By Andi Anderson
Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Director Tim Boring has announced significant investments in Farm Innovation Grants, totaling nearly $2.5 million. These grants aim to foster sustainable and climate-smart agriculture practices across the state, addressing critical challenges in Michigan's food and agricultural industry.
With support from Governor Whitmer's bipartisan budget, MDARD is prioritizing climate-smart agriculture practices to enhance supply chain resilience and ensure future agricultural growth.
MDARD received 15 proposals, seeking over $4.9 million in funding. After careful consideration, eight projects were selected for funding, totaling $2,461,999. These projects cover a range of innovative solutions to current and future farming challenges:
- Michigan State University will focus on tree stress mitigation in orchards and disease management in carrot and asparagus production, among other initiatives.
- Michigan Technological University aims to improve climate resilience and economic returns in labor-intensive produce using low-cost, modular robotic fleets.
- Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University will work on alternative disease-free young plant propagation methods for apple and Christmas tree supply resiliency.
- Kalamazoo Valley Community College will develop a framework for applied research and demonstration of climate-smart agriculture and horticulture practices.
These projects align with MDARD's priority areas, including Climate Smart Practices, Supply Chain Resiliency, Food Processing and Farm Production Automation, and Rural Resiliency.
The competitive evaluation process ensured that the selected projects would effectively address pressing issues in Michigan's agriculture sector. For more information on MDARD grants, visit MDARD Grants.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-brian-brown
Categories: Michigan, Government & Policy