Welcome to March, and Michigan Food and Agriculture Month! Your team at MABA has been hard at work early this year to advance the Association, and grow Michigan agriculture. Here are a few photos from our activities during the past several weeks, plus a communications update and what to expect from MABA coming up! Activities Report: January and February 2024 Board members and officers named: At the Association’s annual meeting in January, MABA members elected Edwin Benkert Jr. with Nutrien Ag Solutions and Adam Geers with Michigan Agricultural Commodities, Inc. to serve on the Board of Directors. In addition, 2024 officers were named, including Chairman Jon Rush with BASF; 1st Vice Chair John Tilt with Vita Plus Corporation; and 2nd Vice Chair Michelle Bergman with the Cooperative Elevator Co. Thank you to these leaders for stepping up to help lead MABA! MABA Leadership Group in Washington, DC: The Michigan Agri-Business Association’s Agribusiness Leadership Program group traveled to Washington, DC in early February for briefings with MABA partners and meetings with federal policymakers. Now in its 15th year, the Leadership Group program brings together emerging leaders from Michigan agriculture across four sessions in Michigan and Washington. The program allows participants to learn more about MABA’s work, go in-depth on the ag policy landscape, and hone their advocacy skills. Go here to learn more. Launch of the new, improved MABA website: In February MABA launched an updated, streamlined and improved website at www.miagbiz.org! The redesign of this site comes on the heels of the Fall 2023 launch of a revised online payment and invoice tracking system for MABA members. It’s part of a broader effort to continually improve, and ensure top-notch service for all of our association’s members and partners! Informational webinar for Michigan CCAs on the Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network: MABA, Michigan Wheat and MSU’s Dr. Dennis Pennington joined professional agronomists across Michigan in late January for a webinar about the Great Lakes Yield Enhancement Network. To learn more about the YEN, visit www.GreatLakesYEN.com. Contact MABA for a recording of informational webinar. Visits to 2024 grower meetings, MABA members and industry meetings: MABA is proud of our strong partnerships with Michigan’s farm and commodity organizations, and Michigan is home to excellent conferences and training events over the course of the winter meeting season. This winter we have made a point to visit as many of these meetings as schedules allow, including most recently the Great Lakes Crop Summit, Michigan Wheat Program Annual Meeting and Michigan Pork Symposium. One of the key takeaways from these winter meetings has been the strong participation of MABA members alongside Michigan farmers at many events. It’s a reminder of the close relationship between all those in agriculture. For meetings this winter where scheduling prevented a MABA staff member from attending, we will do our best to ensure we are there next year! In addition to farm and commodity organization-led meetings, MABA President Chuck Lippstreu spoke to MAC’s Outlook Conference and provided remarks at member company farmer meetings. We also hit the road in February and had opportunities to connect with leaders at several MABA member companies – from the Lake Michigan shore line to the tip of the Thumb! First Ag Club Breakfast of 2024: In February, MABA partnered with the Michigan Soybean Committee and Michigan Soybean Association to host our first Ag Club breakfast of 2024. The event brought together more than 100 partners, government leaders and MABA members in downtown Lansing. Go here to see the schedule for the remainder of the year! And of course, a highly successful 2024 Winter Conference and Trade Show! We thank the hundreds of MABA members and agriculture industry partners who participated in the 2024 Winter Conference, which included two packed days of programming looking ahead in our industry. We were also proud to host a sold-out Trade Show and encourage you to consider participation for the next Winter Conference on January 7-8, 2025! Members can also expect MABA to once again host virtual credit seminars in December 2024. Coming Up at MABA: On March 7, MABA hosts the 2024 Grain Grading Seminar in Lansing. Registration is closed, but please contact the MABA office for last-minute attendance! Coming up March 13, MABA and GreenStone Farm Credit Services host the March Lansing Ag Club Breakfast. We hope you can join us! And on Friday, March 15, MABA and USDA-NASS host a webinar briefing on the recent Census of Agriculture. SAVE THE DATE for the 2024 Scholarship Golf Outing, June 18 in Mt. Pleasant, MI. Signup will open soon! Visit www.miagbiz.org/events for more information on upcoming events! Recent Media Stories: Michigan Agri-Business Association celebrates 2023 wins (Brownfield) MMPA’s Michalek Receives TNC’s 2023 Conservation Excellence Agribusiness Award (News Release) A Cornucopia – Michigan’s Food and Agriculture Industry (MI Business Podcast)
