The means to that end, however, are as diverse as individual Michigan townships and the farmers within them. But it is possible to preserve farmland and the rural flavor of communities while keeping developers working.

Two examples in particular were perused early this week by nearly 80 people who attended the two-day Michigan Community Showcase Land Use Tour, sponsored by Michigan Farm Bureau, the Michigan Farmland and Community Alliance and the Rural Development Council of Michigan.

In Alpine Township, home of The Ridge, where 40 percent of Michigan's apples are grown, a sliding scale for determining the number of splits allowed on property is used along with transfer of development rights and cooperation among people involved in land use issues, to name just a few methods employed.

Alpine Township, according to Supervisor Sharon Steffens, formed the Ridge Economic Agricultural Partners (REAP) to bring all parties involved to the table, but the key still is profitability and involvement.

"Every community is so different, but if farmers want to preserve the land, they have to get involved in their township government. They can't sit back and wait," she said.

Although there still is a sense among many Ridge farmers that development is inevitable, Steffens said value-added cooperatives such as the Michigan Apple Packers Cooperative, formed three years ago with a $2.5 million investment, have given apple farmers more control over their product and the chance for increased profits. That helps them resist attractive financial offers from developers.

"The best way to preserve land is to help farmers stay in business by helping them make a profit," Steffens said.

Alpine Township also is investigating Agricultural Renaissance Zones, Ag Security Zones and a number of different strategies to keep farmland in farming.

Farther north in Peninsula Township near Traverse City, commonly known as Old Mission Peninsula, spectacular views, plenty of coveted shoreline and population increases have boosted prices for good agricultural land to between $8,000 and $12,000 per acre, said Township Supervisor and fourth-generation cherry farmer Rob Manigold.

However, with a combination of purchase of development rights (PDR) agreements, transfers of development rights away from the best farming areas, township protection (including a "view shed" zone that preserves the peninsula's breathtaking views), Conservancy Farmland Projects, American Farmland Trust easements, a millage and $2.5 million in grants from various groups, the township has protected more than 3,000 acres of productive grape and cherry land since 1994.

"At the prices available for land here, farmers were being taken out of the market" when it came to buying land to farm, Manigold said. However, many farmers in the market to sell got a better price than the ag land market allowed because the Conservancy and other entities contributed money to up the price. Manigold said at least one farmer accepted less than a developer would offer because he wanted to see the land remain in agriculture.

Peninsula Township has been recognized nationally as a leader in land-use planning and conservation, township officials say, but for the future, Manigold said, nothing will match farm profits.

"I think if you can keep the farmer profitable, we'll be okay," he said.

"This bill, which is currently awaiting the governor's signature, takes an important step in the effort to maintain Michigan's strong agricultural base," said Rob Anderson, Michigan Farm Bureau legislative counsel.

The primary source of operating dollars for the fund will be generated when farmland conversion takes place on property previously protected through the abolishment of the "pop-up" tax. This spring, legislators exempted farmers who are selling their land from paying a substantial jump in property taxes - through Proposal A - if the land is being purchased by a family member or another farmer. Funding for the agricultural preservation fund occurs when the land is later converted to another use and the tax benefit is recaptured.

In addition, P.A. 116 lien fund monies will be allocated to the fund, and "we're hoping to secure additional supplemental funding from the state and federal governments," Anderson said.

A recent land-use assessment bill, which would have allowed farmland to be taxed as farmland with a recapture of benefits upon conversion, would have provided a substantial financial boost to the fund. However, a partisan "no" vote in early June left the issue off the November ballot.

"We're disappointed that voters will not have an opportunity to allow Michigan farmers to be taxed in the fairer way that 48 other states already do," Anderson said. "At the same time, a recapture upon sale for another use would have contributed to this fund. It would have been a tremendous benefit for producers, but the bill's failure doesn't mean the effort to preserve farmland has cooled down in the least bit. This is an important issue for not only Michigan farmers, but also everyone who lives in this state. Agriculture is the state's second largest industry, contributing about $45 billion annually to the state's economy. If we continue to allow farmland to be swallowed up by development, the opportunity for agriculture to survive - Michigan's long-term economic stabilizer - is jeopardized."

According to the latest 1997 Census of Agriculture, there are 46,027 farms in Michigan, compared to 58,661 farms in 1982 - representing one-fifth fewer farmers today than 15 years ago. More than 1 million acres of farmland have been lost since 1982, slipping to 9.87 million acres in 1997. This represents the equivalent of losing an average sized farm (215 acres) almost every day.

