Michael Fields Agricultural Institute

What Michael Fields Agricultural Institute does

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (MFAI) is a Wisconsin-based 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1984 and headquartered in East Troy, WI, with an additional office in Milwaukee supporting urban agriculture programs. The organization conducts agricultural research, farmer education, and federal and state policy advocacy focused on sustainable, regenerative, and conservation-oriented agriculture. Its primary constituents are farmers and growers across the Upper Midwest, urban growers and food-insecure communities in Milwaukee, women landowners and conservation professionals, staple crop growers in the Midwest, and the Hmong/Hmoob community in Southeast Wisconsin. MFAI operates a New Farm research facility in East Troy co-located with The Nature Conservancy's Pickerel Lake Fen Preserve, and runs four publicly-accessible agroforestry demonstration sites across Southeast Wisconsin in partnership with the Savanna Institute and UW-Madison Division of Extension.

MFAI's core programmatic offerings center on perennial grain research and market development (notably Kernza, a true perennial grain with 3 years of post-planting production), alternative crop trials (buckwheat, millet, industrial hemp, food-grade grains), cover crop adoption support (including a recently launched interactive Cover Crop Scenario Tool), and a coalition of farmer networks — Milwaukee Urban Ag Network, Staple Crop Growers Network, WI Cover Crop Data Network, and Women in Conservation (with an Illinois extension, ILWiC). It also produces educational content such as the Soil Microbe Song curriculum and operates the Fields Best Shop, a direct-to-consumer e-commerce and farmers-market channel selling Kernza flour, buckwheat flour, rye and wheat flours, pancake and cookie mixes, and merchandise. Strategic research collaborations include KernzaCAP with the University of Minnesota Forever Green Initiative and The Land Institute, with Dr. Nicole Tautges serving as a nationally recognized Kernza researcher and direct marketer of the grain.

The organization's revenue model is a non-profit hybrid: federal and state grants (USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA Agricultural Research Service), foundation grants (Daybreak Fund, Caerus Fund), individual donations (actively solicited amid federal conservation funding cuts), and modest product sales through the Fields Best Shop and farmers markets. GTM is community-led, relying on farmer networks, field days, workshops, webinars, and community calls rather than traditional sales motion. Customer-facing pricing is unit-based and consumer-scale ($5 for 16oz Kernza or buckwheat flour, $6-$8 for baking mixes, $75 for 50lb bulk bread flour with local delivery).

Name

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute

Legal name

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute

Website

https://michaelfields.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute is a Wisconsin-based non-profit founded in 1984 that conducts agricultural research, farmer education, and policy advocacy focused on sustainable and regenerative agriculture for farmers, urban growers, and conservation communities across the Upper Midwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education

NAICS

Oilseed and Grain Farming (1111), Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating (115112), Other Crop Farming (1119)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable/Regenerative Agriculture & Conservation Practices (EDAOAOAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Soil Health & Regenerative Agronomy Consulting (AFACABAA), Carbon, Sustainability & Farm Certification Support (Agro-Environmental Advisory) (AFACABAL)

Keywords

• Sustainable agriculture research
• Regenerative agriculture education
• Perennial grain cultivation
• Farmer network programs
• Soil health advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

East Troy

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales (Fields Best Shop): Sale of regeneratively grown grains and baked goods including Kernza flour, buckwheat flour, rye flour, wheat flour, pancake mixes, cookie mixes, and merchandise. Products are sold online and at farmers markets.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and foundations to support the institute's work amid reductions in federal conservation funding.
3. Grants and Federal Funding: Funding from USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA Agricultural Research Service, and other federal and state conservation programs. The organization reports recent terminations of funded partnerships with federal agencies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute is a nonprofit that conducts regenerative and sustainable agriculture research on its East Troy, Wisconsin research farm, runs farmer education and policy advocacy programs, and operates the Fields Best Shop selling Kernza flour, buckwheat flour, pancake and cookie mixes, and bread flours. The institute convenes multiple farmer-led networks, including the Staple Crop Growers Network, Wisconsin Women in Conservation, and the Hmong/Hmoob Urban Growers Network.

Product overview

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute operates primarily as an agricultural education and research nonprofit rather than a technology product company. Its main offerings include the Fields Best Shop (an e-commerce marketplace selling regenerative grain products including Kernza flour, buckwheat flour, pancake mixes, cookie mixes, and bread flours sourced from their research farm and regional farmers), farmer network programs (Staple Crop Growers Network, Milwaukee Urban Ag Network, Wisconsin Women in Conservation), and research initiatives covering agroforestry, soil health, and alternative crop development. The organization also produces educational resources including the Soil Microbe Song multimedia curriculum.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wisconsin Women in Conservation (WiWiC): A state-wide collaborative effort led by MFAI in partnership with state and federal conservation agencies, bringing together Wisconsin's women landowners, farmers, farm workers, urban growers, and conservation professionals.
• Illinois Women in Conservation (ILWiC)
• Staple Crop Growers Network
• Milwaukee Urban Ag Network (MUAN)
• Fields Best Shop

Products and services

• Fields Best Shop (Online Store)

Quantifiable outcome

• Current practices like no-till farming and cover crops offset only 6-9% of Wisconsin's ~19 million metric tons of agricultural emissions (from Clean Wisconsin report)

