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In November, MDARD announced more than $3.1 million of grants to 34 Michigan entities through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI).
The RFSI grants build on work MDARD has been doing at the state level to strengthen food supply chains across Michigan. Governor Gretchen Whitmer has championed the Farm to Family Program, which continues to receive bipartisan support to invest in regional food systems to ensure producers and growers can feed their communities while improving Michiganders’ access to healthy, locally grown food. Already this year, the Farm to Family Program has awarded $730,000 to Michigan food hubs and farm stops.
The USDA’s RFSI program has made roughly $400 million of funding available to state agriculture agencies to build resiliency in the middle of the foods supply chain. MDARD awards RFSI funding through a competitive review process to support the creation of more and better processing options for local and regional producers in the specialty crop, dairy, grain and other sectors.
View the full RFSI press release.
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MDARD announced over $1.3 million in funding for 18 conservation districts as part of the Forestry Assistance Program.
The Forestry Assistance Program provides outreach and technical assistance by working with conservation district foresters to help private landowners make decisions about how to care for their land. Conservation district foresters help educate private forest owners about active forest management and connect landowners with private sector professionals for management plan development, timber valuation and sustainable harvests.
In addition to helping private landowners reach their goals, conservation districts help Michigan landowners enroll in MDARD’s Qualified Forest Program (QFP). QFP helps protect the health of Michigan’s forests by offering a property tax exemption from certain school operating mills for landowners who follow a professionally prepared forest management plan and who conduct sustainable timber harvests.
For more information, visit the MDARD Forestry Assistance Program webpage or email our Private Lands Forestry Program at MDARD-QFP@michigan.gov.
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International Marketing
MDARD’s International Marketing Program had another busy year helping Michigan food, agriculture, and forestry companies export their products!
The program hosted Michigan Pavilions at five trade shows with over 25 Michigan food and agriculture companies exhibiting. The Michigan Pavilions resulted in companies securing nearly $2.4 million in immediate domestic sales, over $1.1 million in immediate export sales, almost $6 million in anticipated domestic sales, approximately $3 million in anticipated export sales and nearly 1,300 domestic and international connections made.
Additionally, the team coordinated and assisted with five partner events including buyers and trade missions and buyer-supplier matchmaking meetings.
In September, the International Marketing Program awarded Cooperative Elevator Company as Michigan’s 2025 Agriculture Exporter of the Year! MDARD presents this award annually to the company best recognized for high quality, Michigan-grown products and a strong commitment to exporting. Learn how to apply and view past award recipients.
Do not miss the opportunity to participate in our events and programming next year! Contact the International Marketing Program to get started! Check out a full list of our 2026 events on our website.
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The International Marketing Program is already working on Michigan Pavilions at 2026 Spring Trade Shows. The team will head to Chicago for the National Restaurant Association Show from May 16-19, 2026, and to Las Vegas for the Sweets and Snacks Expo from May 19-21, 2026.
By exhibiting in a Michigan Pavilion the International Marketing Program team will work with you all the way from saying “yes” to exhibiting to being on-site with you at the trade show.
Two booth spaces are available at the National Restaurant Association Show in the Michigan Pavilion. This is the ideal show for companies looking to establish or expand their restaurant, retail, and food service customer base. The show features over 2,000 exhibitors, over 900 product categories, and has qualified buyers attending from all 50 states and over 100 countries. Contact Holly Gaffney if you are interested in exhibiting at the National Restaurant Association Show!
Four booth spaces are available for the Sweets and Snacks Expo. This show is the premier business-to-business event for the confectionery and snack industries. It features over 1,000 exhibitors and in 2025 had 14,500 attendees. The show is on a three-year rotation for locations and will take place in Las Vegas in 2026 before moving back to Indianapolis in 2027 and 2028. Contact Elissa Mutschler if you are interested in exhibiting at the 2026 Sweets and Snacks Expo!
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MDARD yesterday presented Drytec Hardwoods, LLC with the 2025 Agriculture Exporter Rising Star Award.
Founded in 2018 by Titus Yoder and Mahlon Bontrager, Drytec Hardwoods, LLC operates a facility in Sears, Michigan that is equipped with 60,000 square feet of kiln space for drying high-quality lumber. Their products include tongue and groove boards used for flooring, walls and cabinetry and live edge slabs used for furniture and interior design.
Michigan is home to 20 million acres of sustainably managed forests and the fifth-largest timberland in the nation. Michigan exports more than $500 million of wood and paper products annually, and each year the forest product sector contributes $20 billion to the state economy while supporting more than 90,000 jobs.
MDARD presents the Agriculture Exporter Rising Star Award to a company recognized for high quality, Michigan-grown products and a strong commitment to exporting. To be eligible for the award, more than 50 percent of a company’s product must be grown, processed or manufactured in Michigan, and exports must contribute significantly to the company’s overall growth.
For more information on past winners and MDARD’s International Marketing Program, visit the MDARD webpage.
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Industry Opportunity
The Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub is offering two grant opportunities for farmers, food producers, suppliers, distributors, schools, and organizations who want to work together to strengthen local school food systems.
The Spark Awards fund projects that need a short-term infusion of funds for school food systems and marketplace improvements.
The Innovation Collaboration Awards fund projects that promote systems-level change of the school food system and marketplace, such regional and cross-state partnerships, or new program/product development and integration.
For more information on these grant opportunities, visit the Innovation Hub webpage.
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