Goal, objectives, and priority strategies

NORTHWEST MICHIGAN FOOD AND FARM NETWORK

Goal, objectives, and priority strategies
From the Feb. 24, 2009, Farm Route to Prosperity summit

GOAL: By 2020, the region’s food and farming systems are more resilient and provide at least 20% of our region’s food. 
       
OBJECTIVES
By 2020:
1.     Northwest Michigan farmers will supply 20% of all the region’s institutional, retailer, and consumer food purchases.
2.   Northwest Michigan institutions will source 20% of their food product from Northwest Michigan growers, producers, and processors.
3.    Northwest Michigan will generate new agri-food businesses at a rate that enables 20% of food purchased in the region to come from the region.
4.  100% of northwest Michigan residents will have access to an ample, high-quality, healthy, and culturally diverse diet, 20% of which comes from the region.
5.   Northwest Michigan’s farmland and associated water and energy resources will be available and affordable in order to build and maintain a long-term, sustainable business environment for diverse local agriculture and food production.

PRIORITY STRATEGIES
by Farm Route to Prosperity working group

Health and Youth
•    Ensure that families involved in the federal Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) assistance program are able to find and purchase local produce.
•    Identify, link, and promote community gardening efforts in the region.
•    Identify, link, and promote food/farm youth entrepreneurship programs.
•    Use available community information media to link people and promote programs.

Farmland
•    Develop a comprehensive inventory of farmland in the region.
•    Produce a planning and zoning toolbox, based on empirical research, to help local governments encourage farm business development and farmland preservation.

Education/Training
•    Provide a series of food and farm business certifications as part of a menu of learning options in the community (i.e. through Northwestern Michigan College), including information for local governments on removing barriers to success, such as restrictive zoning.

Infrastructure
•    Establish an industry roundtable of regional food producers, buyers, distributors, and processors to identify and address gaps in market infrastructure, such as a lack of smaller scale pre-processing facilities (coring, seeding etc.) or the ability of individual farms to supply larger orders, such as through cooperative regional branding.

Buyers/Food Service
•    Increase and enhance efforts to build the demand and supply of regional foods, such as working in conjunction with the Michigan Food Policy Council.
•    Recruit and work with more regional food buyers, such as grocers, not yet engaged.

Producers/Sellers
•    Develop an education initiative for producers about market opportunities and distribution options.
•    Develop a capital injection initiative to bring needed equity financing to regional food and farm operations.
•    Work to maximize the reach and effectiveness of existing programs, such as the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Center.

Financing/Funding
•    Establish a high-visibility Web location for comprehensive information about financing opportunities and support services for local food and farm businesses.
•    Conduct a meat processing facility feasibility study.
Find a detailed analysis of Farm Economics in the region in the
Northwest Michigan's Farm Factor, Economic Impacts, Challenges, and Opportunities
 

Planning Partners – Farm Route to Prosperity summit, February 4, 2011

Northwestern Michigan College (sponsor)

Black Star Farms
Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy
James Bardenhagen Farm

The May Farm
Leelanau Conservancy
Michigan Land Use Institute (Network convener)
Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Center
Michigan State University Extension (Network Chair)

Michigan State University

ISLAND
Neahtawanta Center
Northwest Michigan Council of Governments    
USDA-Rural Development ('championship' sponsor)

Cherry Capital Foods ('Blue Ribbon' sponsor)

Common Sense Energy

Plus...many individuals