It has been, and continues to be an interesting time for our Michigan Agri-Business Association team! Mid-fall was marked by election leadup, the November election and post-election activities. We continue working hard to prepare for the winter meeting season and the 2025 MABA Winter Conference & Trade Show. Meanwhile, in Lansing, the Michigan Legislature is back during the Lame Duck session through the end of the year. And we continue to help members navigate unique, key issues that will impact the industry in 2025.
Here are some updates from October and November 2024 at MABA:
November 5 General Election Results
In November, MABA posted a Q/A discussion on the results of the 2024 election.Please feel free to contact Chuck of the MABA staff with questions about the election. You can view this Q/A online.
2024 Membership Directories mailed
Earlier this fall, updated 2024 MABA membership directories were mailed to members. If you did not receive a directory, contact the MABA staff!
MABA leads statewide letter to Michigan Legislature on Earned Sick Time ActMABA in November led a coalition of more than 15 statewide agricultural organizations calling for common-sense changes to Earned Sick Time Act policies that are currently scheduled to go into effect in February. “It is important to understand that rural, Main Street businesses and Michigan farms will be among the many other sectors of Michigan’s economy harmed if the Legislature allows these changes to enter into force as written,” the groups wrote to Legislative leaders. More information is available here.
Educational Trust awards Spring 2025 scholarshipsThe Michigan Agri-Business Association (MABA) Educational Trust announced it will award scholarships to 20 Michigan students planning to enter the agriculture industry. These scholarships offered through the Educational Trust totaled more than $25,000 for the Spring 2025 collegiate semester. From 2020-2024 alone, the MABA Educational Trust has awarded more than 125 scholarships to deserving young people pursuing higher education. Go here to learn more about the scholarship awardees for spring.
MABA hosts Ag Club breakfasts alongside Consumers Energy, Michigan State University; planning for 2025
We appreciate the hosts of our Ag Club Breakfast events in October and November! On October 9, we were joined by leaders of Consumers Energy. Greg Salisbury, VP of Electric Distribution Engineering, provided an update from the company. And on November 6, we were joined by leaders of MSU’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, MSU Extension and MSU AgBioResearch for an update from the university.
This week, we conclude the Ag Club Breakfast series with an update from Farmers for Soil Health, a partnership of Michigan Corn, Michigan Pork and the Michigan Soybean Association. We appreciate all those who supported Ag Club Breakfast events this year!
We are soliciting Ag Club Breakfast hosts for the following 2025 dates!
To sign up, contact Kara or Chuck of the MABA staff.
MABA Leadership Group joins second program session in Lansing
The MABA Leadership Group for the 2024-25 class held its second session in Lansing on November 5-6, 2024.
During the two-day session, Leadership Program members visited the Michigan Capitol, met with state government leaders from MDARD; leaders of MSU’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources; state affairs leaders from partner organizations and many others. They also learned about how MABA delivers value for our members during election season and working in the Michigan Legislature. We appreciate all those who joined us for meetings this week.
This year’s group members include Nate Greeley with Zeeland Farm Services, Inc. (ZFS); Joseph Bolle with Quality Roasting; Gary Fritz with Cooperative Elevator Co.; Matthew Naeyaert with GreenStone Farm Credit Services; Scott Krout with CF Industries; and Rex Thayer with Nutrien Ag Solutions Michigan.
Rex Thayer with Nutrien Ag Solutions speaks with MDARD Director, Dr. Tim Boring, during the second session of the MABA Leadership Program in Lansing.
Be thinking about who from your organization could be a future participant in the MABA Leadership Program! Applications for the 2025-26 class will open this month and be accepted until March 2025.
Chobani hosts tour of Muskegon La Colombe Production Facility
In late October, MABA President Chuck Lippstreu joined Chobani leaders, elected officials and economic development experts for a tour of the company’s revamped Muskegon La Colombe production facility, and a roundtable discussion on food security hosted by Chobani. Since acquiring the plant in 2023 Chobani has invested more than $30 million into upgrades to it. U.S. Representative Hillary Scholten and State Representative Greg VanWoerkom played a key role in the discussion on reducing hunger, and helped spotlight the leadership of community and faith organizations to meet this challenge.