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Savanna InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner on the 'Showcasing Agroforestry in SE Wisconsin' project to establish educational agroforestry demonstration sites. Savanna Institute provides expertise in agroforestry design and implementation.
• UW-Madison Division of Extension (Milwaukee County Urban Agriculture Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the agroforestry demonstration project, managing community garden sites including Kohl Farm Community Garden. Extension staff co-lead planting days and provide educational programming.
• Wisconsin Women in Conservation (WiWiC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-wide collaborative effort led by MFAI in partnership with state and federal conservation agencies, national and local environmental organizations, and farm advocacy groups. Brings together women landowners, farmers, farm workers, urban growers, and conservation professionals.
• Staple Crop Growers Network PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork led by MFAI in partnership with Fresher Together, Fondy Food Center, and Michigan Food and Farming Systems (MIFFS). Collaboration supported by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Focuses on staple crop education and market development.
• The Nature ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the New Farm research facility located upland of the Pickerel Lake Fen Preserve near East Troy, WI. The preserve is one of the most biologically diverse fens in southeast Wisconsin.
• University of Minnesota Forever Green InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration on Kernza through KernzaCAP, supported by AFRI Sustainable Agricultural Systems grant from USDA NIFA. Hosts Midwest Kernza Harvest Field Day jointly. Dr. Nicole Tautges collaborates on academic papers researching Kernza.
• The Land InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners on Kernza research, market development, and food science. Dr. Nicole Tautges collaborates on Kernza publications; Evan Craine from The Land Institute presents at MFAI events on grain use and quality.
• Xerces Society for Invertebrate ConservationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with WiWiC for the 2026 Summer Camp Webinar Series on invertebrates. Emily May and Karin Joka provide technical expertise on pollinator conservation and pesticide reduction.
• Croatan InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for farmer finance workshops within the Staple Crop Growers Network. Provides financial planning tools and one-on-one tailored approaches to financing for niche farm businesses.
• Fondy Food CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Staple Crop Growers Network and Milwaukee Urban Ag Network. Operates local farmers markets and provides land access, resources, and support to local farmers in Milwaukee neighborhoods.
• Michigan Food and Farming Systems (MIFFS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Staple Crop Growers Network, focusing on connecting beginning and small-scale diversified farmers in Michigan to resources and opportunities.
• Fresher TogethercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Staple Crop Growers Network. Black and LGBTQ+ owned and led food and farming collaboration serving the community with local nourishing foods and restorative spaces.
• Marquette UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Michael Schlappi at Marquette University identified flooded rice as a climate-adapted crop for the Midwest through collaborative work with local farmers from Fondy Food Center.
• PlantraminorOthersProvides discounted tree protection tubes for agroforestry planting projects.
• Artisan Grain CollaborativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Kernza market development, with John Clarke providing market development and brewing/distilling coordination for the Kernza ecosystem.
• SHARE (Soil Health and Agriculture Education)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative effort between U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, UW Madison, and MFAI to advance soil health research and outreach. Brings the Midwest Ag Ed Calendar.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE): USDA-funded national program that funds and disseminates sustainable agriculture research and education. Broader incumbent that funds and amplifies work like MFAI's; not a direct competitor but a structural peer in the same space.
• The Nature Conservancy: Global conservation non-profit. Partner with MFAI on the New Farm research facility near the Pickerel Lake Fen Preserve; broader incumbent with overlapping interest in land stewardship and sustainable agriculture.

Direct peers

• Artisan Grain Collaborative: Regional collaborative of farmers, millers, bakers, and researchers working to diversify grain networks in the Upper Midwest. Direct peer in Kernza market development and brewing/distilling coordination; listed as an MFAI partner.
• Practical Farmers of Iowa: Farmer-led non-profit that equips farmers to build resilient farms and communities through field days, research, and demonstration. Closely comparable community-of-practice model serving Upper Midwest row-crop and livestock farmers.
• Savanna Institute: Non-profit focused on agroforestry research, education, and demonstration in the Midwest. Direct peer on the 'Showcasing Agroforestry in SE Wisconsin' project and on agroforestry design and implementation.
• Rodale Institute: Long-standing non-profit research and education organization focused on regenerative organic agriculture. Highly comparable mission and operating model (research farm, farmer education, policy advocacy) at a larger national scale.
• The Land Institute: Kansas-based non-profit research organization also pioneering perennial grain crops (including Kernza) and sustainable agriculture. Direct research and market-development peer; MFAI partners with The Land Institute on Kernza research and food science.
• University of Minnesota Forever Green Initiative: University research and commercialization program developing winter-hardy and perennial crops including Kernza. Direct research peer; MFAI co-hosts the Midwest Kernza Harvest Field Day and collaborates on KernzaCAP publications.

Others

• Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation: National non-profit protecting invertebrates and their habitats. Adjacent peer providing technical expertise (pollinator conservation, pesticide reduction) for MFAI's WiWiC programming.

Emerging players

• Fondy Food Center: Milwaukee-based non-profit running farmers markets and supporting BIPOC and small farmers with land access and resources. Direct partner in MFAI's Milwaukee Urban Ag Network and Staple Crop Growers Network.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCP3FzcFFkGKMTqMkt4oAaNQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/MichaelFieldsAgriculturalInstitute
• Instagraminstagram.com/michael_fields_ag
• Xx.com/MichaelFieldsAg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Michael Fields Agricultural Institute