Michigan Invests in Young Farmers

“Seventy percent of US farmland will transfer ownership over the next 20 years,” according to the Grand Traverse Conservation District (GTCD). To assist new farmers who face both traditional and new challenges, the GTCD created the Great Lakes Incubator Farm (GLIF). The initiative will provide hands-on agriculture training, business planning, and access to resources. Executive Director Koffi Kpachavi identified the need after moving to Michigan and noticing that some farmers reaching retirement were selling their land to developers because they had no one willing to take over for them. Kpachavi went to work to find a solution. GLIF, which takes roughly three years to complete, takes a hyperlocal approach to issues unique to the region, supporting new farmers in matters of agriculture and business acumen. For more information about GLIF, visit natureiscalling.org/glif. Read more HERE.