MDARD Director Applauds Governor Whitmer's FY26 Budget Recommendation

By Lynsey Mukomel

Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Director Tim Boring celebrated Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Executive Budget Recommendation, which supports the department’s ongoing focus on economic prosperity, regenerative agriculture and diversifying agricultural production across Michigan.

"Michigan agriculture is a $105 billion industry for the state, and Governor Whitmer continues to demonstrate an unwavering commitment to our farmers, producers and rural communities,” said Director Boring. “This budget recommendation provides the resources we need to continue to prioritize emergency response, support economic prosperity and maintain our national status as an agriculture powerhouse.”

Governor Whitmer’s recommended budget continues support for key MDARD programs including:

• $5.5 million for protecting Michigan’s food supply: This funding will allow MDARD to implement proactive measures to have biosecurity response in place statewide to prevent and reduce the impact of animal disease outbreaks in the livestock industry.
• $2 million for rural development grants: This funding will allow MDARD to expand the Rural Development Fund Grant Program, supporting projects that enhance land-based industries and rural community infrastructure, including job training, childcare, housing, and utilities.
• $1.6 million for plant, soil, and pest diagnostics: This funding will allow MDARD to respond to soil and plant diseases and infestations by increasing testing capacity to provide growers with localized data and expertise to best protect Michigan agriculture.

“Investing in plant, pest, and soil diagnostic capabilities is increasingly important to Michigan potato growers and farmers of all kinds across state to ensure long-term sustainability and success of Michigan's agriculture future,” said Damen Kurzer, Executive Director of the Michigan Seed Potato Association. “This budget proposal reflects the understanding of serving and supporting Michigan's farmers."

“Star of the West is working with farmer customers to conduct soil health testing on more than 12,000 acres, better quantifying regenerative agriculture impacts and lowering recommended fertilizer rates for improved grower profitability,” said Lisa Woodke, Sustainability Director at Star of the West Milling Company. “Investments in laboratory testing capacity and analysis expertise, tailored to Michigan's unique production systems makes our company and our growers more competitive into the future.”

MDARD’s portion of the budget recommendation for FY26 includes total funding of $158.3 million, which includes $85.9 million in general funds.