Michigan Farm Bureau remains committed to preserving farmland and last year established the Michigan Farmland and Community Alliance, which is currently working with both state and local governments to establish a farmland preservation program that promotes smart growth, while recognizing and supporting Michigan's diverse agricultural base.

A public hearing has been tentatively set for December, with a vote following in late February or early March of 2001. If approved, the assessment - one-half percent of the value of wheat sold - would start June 1, 2001. It would be subject to a five-year referendum for continuation.

The proposed wheat assessment models the soybean checkoff in that $2-per-bushel wheat would generate one penny a bushel. On $4 wheat, it would be two cents a bushel, explained Bob Boehm, manager of Michigan Farm Bureau's Commodity and Marketing Department. "This would generate, on an annual basis, somewhere between $300,000 and $500,000 for programs and activities for a wheat program in Michigan," Boehm said. "This would be an in-state program under Public Act 232."

A temporary drafting committee of producers drafted the proposal after enough producer signatures were collected supporting the concept. "The committee will have a booth at Ag Expo, July 11-13, in the Michigan Farm Bureau tent to further explain the proposal," Boehm said. "They'll have a display with some brochures that explain the checkoff effort. It will be an opportunity for growers to ask questions, and provide input into what the checkoff may be able to do in terms of funding projects. And it will give the temporary committee a good feel for the industry support behind this issue."

The brochures include a list of all the temporary committee members and their phone numbers. "Producers are encouraged to call these committee members with their comments," Boehm said.

Faced with low prices, new production problems like head scab/vomitoxin, and future problems like the European chafer, the decision on whether to support a checkoff will not likely be easy for producers. "The Michigan wheat industry program offers exciting opportunities to improve the situation of Michigan wheat producers," said Loren Koeman, chairman of the temporary committee. "We have a large milling and food processing industry in Michigan, along with elevators and suppliers who depend on wheat production. Industry leaders are anxious to work with producers for mutual benefit, but who do they contact?"

Boehm says a checkoff program will raise the visibility of the industry with a consistent voice to advance grower priorities. "It will also leverage research and Extension funds and allow improved communication with other sectors of the wheat industry to address mutual concerns and opportunities."

For more information about the checkoff, call Boehm at (517) 323-7000, ext. 2023, or Koeman at (616) 751-7649.

Beech bark disease is caused by a tiny, exotic scale insect that opens the door for the fungal pathogen Nectria, which eventually kills the tree, said Dr. Deborah G. McCullough, associate professor of forest entomology at Michigan State University (MSU).

"The fungi moves into the wound caused by the scale insect, and both can be windblown," McCullough said. "I'm depressed about it. The aftermath will be no more big beech in Michigan forests, and less than 1 percent of the trees have natural resistance. The fungus will come, but we're not sure when."

When the scale attaches itself to the trunk or branches of a tree, feeding on sap, it secretes a white, cottony material that makes the tree appear as if it grew white wool when scale populations are high, McCullough said. The tree can survive that, but the wounds the scale insect leaves allows Nectria to enter. Eventually, the pathogen will kill the tree, or the trunk or branches will break at the point of the fungi's canker, leaving suckers to emerge that are extremely thick, she said.

Two surveys designed to determine the extent of the disease are scheduled this summer by teams from MSU, the Michigan Department of Agriculture, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's forest service. However, it appears that little can be done to stop the disease except cutting and removing trees. Even then, sprouts from the stumps can become infested.

McCullough said landscape nursery owners can inject a pesticide into the tree to control the scale, but it must be repeated annually or every two years, and its cost is prohibitive.

No one is certain how the scale insect came to Michigan, although it has been a threat in the Northeastern United States for decades, McCullough said. It was first introduced accidentally into Nova Scotia about 1890, she said.

"Visitors from the Northeast could have accidentally introduced the scale insect to the state if they brought firewood with them when the scale insects were dispersing," she said. "However, it's possible that the scale was carried by birds or on the wind."

There have been statements from the petroleum industry that new requirements under the Clean Air Act, forcing expanded use of ethanol in gasoline, are a primary cause of recent price increases. The Clean Air requirements became effective June 1.

