Helping Farmers Understand Federal and State Agriculture Policy

Jul 04, 2025

Priority Areas

MSU Extension works to improve farm personnel’s wellbeing and income, expand agriculture-related businesses and increase employment opportunities, leading to agriculture being one of the strongest industries within the state. Michigan agricultural businesses compete for market share and profits both domestically and in the world economy. Major challenges include highly volatile prices, an aging population of active farmers, changing tax law, weather-related disasters, credit availability and maintaining positive net margins. Uncertainty in the market continues to affect demand volatility, credit availability and market access. There is a fundamental need to understand how farm policy can impact or assist the survivability of agricultural businesses.

Impacts

Michigan State University (MSU) Extension worked with farmers to understand the ever-changing federal and state programs and policies. Programming efforts included topics on Michigan’s Earned Sick Time Act, the Corporate Transparency Act, Farm Bill Commodity Program decisions, and various crop and livestock insurance programs. In addition to these topics, educational publications also encouraged producers to consider the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops Program, which offered critical financial support to a broad swath of Michigan producers.

586 downloads of MSU Extension bulletins on insurance topics
470 views of recordings from program sessions
315 downloads of the Farm Bill Analyzer Tool

Supporting Farmers Through Implementing the New Michigan Earned Sick Time Act

Michigan’s new Earned Sick Time Act significantly increases the requirements for employers in Michigan to provide sick leave to their employees. The provisions of this law are quite complicated and not well understood by Michigan farmers. To better prepare farmers to comply with the law, several resources were created to provide critical information.

A webinar, “Michigan’s Earned Sick Time Act: What Farmers Need to Know,” provided insight for farmers into their responsibilities and strategies for implementation. A presentation on the provisions of the law was combined with a discussion including a national expert to discuss how other states have successfully handled such a law. Over 100 people registered for the webinar and most attended or requested the video recording.

A presentation at the MSU Dairy Advisory Committee meeting helped prepare industry professionals to assist farmers in preparing for this law. An MSU Extension news article on how the provisions of the law would affect farmers was shared widely, including Morning Ag Clips, Farmers Advance and the Michigan Department of Labor newsletter.

Source : msu.edu

Video: Cheapest States to Buy Farmland in America

The United States has more than 895 million acres of farmland, which includes all rural land tied to farming operations, from highly fertile Midwest cornfields to vast grazing ranges in the West, as well as the undeveloped rural land, which is often sold as ranches, homesteads, or uncultivated lots. Nowadays investing in rural land is very lucrative even billionaires like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Warren Buffett have bought up thousands of acres of farmland across America. In contrast to investors, agricultural companies, and business moguls, some buy farmland for their own requisites, like starting a small farmstead, creating a cottage, and becoming self-resilient. In this video we have ranked the top cheapest states to buy farmland according to the per-acre land value, which is accumulated from the United States Department of Agriculture. The USDA’s per-acre land values come from an annual survey, which is cross-checked with actual sales data, appraisals, and market trends to ensure accuracy. So here are The top Cheapest States to Buy Farmland.