Early registration continues until August 1, 2026, and attendees are encouraged to book early for the lowest costs and best hotel room availability.
The Michigan Agri-Business Association today announced registration is open for the 2026 Outlook Conference. The conference, now in its 27th year, is set for September 11-13 at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan.
“The Outlook Conference has long been one of the premier gatherings for agricultural leaders across Michigan and the region, providing an important opportunity for senior leaders in our industry to focus on key drivers and trends in agriculture,” said Chuck Lippstreu, president of the Michigan Agri-Business Association. “We look forward to welcoming ag leaders to Mackinac Island for an in-depth discussion on current and future conditions shaping agriculture.”
Featured speakers for 2026 include:
Several additional state government, academic and industry leaders plan to join this year’s conference. Additional information on the program, registration and hotel reservation information can be found at maba.swoogo.com/2026outlookconference.
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As a service to our members who support and advance the Michigan Agri-Business Association, we provide monthly summaries of highlights from your association’s work. This is not an all-inclusive update. If you have specific questions, please contact Chuck or Kara from the MABA staff.
April was a busy and productive month for MABA, with our team active across Michigan and engaged on major policy developments at both the state and federal level. We wanted to provide a short update to MABA members and interested partners:
Michigan corn grower Matt Frostic and Michigan Agri-Business Association representative Chris Betz will serve on key CFTC committee
LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Agri-Business Association (MABA) and the Michigan Corn Growers Association (MCGA) today spotlighted two Michigan agricultural leaders named Friday to serve on the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) Agricultural Advisory Committee.
Chris Betz with Lansing-based Michigan Agricultural Commodities, and Michigan corn grower Matt Frostic, who serves as First Vice President of the National Corn Growers Association, were among the members named Friday to the committee.
Michigan’s agricultural industry was in the spotlight Monday as U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Congressman Tom Barrett visited the MSU Dairy Cattle Teaching and Research Center and held a roundtable with industry leaders. The Secretary and Congressman also announced new federal funding supporting Michigan’s specialty crop industry.
The Michigan Agri-Business Association truly appreciated Secretary Rollins for hosting an in-depth discussion with industry leaders on issues important to the sector. MABA President Chuck Lippstreu represented the association at this discussion, joining Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz, Michigan Farm Bureau President Ben LaCross, several Michigan farmers and others spanning Michigan’s agricultural community. MABA Board member John Tilt was in attendance on behalf of the association.
“Monday’s meeting was an important opportunity to elevate the unique aspects of our Michigan agricultural industry and provide Secretary Rollins actionable information to take back to Washington,” said Lippstreu. “The Secretary’s visit to Michigan State University was appreciated because it underscored the incredible partnerships between MSU and our state’s agricultural industry. The Secretary also took time to hear directly from farmers and rural business leaders, and we were glad to have the opportunity to elevate topics important to our MABA members. We thank Secretary Rollins for her time visiting Michigan and her interest in advancing Michigan agriculture.”
Lippstreu emphasized MABA’s strong support for the Michigan State University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the university’s world-class outreach and partnership efforts with the agricultural industry. MABA also recognized Michigan Farm Bureau and the organization’s president, Ben LaCross, for helping to organize and lead Monday’s meetings.
MABA members interested in learning more about our association’s federal policy priorities and topics raised with Secretary Rollins can contact Chuck Lippstreu at the MABA office at chuck@miagbiz.org.
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