[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-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",[32,76,88],{"_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",6260499,"mediaKeyId","3130815-877cca0b4b4597db5c856a26d6169635","parentId",3130815,"title","Committee advances cottage‑food bills; amendment to limit higher gross‑sales exemption fails","audioSeconds",661,"startMs",2609000,"endMs",3270000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3130815-877cca0b4b4597db5c856a26d6169635&start=2609&end=3270","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3130815-877cca0b4b4597db5c856a26d6169635/thumbnail_2609000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6260499/Michigan/Committee-advances-cottagefood-bills-amendment-to-limit-higher-grosssales-exemption-fails","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6260499-7a42fa6105b2cd6cb44ccfe874aaab9a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771179547&Signature=Hx76zXkJUZ2nujZ30e00iRR1zQwtRkzLSLQEX7wqw5O4dVU6g1sFACTzKTPSSgIkI-jKlNRAUtW~OO4jtMqFDOHGwvW8hx-fZa46ZRz8moYkBiJ5SBlpiOrsDMqeD2P67XiXYBSbE8~yq7dzSeENGIhEuhpbNuHGRv6QfYVeAGIuvOBglZa4sAzbmyoeSY8rxR9rSRmjtUV7RMgz1zB7vRxfAiQxAs78zMI5t4GCduhwcsFXLuM0Tftqy~olaLgLIpCZ904iusERDqNlamvLD~ZAweMcYt5K~-McH2r62ce5hVsgFQ1KxBfsIrrjoS1Z8cIMGW6GgHqGw24JS2vdLw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Agriculture ","date","2025-04-17T00:00:00Z","article","The Michigan House Agriculture Committee on Oct. 12 considered multiple measures tied to the state’s cottage food law and reported two bills to the House floor after roll‑call votes.

Representative Koontz offered and the committee adopted a drafting amendment to House Bill 4,121 (clerical correction: changing the word “movie” to “meeting”), and the clerk recorded the motion as prevailing by roll call. The committee later corrected the bill number in discussion to House Bill 4,122.

Representative Skaggs introduced an amendment (Amendment 2) to House Bill 4,122 that, in her words, “removes the increased gross sales dollar limit for products costing more than $250 by increasing the gross sales dollar amount to $75,000,” arguing that higher‑risk prepared foods merit licensing and evaluation. The committee voted on Skaggs’ amendment and it failed on the roll call.

Representative Lightner subsequently moved that the committee pass House Bill 4,122. Clerk roll‑call responses in the transcript show Chair Nyar, Representative Wirtz, Leitner, Alexander, Fox, and others voting “yes,” with one pass recorded; the clerk reported the motion carried, 9 yeas, 0 nays, 1 pass. The committee reported House Bill 4,122 to the floor with recommendations.

On a related measure, Representative Alexander presented House Bill 4,245, which would align honey and maple syrup with the cottage‑food law. Alexander said the bill “brings in line honey and maple syrup with the cottage food law” and noted identical language had passed the Senate. The committee reported House Bill 4,245 with recommendations after a roll call that produced nine yeas and the number of passes recorded in the roll call; the clerk declared the motion prevailed.

Testimony in support was submitted for the record from department and industry representatives: Mikayla (MDARD) and Rebecca Parks (Michigan Farm Bureau) were listed on the committee’s speaker cards as supporting the bills and not wishing to speak. The committee did not adopt Skaggs’ proposed sales‑limit amendment, but advanced the two bills to the floor.

Votes at a glance

- Amendment by Representative Koontz to House Bill 4,121 (drafting correction): adopted (roll call recorded as 10 yays, 0 nays, 0 pass).
- Amendment by Representative Skaggs (Amendment 2) to House Bill 4,122 (alter gross sales threshold): failed (roll call recorded in transcript; motion did not prevail).
- Motion to report House Bill 4,122 to the floor (mover: Representative Lightner): carried 9 yeas, 0 nays, 1 pass; reported with recommendations.
- Motion to report House Bill 4,245 to the floor (mover: Representative Wartz/Alexander noted support): carried (clerk recorded nine yeas; motion prevailed) .

