Michigan Agricultural Safety Grant Program

MEDC Small Farm Safety Grant Program

124 small farms of less than 10 employees received $567,000 in MEDC Small Farm Safety Grants

As a result of high demand for the Michigan Agricultural Safety Grant program, and a clear need to help small farms mitigate risks of the COVID-19 virus in their operation, MEDC launched the MEDC Small Farm Safety Grant program on July 21, 2020.

The MEDC Small Farm Safety Grant Program was open to Michigan farms with less than 10 employees. Grant funds support the implementation of COVID-19 monitoring and mitigation strategies and were available on a first-come, first served basis.

Agriculture Safety Grant Program

177 farms and 159 food processors have been awarded $15 million in Michigan Agricultural Safety Grants

The Agriculture Safety Grant Program was open to Michigan farms and agricultural processors with 10 or more employees. Grant funds support the implementation of COVID-19 monitoring and mitigation strategies to protect agricultural employees and the state’s overall food production industry. Grants were available on a first-come, first served basis.

Governor Whitmer allocated $10 million in grant funding for eligible agricultural processors and $5 million in grant funding for eligible farms from federal CARES act funding.

Application Information

Applications for both grants were processed by East Lansing-based GreenStone Farm Credit Services, one of America’s largest rural lenders, including 31 branches in Michigan. GreenStone hosted the application portal for both grants, completing an initial screening of all applications and supporting documentation, and recommend applications to MEDC for final approval and disbursements of the grants awarded. Grants were awarded to eligible applicants on a first-come, first served basis.

Eligible Expenditures

Grants funds awarded through the MEDC Small Farm Safety Grant Program or the Agriculture Safety Grant Program must be used for expenditures incurred by the Eligible Applicant between June 1, 2020 and September 15, 2020 that meet the following criteria:

COVID-19 testing costs (i.e. on-site testing, with full plant or individual testing at certified sites, including costs for staffing/medical personnel to administer tests and personal protection equipment for testing sites)
Facility and/or farm needs to protect against the spread of COVID-19, including but not limited to dividers between employees, temporary facilities to maintain social distancing, increased sanitation needs, and upgraded safety measures for farm-provided housing
Personal protection equipment and supplies for employees
Establishing and conducting screening procedures (i.e. medical staff, thermometers, and/or other supplies and equipment needed for effective, daily employee screening)
Grants are limited to $1,000 per employee
For the Agriculture Safety Grant, agricultural processors were eligible for a minimum of $10,000 and a maximum of $200,000. Farms were eligible for a minimum of $10,000 and maximum of $50,000
For the MEDC Small Farm Safety Grant, farms were eligible for a minimum of $1,000 and a maximum of $9,000
Grants were awarded to eligible applicants on a first-come, first served basis.

MEDC Small Farm Grant Program Additional Information

For more information, please review the following:

Agricultural Safety Grant Additional Information

For more information, please review the following:

Michigan Small Business Restart Program

The Michigan Strategic Fund also approved the Michigan Small Business Restart Program, which will provide a total of $100 million to small businesses in Michigan as they work to reduce the negative economic impact of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The grants were administrated by 15 regional economic development organizations throughout the state, which combined cover all 83 counties in Michigan. To learn visit: https://www.michiganbusiness.org/restart/.