NLEA Hosts Catalyst Conversations in Elk Rapids Highlighting Northern Michigan Agriculture

Northern Lakes Economic Alliance convened regional leaders and agricultural experts at the Historic Elk Rapids Town Hall to present an agricultural industry update and press the case for innovation and long-term planning in northern Michigan farming. Panelists and agency representatives framed practical steps for farms and processors confronting shifting statewide and national business trends.

On Feb. 18, 2026 the Northern Lakes Economic Alliance (NLEA) convened the first Catalyst Conversations event of the year at the Historic Elk Rapids Town Hall. The session was billed as an agricultural industry update and gathered growers, processors, state agency staff and local business owners from across the NLEA footprint.

The program featured insights from a diverse panel of agricultural industry leaders. Greg Shooks, owner of Cellar 1914 and Shooks Farms in Central Lake, described how his family’s operation has transformed over four generations and offered an outlook on the region’s agricultural future. Dr. Jaime Luke, Assistant Professor in Michigan State University’s Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, examined statewide and national industry trends and the shifting agricultural business climate. Ted Sherman, Operations Manager at Burnette Foods, represented the food processing sector and detailed how the 60-year-old family business that operates in Elk Rapids and East Jordan continues to adapt and grow. Patrick McGuire, a first-generation farmer and owner of Royal Farm in Ellsworth, spoke about the evolution of his business model and offered perspective from his role on the Michigan Farm Bureau Board of Directors. Sam Bailey, strategic initiatives manager for the NLEA, moderated and framed the regional trends under discussion.

Organizers and local reporters emphasized the scale of the sector represented at the meeting. The region contains more than 1,200 farms producing $78.9 million in agricultural products, a figure NLEA linked to the 2022 Census of Agriculture in pre-event materials. Attendees included representatives from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, MSU Extension, the Michigan Office of Rural Prosperity and the Michigan Farm Bureau, who connected with local participants to share available resources for producers and processors.

Discussion topics at the Catalyst Conversations session ranged from on-farm generational transition and first-generation operator strategies to modern food processing developments and the need for strategic planning. NLEA and participants repeatedly returned to innovation and long-term planning as central responses to national market shifts and rising operational complexity for small and mid-sized operations.

The Catalyst Conversations series is an ongoing NLEA effort to convene industry leaders, policymakers and community stakeholders around key economic sectors shaping northern Michigan’s future. Sponsors for the Feb. 18 session included Networks Northwest and the Elk Rapids Chamber of Commerce, with some pre-event materials listing the Elk Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce. For more information, NLEA lists contact phone (231) 582-6482, email info@thenlea.com and an office at 1313 Boyne Avenue, P.O. Box 8, Boyne City, MI 49712.