Jobs and Opportunities

Jobs and Opportunities

March 2025 Jobs & Opportunities

To signup for TOPP Jobs & Opportunities emails:

Email listserv@list.msu.edu with SUBSCRIBE MISUSTAINABLEFARMJOBS in the body of the message (NOT just the Subject line)

Click to link to sections:

Headlines!
Farmland
Jobs @ Farms
Jobs @ Michigan State University
Jobs @ Michigan Non-profits/Other
National Jobs
Grants/Funding
Events!
Volunteer Opportunities
Organic Resources
Farmer Mental Health
Surveys & other info
MVEG Resources
Advocate

Or scroll below!

Headlines!

SARE Graduate Student Grants open! Apply by May 29 – grants up to $20,000 “to fund graduate student projects that address sustainable agriculture issues”

Soil Health Opportunities & Tools Fund (SHOT Fund) EQIP Bridge Loan program to fund you in your NRCS EQIP projects if/when funding is frozen. No fees, no penalties, and no interest. To apply, use this short pre-application form and the team will schedule a brief 30 minute call to learn more about your needs. March 12 Webinar has more info.
Study of birds and insects on your farm – get paid $75 + optional free bird box + bird list! – seeking farmers growing Kale & Collards – contact Olivia Smith at smitho17@msu.edu
OFTP Graduates Survey – we want to track your success!

Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network employment opportunities(Detroit) Part-time D-Town Farmer (Detroit) apply by April 18
Full Hollow Farm (Belding) Farm Crew Member + Farm Crew Member & Saturday Farmers Market or see pay, benefits & other details on the farm jobs map
Green Wagon Farm (Ada) Full-time Farmhand Position and Holland Farmers Market Crew Position (Saturdays only) or see pay, benefits & other details on the farm jobs map
Anavery Fine Foods (Traverse City) is hiring a Livestock Production Manager and a Farmers’ Market Meat Seller
Crane Dance Farm (Middleville) Human livestock worker - see pay, benefits & other details on the farm jobs map
Growing Hope Urban Farm (Ypsilanti) Home Garden Internship + 3 internships and a Farmers Market assistant
Helianthus Farms - see pay, benefits & other details on the farm jobs map or contact Karl Kaufman at 8102415240 or karlkaufman48@gmail.com

Fisheye Farm (Detroit) Farm Hand description or see pay, benefits & other details on the farm jobs map
Green Things Farm (Ann Arbor) one Lead Farmers Market Specialist + one Assistant Farmers Market Specialist
Write a Climate Plan for your farm – contact Katie Brandt at brandtk7@msu.edu
The Organic Research Hub by Organic Farming Research Foundation
Root and Bloom Fellowship $2000 stipend for 9-month opportunity to explore challenges young and BIPOC farmers face, how they are deeply woven and rooted in federal agriculture policy and how to make change (apply by May 14, program start in September)

Farmland

MI FarmLink

West Michigan

Southeast Michigan

Mid-Michigan

Northern Lower Michigan

Upper Peninsula

Jobs @ Farms

Map of Mchigan Sustainable Farm Jobs or use this form to add your farm job
Keep Growing Detroit – internships available
Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network employment opportunities(Detroit) Part-time D-Town Farmer (Detroit) apply by April 18
Full Hollow Farm (Belding) Farm Crew Member + Farm Crew Member & Saturday Farmers Market or see pay, benefits & other details on the farm jobs map
Green Wagon Farm (Ada) Full-time Farmhand Position and Holland Farmers Market Crew Position (Saturdays only) or see pay, benefits & other details on the farm jobs map
Anavery Fine Foods (Traverse City) is hiring a Livestock Production Manager and a Farmers’ Market Meat Seller
Crane Dance Farm (Middleville) Human livestock worker - see pay, benefits & other details on the farm jobs map
Growing Hope Urban Farm (Ypsilanti) Home Garden Internship + 3 internships and a Farmers Market assistant
Helianthus Farms - see pay, benefits & other details on the farm jobs map or contact Karl Kaufman at 8102415240 or karlkaufman48@gmail.com
Fisheye Farm (Detroit) Farm Hand description or see pay, benefits & other details on the farm jobs map
Green Things Farm (Ann Arbor) one Lead Farmers Market Specialist + one Assistant Farmers Market Specialist
The Lively Farm (Maple City) Farmworker & Farm Co-Manager
Long Valley Farm (Kalamazoo) see job posting on map
Dreamgoats (Belding) Agritourism guide
MGB Marketing Farm & Greenhouse Operator at a blueberry farm (Grand Junction)
Asbury Farm (Flint) see job posting on map
Farber Farm at Tamarack Camps (Ortonville) 3 summer education staff members
Great Lakes Incubator Farm (Traverse City) see job posting on map
Zumwalt Acres (Sheldon, IL)
Organic Vegetable Farm Manager Apprenticeship Program (Wisconsin, many locations)
The Wegener Farm, Farmworker (Fenton)
Ingham County Land Bank Garden Program Contractor email Cody Mohr at CMohr@ingham.org
Slow Farm (Ann Arbor, MI) 2 Assistant Farm Managers and Farm Hand positions
Seasonal Field Technician (Champaign, IL)
Fairshare CSA Coalition Organic Vegetable Farm Manager Apprenticeship
Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship(Several locations in Michigan)
Titus Farms (Mason, MI)
Employment Opportunities list from MIFFS (Michigan Food and Farming Systems)
Elmwood Stock Farm (Kentucky) organic vegetable and flower production manager

