These photos capture moments from across 2025 and offer a snapshot of MABA’s work on behalf of Michigan agriculture. From advocacy and education, to events and time spent with all of you across the state, these are just a few of our snapshots reflecting a year of shared effort, challenge and progress. Thank you to all MABA members and partners for your support!
January 6, 2025 | Lansing, MIMichigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz provides keynote remarks to the 2025 MABA Winter Conference and Trade Show. This flagship conference brought together hundreds of MABA member company employees and partners, and is once again returning to the Lansing Center on January 13-14, 2026.
February 4, 2025 | Washington, DCMembers of the 2024-25 Michigan Agribusiness Leadership Program group visited U.S. House offices during their February visit to Washington, DC, where they learned about MABA’s federal engagement efforts and our federal affairs partnerships. Pictured are Matthew Naeyaert (GreenStone Farm Credit Services), Nate Greeley (ZFS Ithaca) and Rex Thayer (Nutrien Ag Solutions).
April 16, 2025 | Lansing, MIGreenStone Farm Credit Services CEO Travis Jones provides remarks to Lansing Ag Club Breakfast attendees. We appreciate all those who hosted and attended this year’s Ag Club Breakfast events, a great opportunity to bring industry leaders together every few weeks!
April 29, 2025 | Kingston, MIGrain Grading Seminar attendees evaluate corn at a session co-led by North Dakota Grain Inspection (NDGI) and MABA. 2025 marked the first year of substantially expanded grain grading seminars in Michigan.
June 20, 2025 | Mt. Pleasant, MIGolfers get ready to head out at the 2025 Scholarship Golf Outing at the PohlCat Golf Course in Mt. Pleasant, MI. The Educational Trust once again provided more than 40 scholarships to young people in our industry, thanks to the support of MABA members and all of the volunteers that made Educational Trust events possible!
July 23, 2025 | Middleton, MIAttendees visit before breakfast at a special event cohosted by Michigan Agricultural Commodities, Inc. (MAC) and the Genessee & Wyoming Railroad (GWRR). The Ag Club Breakfast in Middleton welcomed area agribusiness leaders, along with state and federal policymakers.
August 11, 2025 | Washington, DCU.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins speaks to attendees at the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) crop report briefing on August 11. Several MABA member company representatives attended the briefing and appreciated the opportunity to hear from the Secretary, and NASS leaders.
August 12, 2025 | St. Johns, MIMABA members, partners and ag leaders spanning the industry join together for breakfast at the 2025 AgroExpo held in St. Johns. The AgroExpo has been an outstanding partner in cohosting a breakfast for several years, alongside breakfast cohosts Consumers Energy, Agroliquid and Clinton County Catalyst.
October 14, 2025 | Standish, MIChris Weiler with The Andersons, Inc. briefs lawmakers from the Michigan House of Representatives on the importance of freight rail. The Andersons and Lake State Railway partnered on the event to showcase the critical, interconnected relationships between Michigan agriculture and the freight rail industry.
October 30, 2025 | Lansing, MICooperative Elevator Co. CEO Scott Gordon testifies to the Michigan House Agriculture Committee, providing information about the cooperative and the agribusiness sector. Scott was joined by MABA President Chuck Lippstreu who outlined topics of interest for the association.
November 5, 2025 | Lansing, MIMembers of the 2025-26 Agribusiness Leadership Program group at the group’s second session, held in Lansing.
December 15, 2025 | Middleton, MIWe recently capped off a year of tours and legislative engagement with a tour led by GAPS FS and Growmark, who welcomed House Agriculture Committee Chairman Jerry Neyer and Senate Majority Floor Leader Sam Singh to a retail location.
MABA will host at least one Summer 2026 Intern to assist our team with a range of membership support, advocacy and communication activities.
This is a unique internship opportunity tailored for emerging leaders interested in agriculture and related industries, Michigan government, and state/federal agricultural policy.
Applications are due by January 15, 2026.
You can view more information about this internship opportunity, and application instructions, here!
On October 7, MABA President Chuck Lippstreu joined MDARD Director Tim Boring, Michigan Agricultural Commodities (MAC) VP Robert Geers and leaders of Farmers for Free Trade for a media briefing at MAC Breckenridge on trade and exports.
