[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6123552,"mediaKeyId","2689460-991a83775c887ab25b3e120742c3e3ac","parentId",2689460,"title","Michigan Farm Bureau tells appropriations subcommittee it will expand education and hunger‑relief efforts, explore venison donation","audioSeconds",512,"startMs",138440,"endMs",650515,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2689460-991a83775c887ab25b3e120742c3e3ac&start=138&end=650","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2689460-991a83775c887ab25b3e120742c3e3ac/thumbnail_138440.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6123552/Michigan/Michigan-Farm-Bureau-tells-appropriations-subcommittee-it-will-expand-education-and-hungerrelief-efforts-explore-venison-donation","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6123552-680140fd218db92e99ed15e5eca1a00a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770532257&Signature=LjZoThn2LUdJmdXKlwNUg-7vmdGc6urz8EwdiJDEf8xEMnmNsu1F1-YzlvvR1ntVeS1ttrOxTReKWkAwGSl3tuZd6dl5ajGkukkQ4L-RkFzMSfArygXgo1OvvbtxY1GEmoCK4C~5lPTQaLs-WtJITt7aYa3d9fmLJB2Ur1vVemzYqfuZfRQ4r2VsV2hvlXvpMvzKutDt~unettBfsThYPolM3t-e3Nq0VMFFChCOinlCO0ShVF9Ed4HLapyfUmfJvUm4a5BX433k9wpfvRb4HfWgzmWQqKK84Cp2Yq17Pb37Ay22SgqHKXT6MhmV3ONnWZqNzk9vm1zmqWvwVicdbQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Michigan Legislature","date","2025-03-19T00:00:00Z","article","Rebecca Park, legislative counsel for Michigan Farm Bureau, told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development and the Department of Natural Resources that the century‑old organization aims to expand education and hunger‑relief programs and engage on several policy items before the Legislature.

\"I am Rebecca Park with Michigan Farm Bureau,\" Park said, opening a brief overview of the group’s outreach and policy priorities. She said Farm Bureau represents more than 41,000 farm families and highlighted classroom education, county‑level policy development and partnerships with Michigan State University.

Park described a long‑running Farm Bureau effort called “farm science” that takes curriculum and demonstrations to kindergarten through fifth‑grade classrooms and fairs. She said the group ships about 400 “farm crates” monthly and that since 2017 the program has reached roughly 10,000 students and 400 educators. Park told the panel Farm Bureau provides educator outreach and aligns lessons with state science standards.

On hunger relief, Park said the organization started a social mission in 2022 to help end childhood hunger through volunteer service and fundraising. She described statewide volunteer days and “Teamwork Tuesdays” at the Farm Bureau home office; Farm Bureau logged more than 1,200 volunteer hours in 2024, she said. The group also uses a charitable trust to coordinate matching grants between insurance agents and county Farm Bureaus to support local school districts.

Park said Farm Bureau is forming a committee on venison donation that will include farmer members, insurance agents and staff. The committee’s goals, she said, are to take deer removed from roads or fields and route them into charitable food systems to reduce crop damage and supply protein to food banks. \"We're hoping that by taking deer off the road, out of the fields... we can have a really great win for all,\" Park said. She cautioned that the venison committee was newly formed and that details remain under development.

Park told committee members Farm Bureau will engage on a set of policy priorities in the coming year, including continued support for the Michigan Agricultural Environmental Assurance Program (MEAP), which she said should remain voluntary with confidentiality protections for participants. She also said Farm Bureau will participate in upcoming cottage‑food discussions and conversations about vocational education and the Michigan Merit Curriculum.

Committee members asked Park questions about MEAP, extreme weather and PFAS contamination. On MEAP she said Farm Bureau values the program’s voluntary nature and confidentiality and is willing to discuss funding levels. On extreme weather she said impacts vary by region and year and that climate‑resiliency research can help farmers preserve soil and productivity. On PFAS Park said she had no statewide contamination figures available from Farm Bureau and offered to follow up with members who track the research.

Park concluded by describing Farm Bureau’s grassroots policy process: county delegates propose resolutions that are reviewed by a state policy committee and then voted on by delegates at the annual meeting in Grand Rapids. She invited committee members to contact her office for copies of the Farm Bureau policy book.

At the start of the session Rep. Decena moved to approve the minutes from the committee’s March 12, 2025 meeting; the chair announced approval without objection.

