July 30, 2021 – We were very excited to welcome our 2021-22 Leadership Group to Grand Rapids this week, where they kicked off the program with two full days of discussion on a wide range of issues facing Michigan agriculture.
This year’s Leadership Group has persevered through a unique challenge, having originally planned to be together more a year ago before the program was delayed due to COVID-19. We are glad to have this group back together and look forward to our upcoming sessions in Lansing, Washington and Detroit!
Leadership Group participants pictured are (L to R): Cody Harris, Star of the West Milling Company; Keith Leighton, Co-Alliance; Claire Zahm, Zeeland Farm Services, Inc. (ZFS); Dave Chamberlin, Vita Plus Corporation; Jason Sawatski, Nutrien; and Mackenzy Blair, Michigan Agricultural Commodities.
Thank you to our presenters! We’d also like to say “thank you” to leaders spanning our Michigan agriculture industry who joined our group for this special meeting, and lent their expertise to the discussion, listed here.
Every evening at the Grand Hotel is a special occasion. After 6:30pm, dresses, skirts, blouses, dress sweaters and dress slacks for ladies are preferred, while gentleman are required to wear a suit coat, necktie and dress pants, no denim or shorts. This applies for all areas inside the hotel with the exception of the Cupola Bar and the lower level when going to and from the elevator to enter and exit the hotel. Children 12 years and older are expected to be in dress similar to the adults.
Please visit the Grand Hotel web site for additional information: https://www.grandhotel.com/before-you-go/.
To purchase advance tickets online, use our group promotion code: MABA21. Otherwise, guests can reference Michigan Agri-Business Association or MABA at the ticket office upon arrival to make their purchase at the discounted rate of $21 roundtrip for adults and $12 roundtrip for children. All parking is arranged at the time of arrival.
For additional information, or if you have questions, contact the MABA office at maba@miagbiz.org. We look forward to seeing you on the Island!
July 14, 2021 — The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s (MDARD) Feed Safety and Fertilizer Section and the Michigan Agri-Business Association (MABA) recently led a training seminar on “Completion of the Michigan Feed Inspection and Tonnage Fee Report (ITFR) form” on July 14. We also had a very positive discussion with MDARD staff about potential future adjustments to feed tonnage reporting.
We appreciation the Department for partnering on this training opportunity, which is useful for anyone who fills out tonnage reports! Go here to view video of the tonnage report training.
July 8, 2021 — The following media release was issued by the Office of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. It includes comments from the Michigan Agri-Business Association.
Governor Whitmer Requests USDA Disaster Designation for Michigan Counties Impacted by Severe Weather
LANSING, Mich. — Governor Gretchen Whitmer sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack requesting a disaster designation for Michigan counties impacted by severe weather. The governor is also requesting the USDA make available any other possible assistance under the Federal Crop Insurance Program or other USDA programs to help Michigan’s hard-working farmers recover.
“Our hardworking Michigan farmers are once again facing challenges due to weather following some of the toughest years in recent memory,” said Governor Whitmer. “From freezing temperatures to flooding, many of our producers are finding themselves in the midst of yet another difficult growing season. A disaster designation for impacted counties would provide some much-needed support to Michigan farmers.”
“The 2021 growing season has been marked by a wide range of extreme weather events, creating substantial disruption across our state’s agriculture sector,” said Chuck Lippstreu, president of the Michigan Agri-Business Association. “We appreciate Governor Whitmer for prioritizing Michigan agriculture and requesting a Secretarial Disaster Designation from USDA. This is an important step toward unlocking emergency federal assistance for those affected by natural disaster.”
“Michigan faced an unusually warm spring, several weeks of overnight frost, drought and then excessive rain that has caused severe damage throughout the state to both the sweet and tart cherry crops. This is the first time in history that Michigan cherry growers have had back-to-back crop loss due to the abnormal weather patterns,” said Julie Gordon, president of the Cherry Marketing Institute. “This has been devastating to cherry growers and they are in dire need of assistance to be able to survive through these challenging times.”
This spring, Michigan experienced a significant period of freezing temperatures after many warm days, which negatively impacted several crops at a key time in their development. Damage assessments are still coming in, but early reports show varying degrees of damage to cherries, asparagus, and other fruit and vegetable crops.
In addition, parts of Michigan’s croplands have experienced both drought and flooding, in some cases within days of each other. The storms from late last month brought high winds and large amounts of rain in multiple areas of the state, causing damage to barns and agriculture infrastructure, as well as to standing crops.
To view the governor’s letter, click the link below:
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