farmers

Case studies and tips on small farm financing

July 20, 2012
Case studies and tips on small farm financing

Financing smaller farms: New resources for lenders who want to learn and activists who want to promote.

Read the full article →

Small Farms, Local Food Getting Some Hot New Technology

May 19, 2012
The field of small farm business services is growing for Jane Bush's Apple Schram Organic Orchard in Charlotte and many other diversified operations focused on local markets.

In a sign of changing times, the field of business products and services available to the local food set is now popping with entrepreneurs and innovations. This new business-to-business lineup is helping farms leapfrog over many food market barriers and establish an entirely new playing field.

Read the full article →

Food Innovation District: New Economic Gardening Tool

April 6, 2012
Cherry Blossom Time, Benzie County Michigan, photo by John Clement Howe. http://tiny.cc/bgmccw

Toolkit in process: How communities can make space for local food and farm entrepreneurs to co-locate, collaborate, and grow.

Read the full article →

VIDEO: Michigan farmers turn up the volume

March 7, 2012
VIDEO: Michigan farmers turn up the volume

For small to large farms it’s clear Michigan markets are growing in local food opportunities.

Read the full article →

Alarming step in MI to outlaw heritage pigs

March 7, 2012
Alarming step in MI to outlaw heritage pigs

Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources has declared many heritage breeds that small farmers now sell to high end chefs as “invasive species.” unless that changes these farmers will lose important markets along with animal come April when the “destroy” order comes into effect.

Read the full article →

Lenders learn how to bank on small farms, local food

February 3, 2012
Lenders learn how to bank on small farms, local food

 Financing team offers training as part of healthy food initiative  By Patty Cantrell  Nic Welty employs himself full time year-round raising lettuce, spinach, and other leafy greens in three low-cost passive solar greenhouses, which together cover less than one acre of land. His Nine Bean Rows farm near Traverse City, MI, is one of many [...]

Read the full article →

Public health concerns spur produce-market growth

November 4, 2011
Public health concerns spur produce-market growth

Sam Shina’s family owns 14 small grocery stores in Detroit. One of them could soon be part of a market incentive experiment designed to improve public health, expand sales for Michigan farmers, and grow local economies.

Read the full article →