The study points out the following:

• Ethanol-blended RFG in Chicago/Milwaukee area costs 30 to 40 cents per gallon more than the same product in St. Louis, Mo. The price differences are $1.68 per gallon of RFG in St. Louis vs. $2.12 in Chicago.
• Ethanol-blended gas in Missouri costs less than gas blended with MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether) in the same market.
• Conventional gas prices in the Midwest are rising at the same rate as RFG prices.

Contact: Bob Boehm (800) 292-2680, ext. 2023

"We're very pleased to have Merle Boes/Chevron sponsoring this new scholarship," said Josh Merchant, executive director of the Michigan FFA Foundation. "It's sponsors like Chevron that create more opportunities for FFA members."

Applications can be obtained by contacting Merchant at (800) 292-2680, ext. 6569 or by logging into www.canr.msu.edu/ffa. Application deadline is Aug. 1.

"Those countries that have conducted assessments are confident that those GM foods they have approved are as safe as other foods," OECD said.

Peter Kearns, OECD's principal biotech administrator, said the report is part of the Paris-based organization's response to a 1999 request by the Group of 8 (G8) industrialized countries for more information on GM foods.

In addition, Kearns said that regulators and consumers are currently dealing with the first round of GM crops, and that the following round is sure to be more advanced.

"Both reports point out that the second generation of products will be a little more complex," said Kearns. "It is very important for government safety regulators to think about what's coming in the future."

The reports, which will be presented at the G8's July summit, can be accessed at www.oecd.org/subject/biotech/.

Contact: Ken Nye (800) 292-2680, ext. 2020

The projects are categorized under four program areas: value-added, applied research, basic research and Extension/education/demonstration.

The main criteria used to judge the 130 proposals submitted for funding were their relationship to the GREEEN mission and Michigan plant agriculture priorities, scientific soundness and appropriateness of methodology, appropriateness of budget request, feasibility of completing the objectives within the proposed time frame, mechanisms to deliver information to Michigan plant agricultural industries, multidisciplinary and integrated nature of the proposal, and extent of partnering with and potential impact on Michigan plant agricultural industries.

Contact: Bob Boehm (800) 292-2680, ext. 2023

Starting with the 2002 model year, the full-size SUV models that use the 5.3 liter V8 engine will be built to run using a fuel mix of up to 85 percent ethanol.

"GM recognizes that the sustainability of our business is dependent on the sustainability of our environment, and we act on that belief," said Thomas G. Stephens, GM vice president and truck group director of engineering.

Contact: Bob Boehm (800) 292-2680, ext. 2023

Tender steaks start with cattle breeders who carefully document numerous characteristics of their animals. They use this information to breed those animals with the "best" combination of desired traits. To assess their animals, breeders keep track of growth traits - such as weights at birth, weaning and yearling ages, and at maturity. They also measure carcass traits such as marbling and fat content. Breed associations take the information, combine it with each animal's genetic tree and run it through a computer program to develop an expected progeny difference. That lets breeders compare individual animals for individual traits. They would know, for example, that cow A was more likely to produce offspring with the desired marbling than cow B.

Researchers may be on the verge of turning pesky weeds into their own worst enemy. The method involves spraying the weeds with a natural protein derived from a soil fungus. Upon entering natural leaf openings, the fungus' protein causes a self-defense mechanism in the weed to shift into overdrive. The defense normally helps weeds cordon off infection by instructing nearby cells to self-destruct. But in tests, spraying the protein causes a mass cellular suicide instead. In dandelions, for example, this kills the weed's affected leaves three to 24 hours later.

Walkingsticks get their name by blending into the twiggy branches where they live. Their twig-like shape and ability to change color provide an effective camouflage from predators. The walkingstick's body has a clear, plastic-like covering called the cuticle. They get most of their color from chemicals (pigment) circulating through the epidermis, a layer of cells below the cuticle. Entomologists think yellow and green pigments are permanently placed around a walkingstick's body. But brown pigments can move - so predators think they see a twig instead of a tasty insect.

Sweet corn will taste sweeter if you cook it immediately after picking. Corn sugars start turning into starches as soon as the corn is removed from the stalk. The process of converting sugars to starch occurs because the plant is trying to mature its seed for the next generation. Experts recommend chilling corn as soon as possible after it's picked to slow down the conversion process. Today's super sweet varieties are genetically designed to slow down the sugar conversion process and are two to three times sweeter than conventional sweet corn.