2024 House Resolution 199

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 $125.8 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 44,300 farms, 99 percent of which are family-owned, farming nearly ten million acres of farmland and commercially producing more than three hundred food and agricultural commodities; and

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

Whereas, Michigan is one of the top blueberry producing states with sixty-nine million pounds produced by over five hundred farms contributing nearly $115 million to the state’s economy; and

Whereas, Michigan has about 12,000 farms with 1.1 million cattle and calves and cash receipts over $661 million; and

Whereas, Michigan produced roughly five hundred million pounds of dry edible beans with a value of over $200 million; and

Whereas, Michigan ranks seventh in production of eggs with more than 16.6 million laying hens that produce 4.9 billion eggs per year, contributing $833 million to the Michigan economy annually;

Whereas, Michigan leads the nation in many floriculture crops, including impatiens, begonias, marigolds, geraniums, hearty chrysanthemums, and petunias with a value of $711 million; and

Whereas, Michigan has 10,900 acres of vines, making Michigan the sixth-largest grape producing state in the nation and home to more than one hundred 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 2,066,138 acres under irrigation; and

Whereas, Michigan grows 59% of the United States supply of juicy tart cherries, ranking first in production with 120 million pounds valued at $36 million; and

Whereas, Michigan grows over one billion pounds of apples produced on 38,000 acres with an economic impact of over $400 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 195,000 gallons of syrup per year with an economic impact of $7.0 million annual; and

Whereas, Michigan nursery, landscape, and lawn care industries have an economic impact of $4.3 billion; and

Whereas, Michigan onion production is approximately thirty-five million pounds which yield a total value of $5.4 million; and

Whereas, Michigan produced more than twenty-two million pounds of peaches valued at more than $20 million; and

Whereas, Michigan has a total of seventy-nine farms raising quail, with thirty-four farms selling quail; and

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

Whereas, Soybeans are Michigan’s top export with over ninety-three million bushels produced with a value over $1,548 million; and

Whereas, Michigan grows tomatoes for both fresh and processed uses. In 2018, Michigan produced 112,750 tons of tomatoes for process and fifty million pounds for fresh market; and

Whereas, Michigan is home to over 1,000 dairy farms who care for over 439,000 cows giving US leading 27,000 pounds of undeniably nutritious milk each year. Michigan is ranked sixth in milk production in the United States; and

Whereas, Michigan grows over fifty types of vegetables with 3,047 farms harvesting over 165,000 acres; and

Whereas, Michigan is home to 600,000 acres of wheat in 75 Michigan counties producing over forty-six 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 2.1 billion pounds of potatoes produced annually generating $291 million in sales; and

Whereas, Michigan pumpkins, yellow, and various other species of squash generate over $55 million from production of approximately 257 million pounds of pumpkins and squash; and

Whereas, Michigan ranks first nationally with 822 farms harvesting over 33,000 acres and 246,000 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 2024 as Agriculture Month in the state of Michigan. We encourage all citizens to recognize and celebrate this momentous occasion.