered by Farm to Family, 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. The aim of this grant is to help producers deliver locally grown foods to Michigan institutions, markets and consumers by developing transportation and distribution infrastructure across Michigan.

MDARD will accept applications for the Last Food Mile Grant through the MIAgGrants portal until February 6, 2026, at 5pm ET. Prospective applicants are encouraged to attend the following webinars to learn more about the application process:

• Last Food Mile Open Office Hours – Friday, December 19 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET
• Last Food Mile Grant Info Session – Tuesday, January 6 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. ET

You can also find more information about this funding opportunity by reviewing the Last Food Mile Grant Guidelines.

Eligibility:

Eligible applicants for this grant program must be a Michigan-based farm business or a Michigan-based food business/organization that works directly with Michigan-based farmers.

Process:

Key Grant Criteria:

Please see the Last Food Mile Grant Guidelines for a full list of required and preferred grant criteria.

• The project must expand delivery of Michigan grown or produced foods to buyers who will be eating or preparing the food (e.g., individual consumers, schools, hospitals, senior centers, restaurants, cafes, farm stops and other retail, etc.).
• The project must establish or expand at least one partnership with another business or organization to address local food distribution challenges regionally or locally. See partnership examples in the full
• The project proposal must demonstrate how the following goals will be met and describe targets for each.
  • Increase the volume/weight of Michigan grown foods sold in Michigan communities.
  • Increase the dollar value of Michigan grown foods sold AND the revenue to Michigan farmers.
  • Increase the number of Michigan farmers reached, including those who use regenerative practices.
  • Increase local and regional market access for a broader geographic distribution of Michigan farmers.
  • Increase the number or types of consumers who have access to Michigan grown foods.
• Preference will be given to projects that develop market channels for regenerative agriculture products.
• Preference will be given to projects that allocate at least 80% of the proposed budget to a refrigerated vehicle. Eligible refrigerated vehicles must be valued at $100,000 or less and paid in full by grant dollars.

Definitions:

Food Value Chains: The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service describes food value chains as a business strategy to “transform the traditional competitive seller/buyer relationships to a collaborative approach.” Value chains are trusting alliances among supply chain partners that recognize that creating maximum value for their products depends on interdependence, collaboration, and mutual support. (Source: 2022 Michigan Good Food Charter)

Last Food Mile refers to the processes in the food value chain that occur immediately before the product reaches the consumer. Examples of the last food mile include:

• Picking up apples from two local orchards to be sold at a farm stop.
• Transporting frozen asparagus, fresh tomatoes, and locally baked bread from a food hub to a school district.
• Bringing eggs and pork that were aggregated from three cooperative farms to a farmers' market for sale.
• Delivering four pallets of fresh sweetcorn to a local grocery store.

Contact:

 MDARD-FarmToFamily@michigan.gov
 Schedule a Meeting with the Farm to Family Team

Equal Opportunity:

The State of Michigan and the Department of Agriculture & Rural Development prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, height, weight, marital status, partisan considerations, or a disability or genetic information that is unrelated to the person's ability to perform the duties of a particular job or position.

To file a complaint of discrimination, please contact: MDARD Office of Legal Affairs, 525 West Allegan, Lansing, MI 48909, or call 517-284-5729.

You may also contact the Michigan Department of Civil Rights at:

Phone: 313-456-3700
Fax: 313-456-3701
Toll-Free: 800-482-3604
TTY: 877-878-8464
Email: MDCRServiceCenter@michigan.gov

Reasonable Accommodations:

The Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD) strives to ensure site accessibility for all its users. Our grant process is inclusive and accessible to all individuals, including those with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodations, please respond with the following information to MDARD-FarmToFamily@michigan.gov.

When contacting us, please include the following information so that we can respond in a manner that is helpful to you:

• Nature of the accessibility issue
• Web address of the content you are attempting to access
• Your preferred format for the content
• Your contact information

Please submit this request no later than Friday, January 16, 2025. Please allow up to two weeks for the processing of this request. Thank you.