News

On Monday, September 23 at 10 AM, the application for the 2024/2025 Microloan season went live during the Small Farm Opportunity Fair in Kalkaska, MI. What started as a pilot program between the Grain Train and Crosshatch in 2015, now has three funders and covers 12 counties in Northern Michigan. 

Back in 2015 we were asking the question, what can the Grain Train do to help bolster the local food and farm economy? To help us grapple with that question we invited Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology to the table. After a lot of spit-balling we came up with the microloan concept. The Grain Train would be the funders of the loans, and we would also sponsor Crosshatch as the administrators of the project. 

2016 was the first year we awarded three different loans. It was so exciting to see farmers and producers able to move forward with their dreams and elevate the work they were doing. Next, Oryana, our sister co-op in Traverse City joined, offering microloans to their seven-county area. Just this year, the Kalkaska Economic Development Cooperation has joined in as a funder for Kalkaska County. 

The Grain Train funds applicants from Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet, and Otsego counties. Some years one applicant is funded for the full $10,000, other years we fund multiple applicants in varying amounts up to $10,000. We are looking for candidates that are working towards boosting their food or farm business while at the same time elevating the region's local food system. We encourage the usage of sustainable practices, but proposals are not limited to particular practices or scale. 

When reviewing applications, we are looking for well thought out plans that include a detailed budget. We look for those that are able to show us in succinct detail what their dreams are so we can help bring them to life. Below are some basic details of the program. 

POTENTIAL USES FOR LOAN

• Essential tools for the farm or food business
• Materials, land, livestock, or essential infrastructure (reoccurring annual inputs discouraged)
• Certification
• Marketing and distribution
• Professional development
• Value-added product production
• Processing, packaging, and marketing for farm products
• *Production of CBD and food products containing CBD will not be considered for funding due to present discrepancies between federal and state regulation of this substance

LOAN DETAILS

• Applicants may request $500 - $10,000 based on evidence of project potential
• Repayment terms are negotiable (typical repayment time frame is 12-18 months)
• 0% interest rate
• No application fee

 We can't wait to see what projects our local farmers and producers will be submitting this year. Applications will close by February 7th and loans will be awarded in early March. The Grain Train exists to contribute to a vibrant local economy and so that the local community has the resources to live a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. The Microloan program is just one way we reach those Focused Ends. Until next time, see you at the stores! 

The Grain Train Exists To Be a Community Leader that Embodies Responsible Business Practices with a Focus on Long-term Success. A part of how we measure that success is our ability to contribute to the community. 

It is no secret that housing is a crisis in our community and beyond. In 2023, a Housing Needs Assessment conducted by Housing North concluded that Emmet County is in need of 865 rentals that cost their tenants less than $1,665 per month. 

One effort to address this need is The Lofts At Lumber Square project being constructed on Emmet Street in Petoskey. We saw this as a future for Petoskey that we wanted to contribute to, and so we did. Last week we were invited by the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation to a Progress Party to hear all about what is happening with this development. We thought you might like an update. 

As we were meeting at Elder Piper, the new brewery on Baxter St., some of the 2,000 custom-built walls for this project were being delivered and put up. D.J. Jones, Executive Director of the Community Foundation, walked us through some of the details for the project:

• Lofts at Lumber Square will have 60 apartments, housing roughly 165+ people. 
• The tagline for this project is "Because those who work here should be able to live here."
• The hope is that this housing will help those working in the area be able to stay, and those looking to join our community will have an opportunity to do so—including health care workers, teachers, retail and other service workers.

D.J. was quick to acknowledge that these apartments will fill immediately and are just one part in solving this crisis. He shared the astounding fact that 99.7% of rentals in the area are filled. For those saying it feels nearly impossible to find a rental, they are not imagining it.

This is an over 18-million-dollar project with multiple funding sources. The Foundation is doing a push for a final $1 million in donations to come in for the project. There has already been $2,700,000 in gifts and pledges. The Foundation says "For every philanthropic dollar donated to this project, more than three dollars from grants and low-interest loans are unlocked."

Though the exact date of The Lofts opening is a moving target, the community can expect to see these home available by winter of 2026. Rent is expected to be $1,150 to $1,500 per unit. 

Concern for Community is one of the seven Cooperative Principles the Grain Train operates under. We also have a Focused End of being a Model Workplace. For us, that means looking out for the community our customers and staff are a part of. We are excited to see this project getting closer to fruition and look forward to the good that it will do. We thought you might like to know the "why" behind this project, too. Until next time, see you at the stores. 

