Strengthening Small-scale Livestock Producers in Northwest Lower Michigan
Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology will use this grant to support a pilot initiative designed to strengthen small-scale livestock farming systems in Northwest Lower Michigan. The initiative will create a business-to-business collaborative of livestock farmers that will work to identify and overcome barriers to small-scale livestock production, such as missing or inadequate infrastructure and processing capacity, lack of direct-to-consumer and wholesale market opportunities, the need for mentoring and peer learning, and the sharing of knowledge and information related to climate-smart pasture and livestock management practices. The ultimate goal of the project is to create more resilient supply chains and livestock farms that successfully mitigate economic and environmental risks in their business practices.