2025 House Resolution 31

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 roughly 47,600 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 million pounds annually; and

Whereas, Michigan is one of the top blueberry producing states with eighty- seven million pounds produced by over five hundred farms contributing nearly $130 million to the state’s economy; and

Whereas, Michigan has about 12,000 farms with 1.1 million cattle and calves, contributing $140 million in beef exports annually; and

Whereas, Michigan produced over 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 $1.4 billion to the Michigan economy annually; and

Whereas, Michigan leads the nation in many floriculture crops, including impatiens, begonias, marigolds, geraniums, hearty chrysanthemums, and petunias with a value of $$695 million; and

Whereas, as of 2024, Michigan’s wine grape and wine industry has a $6.3 billion economic impact, generating $209 million in tourism spending and creating nearly 47,000 jobs. Michigan has 10,900 acres of vines, making Michigan the eighth-largest wine producing state in the nation and home to 200 commercial wineries; and

Whereas, Michigan is now the fourth-largest hop growing state in the United States; and

Whereas, In 2022, Michigan had 2,066,138 acres of farms under irrigation; and

Whereas, Michigan grows 59% of the United States supply of juicy tart cherries, ranking first in production with 182million pounds; and

Whereas, Michigan grows over one billion pounds of apples produced on 38,000 acres with an economic impact of over $350 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 200,000 gallons of syrup per year with an economic impact of $8.7 million 2023; and

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

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

Whereas, Michigan produced more than eleven million pounds of peaches on roughly 23,000 acres; 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 about 105 million bushels produced on 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 440,000 cows giving the US over 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 over 460,000 acres of wheat in 75 Michigan counties producing over thirty-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 1.9 billion pounds of potatoes produced annually contributing over $2.5 billion to Michigan’s economy; 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 29,000 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 2025 as Agriculture Month in the state of Michigan. We encourage all citizens to recognize and celebrate this momentous occasion.