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Election Day 2024 saw substantial gains for Republicans nationally and in Michigan. In addition to the victory for President-Elect Trump, we will see new Congressional control for Republicans next year. And in Lansing, there will be a shift in how government is made up that will affect how policy is developed.
Here are some areas of interest for MABA members, especially as it relates to elections here in Michigan.
What is the national picture coming out of Election Day?
The 2024 election is widely recognized as a major victory for the Republican Party nationally. Republicans will control the White House, U.S. Senate, and highly likely the U.S. House in 2025-26.
In “down-ballot” races in the states – local and state offices – historic success by the Trump-Vance ticket led to gains for Republicans.
President-Elect Trump expanded his margins in many areas versus his 2016 and 2020 campaigns, including here in Michigan. And in blue states, Democrats’ margins of victory were far narrower than in the past.
As with any election, we will enter a period where both parties dissect election season and what went right or wrong for them. This is an interesting process you can easily read about in the press and on social media going forward.
What happened with races for Michigan’s delegation to Congress?
In a bright spot for Democrats, current U.S. Representative, and House Agriculture Committee member Elissa Slotkin will head to the U.S. Senate to fill the seat being vacated by Senator Debbie Stabenow. Senator-elect Slotkin narrowly defeated Mike Rogers on an election night that saw several Democratic incumbents in the U.S. Senate defeated. (These include Jon Tester in Montana, Sherrod Brown in Ohio, and Bob Casey in Pennsylvania.)
In an open mid-Michigan Congressional Seat, former State Senator Tom Barrett, a Republican, defeated Curtis Hertel and will head to the U.S. House.
And in an open seat in the Bay City area, current State Senator Kristin McDonald Rivet, a Democrat, was elected to fill the seat of retiring Rep. Dan Kildee. Other incumbent federal representatives were reelected.
What happened in the Michigan Legislature?
Tuesday saw major developments in the state Legislature.
Headed into Election Day, Democrats controlled all of Michigan state government – the Governor’s office, House and Senate, albeit with narrow two-vote majorities in the House and Senate. The Michigan Senate was not up for election in 2024, but the House was.
On Tuesday, Republicans flipped a total of four House seats, which moves the House to Republican control for the 2025-26 session.
The Republican flip of State House control will usher in a period of “divided government” – in other words, GOP control of one chamber of the Legislature, and Democratic control of the other. Democrats continue to control the Governors office.
What does divided government mean for the Legislature?
Practically speaking, it becomes more difficult for legislation to pass both chambers because that will require Republicans and Democrats to be aligned on details of legislation, and it is no secret there are widespread disagreements between the parties on many topics.
Under unified control (ie. if the same party controls both chambers and the Governor’s office), the majority party only has to ensure all of its own members are on the same page, and the way is cleared to advance legislation – even if they are doing so with no votes from the minority party.
With divided control of the Legislature, we are likely to see more legislation pass the House and the Senate individually, but not be taken up by the other chamber. As a result fewer bills are likely to be sent to the Governor’s desk due to disagreements between Republicans in the House and Democrats in the Senate.
Does the flip in House control mean nothing will happen in Lansing the next two years?
Not necessarily. There are some areas, including development of the state budget, and some traditionally less partisan issues that for one reason or another lend themselves to work across the aisle.
Agriculture is a traditionally more bipartisan topic where we anticipate opportunities to continue work with Republicans and Democrats alike next year. Some issues already have a history the past two years of bipartisan collaboration in Lansing, including lawmakers’ work together with MDARD on the response to HPAI, and bipartisan interest in the future of agricultural and environmental programs.
