News

Michigan ag budget moves forward in Senate with funds for meat processing and local food programs

Members of the Michigan Senate Appropriations Subcommittee say their bipartisan agriculture budget aims to support farmers while addressing consumer price concerns.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Democratic Chair John Cherry said dedicating $4 million from the state’s Dairy and Food Safety Fund would help expand access to local meat.

“We have increasing costs for meat, particularly, that consumers are facing,” he shared. “A lot of that is due to a bottleneck in processing. And, while this won’t immediately solve that issue, it puts us on a pathway to ensuring we have processing capacity that is owned by Michigan farmers.”

The proposal also restores funding for livestock research through the Michigan Animal Agriculture Alliance and nutrition programs that incentivize locally grown purchasing.  

“It helps support farmers by ensuring we have programs to spur demand for Michigan products, that is, through the 10 Cents a Meal and the Double Up Food Bucks program, which are targeted at Michigan produce and fruits,” he says.

Some grant funding is earmarked to encourage more scratch cooking in schools.

Cherry says a Farm Start Program to support new farmers as proposed by the governor shows promise, but it needs more stable funding to be included in a final budget.

The bill passed on a 4-1 vote and now heads to the full Appropriations Committee.

Minority Vice Chair Senator Jon Bumstead said the bill is good for his West Michigan district, which covers a large specialty crop growing region.