The use of rBST may soon be a thing of the past in Michigan since MMPA decided that it will only supply so-called "BST-Free" milk to retailers.
Truth in BST marketing? Image is everything
MMPA, the state's largest milk supplier to retail markets, has decided to ban rBST use by its dairy farmers as of Feb. 1, 2008. Click here for full story.New TB efforts hones 79 items to nine categories
Little good can come from bovine tuberculosis (TB), but if the Michigan Department of Agriculture's (MDA) failing grades in two consecutive USDA TB inspections gave the department the will to refocus its efforts, perhaps it will work out for the good of Michigan's animal industry, according to Dr. John Tilden, MDA's project manager for response to the USDA's program review. Click here for full story.DEQ denies request from farm groups
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) insists it has the right to demand pollution discharge permits of large concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), and has denied a request for declaratory ruling in which it was asked to admit it has no authority to demand a permit from farms that have not polluted. Click here for full story.Papers needed for moving cattle between zones
Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) officials remind producers that all cattle and bison from the Lower Peninsula moving across bovine Tuberculosis (TB) zonal boundaries are required to have a movement certificate before leaving farm premises. Click here for full story.Immigration Reform? It's time for Congress to deliver
Thanks to a lack of congressional action due to political posturing and grandstanding, many Michigan farmers - including fruit, vegetable and dairy farmers - are still left with a very basic and unanswered question; "Where will my labor force come from to handle a highly perishable commodity?" Click here for full story.