2023 House Resolution 46

Whereas, Each year, states across the nation recognize March as a time to celebrate the importance of food and agriculture as a significant contributor to the national economy; and

Whereas, The Michigan food and agriculture industry contributes more than $104.7 billion annually to the state’s economy and is a major source of employment for the state’s workforce, supporting approximately 805,000 jobs, which is roughly 17.2 percent of the state’s workforce; and

Whereas, Michigan’s food and agriculture sector is the second most diverse in the country with nearly 51,000 farms, 99 percent of which are family-owned, farming nearly 10 million acres of farmland and commercially producing more than 300 food and agricultural commodities; and

Whereas, Michigan ranks first in the nation for asparagus production, producing up to 23 million pounds annually; and

Whereas, Michigan is one of the top blueberry producing states with more than 100 million pounds produced by 575 farms contributing nearly $132 million to the state’s economy; and

Whereas, Michigan has 12,221 farms with 1,201,383 cattle and calves and cash receipts over $575 million; and

Whereas, Michigan produced roughly 400 million pounds of dry edible beans with a value of $126 million; and

Whereas, Michigan ranks seventh in production of eggs with more than 15.4 million laying hens that produce 4,548 million eggs per year, contributing $655 million to the Michigan economy annually;

Whereas, Michigan leads the nation in many floriculture crops, including impatiens, begonias, Easter lillies, geraniums, hostas, and petunias with a wholesale value of $467 million; and

Whereas, Michigan has 13,100 acres of vines, making Michigan the eighth-largest grape producing state in the nation and home to more than 100 commercial wineries; and

Whereas, Michigan is now the fourth-largest hop growing state in the United States and ranks 14th in the world for hop production; and

Whereas, Michigan has 47,641 farms with 2,068,138 acres under irrigation; and

Whereas, Michigan grows 70% of the United States supply of juicy tart cherries, ranking first in production with 201 million pounds valued at $280 million; and

Whereas, Michigan grows over 1 billion pounds of apples produced on 30 million acres with an economic impact of over $250 million; and

Whereas, Michigan grows many varieties of kale and the market has grown by over 60% in recent years; and

Whereas, Michigan grows multiple varieties of lettuce both indoors and outdoors with a rapid expansion of production due to climate, muck soil and hydroponic opportunities; and

Whereas, Michigan ranks #5 in the nation for maple syrup production and produces about 90,000 gallons of syrup per year with an economic impact of $2.5 million annual; and

Whereas, Michigan nursery, landscape, and lawn care industries have an economic impact of $4.5 billion; and

Whereas, Michigan onion production is approximately 79 million pounds which yield a total value of $10 million; and

Whereas, Michigan produced more than 21.2 million pounds of peaches valued at more than $9.2 million; and

Whereas, Michigan has a total of 79 farms raising quail, with 34 farms selling quail; and

Whereas, Michigan has over 500 farms and 500 acres in raspberry production; and

Whereas, Soybeans are Michigan’s top export with over 109 million bushels produced with a value over $941 million; and

Whereas, Michigan grows tomatoes for both fresh and processed uses. In 2016, Michigan produced 120,100 tons of tomatoes for process and 74 million pounds for fresh market; and

Whereas, Michigan is home to nearly 1,200 dairy farms who care for over 445,000 cows giving 27,000 pounds of undeniably nutritious milk each year. Michigan is ranked 6th in milk production in the United States; and

Whereas, Michigan grows over 50 types of vegetables with 3,047 farms harvesting over 101,750 acres; and

Whereas, Michigan is home to 500,000 acres of wheat in 75 Michigan counties producing over 35 million bushels annually; and

Whereas, Michigan is the leading producer of potatoes for extra crispy potato chip processing and they are the state’s second leading produce commodity with over 1.8 billion pounds of potatoes produced annually generating $182 million in sales; and

Whereas, Michigan pumpkins, yellow, and various other species of squash generate over $24 million from production of approximately 220 million pounds of pumpkins and squash; and

Whereas, Michigan ranks first nationally with 822 farms harvesting over 29,000 acres and 236,700 tons of zesty cucumbers; and

Whereas, Michigan’s food and agricultural sector continues to be a growing industry offering new business and career opportunities for Michiganders, making food and agriculture a cornerstone of Michigan’s continued prosperity; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body declare March 2023 as Agriculture Month in the state of Michigan. We encourage all citizens to recognize and celebrate this momentous occasion.