what is urban ag?

The  National  Association of Conservation District's Urban  Agriculture Conservation (UAC) Grant Initiative is designed to enhance  a districts’ urban agriculture conservation technical assistance activities in developed and developing areas of both urban and rural communities. Since 2016, NACD and NRCS have awarded over 5 million dollars to 122 different projects throughout the country, including twice to the Marquette County Conservation District,  in  2019 and 2022. 
Find details about each of our awarded projects below. 

Urban agriculture implementation grant 2022

PAIRING POLLINATORS WITH FOOD GARDENS In
​MARQUETTE AND ALGER COUNTIES

The National Association of Conservation Districts has awarded The Marquette County Conservation District a 2022 Urban Agriculture Implementation Grant to increase agricultural education and crop yield in Marquette and Alger Counties. The Marquette County Conservation District will be partnering with Alger Conservation District to hold 4 workshops between the two counties, host an educational field day for students between both counties, and to distribute 50 pollinator gardens to areas withing the counties with existing food gardens. 
URBAN AGRICULTURE 2022

​we're giving away
​pollinator gardens! 
How can you get One?​ Read below!

To increase crop yield in both counties we are distributing 50 pollinator gardens to landowners in the area! To qualify, you must have an existing food garden on your land. Landowners, schools, businesses, and other organizations with existing food gardens are welcome to apply! We will be prioritizing customers who have received an NRCS high tunnel kit in the past, and landowners willing to host future workshops!

The rubric to the right shows how we will be prioritizing applications received. The application period will run from June 1st-July 1st, and gardens will be awarded in time for a fall planting.  Each garden will consist of one flat, 38 plants, selected for your yard and soil conditions, and a sign. To apply visit the link to the right and fill out our google form!
THE APPLICATION PERIOD IS CLOSED.
PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAILS - AWARD WINNERS HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED! 

GARDEN WINNERS HAVE BEEN SELECTED!

Recipients of our 50 pollinator gardens have been notified via email! If you were not selected and would like to see your rubric, please feel free to call or email us. We appreciate all who applied, and encourage everyone to continue their efforts toward increasing pollinator habitat! 

pollinator garden pick-up

Alger County -  Garden winners in Alger County may pick them up at our event in Chatham on September 9th from 5PM-7PM. We will be at the Alger CD Parcel on Gladstone St, just south of Marquette St. 

Marquette County - Garden winners in Marquette County may pick them up during our fall wildflower sale on September 10th from 10am-2pm at our office, 780 Commerce Dr. 

2022 WORKSHOP SERIES

FIND DETAILS ABOUT OUR WORKSHOPS BELOW, WE WILL HOLD 2 IN MARQUETTE COUNTY AND 2 IN ALGER COUNTY. 

aLGER COUNTY WORKSHOP #1: wILD ABOUT WILDFLOWERS

June  11. 9:30am-12pm
alger county fair grounds


​For our first workshop, we will be joined by native plant expert Vern Stephens of Designs by Nature. Vern will be joined by our Produce Safety Technician, Landen Tetil, and together they will share the importance of native plants and their connection to local food production.  Vern Stephens will give advice on selecting the right native plants for your landscape, and how to care for them. The presentation will run from 10am-11:30, and native plants will be available for purchase from 9:30am-12pm. 

Marquette county workshop #1: Produce and Polliantors: what you need to know!

july 28th. 5:3opm. Belsolda Farm. 488 mangnum road. 

Join us for our first Marquette County Workshop to learn the ins and outs of keeping a successful garden in the UP! We'll cover the important relationship between pollinators and our food, and go over the effects a good pollinator garden can have on your produce! We'll take a hands on look at how to care for your fruit trees, and even see a recent 1 acre pollinator planting! Guests from NRCS will join and share how you may be able to receive funding assistance through their programs. 

alger county workshop #2: Let's plant a garden!

september 9th, 5:30pm.  We will be meeting in chatham at the alger conservation district's parcel on gladstone st, just south of marquette st. We will plant a native garden and share how we prepped the site. 

Alger county garden winners! this will be your pick up time and location, we will be there with pollintaor kits from 5-7pm. 

Marquette County workshop #2

details coming soon. 

Urban Agriculture Implementation Grant 2019


In 2019, MCCD was awarded a National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Urban Agriculture Conservation Grant to enhance urban agricultural activities in our community. With the funds, we hosted a series of interactive workshops covering topics on season extenders, urban livestock, pollinators, and mushroom cultivation.

New land use ordinances passed at that time in Marquette County allowed, for the first time, city residents to raise small livestock including bees, chickens, and rabbits, and allowed the construction of raised garden beds and season extension structures such as hoop houses. MCCD used this grant funding to support landowners looking to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the new ordinance. 
​
MCCD is dedicated to providing education and technical support to increase the growing potential of Marquette County residents.

​2019 Free Workshop Series

​On four different Saturdays throughout the 2019 growing season, MCCD offered a series of workshops that provided technical, hands-on assistance to city residents.  Participants were given the opportunity to learn backyard mushroom inoculation, dependable construction of seasonal extenders, proper techniques for residential small livestock keeping, safe and proper composting practices, resources for identifying and eradicating invasive species, and native gardening for pollinators.

You can help shape the future of Urban Agriculture in Marquette County!  Please let us know if there is a topic that you would like to learn more about.  Stop by the office sometime and peruse our Urban Agriculture Resource binder.  Take a look at the slideshow below to catch a glimpse of the 2019 workshops!  

Special thanks to our partners!