Strengthening Michigan's Vegetable Industry

Jul 14, 2022

Impacts

Our team aims to help vegetable growers learn about and incorporate new practices to help them reduce the risk posed by pests, improve their efficiency through new horticultural practices, and increase revenue through improved product quality and marketing. Of those who attended a Michigan State University Extension vegetable event, data from 2020-2021 surveys revealed:

88% learned something new and useful to help them manage risks.
87% reported making a change on their farm related to managing risks
82% learned useful information about increasing efficiency on the farm.
67% reported making a change on their farm related to increasing efficiency.
3,500 participants at in-person meetings, 161,000 reached in mixed media outputs (podcasts, trade magazine articles, newsletters, bulletins).
316 one-on-one individual consultations with stakeholders in 30 counties.
$950,000 in federal, state and commodity group funds leveraged to support research that directly benefited growers in 2021.

Priority Areas

Michigan vegetable production takes place on over 3,000 farms, generating cash receipts of $442 million dollars.* The state’s climate and soils make it possible to grow vegetables in every county; however, commercial production is in specific areas having a long history of marketing and processing infrastructure. Michigan is among the top five states in the production of asparagus, snap beans, beets, carrots, celery, cucumbers, pickles, radishes, squash, tomatoes, turnips and pumpkins.* Our team consists of strategically placed educators who work with local vegetable growers in key regions and a team of on-campus vegetable researchers.

Source : msu.edu

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.