USDA Climate Smart Commodities Opportunity

A Climate Smart Strategy for the Michigan Foodshed: Nourishing our Land, Farmers, and Rural Communities

I. Executive Summary. The diversity of Michigan agriculture presents a great opportunity for establishing and maintaining a climate-smart foodshed for the state. Michigan already grows food grade grains and legumes, with the potential to sustainably meet much of the state’s wheat, bean, and plant-based food needs. Star of the West Milling Company was founded in 1870 in Frankenmuth, MI and is uniquely situated to develop a climate-smart foodshed for Michigan with its presence in ag retail, bean processing and wheat milling. In addition, we have a deep understanding of the complexity of a climate-smart food value chain. Farmers interested in growing food grade grains and legumes with climate-smart management have a plethora of platforms available to track their data. Likewise, food customers have as many—or more—different sustainability-labeled food options. Further causing confusion, the data systems growers use and the systems requested by food companies often cannot talk to each other, and even when they do, data submission at a minimum must be verified and is often in need of editing. These technology challenges are real, and are best solved not with even more technology, but with enhanced human capital and robust social networks across the food system, especially for underserved audiences of women and beginning farmers. We propose to bolster these to establish a climate-smart foodshed using a three-tiered approach.

The first pillar of our project will strengthen and document climate-smart practices on the ground, allowing practices on a large scale even in the first year. We propose to hire a Climate Smart Agronomist to work hand-in-hand with growers, helping them

1. manage their fields using climate-smart practices;
2. incorporate our focus food crops on their farms, including wheat, dry beans, food grade soybeans, and a new opportunity in food grade oats;
3. adopt a data technology platform that works for their farm; and
4. transfer that data into the food company requests to be able to sell Climate Smart Commodities.

Secondly, working with Michigan Agriculture Advancement, MiAA, we will focus on two segments of the underserved agricultural population: beginning farmers and women farmers. MiAA has extensive experience engaging with farmers and has developed a deep understanding of the barriers of—and opportunities for—conservation agriculture adoption by Michigan farmers. MiAA will leverage their networks to host strategic learning circles, field days, and climate smart leadership trainings specifically for these audiences. The Climate Smart Agronomist will further reach beginning farmers by providing summer internships and working with Future Farmers of America (FFA) Chapters, college ag students, and the Michigan Farm Bureau Young Farmer program to engage beginning farmers.

The third pillar ensures the scalability and sustainability of our project beyond the life of the grant. A Michigan directory of interested buyers, processors, and sellers will be created. We will leverage our existing partnership with the Artisan Grain Collaborative to create a Michigan-specific asset map: an analysis to understand the barriers, opportunities, and assets present on the Michigan landscape to increase production, processing, and consumption of climate-smart, food grade grains and legumes. These resources will be published and made available across Michigan’s agricultural and food sectors, and beyond. Finally, an Advisory Board of thought leaders, farmers, agronomists, and food buyers will meet twice a year to help guide the development of the project, anticipate any pitfalls, and disseminate results and opportunities.