Center for Regional Food Systems Michigan’s Emerging Farmers

Mission: The Rural Development agency is committed to helping improve the economy and quality of life in rural America.

Learn more

• What does Rural Development do?
• How do I connect with Rural Development?
• What resources does Rural Development offer? 
• Who is eligible for their offerings?

What does Rural Development do?

Rural Development offers loans, grants and loan guarantees to help create jobs and support economic development and essential services. They also offer technical assistance and information to help agricultural producers and cooperatives get started and improve the effectiveness of their operations.

How do I connect with Rural Development?

Local Rural Development offices are located in some USDA service centers across Michigan and are the first point of contact for rural farmers to access USDA Rural Development programs and technical assistance. You can choose to work with a service center outside of the county you live in if that is more convenient, or if you farm in multiple counties.

To visit your nearest Rural Development office in a USDA Service Center:

1. Select your county and find the nearest service center: https://www.farmers.gov/working-with-us/service-center-locator?fips=26049&state=MI
2. Prepare for your visit with this helpful guide: Finding USDA Service Centers in Michigan which includes making an appointment with the office.

Rural Development has a state office in Michigan and can be a resource when you run into challenges with a local service center.

Michigan Rural Development State Office
3001 Coolidge Rd
Suite 200
East Lansing, MI 48823
517-324-5190 | Fax 855-813-7741

For a full list of Michigan Contacts and Offices: 

Find Michigan RD Contacts

What resources does Rural Development offer?

• Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program
  • The Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) provides grants to help eligible meat and poultry processors expand their capacity. USDA Rural Development designed this program to encourage competition and sustainable growth in the U.S. meat processing sector, and to help improve supply chain resiliency.
• Value Added Producer Grants
  • The Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program helps U.S. agricultural producers enter into value-added activities that generate new products from raw agricultural commodities, create and expand marketing opportunities, and/or increase producer income through enhanced product value and market reach.

For a full list of Rural Development programs in Michigan:

Explore all RD programs in MI

Who is eligible for their offerings?

Farmers can check if they are eligible for USDA RD resources here:

Check eligibility

In order to be eligible for many USDA loans, household income must meet certain guidelines. To be eligible for Rural Development programs, you may need to be located in an eligible rural area as defined by USDA.