Legislative leaders in the next session have knowledge of agricultural policy. While Committee chairs will be named early in 2025, the parties have already named leaders in the new House. Rep. Matt Hall will become Speaker of the House in 2025; Rep. Hall represents several MABA members in the flour milling and ag retail sectors in his district, and has taken time to visit and learn about these rural businesses alongside MABA, which we greatly appreciated. Democrats this week elected Rep. Ranjeev Puri as House Minority Leader for the next session. Since being elected, Representative Puri has served on the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee. Current Michigan House Agriculture Committee member Rep. John Fitzgerald was selected as House Minority Floor Leader for next session.
Additionally, administrative rulemaking processes in the departments continue and provide an opportunity for agriculture to be engaged with our state government.
Does divided government take effect immediately?
No. From now until the end of the year, we enter a period known as “lame duck,” where the current Legislature remains in control. We anticipate a number of legislative proposals will be taken up during this time, and we are working to ensure your interests are represented. MABA will share additional details regarding this end-of-year session as they become apparent.
What is MABA’s involvement in all of this?
For years, MABA has built and maintained a strong reputation for our work with members of both parties on behalf of the Michigan agricultural industry. We spend substantial time meeting with members of the Legislature and their staff, to be sure we know their priorities, and they know ours; while also informing them about issues important to you.
Our work in recent years means we are well-positioned to represent your interests before both the House and Senate, and with the Administration (the Governor’s office, MDARD, etc.), no matter which party enjoys control.
MABA President Chuck Lippstreu is the association’s lead state lobbyist and is active almost daily on these efforts. In addition, thanks to the strong support of MABA members, the association is able to retain one of the top lobbying firms in Lansing, McAlvey Merchant & Associates, which supports our efforts and helps ensure agriculture is connected with lawmakers.
During election season, MABA through our Political Action Committee supports state-level candidates of both parties who have worked together with the agricultural industry. This is one of many ways we build and strengthen relationships with legislators. We are pleased to report all House candidates who received support from the MABA PAC were successful on election night in 2024. Our PAC remains an important way headed into 2025 to help support and build connections in Lansing.
If you have more questions…
Email Chuck Lippstreu at MABA – chuck@miagbiz.org.
Michigan’s Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) program provides resources, continuing education and networking opportunities for professional agronomists spanning our state’s agricultural industry. Nearly 300 Michigan professional agronomists are CCAs, and they bring a wide range of experience and skills to our state’s agricultural industry. Today we are spotlighting Kala Pierucki, a CCA with Keystone Cooperative.
Kala Pierucki’s background in Michigan agriculture started from childhood, growing up on a farm in Pittsford, Michigan. However, after graduating high school, Kala left Michigan for school, attending Allen Community College in Kansas where she played volleyball for two years. She later transferred to Oklahoma Panhandle State University to finish her degree.
While in Oklahoma, Kala met her future husband, a native Michigander and member of a harvest crew working in the plains states. Together they would eventually return to Michigan in 2011.
Back in Michigan, Kala went into agronomy. She started out working with Britton Elevator then after a year, she transitioned to Gro Alliance, specializing in the seed corn industry for two years. Later, in 2014, she joined North Central Co-op, which after several transitions is now known as Keystone Cooperative. Today, Kala plays a vital role in handling corn and soybean production agronomy for Keystone’s Coldwater location. In addition to her role at Keystone, Kala also helps her husband with their corn, soybean, wheat, and hay farm. They also have two girls, ages 4 and 7.
Kala earned her Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) certification soon after finishing college. “It was always a goal of mine,” she said recently. “I wanted to have my CCA on my resume to show I go above and beyond and that I have the knowledge to help growers succeed. And I’ve just maintained it ever since.”
Kala also noted staying current with industry trends and knowledge is key to delivering the best possible advice and solutions. That’s where the continuing education credits come into play, a critical component of maintaining her CCA status. “Seeing what’s new in the industry, keeping up on everything, and getting good refreshers” are all benefits of these credits, she says.
