MABA finished September strong, with a successful Outlook Conference on Mackinac Island, continued engagement with legislative candidates ahead of the November election, meetings with our members at national industry events and continued efforts supporting the Educational Trust. As a service to all of you who support and advance the Michigan Agri-Business Association, we provide regular summaries of these types of activities. This is not an all-inclusive update. If you have specific questions, please contact Chuck or Kara from the MABA staff. Membership dues renewals for 2027 are being distributed this week! As a reminder, MABA dues will remain unchanged for 2027, and 2027 Sustaining Sponsor Program support levels will also remain unchanged. Sponsorship commitments for 2027 are requested by December 31, 2026 (we need a verbal or written commitment by this date) and are billable anytime in the coming year. Thank you for your strong support of MABA! Engagement with State Legislative and Statewide Office Candidates MABA continues to interact with candidates of both parties as we are one month from the November election. We have also worked hard to connect our members with candidates and facilitate opportunities for you to meet them. This month, your association: Delivered remarks at two separate candidate briefings during September, to ensure state legislative candidates have background on our association and the agribusiness industry. This brought a “MABA 101” message to more than 40 candidates for office. Attended multiple events with candidates for Governor and U.S. Senate. Collected PAC endorsement materials from legislative candidates, helping us get to know them and their positions on agricultural topics. When we meet with candidates, we are emphasizing the need for predictability, partnership and a seat at the table for agriculture. Our efforts are slated to continue through, and following the election. Continued Work at the State Capitol Even with election season well underway, there is some activity in the Michigan Legislature and a number of bills were heard by committees last week. While little legislation is likely to be passed prior to the next session of the Legislature in 2027, it is highly important to stay engaged because bills being taken up now will likely be taken up next year. Here are notes on two key pieces of legislation we have worked on in recent weeks: A House committee took up a proposal by Representative Jerry Neyer aimed at ensuring statewide, year-round availability of E15. This bill would make important technical changes to Michigan law and ensure families can fill up with lower-cost E15 no matter their location in the state. MABA supported the bill in committee. We weighed in on SB 1038, which is a good example of legislation not directed at the agriculture industry, but which needs improvements to ensure it achieves its intended objective. The bill would require a range of new operational on-site changes by many types of businesses. While the bill exempts grain handlers, it would affect many other farms and agribusinesses. MABA provided a letter to Senators last week offering technical assistance to improve it. This is a good example of the importance of staying consistently engaged with Michigan’s year-round legislature. MABA and Educational Trustees host Memorial Golf Outing On September 10, we hit the road to Ithaca for the 2026 MABA Educational Trust Memorial Golf Outing. MABA members completely sold out The Fields Golf Course and made a big difference for the scholarship fund, raising several thousand dollars to support scholarships. Just yesterday, we closed the Spring 2027 semester application window for scholarships. We anticipate approximately 20 scholarships will be awarded later this month, thanks to your strong support and participation! MABA, Partners Host Outlook Conference on Mackinac Island We enjoyed visiting with 200+ MABA members September 11, 12 and 13 on Mackinac Island at the Outlook Conference! This was another well-attended and insightful meeting, bringing together leaders from across the state and nation, and from every segment of our industry. We appreciate all of the organizations and experts who took time to present at this meeting. We hope you will be sure to save the date for September 10-12, 2027! MABA supports Michigan Corn-led Sustainable Aviation Fuel Symposium We appreciated the opportunity to be part of the Great Lakes Sustainable Fuel Symposium hosted by Michigan Corn in Dearborn. The purpose of this meeting was to focus on positioning Michigan as a leader in sustainable fuel production, including through the production of advanced biofuels like Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). MABA was glad to help sponsor this first-of-its-kind event because advanced biofuels hold substantial economic promise for Michigan agriculture. Your support of MABA equips our association to play a role in new opportunities such as this one. Registration for 2027 Trade Show Opens We are receiving strong participation for the 2027 Trade Show at the upcoming Winter Conference. Registration for exhibitors is open now and we encourage you to consider being part of this special event! The Trade Show brings energy and excitement to the Winter Conference by serving as the central location for conference meals and reception events. Notably, we have seen strong attendance from state legislators and their staff in recent years as MABA deliberately focuses on bringing these decision-makers to tour the show. Your participation in the Trade Show is a unique way to help communicate the strength of the industry. This is especially important next January as we will welcome a new legislature to Lansing. Go here to secure your spot at the Trade Show! Upcoming Event Reminders Be sure to mark your calendar for upcoming association events! Ag Club Breakfast events are upcoming on October 6, November 4 and December 3. Information, along with dates for 2027 and 2028 Ag Club Breakfast events, is posted at: www.miagbiz.org/events. If you are interested in hosting a breakfast, contact the association. We encourage members to save the date for Winter Conference activities, including the association’s virtual RUP seminars on December 15-16, 2026 and the Winter Conference & Trade Show in Lansing on January 12-13, 2027.
