Michigan Agriculture Advancement (MiAA)

Michigan Agriculture Advancement fosters innovation in agriculture by connecting producers, sharing knowledge, and promoting sustainable practices to enhance Michigan's agricultural community and ensure its growth for future generations.

Michigan Agriculture Advancement&#39;s 8th Annual Underground Innovations gathering is a place for the curiously minded to gather and learn from each other. Participants will leave inspired to take on the next growing season with new ideas and creative solutions.&nbsp; We&rsquo;re back in Frankenmuth, Michigan at the Bavarian Inn Lodge on Wednesday, February 4th starting with coffee at 10:00 am EST and concluding on Thursday the 5th at 3:30 pm. (See full agenda at the bottom of this section!) Once again, we have a great lineup of speakers who will share their experiences with a wide range of topics such as row crops, nutrient management, strip-till, post harvest handling , and specialty markets. Speakers will share their experiences when adopting new practices on their farms, how they got to this point, and where they are looking to go in the future. This is a great opportunity to ask your why and how questions for those techniques you&rsquo;ve been thinking about! We&rsquo;re excited to see all the connections and networking that happens when you all meet with producers from across Michigan and beyond. A big thank you to MDARD who is supporting this event along with the Erb Family Foundation and the NCR-SARE program! Because of them, we are excited to offer admission to the full event for just $50.00 this year. This includes all sessions, lunch on both days, breakfast on day 2, and a networking happy hour with roundtables. If cost is an issue, please reach out to Julie Doll (julie@miagadvance.org) to see if there are scholarships available.&nbsp; Tickets are not refundable; however, they can be transferred to a guest of your choice. Rooms are available at the Bavarian Inn Lodge under the &#39;&#39;Underground Innovations&quot; room block. Reservations can be made by calling 1-855-652-7200 and mentioning Underground Innovations or group code 13Z5W8; they can also be made via <a fr-original-style="" href="https://book.bavarianinn.com/ecomm/package/packagebuilder/24988433/en-us/?packageid=84035&startDate=2026-02-03&endDate=2026-02-04&adultcount=2&childCount=0&forceChoice=0&childAgeArray=&promocode=13Z5W8" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: initial; -webkit-user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">this link</a> (note, the reduced price only shows up at the final checkout). *Note - you&#39;ll see MiAA&#39;s fiscal sponsor, Global Philanthropy Partnership, on your receipt. Partnering with GPP allows us to operate as a non-profit and they run all our financials. AGENDA - Underground Innovations 2026 Wednesday, February 4th&nbsp;&nbsp;9:00am &nbsp; &nbsp;Check in and registration opens, coffee10:00am &nbsp; &nbsp;Welcome and introductions, Julie Doll, MiAA10:30am &nbsp; &nbsp;Leon Klopfenstein11:30am &nbsp; &nbsp;Mark Vollmar12:15pm &nbsp; &nbsp;Lunch1:15pm &nbsp; &nbsp;Kat and David Meegan, Annie G&rsquo;s Dairy2:00pm &nbsp; &nbsp;Break2:15pm &nbsp; &nbsp;NRC-SARE Farmer Forum, moderated by Colleen Forestieri, &nbsp; &nbsp;Van Buren Conservation District with farmers: Abby Johnson, Ox Heights; Alex Cacciari, Seeley Farm; Andy Fles, Shady Lane Cellars3:45pm &nbsp; &nbsp;Break4:15pm &nbsp; &nbsp;Networking Mixer with hors d&#39;oeuvres, beverages, and facilitated Community Conversations (Topics: talking with legislators, farm linking, funding opportunities, agronomy, &amp; food-grade grains)5:30pm &nbsp; &nbsp;Adjourn - Dinner on your own7:30pm &nbsp; &nbsp;Optional gathering at Bavarian Inn Lodge, downstairs bar Thursday, February 5th&nbsp; 7:30 am &nbsp; &nbsp;Breakfast buffet8:00 am &nbsp; &nbsp;Day 2 welcome and table conversations8:30 am &nbsp; &nbsp;Director Tim Boring, MDARD9:15 am &nbsp; &nbsp;Doug Hodge, Stony Croft Farms10:00am &nbsp; &nbsp;Break10:15 am &nbsp; &nbsp;Shakir Bralock, Michigan Good Food Fund10:45 am &nbsp; &nbsp;Zach Berg, Michigan Cheese Guild &amp; Mongers&rsquo; Provisions11:15 am &nbsp; &nbsp;Autumn Tait, Autumn Acres &amp; Tait Farms12:00 pm &nbsp; &nbsp;Lunch1:00 pm &nbsp; &nbsp;John Burk, Burk Family Farms1:45 pm &nbsp; &nbsp;Jake Isley, Sunrise Farms &amp; Stewardship Farms2:30pm &nbsp; &nbsp;Panel Discussion, moderated by Joel Layman, J.D. Layman Farms with panelists: Director Tim Boring, Shakir Bralock, and 2 farmers3:30pm &nbsp; &nbsp;Adjourn

Michigan Agriculture Advancement (MiAA)

Michigan Agriculture Advancement (MiAA)

Michigan Agriculture Advancement (MiAA)

Past events

Past events

Underground Innovations 2026

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Michigan Agriculture Advancement (MiAA)

Past events

Past events

Underground Innovations 2026

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Michigan Agriculture Advancement (MiAA)