Michigan Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program

Michigan is home to more than 300 commodities: with national rankings in the top 5 in production in over 35 different crops ranging from hay to carrots to dry kidney beans. 7th in the nation for maple syrup and milk and 8th in egg production and potatoes. This diversity is only second to California. Michigan agriculture takes place on 9.9 million acres across the state, averaging 193 acres per farm, with approximately 52,000 farms. In the North Central region of SARE Michigan stands out as the most diverse.

We believed the impact of the SARE PDP program could be increased by changing our strategy from the past plans of work by identifying a few cross-cutting sustainable agriculture initiatives that would serve more sectors and commodities. To this end, during the previous planning period we identified and interviewed a large number of stakeholders across the diversity of agriculture and geography in Michigan. Two major sustainable issues emerged from the interviews and they were of equal importance. They are:

1. Increasing pressure from insects, diseases and weeds. This was either the first or second issue identified by over 50% of the respondents. This issue crossed commodities including fruits, vegetables and row-crops. There is a general consensus that resistance to chemical controls is developing across the spectrum of agricultural pests and that current integrated pest management (IPM) practices are not incorporating natural and sustainable methods to combat this threat to sustaining economic productivity. There are environmental sustainability concerns due to overuse of insecticides, fungicides and herbicides. Pollinator protection is also cited as an on-going concern. Social sustainability of synthetic control, perception of farms and future loss or limits on these methods due to regulation were also cited. There is an opportunity to bridge the gap between organic and conventional IPM. Sustainable practices including cover crops, diversity, habitat for natural predators/pollinators and soil health are viewed as tools that need to be re-introduced as part of the solution.
2. Sustainability of small/beginning farmers and the local food system. This was also the first or second issue identified by over 50% of the respondents. While this was an overarching issue, many facets were identified as contributing to this concern. Some of these include equitable access to programs, land access, limited financing options, declining CSA memberships, slowing growth in farmer markets, changing consumer choices (locally produced food in large stores), barriers to the wholesale market, resources for beginning farmers (in particular under-served audiences), food/community sovereignty and the need for small scale mechanization. There are many organizations working in this arena in Michigan including Michigan Food and Farming Systems (MIFFS), Michigan Organic Food and Farm Alliance (MOFFA), MSU Department of Community Sustainability, MSU Student Organic Farm and local foods networks in major cities such as Detroit, Grand Rapids, Flint and Lansing. We believe the SARE PDP program should have a role both as a facilitator in the discussions and a supplier/supporter of educational programs in collaboration with the partners and organizations that are currently working closely with the local food system and its stakeholders.

We and the Michigan SARE Advisory Council believe the SARE PDP program in Michigan can be a major driver for increasing the sustainability of agriculture by continuing to focus our resources in these two areas. We propose to continue this work with partners and stakeholders to identify strategies and programs whereby the Michigan SARE PDP can address these issues. These issues are broad-based and not limited to certain geographic areas or locales. Addressing these issues also supports our efforts to have a greater impact and elevate the presence of SARE in Michigan.