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Boring says Whitmer’s SOS hits needs in rural communities  

The Director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development says he’s excited the governor elevated issues he frequently hears from farmers in this week’s State of the State address.

Tim Boring tells Brownfield, “Whether that’s issues around lowering costs or improving access to education so there’s more opportunities out there in the job market, access to better housing across the state, whether the governor’s talking about issues around childcare access and school lunches for folks-for young farm families, that’s something I keep hearing about.”

Boring says supporting school meal programs supports Michigan’s farm economy.

“We’re better in Michigan when we’ve got specialty crops and we’ve got a lot of diversity in our systems,” he says.  “But you can’t grow things if there’s not a market for them. So, as we continue to expand out what it means to get fresh fruits and vegetables, meats locally produced into schools, that’s helping drive our farm economy.”

He says the department plans to focus on individual property rights, diversifying farm revenue streams, workforce development, and building capacity in rural communities with expanded ag opportunities in the year ahead.