Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a $51.8 billion state budget this week that finalizes funding for many key agriculture programs and includes several wins for farmers.
Among other key provisions for agriculture, the budget restored proposed funding cuts to MDARD’s Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division, along with providing funding for key food safety, milk quality, and livestock disease programs, among others. A provision requiring state agencies to implement the E-Verify process when hiring contractors and subcontractors was also included, but it’s unclear how departments intend to implement this provision.
The budget also includes funding for important environmental programs, with the Michigan Agricultural Environmental Assistance Program (MAEAP) reauthorized through Oct. 1, 2029. That’s thanks to Sen. John Cherry’s behind-the-scenes work and Sen. Kevin Daley’s bill that kept fees from fertilizer sales and pesticide registrations at their current levels — avoiding increases of up to 36% that were proposed in a different, last-minute bill.
New boilerplate provisions aimed at reforming the permitting process within the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to provide more transparency, accountability and clearer guidance were also included in the budget. Those updates include a provision backed by Michigan Farm Bureau requiring EGLE to have stakeholder-developed permitting guidebooks and publish a report detailing the number of permits issued outside of their statutory timeline.
Ahead of the budget’s approval, Michigan Farm Bureau called on its members and supporters to contact state lawmakers and urge passage of a budget that protects critical agriculture programs and avoids putting farm families and consumers at risk.
MFB President Ben LaCross noted the strong response to that request, which included nearly 870 advocates sending more than 1,720 messages to state lawmakers. In addition to the messages, members of County Farm Bureau Public Policy Committees and the MFB Labor Advisory Committee made calls to lawmakers.
“The quick response from our members was incredible and speaks to their abilities to make their voices heard at a moment’s notice through Farm Bureau,” LaCross said.
“Key programs were protected through the strength of our voices, and that all starts with our member-driven, grassroots policy priorities that are reflected throughout the new budget.”
That budget also includes funding for:
- MSU Extension & AgBioResearch— 2% increase in base funding
- Michigan Alliance for Animal Agriculture — $1.5 million, with another $1.5 million possibly coming in the future, according to multiple sources.
- Agricultural Climate Resiliency — $1 million
- Animal Disease Prevention & Response — $11.2 million
- Conservation Districts — $3 million
- Double Up Food Bucks — $4 million
- Farm to Family — $3 million
- Qualified Forest Program — $7.8 million