Blueberry growers in Michigan have access to a variety of grants and funding options from state, federal, and private sources aimed at fostering innovation, sustainability, and success in the industry.
Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD)
MDARD maintains a directory of current funding opportunities including the following:
Value Added & Regional Food System Grants – Intended to establish, retain, expand, attract or develop value added agricultural processing in Michigan, or that expand or develop regional food systems or access to healthy food.
The Food and Agriculture Investment Program – Provides financial support for food and agriculture projects that help expand food and agriculture processing to enable growth in the industry and Michigan’s economy. Projects are selected based on their impact to the overall agriculture industry and their impact to food and agriculture growth and investment in Michigan.
Specialty Crop Block Grant (SCBG) Program – Awards funds to projects to enhance the competitiveness of Michigan specialty crops.
Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) Program – Supports projects intended to:
- Expand capacity for processing, aggregation, and distribution of agricultural products to create more and better markets for producers;
- Modernize manufacturing, tracking, storage, and information technology systems;
- Enhance worker safety through adoption of new technologies or investment in equipment or facility improvements;
- Improve the capacity of entities to comply with federal, state, and local food safety requirements;
- Improve operations through training opportunities;
- Support construction of a new facility;
- Modernize or expand an existing facility (including expansion and modifications to existing buildings and/or construction of new buildings at existing facilities);
- Construction of wastewater management structures, etc.;
- Modernize processing and manufacturing equipment; and,
- Develop, customize, or install equipment that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, increases efficiency in water use, improves air and/or water quality, and/or meets one or more of USDA’s climate action goals.
There is also a simplified application process under the RFSI program that provides smaller, Fixed Price Grants for equipment only purchases.
Michigan State University Extension
Michigan State University Extension provides a wealth of resources to Michigan blueberry growers, offering guidance on grant opportunities and expert advice on grant writing. Their support includes a comprehensive multi-part newsletter series focused on available grants, grant writing how-tos, and contact information for extension agents for more personalized support.