LANSING, Mich. – State officials have announced two grants out of the Michigan Commission of Agriculture that will go to area businesses to help them expand their operations.

“Michigan’s agricultural industry is the backbone of our economy,” said Gary McDowell, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). “Local businesses must be supported and assisted so they can increase production to meet demands, employ more Michiganders and incorporate sustainability practices that will further set their businesses up for long-lasting success.”

Two Food and Agriculture Investment Fund grants worth $150,000 altogether will be shared by Walters Gardens, of Zeeland, and Iron Fish Distillery, of Thompsonville, located in Manistee County in the state’s Lower Peninsula. Grant monies to both businesses will help them to expand operations.

Walters Gardens is a family-owned business that was started in 1946 with five acres of bare root perennials. In 1976, the company added a tissue culture lab, and in 2004 it started its own in-house breeding program. Walters Gardens supplies genetics for the Proven Winner brand and Walters Gardens introductions. The company offers more than 1,000 perennial varieties in its catalog, sold as bare root plants and plug trays.

Walters Gardens will use the grant of $95,000 to construct a 40,000-square-foot production facility with four acres of automated greenhouses. The site is being prepared for 20 acres of greenhouses in three construction phases over 10 years. This grant will allow for hiring of up to 50 new employees of various skill levels, the company said. “This is by far the largest grant we’ve ever gotten,” said Aren Phillips, greenhouse systems manager at Walters Gardens. “It’s really exciting to be able to get this grant for our project. It just shows MDARD’s support for our project.”

Phillips said the expansion is a $9 million project and that, although the grant money will help, it’s only a small portion of the cost. “This is quite a big project,” Phillips added. The company plans to have the new production facility and four acres of greenhouses completed in less than a year.

Iron Fish Distillery is the recipient of a $55,000 grant that will also help the business to expand. The company is the state’s first farm distillery, growing grain and distilling spirits and barrel finishing sourced whiskey. The working farm is also a Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program, or MAEAP, certified farm.

“The grant is really a recognition that ag tourism is playing a real role in the outdoor economy of the state,” said Iron Fish co-owner Richard Anderson. “The $55,000 was part of a total of $900,000 investment. We’re an ag tourism facility: we attract over 100,000 visitors each year to our business.”

Anderson added that it’s “crazy how much excitement there is out there for locally grown products.” He said the expansion will allow the business to double the amount of grain it purchases from other farms. It buys grain such as rye and wheat to be distilled into spirits.

Iron Fish Distillery also has a popular restaurant, which, according to Anderson, features fruits and vegetables from area farms. “What’s in season, that’s what ends up on our menu,” he said.