You can read more about this event in the press:
DTN: Ag Groups Press for Aid While Some Raise Concerns About Long-Term Tariff DamageBrownfield: Michigan ag leaders say lost exports could damage entire farm economy9&10 Michigan: Agriculture officials warn against protracted trade war
Following are selected quotes from Lippstreu’s remarks at the event. You can learn more about FFT’s Motorcade for Trade by visiting this link.
On overall trade from Michigan:
“I want to be clear, our state is an export success story. Michigan is proud to grow crops that are enjoyed by people on six continents. And just this past year, and multiple times over recent years, our state has reached record export value. We’re really proud of that in the state of Michigan. We need to keep that going. We’re glad to be here with Farmers for Free Trade today because we want to be sure that we’re not shy telling the story that exports underpin so much of our rural economic success in the state of Michigan.”
On the importance of trading relationships for the rural economy:
“Agriculture is our state’s second largest economic engine when you look at the full scope of food and agricultural production. Around a quarter of jobs in our state are somehow tied back to the food value chain, second only to the manufacturing industry. We can’t lose that, especially in places like Breckenridge, where rural businesses like MAC are cornerstones of the local economy.”
“The grain industry alone in the state of Michigan supports around 15,000 jobs, according to a recent economic analysis released by NGFA, and pumps billions of dollars, $4.8 billion annually, into our state’s economy. That’s not nothing; it’s very important. It supports farmer livelihoods and rural economic success. We want to continue to see Michigan achieve record export volume and value.”
On maintaining and expanding export markets for Michigan:
“We have got to continue to prioritize major existing export destinations for Michigan-grown products. That means ensuring that we have export opportunities into one of our largest trade partners, China. It means maintaining the North American partnerships that are so important for us here in Michigan, including our largest trading partner, Canada, and our second largest export destination, Mexico.
“We have an opportunity as an industry, I think, to make sure we’re telling that story, how critical exports are, especially in these large existing markets, and to support policymakers in their efforts to make sure we have fair, open trade and opportunities to market products throughout the world.”
“Especially for us here in Michigan, where we are a hub for North American trade and travel and commerce, that relationship with Canada in particular stands out. The relationship with Mexico stands out, and certainly our soybean growers are concerned about the situation with China. Making sure that we maintain and expand those existing export destinations would go a long way to providing some ability for all of us to sleep better at night. The administration is also, as we know, taking new steps to prioritize new market development, and we applaud that. We think that’s a good thing.”
On the State of Michigan budget as it relates to trade
“Here in Michigan last week, lawmakers came together on a strong bipartisan basis, worked through some difficult issues, and ultimately passed a bipartisan budget agreement that funds the roads, that funds departments of government in common-sense ways, and funds at full year-over-year levels the functions at MDARD that we rely on to facilitate exports.
That was possible because Speaker Hall and Leader Brinks and the Governor and her team were able to come together and work through some difficult issues and get a budget agreement in place. We were glad to see that. It’s good for Michigan agriculture. It’s good for exports because, again, we rely on our state government as well as the federal government on [export facilitation].”
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LANSING, MI – The Michigan Agri-Business Association (MABA), in comments submitted today to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), voiced its support for proposed rules to expand Beyond Visual Line of Sight operations for Unmanned Aircraft Systems, while urging the agency to streamline paperwork and reduce regulatory barriers that hinder agricultural use.
“Agriculture is one of the fastest-growing sectors for drone use, but outdated processes make it harder for rural businesses to keep pace with innovation,” said Chuck Lippstreu, president of MABA. “We thank the Administration for its forward-looking efforts to better integrate drones into the national airspace. We urge the FAA to take this opportunity to help American agriculture, ensuring final rules reflect the unique realities of agricultural work.”
In comments to the agency, MABA and its members highlighted how drones are transforming modern agriculture through aerial imaging, precision application and data collection. However, the association cautioned that outdated FAA processes, including lengthy aircraft registration and Notice to Airmen filing requirements, are slowing adoption and penalizing compliant operators.
MABA registered its overall support for the BVLOS rulemaking, and provided recommendations across several key areas:
“Michigan and U.S. agriculture will continue to be strong partners when it comes to safe, effective aviation practices,” said Lippstreu. “These comments reflect the input and concerns of a wide range of Michigan agriculture stakeholders working with drones every day. We are excited for what the future holds in this space, and welcome the opportunity to help FAA craft common-sense guidelines for drone operations.”
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