Hired hands to help with fruit and vegetables harvest in Michigan may be scarce if legislation regarding immigration enforcement becomes law. Farm officials say the bills pose an increased security risk for the United States.
Immigration bills hold 'greatest security risk'
Farmers willing to put aside their fear of various federal departments and litigation-hungry groups say they know what's driving immigration control bills in the House and Senate. Click here for full story.Consider financial records to help recover from disaster
Because farming is a business, recovery following a disaster is a business function. The business must be in a position to generate cash flow as quickly as possible. In some cases, immediate generation of cash may require the liquidation of assets or use of cash reserves. Spending time developing a potential list of saleable assets before disaster strikes could be valuable. Click here for full story.Pork producers honor the year's best
The board of the Michigan Pork Producers Association recently put their heads together to recognize four of the top hog producers in Michigan. Click here for full story.NASS to assess finances
How are agricultural producers surviving when fuel and other input costs continue to rise? Are government program payments providing producers an adequate safety net when crops are damaged by dry weather? The USDA's National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) will give Michigan agricultural producers the chance to answer these and other questions through participation in the upcoming Agricultural Resource Management Survey. Click here for full story.Recovering: It takes a village
Sometimes recovering from a disaster means knowing when to move on, and that's exactly what Jacob and Betty Strobel did after a tornado tore apart their house and an equipment barn in 2003. Click here for full story.Load securement and towing vehicles
"On the Farming Road" is a series of articles for Michigan Farm News readers designed to answer questions commonly fielded by Michigan Farm Bureau's legislative staff. We've asked Lt. David W. Ford of the Michigan State Police Motor Carrier Division to answer questions through spring. Click here for full story.The crisis has passed: Time to heal
Experience has shown that farms with a continuity of operations plan (COOP) or strategy - written or understood - get back on their feet more quickly and are more likely to survive disasters than those that do not. Click here for full story.Identify the most time-sensitive operations
When fire or tornado destroys the milking parlor, there's little doubt about priorities. The cows must be milked - period. But in other disaster or emergency recovery situations, things may not be so clear-cut. Click here for full story.Chefs wow pork producers
Chefs from across Michigan gathered to show off their culinary talents during the Taste of Elegance, an invitation-only competition that challenges chefs to create unique pork entrees. Click here for full story.