Recipient Organization
GRAND TRAVERSE CONSERVATION DISTRICT
1450 CASS RD
TRAVERSE CITY,MI 496859143
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The Great Lakes Incubator Farm (GLIF) program of the Grand Traverse Conservation District is an active, land-based agricultural program operating on 15 acres focused on beginning farmers in a 5-county region in Northwest Lower Michigan. The long-term goals of GLIF are to:Recruit and lower the barriers to entry for beginning farmers,Train and educate beginning farmers, andHelp successful incubator farmers transition to their own land.Justification of NeedIn the U.S., the average farmer is 57.5 years old, and this number is continuing to increase. In the 5-county area where GLIF will operate, 47% of farmers are older than 65 (USDA NASS, 2017) and many of these farmers will cease farming in the next decade. In Northern Michigan, 83,000 acres of farmland will transition hands in the next 10 years (Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, 2018). Yet, it has become increasingly difficult for retiring farmers to transition their land to new farmers. In Northern Michigan, a growing retirement and remote work location, the pressure to convert farmland to development is constant and growing. According to the 2020 Census, GLIF's home county was the second fastest growing county in Michigan.Meanwhile, beginning farmers face significant challenges in starting new agricultural operations due to capital costs (land, infrastructure, equipment) and a steep learning curve in both farming practice and business management. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated risks for new farmers with fluctuating consumer behavior and demand, supply chain disruptions, and market uncertainty - especially in highly diverse agricultural economies such as Michigan. For Michigan farmers, the pandemic has caused "one of the most dramatic, heterogeneous shocks to their production and marketing outlets" (Miller et al. 2020).Target AudienceTo aid in the succession and sustainable retention of local farmland, GLIF proposes to target beginning farmers in the 5-county region (Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Benzie, Antrim and Kalkaska) of NW Lower Michigan where the 1,922 farms and 2,830 farmers are characterized by fruit orchards, vineyards and small vegetable and livestock operations averaging 118 acres on rolling hillside farms of rich and productive farmland (USDA NASS, 2017). Approximately 1,000 of these identify as new and beginning farmers on the 39% of our farms that are less than 50 acres. Among the region's farm community today, there are 23 American Indian, 49 Hispanic and 302 Veteran owned farms. There is also a robust network of CSA farms, farm stands, and over 35 regional farmer's markets and a direct sale co-op of 19 farms. In addition to direct sales, Grand Traverse County also boasts a Farm to Freezer Company and Cherry Capital Foods, a local aggregator of regional farms.Many new and beginning farmers are limited-resource individuals working at other jobs as average annual farm income is $12,487 with 38% reporting sales of less than $2,500 and 69% less than $25,000. These new and beginning farmers, the community of over 2,000 migrants each growing season, and our local Native American and Veteran farmers comprise an underserved community that can provide the next generation of farmers on viable farms.Interviews with beginning farmers conducted by the GLIF Team in Winter 2022 reinforce this data and suggest that beginning farmers want and need help to enter farming and scale their operations (GLIF Beginning Farmer Interviews, Jan-Feb, 2022). Specifically, GLIF outreach efforts found that though all had built their businesses from the ground up on purchased or leased land, they lamented not having more access to resources prior to launch, including the administrative side of farming such as licensing and permits; business management education; connections to mentors; a network for land and knowledge; and particular resources on understanding and building their land's unique soil. In terms of physical assets, they spoke about a need for tools and equipment, including a tractor with various implements, a no-till drill, a tiller and mower as well as the need for a hoop house and support during propagation to get a jumpstart on the growing season and a wash/pack facility for harvest time.They also wished they had known more about: funding opportunities and grant cycles; certifications and licenses; market planning and establishing distribution channels in advance of the growing season; and labor issues such as hiring, retaining and training of employees and associated administrative functions.The proposed project will help overcome these barriers by making farmland, equipment, infrastructure and learning opportunities available to program participants at the Great Lakes Incubator Farm. By graduation, GLIF participants will have well-established markets and sales accounts, efficient and effective production methods, a broad understanding of critical farmer skills including good environmental stewardship and business management and a detailed business plan with financial records preparing them to transition off the incubator farm and apply for programs through the Farm Services Agency (FSA) and other funding sources.As of 2016, there were 130 operational Farm Incubator Programs (FIPs) in the United States. A FIP is defined as a "land-based, multi-grower project that provides training and technical assistance to aspiring and beginning farmers" (National Incubator Farm Training Initiative, 2020). There are no operational multi-farmer FIPs in Northwest Michigan. Searches in the Farm Answers database show that past BFRD awardees have focused their efforts on Southern Michigan and, of the 12 producer programs listed in Farm Answers, only one incubator farm is in Northern Michigan, operated as a demonstration farm by a Farm Manager employed by the regional land conservancy. The GLIF team is aware of one other incubator with a greenhouse, commercial kitchen and limited distribution assistance. However, there is no comprehensive training program affiliated with an incubator program. GLIF can fill this gap and is well-positioned geographically to do so as an agricultural learning hub
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The Great Lakes Incubator Farm (GLIF) program of the Grand Traverse Conservation District is an active, land-based agricultural program operating on 15 acres focused on beginning farmers in a 5-county region in Northwest Lower Michigan. The long-term goals of GLIF are to:Recruit and lower the barriers to entry for beginning farmers,Train and educate beginning farmers, andHelp successful incubator farmers transition to their own land.
