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Ag friendly Michigan legislature session wraps up

A spokesman for Michigan’s largest farm organization says the amount of agricultural priorities passed in the last Michigan legislative session was unprecedented.

“That’s probably an understatement,” says Matt Smego with the Michigan Farm Bureau.  “We were able to achieve a large number of priorities for policy issues that our members have worked on for in some cases over a decade,” he says.

Smego tells Brownfield water withdrawal legislation will make science-based improvements to the registration process for farmers to irrigate while protecting the environment.

He says a package of bills will reform the Department of Environmental Quality and improve the rule review and permitting process.

Legislation has also been approved that strengthens career and technical training which will support agricultural careers.

This spring the legislature also made updates to Michigan’s sales tax and use exemption for agriculture.

AUDIO: Interview with Matt Smego