By Lynsey Mukomel
Following overwhelming interest from Michigan farmers and agribusinesses, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) today announced the recipients of its Last Food Mile grant program to improve transportation infrastructure and give more Michigan families access to nutritious, affordable, locally grown foods.
"Farmers and communities across Michigan continue to signal rising consumer demand for locally grown foods, but the transportation and distribution infrastructure necessary to get those foods to market hasn't kept up," said MDARD Director Tim Boring. "MDARD's Last Food Mile grants invest in refrigerated transportation that will safely and reliably move more Michigan-grown foods from farm to market to the family dinner table. By addressing gaps in food distribution and promoting regenerative agriculture, we're building more resilient and sustainable food systems for Michigan."
The grant program launched through MDARD's Farm to Family Program following community conversations that repeatedly pointed to infrastructure as a barrier to success for Michigan agribusinesses received more than 130 applications. The interest in the grant opportunity exposes current gaps in Michigan's regional food supplies, which Farm to Family is working to address thanks to ongoing bipartisan support brokered by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Source : michigan.gov