[{"_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",6101591,"mediaKeyId","2807593-a59c98c96b46716df2fcf4671adfed9e","parentId",2807593,"title","Michigan Corn Growers outline scale, markets and calls for renewable-fuel support","audioSeconds",728,"startMs",380000,"endMs",1108000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2807593-a59c98c96b46716df2fcf4671adfed9e&start=380&end=1108","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2807593-a59c98c96b46716df2fcf4671adfed9e/thumbnail_380000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6101591/Michigan/Michigan-Corn-Growers-outline-scale-markets-and-calls-for-renewable-fuel-support","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6101591-3152ab16fdf04f51b984bd34d0692625/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445300&Signature=ol~r7wKMRBFLjwgP4yexRF~~AtEQckj3LwhIsNi0zkTZx~-edw-TgqLToX2EsbvxpIhOv1WJmnFaGRuSeojq6Inkza6BKyPTwIvt0~NVx7NjvbPE08EXd5y5~ZKDiTRHHzCExqGTvwORTgWq6of~SlocylMZQbftFVktUAQsJJvSUKv07MWut9SbtUz8OjdQADqllqA5lL9SWXnMENSD3g36Dp2Cr4BFn6cx0t6J-yZPV3inVPnVO4~w2cOSME5dIX7KUyAzi0klzMdLqXqOMjiCkNXkT9L9mC1Znto0IQd0NVZacw5tWonJwIOpehgqnLtk7B745ok2TEkolJQpdQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Agriculture ","date","2025-03-20T00:00:00Z","article","Scott Pigott, executive director of the Michigan Corn Growers Association, told the Agriculture Committee that Michigan farmers plant roughly 2,000,000 acres of corn and that a large share of the state’s crop is used for ethanol and livestock feed.

Pigott said “around 36%” of Michigan corn goes to ethanol plants and described how much of the remaining production returns to farms as dried distillers grains used for feed. He outlined statewide production figures, typical yields and the distinction between field corn and sweet corn, and he emphasized the thin margins farmers face as input costs and commodity prices change.

The presentation offered legislators a primer on the state’s corn economy and on routes state policy could support the industry. Pigott said advances in seed genetics, precision application of nutrients and large seed-production facilities based in St. Joseph County have driven yield gains. He described existing markets — ethanol, livestock feed and exports — and highlighted emerging market opportunities, such as biodegradable bioplastics and sustainable aviation fuel.

Pigott also asked lawmakers to consider policy steps that would expand demand for corn, including support for higher ethanol blends in fuel (for example E15 rather than E10), voluntary environmental-assurance programs for farmers, investment in research (including the Agricultural Climate Resiliency Program, formerly SEEDS) and policies to help open new markets for corn-based products. He said a Senate bill on sustainable aviation fuel passed the Senate last year but “didn’t come to this house,” and asked for House support to advance renewable aviation fuels.

Committee members asked technical questions about crop nutrition and nitrogen availability; Pigott explained basic plant-nutrient concepts and that biological processes and atmospheric nitrogen fixation through lightning can affect plant-available nitrogen in soils. He responded, for example, that “nitrogen is hugely important to corn production” and clarified differences between corn varieties and their uses.

Pigott described farm-scale facts to give legislators a sense of the industry’s footprint: he said there are about 11,000 farmers producing corn in Michigan and that the crop accounts for a substantial share of the state’s farmed acres. He offered to provide additional, district-level data and follow up with committee members who wanted more precise figures about local ethanol-plant purchases.

The committee did not take formal action on Pigott’s remarks; his presentation was offered as informational and Pigott closed by offering to follow up with legislators who requested further data or site visits.

Pigott concluded, “If there’s any service that we can provide to help you understand the corn industry in our state, I’d like to help it any way I can.”

The committee then moved on to the next agenda item.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Agriculture Thursday, March 20, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Scott Pigott, executive director of the Michigan Corn Growers Association, told the Agriculture Committee that Michigan farmers plant roughly 2,000,000 acres of corn and that about 36% of the crop goes to ethanol production.","taxTitle","Agriculture, House of Representative, Committees\t\t\t\t\t, Legislative, Michigan","taxId",27108,"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},6101588,"House committee hears bills to modernize Michigan ‘cottage food’ law, raise sales cap and allow online sales",2539,1448000,3987000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2807593-a59c98c96b46716df2fcf4671adfed9e&start=1448&end=3987","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2807593-a59c98c96b46716df2fcf4671adfed9e/thumbnail_1448000.jpg","/articles/6101588/Michigan/House-committee-hears-bills-to-modernize-Michigan-cottage-food-law-raise-sales-cap-and-allow-online-sales","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6101588-0705865c101959a4695fc860bc884b43/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445300&Signature=gDXAzpfhXg1NeSFrlB1L1jTQsr3Fgns21E8fezuBA3kkNTB-SZ2WHubhLY5DQdRasGsoNCbyS7QE5xS-5RKxM4DIPJACdp8hrcrPZ-sq9gwzRGvPtKCwUZu8-AoK2i83w5BDG8ONHxMy7JAhjFWKjs43L7I76fGFHIrHowCIoNNvjiJYyrNx9TT9G3Xp0mu-mwKKu2E97e~p8SUiV5K4fTbP4A3vuSd6H0eW4ZXtCsB8fhsuMxyKAA-lHbATNrzPDw1TuzIv-lEQrArSLDGa5lhaCOUMKISPl1F4EeAPPj8A0b1Z53TGervpfzykECNnYn3r1WNd1Ca45na8QiQL~w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Jason Alexander, sponsor of House Bill 4,122, told the Agriculture Committee that the bill would modernize Michigan’s cottage food law by increasing the gross-sales cap, allowing online and mail-order sales, and offering an optional registration through the MSU Product Center to protect producer privacy.

