Michigan Vegetable Growers Rely on MSU Partnership, Research

By Cameron Rudolph

For more than 60 years, the Michigan Vegetable Council (MVC) has advocated on behalf of the state’s vegetable industry, bringing together growers, processors, shippers and other industry organizations.

Since its inception, the MVC has valued research as a necessity to ensure the long-term stability of the industry. To that end, partnering with Michigan State University has been one of the MVC’s top priorities.

“Just about everything we do in research and education is tied to MSU AgBioResearch and MSU Extension,” said Greg Bird, MVC executive director. “We know the research staff at MSU, and we know their skills and abilities. Over time, the MSU team has been tailored to fit agriculture industry needs, especially for vegetables. So when we’re doing planning, we know what’s available at MSU, which researchers to go to for certain things, and we’re not starting fresh each year. We look at our priorities and know what MSU can handle.”