The committee did not specify new licensing details or dollar thresholds beyond the language contained in the bills and the failed amendment; where the transcript did not provide a complete numeric text for a bill or amendment, the article notes that detail as not specified in the committee record.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Agriculture Thursday, April 17, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Michigan House Agriculture Committee on Oct. 12 heard amendments and voted to report two cottage‑food bills to the House floor after roll calls; one proposed change to a sales threshold failed.","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},6260504,"Vegetable growers tell Michigan House panel rising H‑2A costs, water rules and land loss threaten farms",1270,265000,1535000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3130815-877cca0b4b4597db5c856a26d6169635&start=265&end=1535","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3130815-877cca0b4b4597db5c856a26d6169635/thumbnail_265000.jpg","/articles/6260504/Michigan/Vegetable-growers-tell-Michigan-House-panel-rising-H2A-costs-water-rules-and-land-loss-threaten-farms","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6260504-2a09ec4adabe5071680cae26280f3408/orig.mp4?Expires=1771179547&Signature=h-u-hocZNKJZH1Oa4hFdxzldbGRWL1-FQTHBCvGl6D4ADCeuCVWAvMN~1fz3eSwSB8A8po5iGJc-CEdJQ4~MHe5M8Ir7W3YDmJ11q2iWxey6IQtVKLyRtn~C0ovFZsZ8Bry9uHmvyc6KMEHvZLg8m7kuKE8lX3mSlenmt-WpfSnEDnhZaUolRatHh5JJB2ZesseCLChIK2aGYg2kXE9xzvH5rVJ2ArhMyHG~3wMLy0JOFkCX~~nwbvyccnr6Y2qRbEi-hWzRXrPNETTFU02nX6VK~Y5rPiSECms0aOO5bVKwg4Q-BrQkRNHTj7rXkSZ-TMR1qjckbeFWpOeEVJCeeA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Greg Bird, a presenter for the Michigan Vegetable Council, told the Michigan House Agriculture Committee that the state’s vegetable industry faces mounting costs and operational pressures and asked lawmakers to support research and climate resiliency funding.

The Michigan Vegetable Council represents vegetable growers and processors statewide and is seeking state support for research and resilience programs, Bird said. “Climate resiliency is currently two years old, asking for $2,000,000 recurring funds and $8,000,000 for [a] grant program in the 2026 state budget,” Bird said. He also described the council’s work with Michigan State University and federal crop‑block grants administered through MDARD.

The Council’s request comes amid testimony from two family farmers who described day‑to‑day threats to production. Kent Carnamot, managing partner at Carnamot Farms in Fremont, summarized the industry’s challenges with an acronym he said growers use: “Foreign competition, aquifer, regulation, and manpower.” Carnamot said his family operation currently manages about 2,000 acres and about 60 year‑round workers, and that foreign suppliers with lower labor and regulatory costs make it harder for Michigan farms to compete.

Adam Van Dyke of Van Dyke Farms in Amalie City said labor and food‑safety costs are central concerns. “The H‑2A program, our farm would not be who we are without it,” Van Dyke said, adding that using H‑2A workers has made his operation viable but also “has now tied our hands to a program that continues to go up,” increasing costs.

Van Dyke said his operation employs roughly 190 people during peak season, about 20 of them local hires; eight are family members. He described intensive food‑safety testing for leafy greens — monthly well tests, leaf‑sample lab tests for E. coli and Listeria, and ATP testing of harvest and packing equipment — and said a single contamination event or extreme weather year could threaten a farm’s viability.

Committee members questioned farmers about insurance and risk. Van Dyke said historically there was little crop insurance for lettuce and similar vegetables in Michigan, and that the farm had only recently secured whole‑farm insurance that provides some protection. Representative Alexander asked whether flooding or drain overflows could affect tests; Van Dyke said flooding that introduces outside water or animal contamination can make a field unsafe to harvest.

Speakers emphasized the state’s strengths and risks. Bird offered USDA‑sourced industry figures: more than 3,000 farms, about 152,000 acres in vegetable production, roughly $706 million in farm‑gate sales, 25 processors, and a $1.285 billion economic impact tied directly to vegetable production; a broader specialty‑crop supply chain figure of about $6.3 billion and roughly 41,700 jobs was cited. Bird also said Michigan lost roughly 13,000 vegetable acres from 2017 to 2022 and that some acreage has been converted to solar in 2025.

