Michigan agriculture director outlines department priorities, says bird-flu risk remains

Tim Boring, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), told the House Agriculture Committee that the department will press priorities on biosecurity, plant and soil diagnostics, and rural economic development while continuing to respond to highly pathogenic avian influenza risks.

Boring told lawmakers, “My name is Tim Boring. I'm the director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development,” and described MDARD’s work across food safety, animal health, environmental programs and consumer protection.

The department’s priorities, Boring said, include climate resiliency and regenerative agriculture aimed at increasing on-farm returns and weather resiliency; plant and soil diagnostics to limit invasive pests; and renewal of the Freshwater Protection Fund that supports conservation districts and pesticide/fertilizer assessments. He said MDARD draws a significant portion of its budget from federal funds and represents about 0.18% of the overall state budget.

Nut graf: The presentation framed MDARD’s work as both regulatory and service-oriented, with an emphasis on partnering with other state and federal agencies to protect Michigan’s diverse agricultural economy. Committee members pressed MDARD on the department’s response to avian influenza, farm-worker protections and local disputes over digesters and land-application practices.

On the avian-influenza response, Boring said Michigan has been among the first states to join USDA’s National Milk Testing Surveillance Program and that the state is roughly three years into the outbreak the department has tracked. “We were one of the first states to partner in that effort,” he said, noting several months without a detection in dairy cattle and limited recent commercial poultry impacts. Boring and Commissioner David Williams also warned that wild migratory birds continue to circulate the virus and that new strains detected elsewhere remain a concern for Michigan producers.

Boring gave several statistics during his remarks: “We have 5,200,000 gallons of craft beverage here in the state,” he said, and he noted that the recently released 2022 Agricultural Census shows roughly 200 commodities produced in Michigan and about a 20% reduction in the number of farms since 2017. He described a long-term trend toward larger average acreage per farm as production concentrates in corn, soybeans and wheat in some regions.

Committee members raised multiple implementation questions. Representative Reingans and Representative Wirtz pressed Boring on biosecurity and egg prices; Boring said MDARD has worked closely with the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Health and Human Services and other state partners to coordinate producer outreach, to assist producers with USDA assistance applications and to run public-health calls for local partners. On worker protections and PPE, he said MDARD is helping connect public-health agencies and producer groups and has taken unusual steps such as walking producers through applications for federal dairy assistance.

Members also asked about soil nutrients and local disputes over digesters. On soil testing, Boring declined to give nutrition advice but said the department can champion production practices that support local food and nutrition goals. On the Fremont digester matter, he said MDARD has been coordinating with the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and the Legislature to clarify statutes and interagency implementation where current law is not explicit.

Commissioner David Williams, who serves on MDARD’s five-member advisory commission, told the committee he farms in northwest Shiawassee County and described the commission’s role advising the department on grants and investments.

Ending: Boring told the committee MDARD will continue to prioritize diagnostic capacity, biosecurity supports for producers, and renewal of the Freshwater Protection Fund in the coming months and invited follow-up questions from members.