Jobs @ Michigan State University

Meat Industry Extension Educator (East Lansing) review of applications begins on March 17

Jobs @ Michigan Non-profits/Other

Greater Lansing Food Bank Garden Project Manager
Crosshatch - 2 Jobs (Traverse City) Community Outreach Specialist and Operations and Finance Specialist
ACCESS of West Michigan Independent Contractors for Poverty Education Workshops, also internships and board member openings (Grand Rapids)
Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network employment opportunities(Detroit) Part-time D-Town Farmer (apply by April 18)
Taste the Local Difference - Account Executive (fully remote)
Eastern Market (Detroit) jobs page Events Manager and Urban Ag Produce Share Assembly Team
Food Corps (Petoskey)
Seeking Architectural Design Services- Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology
EcoSchool Support Staff, site coordinators for EcoCorps and EcoSchool in NW Michigan

National Jobs

Greater Lansing Food Bank Garden Project Manager
Crosshatch - 2 Jobs (Traverse City) Community Outreach Specialist and Operations and Finance Specialist
ACCESS of West Michigan Independent Contractors for Poverty Education Workshops, also internships and board member openings (Grand Rapids)
Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network employment opportunities(Detroit) Part-time D-Town Farmer (apply by April 18)
Taste the Local Difference - Account Executive (fully remote)
Eastern Market (Detroit) jobs page Events Manager and Urban Ag Produce Share Assembly Team
Food Corps (Petoskey)
Seeking Architectural Design Services- Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology
EcoSchool Support Staff, site coordinators for EcoCorps and EcoSchool in NW Michigan

Grants/Funding

SARE Graduate Student Grants open! Apply by May 29 – grants up to $20,000 “to fund graduate student projects that address sustainable agriculture issues”
Michigan SARE and MI/WI Tribal SARE and NC-SARE
digital directory of 100+ funding opportunities – MSU Center for Regional Food Systems
Soil Health Opportunities & Tools Fund (SHOT Fund) EQIP Bridge Loan program to fund you in your NRCS EQIP projects if/when funding is frozen. No fees, no penalties, and no interest. To apply, use this short pre-application form and the team will schedule a brief 30 minute call to learn more about your needs. March 12 Webinar has more info
Brighter Future Fund's Emergency Resilience Grant for farmers affected by the federal funding freeze (apply from April 16 to April 26)
Regenerative Farmer Assurance Fund (RFAF) for farmers affected by the federal funding freeze
Become a Grow Detroit's Young Talent (GDYT) worksite for 2025
Ongoing - Boost your farm or food business: Online grant writing course
Eastern Michigan University’s 2025 Executive Certificate in Entrepreneurship (ECE) and $30,000 Venture Challenge for aspiring Michigan entrepreneurs
Climate Smart Farming Funding Resource Library
Detroit Legacy Business Project for businesses open 30 years or more
Michigan Good Food Fund Seed Awards ($5,000 - $20,000) spring applications closed, apply in fall
Michigan Good Food Fund seed award application
GROW Lansing Grants $5000 for community gardens and sustainable land use in Lansing
Expanding Agroforestry Project paying farmers for tree planting
Grassroots Guide to Federal Farm and Food Programsfrom the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)
MIFFS Funding & Grants list
Grants and Funding Opportunitiesfrom the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD)
MDARD https://www.michigan.gov/mdard/business-development/grantfund
FINANCIAL INCENTIVES DATABASE (FIND) TOOL to compare farm conservation programs and funding options

Federal Funding Freeze & Firings:

Civil Eats Food Policy Tracker
USDA Contract Freezes: Filing an NAD Appeal or Demand Letter (Farm Commons)
USDA Contract Freezes and Terminations: Legal Action Steps for Farmers with Signed EQIP and CSP Contracts (Farm Commons)
Contact USDA Secretary Rollins about the funding freeze
Democracy 2025’s Response Center lists Executive Orders with short analyses: https://www.democracy2025.org/response-center