The Michigan Vegetable Council asked lawmakers to consider policy changes and funding that would help growers adapt, including research and grant funding administered through MSU and MDARD and a pause on recent H‑2A wage increases. The council also promoted the Great Lakes Expo in Grand Rapids and an industry farm tour scheduled for June 13.

Growing operations, research funding requests and workforce issues drew sustained committee interest; lawmakers asked follow‑up questions about soil types, insurance availability and connections to local food hubs.

The committee did not take formal action on the presentation itself during the meeting.","Growers told the Michigan House Agriculture Committee that rising H‑2A wages, competition from lower‑cost imports, pressure on muck soils and regulatory complexity are shrinking acreage and squeezing margins; the Michigan Vegetable Council asked lawmakers to back research and a climate‑resiliency grant program.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6260493,"Committee debates labeling choices for proposed lab‑grown meat disclosure law; substitute adopted",452,3298000,3750000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3130815-877cca0b4b4597db5c856a26d6169635&start=3298&end=3750","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3130815-877cca0b4b4597db5c856a26d6169635/thumbnail_3298000.jpg","/articles/6260493/Michigan/Committee-debates-labeling-choices-for-proposed-labgrown-meat-disclosure-law-substitute-adopted","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6260493-0f7cde8c20635efa004b03f2d2b86d9b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771179547&Signature=ZXpIqq66nyTMu1zDdGWaBEim5vy3CX7VWKxMcCkPdV1LwbKBQKFkiPr0qWBu9KYtJUWyLnKA~~83suRLkbCr4GFej7z7-TW8k9HvGPJ-tpIm7seN-MIePNJgS2g~7KL~UabhxzIA-ohgIGxW4vL-5mZOqNU-aoZdYBh7qUZHvaow-KVgsRtOTlJEjS-ey-5K3uoe4kyCindQbEjYRt50Tc0aJmATp8WdyyvBtFbDILnDwWJwTvHgMfKlts~fzjDQ7HIsIZ2TE5Ohi7d2IUuIt2wh-0ZqEw0RUPsFfsUcctwiVNxNC3NRo0M3m1KonuFFXG07CfVZ96WI-Ivw9fHgKA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Alexander presented a bill to the Michigan House Agriculture Committee that would require products derived from animal cells in laboratory processes to be labeled so consumers can distinguish them from conventionally raised meat.

“Consumers across the state deserve to know what they're buying,” Representative Alexander said, describing the proposal as a transparency measure. He compared the proposal to prior federal action on plant‑based milk labels and said the state should use clear language to avoid consumer confusion.

The committee adopted Substitute H‑1 for House Bill 4,076 by roll call. The clerk recorded the substitution vote as 10 yeas, 0 nays, 0 passes. Committee discussion then focused on how to phrase a required disclaimer, which terms to use (examples offered in the substitute included “lab grown,” “cell‑cultivated” and “cultured”), and whether federal standards from USDA or FDA might supersede state law.

Representative Reinegans asked what prompted the bill; Alexander said other states have adopted similar language and that matching commonly used state language would help create uniformity until a federal standard exists. Representative Skaggs asked whether USDA might establish a nationwide label and how this state bill would interact with that. Alexander said he was using language similar to other states with the expectation the committee could later align with federal standards when they appear.

Representative Devendorff asked about the range of label terms in the substitute and whether a single preferred term exists at the federal level; Alexander said there is no settled federal term and that the substitute cast a wider net to cover several currently used labels in the product development stage.

The committee also discussed a numeric example in the substitute that would allow certain products that contain less than 20% animal‑cell protein to be labeled in a particular way; members asked for clarification about the choice of 20 percent. Alexander said the 20 percent figure was a starting point used in some drafts to define early formulations of the product \"and that’s roughly what they used to start it with.\" The discussion did not change the committee’s recorded vote adopting the substitute.

No opponent testimony was recorded in the transcript; written support and opposition cards appeared in committee materials but the committee did not take additional votes on final passage during this session.","A bill requiring clear labeling of lab‑grown or cell‑cultured meat products drew discussion on terminology and federal preemption; the committee adopted a substitute and discussed coordinating with USDA/FDA standards.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee advances cottage‑food bills; amendment to limit higher gross‑sales exemption fails

Vegetable growers tell Michigan House panel rising H‑2A costs, water rules and land loss threaten farms

Committee debates labeling choices for proposed lab‑grown meat disclosure law; substitute adopted