Our Work

Our work spans the many people, processes, and places involved in regional food systems. Current work advances:

Food System Infrastructure, Planning and Policy

Michigan Good Food

Farm to Institution/School

Farm and Farmer Development

Find information about past areas of work at the bottom of this page.

 

Food System Infrastructure, Planning and Policy

  • Michigan Local Food Council Network

    Convening and engaging food councils through peer-to-peer learning to build individual and collective capacity, address food and food policy issues, and engage communities.

  • National Food Hub Survey

    A series of national surveys offering one of the most comprehensive data sets on food hub operations to date.

  • Racial Equity in the Food System Workgroup

    A community of Cooperative Extension professionals and community stakeholders who connect, learn and collaborate to facilitate change within our institutions and society to build racial equity within the food system.

Michigan Good Food

  • Michigan Good Food Charter

    The Michigan Good Food Charter is a roadmap for a food system that is rooted in local communities and centered on good food. The charter outlines six goals to advance the vision by 2020.

  • Michigan Good Food Charter Shared Measurement Project

    Improving understanding of the impact of good food efforts in Michigan by building capacity statewide to assess and communicate food system change.

  • Michigan Good Food Fund

    A $30 million public-private partnership loan fund providing financing and business assistance to good food enterprises that benefit underserved communities across Michigan.

Farm to Institution/School

  • Young girl eats lunch at school cafeteria table

    10 Cents a Meal

    10 Cents a Meal for Michigan’s Kids and Farms is a state-funded pilot program that matches what schools spend on Michigan-grown fruits, vegetables, and legumes with grants of up to 10 cents per meal.

  • Michigan Farm to ECE

    Farm to early care and education helps children and families eat more local foods.

  • Michigan Farm to ECE Network

    Helping Michigan’s children grow, choose, and eat more nutritious local food.

  • Michigan Farm to Institution Network

    Seeking new approaches to institutional food purchasing. Growing Michigan institutions’ capacity to serve local food. Expanding markets for food grown, raised and processed in Michigan.

  • Michigan Farm to School

    Sharing ideas, tools and resources to support a range of efforts to serve local foods in schools and early care and education settings.

Farm and Farmer Development

  • Michigan Organic Farming Exchange

    Equipping farmers and consumers with knowledge about organic production practices and suggesting methods to successfully transition conventional production to organic.

  • Organic Farmer Training Program

    Eight-month intensive training program in year-round organic farming to increase knowledge of farm production, management, marketing, and business operations necessary to operate a diversified small farm.

Past Work

  • Food and Community Connections

    A national outreach effort to cultivate environments and infrastructures for the development of equitable good food systems and healthy communities.

  • Food Innovation Districts

    A planning and economic strategy toolkit to address regional food system infrastructure needs and support the clustering of markets, food business incubators, and facilities for common storage and distribution.

  • Local Governments and Local Food Systems

    Building capacity for local government engagement in food system development through research and outreach programming.

  • MI Farm to School Grant Program

    From 2011-2018, over 20 eligible Michigan K-12 schools/districts and early care and education programs were provided mini-grants to plan for or implement farm to school programs.

  • Michigan Meat Network

    A network of livestock producers, meat processors, distributors, buyers, and food professionals looking to make business connections, find answers, and build viable markets for local and regional meat in Michigan.

  • Michigan’s Emerging Farmers

    Making farming a more prosperous, secure, and sustainable career by providing training and tools for Michigan’s beginning and emerging farmers.

Our Work

Center for Regional Food Systems

Food System Infrastructure, Planning and Policy

Michigan Good Food

Farm to Institution/School