Michigan farm incubator races to replace retiring growers before USDA funding dries up

Near Traverse City, a Michigan farm incubator is trying to prepare a new generation of growers as older farmers near retirement and the food system faces the prospect of wider gaps.

What happened?

The Great Lakes Incubator Farm offers aspiring farmers a seven-month training program near Traverse City, where they get hands-on experience in everything from pest management and tractor use to farm business planning, Grist reported.

The idea is to make farming more accessible by easing some of the biggest obstacles newcomers face, including high startup costs, difficulty securing land, and climate-related challenges.

That kind of support comes at a time when the U.S. farming population is getting older, and farm bankruptcies are rising, putting added pressure on local food systems.

Grist reported that participants grow fruits and vegetables for local customers who have already committed to buying the crops, and whatever is left is donated to rescue groups.

Because the site is set up as a place to learn rather than a farm driven primarily by profit, students can build skills without taking on all the financial risk of launching an operation by themselves.

Participants also study regenerative agriculture, which Grist describes as a farming approach centered on healthier soil and lower climate-warming emissions.

That approach can help strengthen local food systems, support community access to fresh produce, and make it easier for more people to explore plant-based food options.

Why does it matter?

More trained local farmers can mean more dependable access to fresh food, stronger regional food networks, and greater resilience when supply chains are disrupted by extreme weather or economic strain.

Still, the future of the incubator is uncertain.

The incubator relies heavily on a nearly $700,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for beginner farmers, and that funding runs out after this year's harvest, according to Grist. Adam Brown, the manager and instructor of the farm, plans to apply for another round, but the grant is competitive, and federal support has become less predictable.

Grist reported that the USDA scrapped $148 million in grants in 2025, including funding tied to beginner farmer programs. Only about 100 similar programs operate across the country, and they can be important in helping new farmers stay in the field long enough to establish themselves.

What are people saying?

Student Rachel Greenberg summed up both the difficulty and the appeal of farming: "Nobody gets into farming for sane reasons, other than the sanity of knowing where your food comes from and just general health. The challenges are pretty never-ending."

Troy Saruna said concern for the environment is what drew him to the work: "Our food systems are just so inextricably tied to the health of the planet."

Meanwhile, Brown said the incubator gives beginners what they often need most: space to learn through trial and error.

"This is a great space for failure too, right? Because there's not a whole lot of risk here," he said. "It's a perfect, experimental type of atmosphere."

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