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Michigan Farm Bureau says lame duck was a success

Michigan’s largest farm organization says the legislature’s lame duck session was very productive for agriculture.

Matt Smego with Michigan Farm Bureau tells Brownfield reforms to the state’s wetland program better align it to the federal program.  “It now directly correlates Michigan’s wetland definitions to the Waters of the United States definition.”

Smego says other bills benefiting farmers exempt agricultural vehicles from local ordinances that prohibit commercial truck traffic as well as creates an industrial hemp advisory board.  “Once the structure is in place, that the laws now provide for the legal production of those commodities, I would expect that we could see some additional value-added in that segment.”

He says with about 70 new faces in Michigan’s legislature in 2019, they’ll be focusing on helping them understand the value of agriculture to the state.

AUDIO: Brownfield interview with Matt Smego