Rebuilding on the farm operated by the Dezeeuw family near McBain is underway after a fire destroyed a good portion of the Many Blessings farm. From the left are Ken, with Rover in front, Keegan, Brenda behind Kenda, Haven in front of Zach, Averom and Seth Dezeeuw. The destroyed parlor was just to the right of the equipment in the background. Behind the photographer is another barn that was damaged in an Oct. 4 fire.
McBain farm family rediscovers Grace under fire
After a season so tumultuous that Ken Dezeeuw finally broke down and wept, words came into his head so simple and eloquent that he taped them - in capital letters - on the farm's office door window. Click here for full story.Large coalition says: "Ax the tax"
The Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB) is one of 23 agricultural organizations and 39 diverse business groups calling on legislators to ax the state's new sales tax on services. If not repealed, MFB warns that the tax will be a hardship on farmers and will put Michigan's $60 billion food and agriculture industry at a severe competitive disadvantage. Click here for full story.Lack of ID won't prevent voting
Beginning with the Nov. 6 election, Michigan residents will be requested to show photo identification when they vote at the polls. However, that does not mean they cannot vote if they show up without it. Click here for full story.Rift Valley Fever could threaten U.S. livestock
According to the Centers for Disease Control, in the year 2005 alone, 3,000 cases of West Nile were reported in the U.S. with 119 of those resulting in death. The virus has also been identified in animals in nearly every one of the United States. The ability of West Nile virus to travel and infect the U.S. has illustrated the greater need for concern around mosquito-transmitted diseases harbored in other countries. Click here for full story.New deer kill permits pending
Pending approval from the Michigan Natural Resources Commission (NRC), landowners within 30 miles of a documented case of bovine tuberculosis (TB) should soon find it easier to get permits for shooting deer to control the population. Click here for full story.MAEAP verification comes to the inner city
Admitting the raised vegetable beds tucked away in the heart of Detroit's urban vacant lots did not turn a profit in their first summer, Leslie Huffman doesn't seem too concerned. Teaching inner-city children and adults the joys of nurturing the soil and growing food for nutrition and a little cash is enough reward for now. Click here for full story.Before the census arrives, some answers
Soon, the USDA will begin conducting the 2007 Census of Agriculture. If you get a report form in early January, you are required by law to complete it and submit it by Feb. 4. Click here for full story.AFBF: EPA dust regulations baseless
A new Environmental Protection Agency (EOA) rule that regulates dust generated by agricultural sources has no basis in law or science, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). AFBF and three other agricultural groups, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, National Pork Producers Council and Agricultural Retailers Association, filed a joint brief with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals urging review of the rule. Click here for full story.