By Kim Ward
Former U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a two-time Michigan State University graduate, delivered the second annual Stuckman Lecture in Food Economics and Policy, drawing on five decades of public service to explore the forces shaping American agriculture and the challenges ahead.
“Sen. Stabenow has done so much for Michigan and the agricultural community through her leadership of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, and we’re honored that she shared her insights on good food and good governance with us,” said MSU President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D. “We appreciate her ongoing partnership with MSU also as a member of our Green and White Council, lending her insight and helping us better prepare today’s students for high-impact careers.”
Hosted by the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the lecture, “The Future of Food and Farm Policy,” explored how public policy, funding, research and markets can work together to strengthen the nation’s food economy and build a more resilient future for producers, consumers and rural communities.
“Few people have shaped how this country grows, buys and eats its food more than Sen. Stabenow,” said David Ortega, who holds the Stuckman Chair in Food Economics and Policy. “She has seen the Farm Bill from every angle, and she understands both the economics and the human stakes. Hearing that perspective at MSU, where so much of the research behind these policies happens, was a rare opportunity for our students and our community.”
Stabenow served 50 years in public office as a county commissioner, state legislator, congresswoman and U.S. senator, and was the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Michigan. As chair or ranking member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry from 2011 until her retirement in 2025, she led the passage of more Farm Bills than any other member of Congress serving at the time.
Source : msu.edu