MABA announced the opening of registration for its 2024 Outlook Conference on Mackinac Island.
“This long-running event is a unique opportunity to bring together leaders spanning Michigan, Midwest and U.S. agriculture,” said MABA President Chuck Lippstreu. “This event also showcases a cross-section of our industry. In addition to bringing together leaders who from across the full spectrum of Michigan agriculture, we enjoy welcoming attendees who serve in many different roles and are at different places on their career journey. It’s what continues to make the Outlook Conference a truly unique opportunity for networking and in-depth discussion about what the future holds for agriculture, all in a one-of-a-kind location.”
Now in its 27th year, the Outlook Conference brings together approximately 150-200 leaders of agricultural businesses, along with senior government and NGO partners, for a weekend of discussion about the future of the agricultural industry. The conference is intended to provide insight and facilitate discussion on large-scale industry trends to help inform leaders as they chart a path forward for their businesses. The conference is useful for anyone who wants to gain more in-depth insights into key drivers of the agricultural economy.
This year, the Outlook Conference returns to a Friday-Sunday weekend format. The event begins Friday evening, September 6, concluding in the afternoon on Sunday, September 8.
Conference events are closed to members of the media.
For questions, contact any member of the MABA staff or email maba@miagbiz.org.
The Michigan Agri-Business Association is proud of our role as a strong advocate and dedicated resource for the Michigan agriculture industry. As we often say, our Association’s effectiveness comes from the participation and support of our member companies. We strive to deliver world-class service and results for these Michigan businesses.
Throughout 2024, the MABA team has focused on steady, continuous improvement across all we do in member services, advocacy, information sharing and beyond. Today we wanted to share a summary of key investments and improvements your association has made during the last six months, all geared toward ensuring world-class value for you.
We are proud of these improvements we have made for MABA members. They are helping us maximize the value we provide for businesses statewide, and complement our work to grow the Association’s events, membership involvement and advocacy. We welcome your suggestions. At any time, contact Chuck or Kara of the MABA staff with your questions and comments!
The Michigan Agri-Business Association encourages member companies, and everyone in Michigan agriculture, to communicate about the unique safety considerations around the solar eclipse happening next Monday, April 8. In addition to reminders being circulated widely in the media about the potential for eye damage from directly viewing the eclipse, other risks include the distractive nature of the event itself, and the temporary darkness associated with it.
The eclipse also takes place as the busy spring planting season ramps up, underscoring the need to be aware of unique safety considerations during this phenomenon.
Groups that make up Agricultural Leaders of Michigan (ALM) spoke out on National Ag Day, March 19, to spotlight skyrocketing labor costs facing farms and call on Congress to pass the Supporting Farm Operations Act (H.R. 7046).
The legislation, introduced by Congressman John Moolenaar, addresses high labor costs facing Michigan farmers by freezing the wage rate for migrant farm workers, known as the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR), until the end of 2025.
Chuck Lippstreu, president of Michigan Agri-Business Association, said farmers’ success translates to success for other businesses on the food value chain, and approval of H.R. 7046 is important under the current circumstances.
“Agriculture remains a leading economic engine for Michigan, but the rapid increase in the AEWR threatens the viability of some farms in our state, especially labor-intensive fruit and vegetable operations,” Lippstreu said. “It’s critical that Congress pass the Supporting Farm Operations Act without delay, to provide growers with certainty going forward. This legislation will strengthen the broader agricultural economy in our state.”
Go here to read comments from other leading Michigan agricultural organizations.
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