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Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Announces Grant Opportunities for County Fairs

the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development announced the 2024 competitive grant cycle for the County Fair Capital Improvement Grant, the state's county fairs to make building and other capital improvements to their fairground facilities. Both grant proposals must be received via email by MDARD no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, March 15, 2024.

The capital improvement program provides additional funds for county fair officials to help make needed improvements to their fairground facilities; including but not limited to structural improvements or other renovations to buildings.

The shows and expositions grants provide financial support for awards in the form of premiums or promotional activities of the livestock and commodity expositions, fairs, and festivals.

The submitted grants will go through a competitive grant process and be reviewed by an evaluation committee. 

Eligible applicants include fairs that are incorporated under Act 80 of 1855 or county owned and operated fairs operating under Act 11 of 1929 and that have submitted all required year-end reports for the prior three years.

Livestock expositions hosting expos must meet the required number of exhibitors.

Source : michigan.gov

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Seaweed-Based Solutions: Building Natural Performance in Modern Swine Production

Video: Seaweed-Based Solutions: Building Natural Performance in Modern Swine Production

In today’s pork industry, producers are under increasing pressure to do more with fewer inputs—while maintaining performance, improving animal health, and meeting sustainability expectations.

we sit down with Sylvain David and Scott Preston from Olmix to explore how seaweed-based solutions are emerging as a foundational tool in modern swine nutrition.

Rather than acting as simple alternatives, these solutions are designed to support gut health, immune resilience, and overall system consistency—especially during key stress periods like weaning, feed transitions, and disease challenges.

The conversation dives into:

• What seaweed-based solutions actually are and how they work

• Why consistency and standardization matter in “natural” products

• How gut health connects to immune function and performance

• Where producers are seeing real-world impact today

• The role of natural solutions in the future of sustainable pork production