When we look back at partnerships with local farmers and producers at the Grain Train, one that really stands out is Duerksen Turkey Farm. We have been talking turkey with Sue and Rick Duerksen for over 15 years and proudly offering their fresh turkeys during the holidays in our stores. After 48 years in business, the time has come for them to retire and, while we are sad to see them go, we wish them nothing but the very best. 

Before we say farewell though, we thought you might enjoy looking back with us...

Every year we would sit down and try to imagine how many turkeys our customers were going to be looking for come Thanksgiving, not to mention how we were going to fit them all in our coolers! Then we would talk with Sue and Rick and figure out all the details that ultimately led to them showing up with two truckloads of birds the Monday or Tuesday before Thanksgiving. There was a lot of head scratching and counting turkeys during those deliveries and the prep leading up to them! There was a lot of laughter, too.

I am sure many of you remember Sue in the Petoskey store sampling turkeys with that classic Sue Duerksen smile that is as famous as their birds. It was clear to see that she loved her products and took pride in sharing them with our customers. She was always as excited as we were to taste the turkey our deli had prepared for sampling.

With the Duerksens it has been a true collaboration. Our customers became theirs and theirs’ ours. Sue and Rick put their whole heart into their farm, and you could always feel that working with them. They took exceptional care of their birds and only offered their customers the very best. It has been with pride each year we offered Duerksen as our premium holiday turkey.

We know that it has been difficult for them to see their farm come to an end. What we can offer is that the work they did over their 48 years mattered. It made many different communities stronger. They are a beautiful example of our mission in action, Making A Different One Bite at a Time. Sue and Rick, we offer you a heartfelt thank you for all the years of friendship, partnership, and business. We wish you the very best from here on out.

Until next time, we will see you in the stores.

We love it when things come full circle! In 2021 Danu Hof Farm and Market was one of our Microloan recipients, adding a walk-in freezer to their farm operation. This week we are bringing in their pasture-raised chickens and heritage pork products to our stores. We thought you might like to know more about them and their farm. 

Danu Hof Farm & Market is located in Mancelona, Michigan. They focus on heritage pigs, free-range chickens, and grow a variety of vegetables in their fields. Their on-farm market sources products and produce that are grown or produced within a 50-mile radius of the farm or hyperlocal as they call it. The story of the how their 5-year plan came to be in five days is a heartwarming one, you can check it out here. 

For their heritage breed pigs they follow a farrow (birth)-to-finish model of raising hogs, meaning the piglets are born and raised to a finishing weight on the farm. They use biosecurity instead of antibiotics and do not give growth hormones. "We believe happy pigs taste better. Our animals are given the chance to be pigs and we supplement their feed with local grains, produce, and brewery grains."

They also raise heritage breed chickens. "Our chickens enjoy a fenced in pasture area as well as indoor barn space and are able to free range. Our meat chickens enjoy chicken tractors moved daily through our field. They are supplemented with local grain feed. Their favorite treats are the bugs from the garden."

You can find their bacon, breakfast sausage, bratwurst, pork chops, and group pork in our freezer section. We also carry their chicken breasts and leg quarters. You can download their recipe book here for free, it's full of ideas, including an Apple, Sage & Farm-Raised Sausage Dressing that is perfect for the upcoming Holidays. 

2025 MIcroloan Season

We will be kicking off the 2025 microloan season later this month, so keep an eye out for the word that applications are open. Whether you are looking for a way to bring your food or farm dreams to life or if you are looking to expand the work you are already doing, we can help. Microloans are zero interest, and we award up to $10,000 annually. 

We hope you will try our Danu Hof pork and chicken products. They are local, heritage, and raised with love. Let us know what you think about them. We love to hear feedback. Until next time, see you at the stores!

We had the opportunity to be out and about last weekend and wanted to share with you some of the goodness that is happening in our communities. We spent Friday at the Petoskey Downtown Farmers Market, and Sunday evening and Monday we were at the Northern Michigan Small Farms Conference in Benzonia. Both places full of community, conversation and, of course, excellent food!

Petoskey Downtown Farmers Market

First off, did you know that Double Up Food Bucks are accepted at the Downtown Petoskey Farmers Market?  We are the Food Assistance Sponsor for the market and we were able to see the program in action on Friday. Double Up, as it is called, “helps you bring home more healthy food by matching your SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), or food stamps, dollars spent on fresh fruits and veggies. If you receive SNAP benefits, you’re automatically eligible for Double Up Food Bucks. It’s easy as pie.”   

