MDARD Director Testifies Before U.S. House Agriculture Committee

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Director Tim Boring of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) testified yesterday before the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture at a hearing titled "An Examination of the Specialty Crop Industry". The hearing comes as Congress faces the expiration of the remaining provisions of the Farm Bill on September 30.

A recording of the hearing and Director Boring's written testimony are available on the committee's website. Video of his opening statement is available online for use in broadcast. Photos with proper courtesy are available online for publication.

"Unfortunately, for many specialty crops, the future has never been more fragile," said Director Boring. "Whether it's due to trade pressures, market access challenges, rising input costs, climate variability, labor constraints, and threats of pests and disease many specialty crops in this country are either harder to grow, more difficult to get to markets, or as challenging as ever to access for the consumer."

To help address these challenges, Director Boring advocated for the next Farm Bill to:

• Maintain a consistent, high level of Specialty Crop Block Grant funding,
• Sustain funding for the Specialty Crop Research Initiative, and
• Continue the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops

Boring told committee members that support for these and other programs in the next Farm Bill will be critical to help sustain family farms and ensure the long-term viability of specialty crops in Michigan and across the country. He also shared with committee actions that MDARD is taking at the state level to mitigate diverse challenges in the food and agriculture industry.

"At MDARD we're focused on several overarching priorities: climate resiliency and regenerative agriculture, diversity in agriculture production, and economic prosperity across Michigan," said Director Boring. "Specialty crops are key to the realization of these priorities not just in Michigan but in many places across the country."

Boring also highlighted two of MDARD's flagship programs to better position Michigan farmers and producers for the future. MDARD's first-of-its-kind Regenerative Agriculture Unit is working with farmers and landowners to improve profitability and find new ways to diversify while restoring healthy soils and safeguarding natural resources. Meanwhile, the new Farm to Family program is creating new market opportunities for Michigan farmers, increasing Michiganders' access to fresh, locally grown foods.

Specialty crops include fruits, vegetables, horticulture and nursery crops. Michigan is a top five U.S. producer of specialty crops including apples, asparagus, blueberries, dry beans, squash and nursery plants. These specialty crops are critical to the health and resiliency of Michigan's nearly $126 billion food and agriculture industry.

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