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Don’t rush changes to MAEAP

Michigan Farm Bureau says both budget options approved by House and Senate lawmakers are good options for the state’s voluntary environmental assurance program.

Legislative Counsel Rebecca Park tells Brownfield there are a lot of details to work through for the future of the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP).

“How are we making sure that we’re valuing current MAEAP technicians who are really skillful and effective in their role and putting that to the best use moving forward for the state of Michigan?” she asks.

Michigan’s House is proposing to leave the program unchanged and housed within conservation districts as opposed to the governor’s recommendation to move the staff into the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Park says the Senate believes moving employees to Michigan State University Extension would address turnover issues.

“It seems like there could be some really nice synergies with the research and the education component that MSU and the extension area already plays today when it pertains to MAEAP technicians and getting good conservation practices put out onto the land,” she says.

Park says five months is not enough time to sort out program complexities and she expects the legislature to work through issues beyond this budget cycle.

She says lawmakers during the upcoming budget conference will also have to find agreement on how the state funds climate-smart ag resiliency efforts.

Park says both chambers have agreed to increase funding for conservation districts and double-up food bucks programs, and both proposals are positive for the state’s ag department.

AUDIO: Rebecca Park, Michigan Farm Bureau

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