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, including one organization in Sanilac County.
The program aims to improve transportation infrastructure and give more Michigan families access to nutritious, affordable, locally grown foods. 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.
Of the 21 projects that were awarded grants, only one was based in the Thumb region: S.J. Organic Farms LLC of Peck. They received $98,944 for purchasing a refrigerated vehicle to deliver fresh, locally produced foods directly to consumers and to strengthen partnerships with local Amish growers and other Michigan producers.
S.J. Organic Farms, located at 4350 S. Sandusky Road in Peck, advertise themselves as “your trusted local source for real, organic food,” including fresh produce, baked goods, eggs and meat. They currently run their business with the help of online ordering, with customers able to order Sunday through Tuesday each week for pick-up of fresh food on Saturday. Saturday’s deliveries are made to designated pick-up spots in Marlette, Lexington, Port Huron, Davison and Peck, with customers able to select the most convenient location for them at time of ordering.
For more information on their service and products, visit S. J. Organic Farms on Facebook, or at their website, www.sjorganicfarms.com.
