Helping Farmers Understand Federal and State Agriculture Policy

Priority Areas

MSU Extension works to improve farm personnel’s wellbeing and income, expand agriculture-related businesses and increase employment opportunities, leading to agriculture being one of the strongest industries within the state. Michigan agricultural businesses compete for market share and profits both domestically and in the world economy. Major challenges include highly volatile prices, an aging population of active farmers, changing tax law, weather-related disasters, credit availability and maintaining positive net margins. Uncertainty in the market continues to affect demand volatility, credit availability and market access. There is a fundamental need to understand how farm policy can impact or assist the survivability of agricultural businesses.

Impacts

Michigan State University (MSU) Extension worked with farmers to understand the ever-changing federal and state programs and policies. Programming efforts included topics on Michigan’s Earned Sick Time Act, the Corporate Transparency Act, Farm Bill Commodity Program decisions, and various crop and livestock insurance programs. In addition to these topics, educational publications also encouraged producers to consider the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops Program, which offered critical financial support to a broad swath of Michigan producers.

• 586 downloads of MSU Extension bulletins on insurance topics
• 470 views of recordings from program sessions
• 315 downloads of the Farm Bill Analyzer Tool

Supporting Farmers Through Implementing the New Michigan Earned Sick Time Act

Michigan’s new Earned Sick Time Act significantly increases the requirements for employers in Michigan to provide sick leave to their employees. The provisions of this law are quite complicated and not well understood by Michigan farmers. To better prepare farmers to comply with the law, several resources were created to provide critical information.

A webinar, “Michigan’s Earned Sick Time Act: What Farmers Need to Know,” provided insight for farmers into their responsibilities and strategies for implementation. A presentation on the provisions of the law was combined with a discussion including a national expert to discuss how other states have successfully handled such a law. Over 100 people registered for the webinar and most attended or requested the video recording.

A presentation at the MSU Dairy Advisory Committee meeting helped prepare industry professionals to assist farmers in preparing for this law. An MSU Extension news article on how the provisions of the law would affect farmers was shared widely, including Morning Ag Clips, Farmers Advance and the Michigan Department of Labor newsletter.