Healthy horses with plenty to eat and drink produce a lifetime of service and pleasure for their owners. But at the end of their lives, they should not suffer the same gruesome fate as 69 horses - 30 of them pregnant - in Jackson County. Opponents of "bad legislation" that bans horse slaughter say the proposed law will lead to more suffering.
Sleepless without a saddle
The sight of horses suffering in Jackson County because their owners didn't care or couldn't seek options - which no longer include slaughter - was what farm groups warned about last year, when Congress first introduced legislation to ban horse slaughter in the United States. Click here for full story.When is the best time to start planting corn?
When is the best date to plant corn? The answer varies from year to year based on weather and field conditions, which of course take precedence over the calendar. Click here for full story.Is your planter ready?
The quality of your corn stand will largely depend on planter performance. An irregular stand can easily cost you 10 percent of your yield. Click here for full story.MDA seeks input on GAAMPs
The Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) is seeking public comment on proposed revisions to the state's Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices (GAAMPs). Click here for full story.Wolves still protected in Michigan, U.P.,DNR says
Wolves are still listed as threatened in Michigan, so media reports that apparently indicated that farmers in the Upper Peninsula may legally shoot them if they are caught in the act of harassing or killing livestock are wrong, according to Brian Roell, Michigan wolf coordinator with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Click here for full story.Farmers urged to comment on crucial GAAMP changes
After 26 years, Michigan's Generally Accepted Agriculture Management Practices (GAAMPs) have become, in the loosest sense of the phrase, the law of the land for farmers. Click here for full story.Consider conservation when making planting decisions
High corn prices have many farmers altering their crop rotation schedules to take advantage. Farmers need to consider conservation when making these decisions, said Acting State Conservationist Elvis Graves of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service. Click here for full story.Agriculture is untapped tourist attraction
Agricultural tourism is "almost virgin territory," and has the potential to be a leader in developing tourist attractions in Michigan, said Don Holecek, director of Michigan State University's Tourism Center. Click here for full story.Farmers' Market association sets membership drive
Michigan farmers and farmers' markets will launch their new statewide association on April 20. The membership kick-off and market-style resource fair will take place at Edgewood United Church Fellowship Hall, 469 North Hagadorn, East Lansing, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Click here for full story.