The Hillsdale County Historical Society has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the Barn Believers Project Fund, administered by the Battle Creek Community Foundation, to support the preservation and public display of one of the last known Mail Pouch Tobacco signs in Hillsdale County, Mich.
The iconic Mail Pouch Tobacco siding — originally painted on a barn along M-99 between Hillsdale and Jonesville — was carefully salvaged when the barn was dismantled to make way for a new Meijer store. Meijer donated the hand-painted boards to HCHS, preserving a one-of-a-kind piece of Americana that has long dotted rural areas.
The grant has enabled the historical society to reinstall the siding inside the historic Will Carleton Poorhouse barn, located near the corner of State and Wolcott streets in Hillsdale.
The funding will also support the installation of new electrical wiring and museum-quality lighting, as well as the creation of a historical interpretive display highlighting the legacy of Mail Pouch barns throughout Hillsdale County and beyond.
Student awarded Helena scholarship
Brynn Hurley of Croswell, Mich., is Helena Agri-Enterprises’ winner of the $1,000 Homegrown Scholarship for higher education. Hurley is a graduate of Croswell-Lexington High School and is entering St. Clair County Community College to study science.
Helena’s Homegrown Scholarship is open to graduating high school seniors majoring in an agriculture-related program from 15 states — including certain counties in Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming — and the entire states of Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Applications for the Homegrown Scholarship will be available again in early 2026 through ag teachers and local FFA chapters in participating states and counties.
In addition to scholarships, Helena offers internships to college students across the Midwest every summer. Internship opportunities will be advertised in the fall. For more information about Helena, visit helenaagri.com.
AgroLiquid expands leadership, communications teams
AgroLiquid, a manufacturer and distributor of liquid fertilizer products, announces the addition of two professionals to its team. Andy Kurncz joins the company as chief financial officer and finance director and serves on the leadership team, and Kenna Rathai joins as corporate communications specialist.
Kurncz brings financial expertise to support the company’s goals. His position will focus on strategic financial management, planning and analysis, risk management, and capital and resource allocation.
Rathai’s background in agricultural communications will help shape the company’s brand reputation through external messaging, strategic thought leadership and community relations.
State invests nearly $57,000 in horticulture research grants
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development recently awarded nearly $57,000 to support innovative research projects to advance Michigan’s $1.4 billion nursery and ornamental horticulture industry.
Following a competitive review process conducted by the Horticulture Fund Advisory Committee, MDARD selected three projects to receive a total of $56,707 in funding. The projects will focus on:
- Developing commercial-scale woodchip bioreactors to remove agrochemicals from recycled irrigation water at a wholesale Michigan greenhouse. This project is led by Tom Fernandez, a professor in Michigan State University’s Department of Horticulture.
- Investigating chemical mowing as an innovative technique for controlling weeds in ornamental tree production. This project is led by Debalina Saha, an assistant professor in Michigan State University’s Department of Horticulture.
- Enhancing irrigation efficiency in Christmas tree and nursery production using Internet of Things-based sensor technology. This project is led by Younsuk Dong, an assistant professor in Michigan State University’s Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering.
Since fiscal 2019, MDARD has awarded more than $333,000 in Horticulture Fund grants.
Applications and grant guidelines are available online.
New dairy map helps connect consumers, producers
Looking for a dairy destination? MDARD has created the virtual Michigan artisanal cheese, milk and ice cream map to help consumers find delicious, locally produced specialty products throughout the state. The map features 11 Michigan dairy farms and processors from across the state, specializing in small-batch production of dairy cow and dairy goat products.
Michigan's robust dairy industry includes nearly 850 dairy family farms and more than 444,000 cows, which produce enough milk to supply the entire state while meeting increased consumer demand nationally.
For nutrition information about dairy products, visit USDA’s MyPlate page.
MDARD invests $400,000 in ag business expansions
The Michigan Commission on Agriculture and Rural Development recently approved $400,000 in Food and Agriculture Investment Program grants to Hildebrand Fruit LLC and the city of Oak Park. The funding, awarded by MDARD, will allow the businesses to build and expand their facilities, increase capacity, and create four full-time and five part-time positions.
MDARD is awarding a $175,000 grant to support Hildebrand Fruit LLC’s $4 million expansion project that will enable the Berrien Springs company to double the square footage of its packing operation, introduce a more efficient layout to increase capacity and equipment options, and create two new positions.
MDARD is awarding a $225,000 grant to the city of Oak Park for a Commercial Food and Event HUB Project to support the construction of a new $8.8 million facility.
The nearly 8,000-square-foot building will include a year-round farmers market space that can accommodate double the number of vendors the city’s current market welcomes and a fully equipped and commercially licensed shared-use kitchen space. The project will create two new full-time positions and five part-time positions.
Read more about the Food and Agriculture Investment Program. Learn more about MDARD grants.