Keeping Businesses Strong in Emmet County
When you support MSU Extension, you help participants understand the economic, environmental and social benefits of purchasing local and regional foods.
MSU Extension and the MSU Product Center help Michigan entrepreneurs develop and commercialize high-value, consumer-responsive products and businesses in the food, agriculture, natural resources and bio-economy sectors. When you support MSU Extension, you help participants understand the economic, environmental and social benefits of purchasing local and regional foods. You also help young people develop business skills that will help them succeed as adults and help communities capitalize on their ecological, social and cultural assets. This fuels the economy by creating and retaining jobs, and helps ensure a healthy tax base.
Providing education, technical assistance and support to food and agricultural professionals
Providing customized assistance for entrepreneurs in the Ag/Food/Bio based business sectors is a key component of services available to clients of MSU’s Product Center. During 2017, the MSU Product Center staff that is housed in Emmet County counseled with 20 farm and food businesses from the County, during 54 individual counseling sessions that totaled over 92 hours of contact. Across the 10 county NW MI region, the Emmet County based Product Center Business Counselor help to businesses who had the following regional impacts:
- 18 jobs created
- 13 jobs retained
- 9 business start-ups
- $979,750- Total Sales Increase
- $734,000 + - Owner investment
- $850,000+ - Total Capital Invested
Food & Farm specific educational classes offered by MSUE staff in 2017 included a Commercial Food Class, a Cottage Food Law class, and a Farm-Food Safety Mock-Audit, which was held at Pond Hill Farms in Harbor Springs.