Welcome to Michigan. I'm Jamie clover
Adams, the director of the Michigan
Department of Agriculture and Rural
Development. Our fertile soils and many
microclimates make Michigan home to one of the most diverse arrays of agricultural
products you'll find. Customers from
around the world know
Michigan is a key source of important
agricultural products.
Michigan is home to 52,000 farms on ten million acres of farmland with more than
1,800 food processors
hundreds of products from fruits to
vegetables to flowers and more are
cultivated right here in the Great Lakes
State. Michigan's food and agriculture
industry is uniquely positioned for
continued expansion already contributing
over 100 billion dollars to the state's
economy.  We are excited about the
sector's growth and eager to provide
quality products to customers around the
world. Food, agriculture and related
businesses are growing everyday and
Michigan knows it can count on this important sector to keep jobs strong and keep millions around the world fed.
(NARRATOR) Over 300 commercially available commodities
are grown and processed here in Michigan including tart cherries,  blueberries,
apples, dried beans, and even cucumbers
for pickles.  Field crops are Michigan's
largest agricultural economic product
generating almost six billion dollars in
revenue followed by livestock products,
horticulture and floriculture, and then
fruit and vegetables. But Michigan's
agricultural products are not limited
just to food a wide variety of top
quality nursery and landscape products
all come from Michigan as well. Where do
all these products go? All over the
country; in fact all over the world.
One-in-three crop rows in Michigan are
exported; Michigan sends over 3.5 billion
dollars worth of agricultural products
to places like Canada, Japan, Mexico, South
Korea, China and many more.
The most popular items are processed plant products: soybean and soybean meal,
dairy products, wheat, processed fruit and
nuts.   Michigan's Governor, Rick Snyder,
understands the importance of food,
agriculture and exports and the role
they play in reinventing Michigan's economy.  
(Gov. Snyder)  Michigan agriculture is one of
our most important industries it's
critically important. If you look at it I
like to say it's one of our big tree: we
have auto manufacturing, tourism and
agriculture. What a tremendous impact on our state! And we should be thankful for
all the people in ag.
Our opportunities for the future are
tremendous and one of those great
opportunity is exporting more if you
think about it we grow things in
Michigan, we make things in Michigan, and we supply the rest of the world.
The world needs more agricultural products and so that's why I'm so excited for
having a bright future for agriculture
for the next twenty, thirty, fifty years!
Michigan's a great place to come because
we're one stop shopping: we're the second
most diverse agricultural state in the
nation so I encourage everyone come to
Michigan, buy your products here and we want to ship them to you. (Narrator) Another player in
the success of Michigan's food and
agriculture industry is Michigan Farm
Bureau the state's largest farm
organization representing the interests
of more than 45,000 farmer members. Farm Bureau is a supporter of the Michigan
"Exporter of the Year" program which
recognizes outstanding Michigan
companies for their export achievements.
This exporting activity is a huge boon
to the state giving 29,000 jobs to the
residents of Michigan; for that reason
the Michigan Department of Agriculture
and Rural Development offers their
helpful International Marketing Program.
The program is designed to offer
businesses in Michigan and international
buyers the help they need in connecting
to export and import Michigan's products.
If you're a buyer the international
marketing program can facilitate efforts
to find Michigan partners to help meet
your specific sourcing needs. If you'd
like to learn more about the purchasing
in matchmaking opportunities available
to through
International Marketing Program please
visit us at Michigan.gov/agexport.
We can help you make the most of
Michigan's extraordinary resources.
Michigan's natural wealth is truly a
thing of beauty and residents and
farmers are committed to ensuring this wealth is conserved for generations to
come.
Indeed of the nearly 10 million acres of
farmland in Michigan over 33% operates
within the protective guidelines of a
preservation agreement. And with
initiatives like the proactive Michigan
Agriculture Environmental Assurance
Program,  Michigan can ensure farmers know exactly how to protect our resources and
produce safe products. Michigan has over
2,500 farms that meet MAEAP verification
requirements. All of this agricultural
production requires an abundance of
hydration but the Great Lakes State is
aptly named and Michigan has all the
water it requires and then some. Michigan's fruit belt strides the shore of Lake
Michigan the lake itself plays a key
role: it functions as a moderating body
preventing temperatures from getting too
cold in the fall into hot in the summer.
It also provides the frequent rainfall
that fruit farmers require. This climate
combines with rich soil and regional
topography to provide ideal fruit
growing conditions. These natural
resources are magnified by Michigan's
other intellectual and administrative
resources. Michigan State University was
the nation's pioneer land-grant
institution and continues to support
advanced agricultural research to this
day. In addition, agricultural businesses
are supported by state systems that
ensure that products are traceable to
their origins and safe for consumption
and when it comes time to ship goods to
consumers michigan is within 500 miles
of half of the US population.
Here you're never out of reach.
The reason for the success of Michigan's
agribusiness is its people; nearly a
million residents are employed in this
industry meaning it represents nearly 22
percent of the state's total jobs. Food
processing also gives Michigan over
130,000 jobs from farmers to migrant
workers to truck drivers and food
manufacturers, these hard-working Michiganders take what comes from the ground
and processes into value-added products
for tables around the globe. And even
though exporting is a big business in
Michigan sometimes Michigan products
don't have far to travel at all. With
over 300 farmers markets, Michigan is
every bit as local as it is global. For
more information and to learn how
businesses around the world can grow
strong through relationships with Michigan food
and Agriculture, please visit Michigan.gov/MDARD.
