Look back with us as we highlight standout moments from Taste the Local Difference, explore Fresh Food Connections, share our most popular articles and recipes, and bring you a quick roundup of Michigan’s most notable local food news.
Taste the Local Difference: Celebrating Two Decades of Impact
Two thousand and twenty-four marked a milestone year for our organization, celebrating 20 years of connecting Michigan communities to fresh, local food. Highlights include:
- 20th Anniversary Celebration:
- We joined local food lovers at Verdant Hollow Farms for a memorable dinner at Verdant Hollow Farms featuring chef and author Abra Berens.
- Increased Local Food Marketing Support:
- TLD supported 71 food businesses and organizations across 33 counties, helping them thrive by increasing financial stability, improving work-life balance, expanding their capacity to serve their community, and accessing new sales channels. Watch this video to learn more about Taste the Local Difference local food marketing services.
Fresh Food Connections: Strengthening Farm Success
Since its inception in 2020, Fresh Food Connections has been a powerful force for Michigan farmers. This initiative:
- Has supported 23 farms since its inception, providing tailored marketing technical assistance for over 736 hours. The program expanded into Pontiac, Grand Rapids, and the Eastern U.P. in 2024 with the addition of 5 farm sites.
- Aims to empower farms with the tools and resources they need to succeed in today’s market. Learn more at Fresh Food Connections.
Other Notable Happenings in Michigan’s Food Landscape
Michigan’s food and agricultural sector experienced exciting developments this year:
- Climate-Smart Farming:
- The Michigan Climate Smart Farm Project (MCSFP) was initiated. It “empowers and certifies farms in adopting climate-smart practices that enhance soil health, sequester carbon, reduce emissions, and adapt to the challenges of climate change.”
- Community Food Access:
- The Detroit People’s Food Co-op opened its doors, and Growing Hope awarded its inaugural Sprout Grants.
- Early care and education (ECE) institutions are matched with farmers to encourage local food purchasing (and therefore, nutritious meals), gardening, and agricultural activities for children.
- Agritourism Growth:
- Traverse City hosted the first Michigan Agritourism Summit, providing a platform to elevate Michigan’s farm tourism industry.
- Governor Whitmer establishes November as Michigan Craft Beverage Month
- Funding Boosts:
- $8M USDA investment to enhance Michigan’s food supply chain infrastructure.
- Nearly $2.5 million in MDARD grants addressing critical industry challenges. MSU CRFS and MSU Product Center connect U.P. food business owners to MDARD resources and funding
- Michigan School Meals program secures 2024-2025 funding, providing nutritious free meals for 1.4 million public school students.
- Fair Food Network Milestone:
- Double Up Food Bucks celebrated 15 years of improving access to healthy, affordable food across Michigan, alongside its first-ever awareness week.
Fresh Recipes to Inspire Your Kitchen
Explore TLD’s new 2024 recipes, perfect for celebrating local ingredients:
- Beet Black Bean Dip
- Buffalo Cauliflower Dip
- Overnight Pear Butter
- And many more! Do you have a recipe you’d like to share? You can submit one here!
Looking Ahead to 2025
The upcoming year promises even more opportunities from TLD for eaters to connect with the local food scene, including:
- A 10-week Local Food 101 email class
- The launch of the Local Food Marketing Academy for farms and food businesses
- A new interactive digital version of the Local Food Guide
The Michigan food community is creative and resilient and we’re looking forward to a more equitable food system and can’t wait to see what 2025 brings.
Emily Row is the Director of Communications at Taste the Local Difference. Contact her at [email protected]