With extreme heat forecast across Michigan and the region during the week of June 17, we remind all those working in Michigan agriculture, and throughout the Great Lakes states to be aware of the forecast change in conditions, heat safety and heat first aid steps.
This is an especially important message for anyone new to working outside. Heat illnesses are prevalent in those who are just starting out at their job, who may not be well-acclimatized to hot conditions.
Background: Extreme Heat Forecast
The National Weather Service has put Michigan in the center of an extreme heat advisory for next week. The image below (created June 14) shows Michigan, Northern Indiana and other parts of the upper Great Lakes in the NWS’ highest heat advisory category mid-next week. Many areas will experience mid to upper-90’s conditions.
This highest NWS advisory category represents a “level of rare and/or long-duration extreme heat with little to no overnight relief affects anyone without effective cooling and/or adequate hydration.”
Action Steps
Anyone working outside should keep this in mind and prepare in advance with:
Anyone showing the signs of heat exhaustion or stress needs to stop working, move somewhere cool and sip water. Learn more about these conditions and first aid response at: https://www.weather.gov/safety/heat-illness.
The following map is from NWS HeatRisk. The map was generated Friday, June 14 showing forecast conditions Wednesday, June 19.
As MABA members and Michigan farmers were hard at work with planting this past month, our Association was focused on our core goals of information sharing, advocacy and convening the industry. We had an opportunity to travel the state for meetings with members, partners and elected officials, and announced yet another big step forward on the member services front!
Here are some highlights from May 2024:
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza remained a key focus of the full scope of industry in May. Information and resources from MABA, and links to state and federal guidance, can be found at www.miagbiz.org/HPAI.
MABA joins GreenStone Farm Credit Services-led meetings in DetroitWe were pleased to join GreenStone Farm Credit Services leaders and state legislators for a Detroit agriculture tour in early May. MABA was represented by Chuck Lippstreu and our 2024 summer intern, Karli Kreger. The tour started at Hantz Farms, where attendees also heard from leaders of Planted Detroit and continued on to Eastern Market. We always welcome opportunities to work with our members and partners in the Detroit area and thank GreenStone for organizing the morning. Thanks to the bipartisan group of legislators who joined: Senator Kevin Daley, State Representative Joseph Aragona, State Representative Emily Dievendorf, State Representative Jennifer Conlin, State Representative Veronica Paiz, State Representative Carrie Rheingans and State Representative Stephanie A. Young.
County Road Association hosts May Lansing Ag Club BreakfastThanks to the County Road Association of Michigan for hosting this month’s Lansing Ag Club Breakfast! We appreciated the opportunity to hear from CRA’s Ed Noyola on May 15 and we value the long-running collaborative relationship between our two organizations. CRA has kindly offered to host the MABA Board of Directors at its Lansing headquarters for the June Board meeting.
Registration opens for 2024 Outlook ConferenceRegistration opened in May for the 2024 Outlook Conference, planned for September 6-8, 2024 on Mackinac Island! We encourage you to register by August 2, 2024 to secure early registration discounts. And, be sure to book your room at the Grand Hotel as soon as possible to ensure room block availability! Go here to learn more.
Chuck Lippstreu travels to Indianapolis, meets with MABA members and partnersIn early May, Chuck from the MABA team visited Indianapolis, and had an opportunity to visit the HQ offices for two MABA members, Keystone Cooperative and Corteva Agriscience. We appreciate Shawn Lambert at Keystone, a longtime MABA Board member, and Corteva’s Elisha Kemp, who continues to be a go-to expert on government affairs issues impacting the Michigan industry, for helping organize tours and meetings!
Kara Boring attends MI Healthy Climate ConferenceMABA Member Services Director Kara Boring represented MABA as an attendee of the 2024 MI Healthy Climate Conference; when it launched last year this was the State of Michigan’s first statewide climate conference. This conference aims to bring together stakeholders from across the state and nation to help implement key actions in the MI Healthy Climate Plan. Plans are underway for the 2025 conference and you can learn more here.
MABA improves access to the AgFactsOn May 8, we announced a first-ever text messaging service that sends you a link to each AgFacts when it is released. Only the AgFacts is sent using this service (ie. we don’t spam you). Go here to sign up.
2024 Intern Karli Kreger joins MABAIn early May we welcomed Karli Kreger, our summer 2024 intern to the MABA team. Karli is currently a junior at Michigan State University, where she is pursuing a degree in Agri-Business Management. She is a member of the MSU CANR Student Senate where she serves as Vice President of Communications, and is a member of the MSU Agronomy Club. Karli has previously interned with Nutrien Ag Solutions, and was raised on her family’s cash crop farm in Snover, Michigan where they grow wheat, soybeans, corn, and sugarbeets. We are glad to have Karli here on the team this summer!
Media Outreach
Agribusinesses encouraged to review Michigan’s Pesticide Container Recycling Program (News Release)
Michigan asparagus leaders call for reform of H-2A wage calculation (The Packer)
MABA thanks Michigan delegation members calling for wage rate freeze (News Release)
In 2023, the Michigan Pesticide Container Recycling Program collected approximately 174,480 pounds of empty, properly-cleaned containers from more than 60 participating businesses
How You Can Participate in the Pesticide Container Recycling Program:
The program accepts all pesticide containers up to 55-gallon (plastic) drums under the regular program. Three simple steps must be completed before recycling containers:
1. Remove any metal or other loose pieces on larger containers as well as any caps and loose labeling from any container.
2. Triple-rinse or pressure rinse empty containers immediately after use. The rinse water can be used in an appropriate diluted tank mix.
3. Store rinsed containers in a dry area away from wells and water supplies until a pick-up can be arranged or take them to a recycling location as soon as possible.
The vendor prefers that clean containers are tied together in large bundles using rope or twine.
Large plastic bags to hold jugs are no longer being distributed due to the significant waste stream the bags themselves generate.
Participating business/collection sites can request a pickup of stored, clean containers by contacting:
G. Phillips and Sons, at 248-961-3360, or by email at sbruinsma@gphillipsandsons.com; or 563-942-0391 and pickup@gpsagrecycle.com. It is best to contact G. Phillips & Sons in the spring so they can include you on their contact list. This facilitates planning by allowing them to anticipate working your business into their scheduled pick-up routes.
For more information, visit:
www.michigan.gov/pesticidecontainerrecycling.
Skyrocketing labor costs threaten the future of Michigan’s fruit and vegetable sector
LANSING, Mich. (May 22, 2024) – Michigan Agri-Business Association President Chuck Lippstreu today thanked members of the Michigan Congressional delegation who voiced bipartisan support for freezing the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) at 2023 levels through 2025. The Members of Congress were among 120 total U.S. Representatives – Democrats and Republicans – calling for this sorely-needed action in a joint letter. The letter is available here.
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