Governor Gretchen Whitmer has proclaimed March as Michigan Food and Agriculture Month to celebrate Michigan’s farmers, the diversity of products grown in the state, and the partnerships that keep the industry thriving.
Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Director Tim Boring tells us the state’s ag industry is the second largest industry in Michigan, generating $104 billion each year. However, he says as the state looks at agriculture policy, it has to think about the future while changes in weather pose a threat to crops.
“You go up and down the west lakeshore of Michigan and there’s a lot of concern about what the future of these crops looks like,” Boring said. “You get an international market having influence on these overarching challenges within labor and then you throw seasonal challenges like this. Yeah, I think a lot of growers are really concerned.”
Boring says growers are concerned about recent warm weather, and so is MDARD.
“We’re taking a special eye on this at the department. These are fundamental cropping systems for Michigan’s identity, and the value goes so far beyond just the farm gate. You look at the processing and the value chain that these production systems support, it’s something that we’re really concerned about here.”
Nevertheless, Boring says the state’s agriculture potential remains huge. He says dairy products and apples are the state’s biggest ag products. Production agriculture and food processing comprise a large portion of the state’s workforce, employing 805,000 people, or 17.2% of the state’s population.
Throughout Michigan Food and Agriculture Month, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will be highlighting aspects of Michigan’s food and agriculture sector.
