Niche farms in the U.P. and rural Michigan receive grants to expand

A fourth-generation dairy in the Upper Peninsula and three other Northern Michigan farms are among the 26 producers, processors and community development organizations awarded more than $1.8 million in grants by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. 

The grants are intended to fund projects to retain, attract, expand or develop agricultural  processing in Michigan.

“This grant program is just one example of how MDARD improves quality of life for Michiganders by bolstering the food systems and agriculture businesses that sustain our health and prosperity,” says MDARD Director Tim Boring. “These grants are strategic investments that will enhance the production and delivery of locally grown foods while creating more than 100 jobs across the state. We’re proud to support these businesses in delivering for their communities.”

What’s happening: Following a rigorous application and review process, MDARD awarded Underserved, Value Added and Regional Food System Grants to the following operations in the Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan: 

DeBacker Family Dairy, LLC was awarded $50,095 to expand its on-farm bottling operation in Menominee County. The project will increase bottling capacity from nine to 24 heads, allowing the farm to produce labeled 8-ounce plastic milk bottles for schools and institutions across the Upper Peninsula. This project will generate three full-time and two part-time jobs.

“We produce all the milk that we bottle and make ice cream with,” says his wife, Tracy DeBacker, whose husband, Terry DeBacker, is the fourth generation of his family to milk cows. The farm is one of the few in Michigan to bottle its own milk. 

The bottling plant was built 14 years ago. The farm currently bottles gallons, half gallons, quarts and pints.  This grant will allow the operation to bottle half pints.

“We are hoping to have everything ready to go this spring,” she says, in order to be ready to respond to bid requests from local schools for the next school year. “We also have some plans on expanding our ice cream line in the future as well.”

Bear Creek Organics LLC  of Petoskey will use its award of $82,910 to expand its refrigerated transportation and cold storage capacity to support current and future business demand and increase farmer access to new markets. This project will generate two full-time and four part-time jobs.

The farm’s greenhouses offer herbs and spices online as well. The farm’s food truck serves soups, sandwiches, salads and sides from 11 a.m, to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday;  vegetarian and gluten free options are available.

Boss Dairy Farms Inc., which does business as Charlevoix Cheese Company in Charlevoix, received $94,042 to purchase automated cheese-cutting equipment and packaging supplies to expand cheese processing and keep up with demand. This project will generate one full-time and one part-time job.

The Charlevoix Cheese Company sells homemade cheeses, curds and similar products. The  dairy operation is located just a few miles from where the owner’s  ancestors settled from the Netherlands in the early 1900s.

By the Light of Day in Traverse City will use its $68,528 grant to purchase equipment critical to the efficient mechanization to grow and produce herbs, flowers and fruit. This upgrade is expected to  immediately improve efficiency by 75 percent, expand production volume by 60 percent, and will generate two full-time and two part-time jobs.

Established in late December 2003, Light of Day Organic Farm and Tea Shop is a small woman-owned  business on the Leelanau Peninsula.  The market offers 68 flavors of hand-picked organic loose leaf  teas, Matcha shots, tea-infused chocolates and a selection of tea pots and infusers. 

Niche operations: All four of the family farms awarded grants represent unique operations that contribute to the state’s agriculture industry — one of the most diverse in the nation, producing more than  300 commodities.  While on site bottling and cheese production are not the norm, dairy is a leading sector of Michigan’s food and agriculture industry. 

“There are more than 430,000 cows on 1,400 dairy farms across our state,” says Nate Peeters, deputy communications director of MDARD.  “Each Michigan cow produces an average of 22,900 pounds of milk per year, making our state first in the nation in terms of milk production per cow.” 

Michigan also ranks sixth in the nation for total milk production, delivering 12 billion pounds of milk in 2023. Dairy farms contribute $15.7 billion to Michigan’s economy every year.

Likewise, though data on organic herb production is scarce,  in a 2019 organic farm data survey, the USDA reported that there were 388,588 square feet of organic “other vegetables and fresh herbs” grown under glass or other protection in Michigan.