News

Partnership on environmental stewardship

For nearly 20 years, Michigan Farm Bureau has supported the state’s voluntary environmental stewardship program.

Laura Campbell, Manager of the Ag Ecology Department at Michigan Farm Bureau, says their organization was one of the first to partner with the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program.

“Farmers who were our members recognized the importance of having a program that would promote good environmental stewardship.”

She says the farmer-driven program has now expanded to more than 2,700 verifications of cropping, farmstead and livestock systems.

Campbell says that partnership was recently reflected in the Western Lake Erie Basin.  She says public and private entities working together brought $17.5 million dollars into the region to increase conservation practices.

“The technicians in that area will have extra resources to be able to point farmers toward more cost share assistance with helping them get those practices in on the ground on their farms.”

Campbell says country farm bureaus and conservation districts are also offering educational programming to help farmers get verified.

AUDIO: Interview with Laura Campbell (4:35 mp3):