Join us for our new Season Extension Workshop Series, designed to support growers in building skills and confidence to extend their growing season and strengthen their operations. This series offers a valuable opportunity to increase your knowledge of season extension practices through hands-on learning with experienced growers.

Each session combines practical, real-world instruction with opportunities to see techniques in action, covering topics like transplanting, harvesting, pruning, planting, and crop timing. Participants will also explore best practices in post-harvest handling, food safety resources, and market-focused production strategies.

These are the first three workshops in a series that will continue throughout the growing season, making this a great opportunity to get involved early and continue learning alongside a network of growers.

For additional information, please contact Kristine Ranger at kmranger@nemihfi.org

This work is supported by the North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center, project award no. 2024-70027-42470, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Join us for an in-person workshop focused on practical strategies to extend your growing season and increase farm resilience. This session will explore tools and techniques that help farmers produce crops earlier in the spring and later into the fall, improving productivity and market opportunities.

Participants will learn about different season extension methods, including high tunnels, low tunnels, row covers, and other protective growing systems. The workshop will also cover key considerations such as crop planning, risk management, and how season extension fits into whole-farm strategies.

The event will include lunch and a guided tour, offering an opportunity to see season extension practices in action and connect with fellow growers and agricultural professionals.

Important Note: To participate in this session, attendees must first watch the recorded Whole Farm Risk Assessment and Action Planning training from the previous workshop in the series.

Production risk is one of the most significant challenges farmers face, from unpredictable weather and pests to yield variability and market uncertainty. This session on Whole Farm Crop Insurance will focus on understanding production risk and how farmers can strategically transfer that risk through insurance tools designed to protect the entire farm operation. Participants will learn how Whole Farm Revenue Protection and other crop insurance options can help stabilize farm income, safeguard against losses across multiple crops or enterprises, and strengthen long-term farm resilience. The session will also cover practical considerations for selecting coverage, working with insurance agents, and integrating crop insurance into a broader whole-farm risk management plan. 

Whether you are new to crop insurance or looking to refine your current approach, this session will provide actionable insights to help you make informed decisions and build a more secure, sustainable farm business. Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) is a crop-neutral revenue insurance policy designed to protect a farmer’s entire operation, not just one crop. Under this policy, diversified and diversifying farms that might not have access to separate crop or revenue insurance policies for each crop they grow can insure all their crops and livestock under one policy. Recent changes to the program make it easier to access and offer incentives to beginning farmers. Click here if you want to learn more in advance or our workshop.

Register Here: https://forms.gle/vfNJX63Qm6pwysS89

This virtual workshop is for current farmers, farm leadership, or management teams; those who are seeking farmland, or planning to farm and others in the agri-food industry interested in learning about the five areas of risk management and actions and resources to mitigate them.

This workshop is the required starting point for our 2026 Grower Education Series. You’ll assess the five major areas of farm risk and leave with a clear action plan tailored to your operation, with the opportunity to participate in additional workshops and one-on-one coaching support.

All sessions are coordinated by the NEMI Healthy Food Initiative. For more information, please contact Kristine Ranger, NEMI-HFI Co-Director at kmranger@nemihfi.org.

Educational stipends are available to qualified growers.

This work is supported by the North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center, project award no. 2024-70027-42470 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Register Now!: https://forms.gle/HqYbG9ybjNQYFt626

Join the Northeast Michigan Healthy Food Initiative and MDARD’s Farm to Family Program for a regional listening session and Q&A with food safety inspectors. Local producers are invited to share experiences, hear updates, and connect directly with MDARD food safety staff.

This work is supported by the North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center, project award no. 2024-70027-42470, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Register here: https://forms.gle/A6Go6LX3reN1vDsN6