Legal support from Lawyers for Good Government: do you have a federal grant and are in need of legal technical support? L4GG has set up this intake form and you can complete it to request follow-up: https://www.lawyersforgoodgovernment.org/fund-protection-legal-guidance-request
Immigration EO analysis: these resources offer some analytical grounding in what these EOs may mean:

Guide for employers with practical advice for addressing immigration-related actions in the workplace: this is intended to help organizations protect their employees and stakeholders in the event of immigration actions so you can help protect your folks: https://www.nilc.org/resources/a-guide-for-employers-what-to-do-if-immigration-comes-to-your-workplace/
Land & Liberation 2025 Federal Funding Freeze Resources
What You Need to Know & Do to Defend Your Federal Funding
WTF?!? Office Hours Q&A
WTF?!? Federal Funding Freeze Questions/Answer Submission Form
National Young Farmers Coalition is looking for stories of farmers affected by the funding freeze

Events!

- April 14/May 12/June 9/July 14/Aug 11 MVEG Farmer Peer Discussion Series
- April 15 Food Literacy for all speaker series, Free (online or Ann Arbor)
- April 15 Farmer + Food Assistance Sign-Up Support Event (Detroit)
- April 16/May 21/ June 18 Virtual Cover Crop Chat @ 9am
- April 21 Michigan Cottage Food Law webinar 6-8pm
- April 23 Farm Business Basics - Whole Farm Planning: Childcare 4:30 - 6pm (Clio)
- April 23 1pm How to Elevate Your Farmers Market with Professional Marketing
- April 24 Farmer + Food Assistance Sign-Up Support Event (Marquette)
- April 24 Unconventional Fruit Working Group 07: Buying Products for the 2025 Season online, noon to 1pm
- April 27 11am – 4pm Earth Day at Westwind Farm
- May 1 Monthly Drop-in Organic Farming Q & A May 2025 Noon – 1PM Zoo
- May 8 Collecting Urban Bee Data: Community Science Training with info on pollinators and the new Urban Bees of the Great Lakes Region iNaturalist project
- May 7 Making It In Michigan Conference 8:30AM - 11:00AM (Register by April 30) Lansing
- May 12/June 9/July 14/Aug 11 MVEG Farmer Peer Discussion Series
- May 14 from 7-9pm Rooted in Resilience: Preserving African American Herbal Traditions for Future Generations with Sistah Khetnu Nefer (Detroit Food Commons)
- Apply by May 14 Root and Bloom Fellowship $2000 stipend for 9-month opportunity to explore challenges young and BIPOC farmers face, how they are rooted in federal ag policy + how to make change (apply by May 14, program start in September)
- May 15 – Nov. 13 - 2025 Organic Seed Production Online Course
- May 21/ June 18 Virtual Cover Crop Chat @ 9am
- June 9/July 14/Aug 11 MVEG Farmer Peer Discussion Series
- June 11 Great Lakes Intertribal Food Coalition online meetings for Tribal food producers 12:30pm EST
- June 17 UP Beginning Farmers Train the Trainer workshop v(Chatham)
- June 18 Virtual Cover Crop Chat @ 9am
- July 14/Aug 11 MVEG Farmer Peer Discussion Series
- July 28 to Nov. 17 Cover Crop Essentials online course (apply by June 23)
- July 30 Edible Flint Food Garden Tour
- Aug 11 MVEG Farmer Peer Discussion Series
- August 18 – 19 Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference (Glen Arbor) apply to speak by April 24
- Sep 10 Great Lakes Intertribal Food Coalition online meetings for Tribal food producers 12:30pm EST
- Sep 20 – 21 D-Town Farm Harvest Festival
- Ongoing – Local Food Marketing Academy
- Coupon Code for farmers to take the course for $200
- Ongoing – Cottage Food Law, ServSafe, Farm to School and Food Safety Classes
- Ongoing - Detroit Food Policy Council Meetings
- Ongoing - Boost your farm or food business: Online grant writing course
- Ongoing - Farm Pulse Financial Management & Analysis discount code for signing up MVEG2025 - Reduces the cost from $299 to $24 ($275 off); limited to 20 farms!
- Ongoing - Forest School teacher trainings
- Ongoing - Small grains shared learning calls – 1^st Fridays, 11-noon Eastern
- Ongoing - Organic Farmer Circles for Black, Hispanic/Latino, Indigenous, Asian, Queer and all farmers
- Ongoing – Midwest Permaculture Design Courses ½ off for regenerative farmers, community growers, and others
- Ongoing - 3^rd Wednesdays Organic Farmers Association Crop Insurance workgroup
- Ongoing – Cornell Small Farms online courses
- Ongoing – TEAMs program is a training for farm apprentices or employees by the Fairshare CSA Coalition
- Ongoing - Becoming the Employer of Choice training for farm employers by the Fairshare CSA Coalition
- Ongoing – Free Self-Paced Online Class for Small-scale Chicken Farmers
- Ongoing – Savanna Institute classes
- Ongoing - $75 Value Added Producer grant on demand class
- Ongoing - Free Rodale Courses
- Transition To Certified Organic Agriculture
- Getting Your Organic Certification
- Transition To Organic Livestock Production
- Hobby Beekeeping
- Rodale Institute Annual Virtual Field Day
Events list from Ag Solidarity Network
Events list from MIFFS (Michigan Food and Farming Systems)

