Organic livestock feed potential investigated in the Upper Peninsula

Research supports burgeoning organic and naturally grown livestock in the region.

Researchers in the Upper Peninsula are investigating the potential for organic grain cultivation in the region. Photo credit: A. McFarland, MSU
Researchers in the Upper Peninsula are investigating the potential for organic grain cultivation in the region. Photo credit: A. McFarland, MSU

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is experiencing an agricultural renaissance, which is being fueled by a new generation of farmers wanting to return to the land. Although many of these operations would be considered small in scale, they are often direct-to-market enterprises managed within an organic system. Furthermore, many operations contain stacked enterprises, integrating both crop and livestock production.

As consumers continue to drive preferences within the marketplace, the demand for natural or organically produced meat has greatly increased, but no such grain market exists within the region to support this expanding industry. Organic grain production is virtually non-existent in the Upper Peninsula. Sourcing outside of the region is quite costly and growth-limiting, especially for those wanting to market as certified organic.

The Michigan State University Upper Peninsula Research and Extension Center in Chatham along with Michigan State University Extension field crop educator Monica Jean, were recently awarded a grant through the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) with the primary goal of developing a framework of research and knowledge of organic grain systems in the region, and to determine the market potential for farm adoption.

This will be achieved through variety and crop management research, identification of need and marketing opportunities, and finally, dissemination of findings through field days and outreach materials. Research will be hosted at an on-farm cooperator site, Guindon Farms in Cornell, and at the MSU Upper Peninsula Research and Extension Center North Farm. The North Farm is a farm incubator focusing on sustainable farm development in the region.

The MSU team is one of five recipients of the OFRF grant award.

"We were impressed with the large number of excellent proposals we had to draw from for this round of grants," said Brise Tencer, Executive Director at OFRF. "As with the grants we funded in 2016, all of these projects focus on priorities identified by organic farmers in our 2015 national survey."

Since its founding in 1990, OFRF has awarded 337 grants to organic researchers and farmers, investing over $3M. All OFRF-funded research must involve farmers or ranchers in project design and implementation, take place on certified organic land, and include strong education and outreach components.

Work is already well underway for this project as the trials were established in April at both the MSU research station, and at the Guindon Farm. Oats, barley and corn will be examined, and expertise from organic crop farmer and retired MSU Educator, Dan Rossman, will be utilized to develop cost of production guides for these crops. The UPREC plot will be featured at the North Farm’s July Short Course, Organic Small Grains. Event details and registration can be found online.

If you are interested in organic research in the Upper Peninsula, contact Ashley McFarland at 906-439-5176. McFarland is the Coordinator of the MSU Upper Peninsula Research and Extension Center. 

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