Kala also values the interaction and networking opportunities that come with attending educational meetings. “Many meetings provide a chance to interact with growers who are attending…and it helps you broaden your horizons of different stuff that you may not have thought about,” she says. I always like to go in with the mindset that I’m going to learn two new things at this meeting and take something back.”
As one of the 300 CCAs in Michigan, Kala has set a great example of someone who earned their CCA early in their career, has stuck with the program and reaped the benefits of it!
For more information about the CCA program, visit www.miagbiz.org or www.certifiedcropadviser.org/about-program.
Brownfield Ag News today included an interview with MABA President Chuck Lippstreu focused on what’s included in Michigan’s FY25 budget. Following are highlights from the interview, lightly edited for length and clarity.
Audio and full interview details are available here from Brownfield.
On the recently signed budget:
“The big news in Lansing in the past few weeks has been approval and signature of the state’s budget for the next year. This is a really important milestone every year and we’re glad to see it get done.”
“This is important [to ensure] that the work of state government continues uninterrupted, and that our state government agencies and those who work very hard on our behalf every day have some certainty in terms of what programming will look like and budgets will look like for the coming year.”
On what’s in the MDARD budget: Farm to Family, climate research, HPAI response, produce prescriptions:
“As we zoom into the agricultural elements of the budget, this budget is a lot of things. For example, the budget includes a new Farm to Family program that focuses work on diversity of production and connecting people across the food value chain, connecting families and farmers and farm businesses…It funds research into agricultural climate resiliency, widely supported by Michigan agriculture that puts Michigan State University and MDARD in the driver’s seat in terms of conducting really important climate smart agriculture research…The budget invests in the response to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, an emergent issue, something we all need to continue to be focused on.”
“It also has a number of programs to help promote fresh fruits and vegetables, things that we grow here in Michigan, and making sure that especially those who may struggle with access to fresh produce might have some new ways to get their hands on it. Specifically, the budget funds a new pilot program to try out what’s called a produce prescription program, just in one part of the state, but a model that’s worked in other places that we think could be very promising.”
On the governor’s veto of a new E15 rebate approved by the Legislature:
“Unfortunately, one thing this budget is not, it is not a pro-biofuel budget. That is not for lack of trying by legislators. In fact, our House Agriculture Committee chairwoman, Reggie Miller, helped lead the effort to create a new tax credit for the sale of E15 fuel, 15% ethanol blended fuel, at fuel stations around the state.”
“This would’ve been a small part of the budget, but a really important one. It would have benefited Michigan farmers by helping to cement strong markets for biofuel made from crops that are grown here on Michigan farms. It would’ve benefited the rural economy and rural businesses.
“This is [also] a cleaner burning fuel. It is a good move from an environmental perspective. Which is one reason why E15 has enjoyed bipartisan support from Republicans and Democrats across virtually every upper Midwest state.”
“And importantly, it would’ve been a pro-consumer tax credit, making sure that families across the state, from our very biggest cities to our smallest towns, have the opportunity to fill up their tank with a higher ethanol blend.”
“From our perspective, it would’ve been a win-win-win, and so we were perplexed and disappointed when the governor made the decision to veto that tax credit…we hope going forward, that policymakers will refocus on the benefits of biofuels, whether it’s ethanol or biodiesel or sustainable aviation fuel, and work together with industry to be sure that Michigan is not left behind.”
Looking ahead on SAF
“The past two years have seen a number of very promising efforts to promote clean fuels production and use in our state, including legislation that would help incent the production and use and purchase of sustainable aviation fuel.”
“This is something that airlines are very focused on, that they view as a key future fuel source. Again, we’re in a situation where many other states have already taken some step, varying by state, to incent the production or purchase of sustainable aviation fuels for use in aircraft.”
“This is technology that’s mature, that works. It’s simply a question of airlines being able to meet growing demand to fuel the aviation fleet with sustainable fuels. This is demand that Michigan farmers and U.S. farmers can meet. At the same time, it’s important that Michigan not be left behind as other states take action to incentivize the production and use of these fuels.”
Go here for the full audio recording and story from Brownfield Ag News.
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