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer at D-Town farm in Detroit on Saturdays and Sundays from 9am to Noon
Growing Hope's Home Vegetable Garden Program (Ypsilanti) seeks Garden mentors who speak English, Spanish and/or Arabic are needed, garden experience required, but you do not need to be an expert
Allen Neighborhood Center Hunter Park GardenHouse (Lansing) volunteer on Mondays: 9:30am – noon or Thursdays: 5 – 7:30pm
Farmstead Planning Volunteer (Jackson, MI) Contact Maria at dreams@gmail.com
Wolcott Mill Farm Center
We3Queens Botanical Garden – contact Anne Lynn at w3qoutreach@gmail.com
Cover Crop Survey
Healthy Soils, Healthy Waters-Michigan growers in Lenawee, Hillsdale, and Monroe counties to participate in a new research project to further understand the connection between conservation practices, changes in soil health, and water quality improvements

Organic Resources

Resource Map for Michigan Organic Growers
FINANCIAL INCENTIVES DATABASE (FIND) TOOL to compare farm conservation programs and funding options
Join the Michigan Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) as a Mentor, a Mentee or attend a field day or webinar to learn more:

Videos from past TOPP events
5/1 Q + A session on all things organic farming.

Apply for Real Organic Project Certification today!

Michigan CSA Network

2025 Michigan CSA farmer survey
Farmer Advisory Committee FAQ: https://bit.ly/3QaMuca$900 for 30 hours
Regional Farm Network FAQ: https://bit.ly/RegionalFarmNetworkFAQ
- Field Days - $500
- Skill-based Workshops - $1000
- Grower Gatherings - $500
- Marketing events/support - CSA Fair/Open House Event - $2000

The Network has funding to support the following activities in each region:

Farm Sign-up Form for both Farmer Advisory Committee and Regional Network Leads : https://forms.gle/3d5WfDfaKAA8UnEC9

CSA Renewals Drive resource package

Farmer Mental Health

Survey on stress, injury, and overall mental and physical well-being in agriculture – farmers are paid to participate
State Farmer Mental Health Resource List
Michigan Teletherapy for farmers: https://www.canr.msu.edu/managing_farm_stress/teletherapy-program
Find a therapist: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists
Find an Inclusive therapist - national search: https://www.inclusivetherapists.com/
MVEG Farmer Resiliency & Mental Health Resources: https://www.mvegnetwork.org/resources
Farm Aid Crisis Hotline: 1-800-FARM-AID (1-800-327-6243).Monday through Friday from 9am – 9pm ET; 6am – 6pm PT. The
Spanish Hotline is answered Monday through Friday, 9am – 5pm ET.
National Suicide Hotline: dial 988

Surveys & other info

2025 Michigan CSA farmer survey
Survey for organic (or transitioning to organic) farmers who have utilized USDA programs like NRCS EQIP, CSP or FSA from the USDA and are willing to share their story – pay farmers up to $800 to participate
Survey on stress, injury, and overall mental and physical well-being in agriculture – farmers are paid to participate
2025 National Food Hub Survey
Beginning Farmer Resource & Decision Tool survey
Paid farmer & farmworker focus groups – fill out this survey for more info
Free Tool for Agroforestry Planning – only in January!
Donate food through the Michigan Agricultural Surplus Program

Michigan Climate Smart Agriculture Survey – fill out 1 part or all 5 😊
Part 1: Defining Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA)
Part 2: Scope, Criteria, and Measurable Impacts
Part 3: Farmers Perspectives & Incentives; Verification Process & Standards
Part 4: Integration with Existing Programs and Initiative; Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration
Part 5: Scaling Up and Long-Term Sustainability; Monitoring, Evaluation, and Continuous Improvement

Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation Clearinghouse

MVEG Resources

Advocate

See the grants/funding section for advocacy about the federal funding freeze

Advocate for Sustainable Agriculture, Food Systems, Food Assistance and ways for new farmers to access land in the next Farm Bill:

Accessibility Questions:

For questions about accessibility and/or if you need additional accommodations for a specific document, please send an email to ANR Communications & Marketing at anrcommunications@anr.msu.edu.

MSU Extension Michigan Transition to Organic Partnership Program