June 3, 2021 — Governor Gretchen Whitmer this week announced a new move to help bridge the digital divide by establishing the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (MIHI) to make high-speed internet more affordable and accessible.
Governor Whitmer announced the new office at the Dick & Sandy Dauch Club, part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan. MABA President Chuck Lippstreu joined the event to highlight the importance of high-speed internet for Michigan’s rural communities.
“Bridging the digital divide is a critical need for our state’s rural communities, Main Street businesses and agriculture sector, and we appreciate Governor Whitmer’s commitment to ensure state government is unified in its approach to tackling this challenge,” said Lippstreu. “We look forward to working with the new Office of High-Speed Internet to share agriculture’s unique perspective and do our part to connect Michigan.”
The full announcement on this topic is here.
May 24, 2021 —The Michigan Occupational Health and Safety Administration (MIOSHA) has issued updated rules for employers. The new rules are here. Key points:
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Heavy rainfall events are a prime contributor to agricultural nutrient losses, with water transporting nutrients to surface water bodies. Recently applied mineral fertilizers on the soil surface are at particular risk for transport as moving water can carry fertilizer particles, as well as quickly convert nutrients into dissolved forms. Commercial fertilizers are designed to be highly water soluble for optimal agronomic performance, but that also means they can easily dissolve into water and carried from fields.
April 29, 2021 — U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich), Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and Senator John Thune (R-S.D.), a longtime member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure that farmers can plant beneficial cover crops without facing crop insurance penalties when bad weather prevents them from planting their crops for the season.
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