The presentation and Q&A lasted about 40 minutes and concluded when the subcommittee moved to its next speaker.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture and Rural Development and Natural Resources - 3/19/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Rebecca Park, legislative counsel for Michigan Farm Bureau, told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development and the Department of Natural Resources that the century‑old organization aims to expand education and hunger‑relief programs and engage on several policy items before the Legislature.","taxTitle","2025 House Legislature MI, Michigan","taxId",77683,"location","Michigan","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6123547,"MSU outlines SEEDS climate‑resiliency grants, hires and PFAS research to House appropriations subcommittee",849,1086995,1936265,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2689460-991a83775c887ab25b3e120742c3e3ac&start=1086&end=1936","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2689460-991a83775c887ab25b3e120742c3e3ac/thumbnail_1086995.jpg","/articles/6123547/Michigan/MSU-outlines-SEEDS-climateresiliency-grants-hires-and-PFAS-research-to-House-appropriations-subcommittee","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6123547-b34f18a17d6dd4581acd70779b3a2d39/orig.mp4?Expires=1770532257&Signature=Wzy1Z6WeuoFrg2PuuHrc43GVuytGOHK2gtsDdtg81PQBW61SaUkJWPVDQbFWOE-H3sTHJShtF7wsHp3JVwxWhPNqdd9o8caD~~xb15RqPDJFkInrYSN18Bh4HgWHTFCcyD4dRPIkKMTA49Mj-QfvQs1y2~xd6nTi00-WMmfWQrIlfZWoZVKmmx10eAq9vwC97rNrcBu0jUF2MQOE-CzfGwlBwQURgmetqcnsFfP0mOQi6o3FxMhOBHokRCqNXRDM0il2NVko8~GLMTA93aUNd7jSUE09oUZQEThmlO55o~Pe8L0s1f6SaywZYJ1ReXXjcNH6wY9Wc00qcE0T76noDw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dr. George Smith, director of MSU AgBioResearch, told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development and the Department of Natural Resources that Michigan State University is directing state funds into climate‑resiliency research and outreach that aim to help commodity growers adapt to extreme weather and protect water resources.

\"We're not gonna brag about being second to California anymore. We're gonna brag about being first,\" Smith said, summarizing the state’s freshwater resources and the need to use water efficiently for agriculture.

Smith described the Agriculture Climate Resiliency Program (referred to as SEEDS), established in 2024, and said the FY24–FY25 appropriations provided recurring funding to support faculty and extension positions and nonrecurring funding for competitive research grants. He said the program directed $5 million in 2024 to four projects and received an additional $5.1 million nonrecurring funding in FY25 for grants. The initial recurring appropriation, he said, funded key faculty and extension positions to build multidisciplinary teams.

Smith summarized the funded projects. The FY24 awards included: precision irrigation and nutrient sensors for tree fruit; groundwater‑use and nutrient transport modeling to inform well access and water availability; regenerative‑agriculture demonstration projects tied to economic outcomes; and pest and disease tools for tree and small‑fruit producers. In FY25 he said four additional projects were funded, including sub‑field precision tools led by Dr. Bruno Basso, an AI‑based forecasting system for crop management, drainage‑tile nutrient loss monitoring, and additional regenerative‑agriculture trials.

Smith said MSU has hired named faculty and extension educators to bolster water‑quality, precision agronomy, life‑cycle assessment and geospatial climate modeling capacity. He cited hires and candidates including Dr. Geary and Dr. Alizadeh (biosystems and agricultural engineering) and Dr. Tollhorst (agricultural, food and resource economics).

On livestock and disease, Smith reviewed the Michigan Alliance for Animal Agriculture (MAAA), a state‑funded partnership established in 2014 that he said was funded at $3 million through the MDARD budget for research and outreach. He said MAAA enabled rapid response research during a high‑path avian influenza outbreak and supports feed‑and‑nutrition research that can yield savings for dairy producers; he cited work by Dr. Adam Locke that showed feeding high‑oleic soybeans can reduce feed costs by about $1 per cow per day on participating herds.

Smith also described MSU’s Center for PFAS Research, created in response to state‑level contamination concerns. He said faculty are studying PFAS transport, uptake by crops and livestock exposure pathways and are conducting a site‑specific study on a Livingston County farm where biosolids application preceded PFAS detections. Smith told members that many regulatory questions—such as acceptable exposure levels—are decisions for regulatory agencies and that research is needed to inform policy and potential remedies.

Committee members asked about additional funding sources, workforce and processing challenges, and how state support buffers uncertainty from changes in federal funding. Smith said MSU faculty leverage federal and industry funds and cited a Project Green program that has returned substantial economic value; he also warned that several international assistance programs had been terminated at the federal level, reducing some research streams.

Smith closed by saying state investment in AgBioResearch and MSU Extension is critical to sustain research and extension capacity and to translate applied research into farmer adoption. The subcommittee thanked Smith and proceeded to adjourn.","Dr. George Smith of Michigan State University described the Agriculture Climate Resiliency Program (SEEDS), recent competitive grants, faculty hires and the university’s PFAS research center to the House Appropriations Subcommittee; he also reviewed the Michigan Alliance for Animal Agriculture and impacts of federal funding changes.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Michigan Farm Bureau tells appropriations subcommittee it will expand education and hunger‑relief efforts, explore venison donation

MSU outlines SEEDS climate‑resiliency grants, hires and PFAS research to House appropriations subcommittee