Project Methods
The approach described hereafter is an abbreviated version of the comprehensive, strategic Great Lakes Incubator Farm Program Business Plan, developed and written over the course of 18 months in consultation with the Michigan Small Business Development Center.Activities - Objective 1: Recruit beginning farmers interested in entering the professionRecruitingInformed by Farmer interviews conducted during Winter 2022, already established contacts within the regional agricultural community and a diverse network of program partners, GLIF will recruit beginning farmers using several forms of outreach and communication (detailed in the Recruitment section) focusing first on expressed interest from Beginning farmers. Each cohort will target 5 individuals per year. Interviews will take place on the farm property with the Farm Manager, Farm Advisor and Project Director.Activities - Objective 2:Support young or beginning farmers in launching new agricultural businesses by providing opportunity and access to land, infrastructure, equipment, and toolsGLIF will make land, infrastructure, and equipment available to incubator farmers to rent atbelow market rate. The goal is threefold:encourage joint-ownership and responsible usage,encourage incubator farmers to invest in personal equipment when appropriate, andrecoup the cost of the items prior to exhausting their usefulness.GLIF farmers will be charged small fees for services that are provided on the incubator farm. Most of these charges cover basic costs of farm operations, incentivize farmers to take their time on the incubator seriously, and provide farmers with a realistic perspective on the costs associated with running a farm business.LandGLIF has leased 15 acres of land from Grand Traverse County for a period of 20 years with a renewal option (Figure 1). The site was under previous agricultural use, has existing farm infrastructure, unrestricted agricultural zoning, good agricultural soil, and proximity to markets. GLIF will make this land available to beginning farmers under a graduated cost structure.InfrastructureWater- GLIF has one existing water well. An additional water well will be installed to ensure adequate water pressure and volume and the irrigation system will be configured to accommodate both drip irrigation and overhead watering.EquipmentGLIF will purchase or rent the following farm equipment for the incubator farm: truck, trailer, track loader/skid steer, tractor, walk behind tractor/tiller, compost spreader, flame weeder and backpack sprayer. Incubator farmers will be trained on all equipment and share access.ToolsGLIF will purchase and provide incubator farmers with an assortment of tools appropriate for small-scale organic farming. Farmers will be encouraged to accrue their own tools through-out the duration of the program to better serve them in their eventual transition onto their own farmland.Activities - Objective 3:Develop and implement continuing education curriculum for beginning farmers through developed trainings and workshops, and direct guidance from the Farm Manager and farmer mentor on developing a Business Plan comprised of an Operational Plan, Financial Plan and Marketing Plan corresponding to guidance from NIFTI.Farmer's Manual and GLIF Progress PlanEach GLIF farmer will receive The Farmer's Manual,designed to be a first-stop reference for policies, procedures, guidelines, incentives, and expectations of the program. GLIF farmers will work with the Farm Manager on developing an individualized GLIF Progress Plan that details a farmer's "checklist" of action items, checkpoints, and milestones to meet throughout their time on the incubator. Farmers will review and update this plan annually with Farm Manager and mentor support.Mentorships.GLIF farmers will work with a local farm mentor from a group of willing local farmers already identified to serve as mentors.Farm Business Plan and Record Keeping.Recognizing that being a successful farmer is more than just farming successfully, GLIF will provide all incubator farmers with extensive education and support around the business of farming during the Fall/Winter months. These trainings will be open to non-GLIF beginning farmers.The Farm Manager will work with each individual farmer and no-cost consultants from the Michigan Small Business Development Center to create a Farm Business Plan that will include marketing, financial and operational planning subsets of an integrated business plan.. This will be a living document that incubator farmers and incubator farm staff can revisit and update as they progress through and get ready for transitioning off the incubator farm.Incubator farmers will be trained in proper record keeping for all facets of farming operations and be required to maintain records for irrigation, field applications, produce safety as well as all business metrics contained within their business plan.Marketing, Branding, and Promotion.Program participants will work with the Grand Traverse Conservation District's Community Engagement Specialist, small business consultants, farm mentors and partner organizationsto help build their brand and gain exposure in two targeted workshops per year focused on creating logos, social media accounts and campaigns, websites, sales platforms, printed materials, and targeted advertisements.StewardshipAs part of the curriculum, GLIF farmers will be taught and expected to practice conservation and regenerative agricultural practices including cover cropping, crop rotation, integrated pest management, reduced soil disturbance, no- or reduced-till practices, increasing soil organic matter, science-driven nutrient management decisions, reducing runoff, species diversification, intercropping, carbon sequestration practices, composting, and other regenerative farming practices to increase soil health and productivity. These trainings will be open to non-GLIF beginning farmers.GLIF farmers will learn about and work with the Farm Manager and mentors to adhere to National Organic Program (NOP) standards, meaning no synthetic fertilizers, no Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO), and only OMRI-listed products or sprays. GLIF farmers will learn Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) standards, administered by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) and will be expected to adhere to these standards by the end of year 2.A final important aspect of the GLIF curriculum is to provide farmers the knowledge necessary to manage forest assets and cover types associated with local farms. Timberlands associated with agricultural lands can provide various benefits including forest derived income, enhanced wildlife diversity through habitat management, carbon sequestration opportunities and water quality management.Up to three trainings per year will focus on forest management basics of northern hardwood, pine plantation, and wetland cover types.Conferences and Continuing EducationGLIF farmers will attend the Northern Michigan Small Farms Conference and the Michigan Family Farms Conference. Financial support will be available for registration and travel.Finally, GLIF participants will be encouraged to learn from each other in a peer-based learning environment with regular cohort meetings with the Farm Manager and Farm Advisor.Activities - Objective 4:Assist incubator farmers in transitioning off the incubator farm by helping them identify land for lease, purchase, or cooperative management and/or connecting them with retiring producers seeking successors for their farm operation or GLIF-associated satellite incubators