В Верхнем полуострове Мичигана утвердили новую стратегию развития сельского хозяйства

UP agricultural research farm develops new strategic plan CHATHAM, Mich. (WLUC) - A research center in Chatham has a new plan to become a vital instrument in agricultural development in the U.P. Michigan State University’s Upper Peninsula Research and Extension Center created a new strategic plan. UPREC Director James DeDecker says they re-examined the region’s needs since the last action plan was made in 2019. He says UPREC’s new direction will better serve U.P. farmers. “So, way back in 1899, MSU as a young institution training scientists and farmers at that time realized that the U.P. is really different, right?” He said. “So, research that’s done on campus may not really be applicable to what’s happening here in the U.P.” The strategic plan has five points: - Conduct Locally Relevant Research - Strengthen Strategic Communications - Expand Faculty Engagement - Optimize Outreach Staffing and Capacity - Facilitate Regional Processing and Distribution As for research, DeDecker says the demographics of U.P. producers are changing. “For example, in the last decade or so, we’ve seen a real influx of small, direct-to-market vegetable farms and new-and-beginning farmers, and that would be something that was a relatively new focus in some of the research we’re doing here at the North Farm,” he said. He says U.P. farmers also struggle with being geographically spaced out. So, researchers are looking into processing and distribution to get farmers’ crops and livestock into the broader market for more profit. “We’ve done things like partner with NMU Center of Rural Health to look at the feasibility of a food hub here in the central U.P. that would aggregate and distribute vegetables, for example,” he said. “There’s been work at looking at expanding access to meat processing here in the U.P.” DeDecker says the plan will be in place for the next five to 10 years. He says UPREC looks forward to strengthening communication between researchers and farmers. Learn more about the strategic plan here. The video above will feature the TV6 livestream until staff can clip the corresponding story, if available, from broadcasts or other TV6 content. You can subscribe to our YouTube page or download TV6+ to stream the latest local news and weather. Copyright 2026 WLUC. All rights reserved.