“Michigan's cottage food law has provided an important pathway for small scale food processors to start and grow their business,” Alexander said in remarks to the committee. He described the principal changes in HB 4,122: raising the gross annual-sales cap from $25,000 to $50,000 (and to $75,000 where individual products sell for $250 or more), tying future adjustments of the cap to the Detroit Consumer Price Index, permitting online, mail-order and third-party delivery sales while preserving a required direct interaction between consumer and producer prior to purchase, and creating a voluntary registration system through the MSU Product Center so producers need not list a home address on product labels.

Alexander told members that, since the cottage food law was enacted in 2010, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) has reported “no cases of foodborne illness linked to these products.” He framed the bill as an update that would reflect modern retail channels and expand low-barrier pathways for entrepreneurs to test food businesses before moving to licensed commercial production.

Testimony came from a broad set of stakeholders. Rebecca Park of the Michigan Farm Bureau and Kevin Hershberger, a Cass County farmer who sells beef and homemade jams through a farm store, described how cottage-food provisions can help farm diversification. Park said the organization supports HB 4,122 and HB 4,245 and noted the bill’s communication with producers and the role of the Product Center. Hershberger described his family’s market and the way home-produced items draw customers for other farm products.

Molly Woods of the MSU Product Center described the center’s existing support for value-added food producers across Michigan and said the Product Center runs free educational webinars, helps with labeling and licensing transitions, and would operate the proposed voluntary registration to protect privacy and provide traceability in the unlikely event of a food-safety concern.

Amanda, representing the Michigan Farmers Market Association (MIFMA), said the $50,000 cap “matches the minimum sales volume that a small business is commonly required to meet in order to qualify for a small business loan” and that the cap is designed to incent businesses to move into licensed commercial categories once they grow beyond the threshold. She urged the committee to pass HB 4,122 so the change could take effect for the 2025 farmers-market season.

Advocacy organization Rising Voices emphasized the bill’s potential benefit for immigrant and women entrepreneurs who often start home-based food businesses; Brenda Magdessi of Rising Voices said the changes would expand economic opportunity and privacy protections for those producers.

Committee members asked technical and policy questions. Topics included whether the bill would permit drop-shipping (Alexander and witnesses clarified third-party delivery means a delivery service such as DoorDash or UPS that transports the item from producer to customer, not a third party taking over production), whether sales tax applies (witnesses noted many cottage-food items are non-taxable food items and that tax regimes vary by product type), whether the $50,000 figure reflected inflation adjustments (sponsor cited CPI indexing and that $50,000 was a compromise number used after multiple legislative attempts), and whether registration should be mandatory. Witnesses described the registration as voluntary and said the proposed system could include a small fee (the bill language allows up to a $50 registration fee) to support Product Center services.

Members also pressed on safety and oversight. Alexander and witnesses repeatedly said MDARD has not recorded foodborne illness tied to cottage foods since the law’s enactment. Several members expressed support but asked for further conversation about raising the cap higher (representatives suggested figures such as $70,000 or $75,000) and about tax and licensing implications for producers who cross the threshold into licensed commercial operations.

No committee vote on the bill occurred during this meeting. Committee staff read in a number of written comments in support (MDARD submitted a supporting card and the committee received over 20 emails in support). The committee concluded by excusing absent members and adjourning.

Representative Alexander said he and proponents will continue to work with the department and stakeholders on potential amendments; committee members asked staff and the Product Center to provide additional data about the number and scale of cottage-food operations if a voluntary registration is implemented.

The proposals under HB 4,122 and HB 4,245 remain under committee consideration pending any amendments and a future vote.","House Bill 4,122 would raise Michigan’s cottage food gross-sales cap from $25,000 to $50,000 (and to $75,000 for items priced at $250 or more), allow online and mail-order sales and create an optional registration through the MSU Product Center, sponsor Representative Jason Alexander told the Agriculture Committee.","actionData","errors"]

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Michigan Corn Growers outline scale, markets and calls for renewable-fuel support

House committee hears bills to modernize Michigan ‘cottage food’ law, raise sales cap and allow online sales