This month, we hit the road to Michigan’s Thumb to meet with MABA members and partners in Pigeon. We welcomed a new team member for the summer, and worked together to advance agricultural education! Here are some highlights from your association during the past month. In a letter to the Michigan State University (MSU) Board of Trustees, MABA called on the Board to address the lack of agricultural representation on its MSU Presidential Search Committee announced this month. “We are deeply concerned that today’s announcement of the MSU Presidential Search Committee includes no voices directly representing agricultural production,” MABA President Chuck Lippstreu wrote to the Board. “The selection of a new president to lead MSU is a decision with profound implications for the future of Michigan’s agriculture sector, one of the top economic engines and job creators in our state. It is critical that Michigan agriculture be included among the voices helping to select the next leader of the university.” MABA was in Pigeon on May 19th, for a Thumb Ag Club Breakfast hosted by Cooperative Elevator Co. Special thanks to the entire Cooperative Elevator team for making breakfast possible, and CEO Scott Gordon for providing an industry update. It was also great to see lots of work getting done across the Thumb! View more photos here. During the month of May, Kara Boring represented MABA at search meetings for Michigan State University’s Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics Chair. The department provided an opportunity for industry leaders to meet with candidates for the position and ask questions. The AFRE Chair is an important position for Michigan agriculture and our member businesses, and we were glad Kara was able to participate and provide input on MABA’s behalf. MABA’s Summer Intern Tilly Graham, has been hard at work this summer! Tilly recently finished her sophomore year at Michigan State University, where she is studying Agribusiness Management. Tilly serves as Secretary for MSU Block & Bridle and is co-chair of the 2023 MSU B&B Beef Expo Show. Tilly is also President of the Evergreen 4-H Club in Isabella County. She previously interned at Wilbur-Ellis Co. as a crop scout. She was raised on an organic beef and cash crop farm in Rosebush and was a recipient of a scholarship from the MABA Educational Trust in 2022! You can reach Tilly at tilly@miagbiz.org. MABA intern Tilly Graham and MABA staff member Grace Smith toured the POET Biorefining facility in Caro with Keith Baur on May 19th. We joined partner organizations in cohosting a lunch with lawmakers, legislative and executive office leaders. MABA joined GreenStone Farm Credit Services, the Michigan Pork Producers Association and the Michigan Milk Producers Association for lunch, which was followed by an informative meeting about the agricultural industry with an assortment of leaders from around Lansing. MABA president Chuck Lippstreu provides an overview of MABA at lunch. Pictured at left is Michigan Senate Majority Floor Leader Sam Singh. MABA joined the Tuscola County EDC and Tuscola Tech Center students taking part in the Ag Advantage leadership training program, who were in Lansing meeting with legislators and agricultural organizations on May 23rd. We discussed a wide range of issues with these emerging leaders! Senator Kevin Daley and his staff are pictured meeting with the students to discuss emerging issues in agriculture. Links ICYMI: Registration for the 2023 Outlook Conference is open! Go here to learn more and secure your place at this year’s conference, being held September 14-16, 2023, at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. View the May Stewardship Newsletter: Container recycling is a simple, easy and important way to protect the environment. Michigan Ag Groups Want a Voice In MSU Leadership Search (Brownfield)
