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Michigan farms stick with voluntary environmental program

Farmer retention in Michigan’s voluntary environmental assurance program remains high at 84 percent in 2015.

Program Manager Joe Kelpinski tells Brownfield participation the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) is continuing to gain momentum.

“We came off a record year as far as the program’s concerned from a numbers standpoint.”  He says, “We had 623 new verifications which was a 16 percent increase over last year, we had 372 reverifications which also set a new record for the program.”

MAEAP provides farmers with a checklist of environmental risk assessments that help protect water quality and natural resources. Kelpinski says starting in 2016 reverifications will transition from every three years to every five.

“We have to sell our story from an environmental standpoint and participation in the program is one of the most visible ways farmers can do that.”

He says next year conservations districts and verifiers expect even higher participation from ground work that’s currently taking place.

AUDIO: Interview with Joe Kelpinski