Seeing families and individuals come up to the Food Assistance table and learning that they could turn up to $20 into up to $40 to spend at the market is what it is all about for us. Our mission of making a difference one bite at a time could not have felt more realized than at the market that day. If you have a SNAP card or Bridge card, you can bring it to the Food Assistance table at the farmers market and they will get you set up to shop the market. We are in the process of applying to have Double Up Food Bucks in our stores as well. We will keep you posted on that.

Watch How Double Up Helps Families Get More Fruits & Veggies

We also were able to partner with local artist, Mandy Loyselle, to offer face painting at the farmers market. Mandy was offering renditions of fruits and veggies to kids of all ages. Cherries, strawberries, and watermelons were the favorites. This led to a lot of conversation around favorite fruits and veggies—which ones kids had tried and which ones they were going to try. We had a group of three twenty-something young ladies that got their faces painted and giggled as they got their “I’m a Co-op Kid” stickers. We loved it!

Northern Michigan Small Farms Conference

We also headed down to the Nothern Michigan Small Farm Conference on Sunday afternoon. We are a sustaining sponsor for this event which in addition to supporting the event, allowed us so to send some of our owners free-of-cost, and also gave us a vendor table at the event. The conference this year was at Grow Benzie, a Rural Prosperity Incubator with the mission of "Fostering projects & initiatives that improve the lives of children, families & communities s in Benzie County.” 

From the Sunday night’s Roundtable on Women in Agriculture to the final presentation of the day by Amber Hasan on Harvesting Heritage, we witnessed a conference full of community, connections, shared learning, and collective experience. We had some great conversations at the Grain Train table about who we are, what we do, and why we do it. We got to make connections with others doing similar work, looking to sell wholesale, and those just curious about who we might be.

Concern for Community

We had the opportunity to sit down with Junior from The Farmers’ Creamery recently and thought you might like to know a little bit more about their operation. The Farmers’ Creamery, in Mio, Michigan, are the producers of the glass-bottle dairy products that we proudly carry in our stores. They started in 2020 as three Amish dairy farmers that shared the mission “to offer top-quality, fresh, clean dairy products while supporting their family farms.”

The Farmers’ Creamery is dedicated to sustainability. That is a big reason they stay with the glass bottles they are known for. That, and they stand by that the glass bottles improve the freshness and taste. Beyond how it is bottled, they also put a lot of care and consideration into the raising of the cows that produce their milk.  

Today, they are made up of five family farms, each with about forty cows. Four of the farms are within five miles of the Creamery, and the fifth is about thirty miles away. "All within horse driving distance," according to Junior.  

Their dairy cows are all 100% grass fed. They use no antibiotics or added hormones. Each cow produces around 35 pounds of milk a day. Junior shared that the industry average is 80 lbs. The milk undergoes a special kind of pasteurization called vat or batch. This is where the milk is heated to a lower temperature, 150 degrees, for 30 minutes, rather than a quick-process high-heat known as ultra pasteurization.  

“The Farmers’ Creamery’s Grade A dairy products are produced from A2 milk from our herd of 100% grass fed cows. A2 refers to a form of casein found in milk... Historically cows only produced A2 beta casein milk commonly known as A2 milk. However, a genetic mutation occurred years ago resulting in cows producing two types of beta caseins in their milk: the unmutated A2 beta variant and mutated variant known as A1.” 

There is a lot of information available on these two types of casein. Researchers are looking into whether there is a link between A1 caseins and certain health issues, as well as if A2 caseins are easier on the digestive system. We invite you to explore the topic further on your own.

The Farmers’ Creamery produces their milk without synthetic chemicals or genetically modified components. They farm organically but are not USDA certified. Other raw materials are sourced locally by certified suppliers.

If all of this is not enough reason to fall in love with their products, we invite you to please let the taste speak for itself. The cap of cream on top just needs a quick shake to mix it up and you are ready to have a true experience. If you haven’t tried the chocolate milk or eggnog around the holidays, be prepared to have a new favorite. 

We love to highlight our local farmers and producers! They are our mission in action, Making a Difference One Bite at a Time—or in this case, one drink at a time! They meet many of our Ends (below) as well. If you loved Shetler's and havent yet tried Farmers' Creamery, we know you will be impressed with the work they are doing to keep the local, glass-bottle, small-batch, dairy industry going strong. We sure are! Until next time, see you in the stores!