Stabenow for Senate

By Debbie Stabenow

Ask most people outside of Michigan about our state, and they will probably mention cars and manufacturing. We aren’t known as a big agriculture state. But agriculture is our second largest economic sector, supporting almost one out of every four Michigan jobs.

Michigan is second in the nation in crop diversity, growing a wider variety of fruits and vegetables than any other state but California.

Promoting locally grown crops, including fruits and vegetables, not only means healthier families, it also means a healthier Michigan economy. In fact, if every household spent just $10 on locally grown food, that would put $40 million back into the state’s economy.

As chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, my top priority is to help Michigan agriculture continue to grow and create jobs, and one of the ways to do this is through legislation known as the “farm bill.” This legislation is written every five years and sets the nation’s agriculture and nutrition policy, which until recently has focused almost exclusively on commodity crops.

In the last farm bill, I wrote a section that for the first time focused on also helping fruit and vegetable producers grow and create jobs.

This year, as chairwoman I authored a new farm bill that represents the most significant reform of agriculture policy in decades, with an even greater focus on healthy, local food systems.

The 2012 farm bill cuts total spending by over $23 billion. We eliminated old subsidy programs that pay farmers for crops they don’t grow or when they’re already doing well.

We strengthened risk management tools, like crop insurance, so no farmer will lose the farm because of a few days of bad weather . We consolidated programs to make them work smarter.

And we saved $4 billion in food assistance programs by confronting fraud and misuse, saving taxpayers money while protecting assistance for families that are truly in need.

These reforms allowed us to save taxpayer dollars overall, while changing our priorities to invest more in local food systems to give people better access to healthy produce grown on Michigan’s family farms.

For example, the farm bill provides increased support for farmers markets to help create and preserve community places for families to purchase healthy foods, and create new points of sale for family farmers. Innovative local food hubs connect farmers to community-based organizations to facilitate more local purchasing.

The farm bill also supports urban greenhouses and community gardens, and helps schools provide more healthy options for children while purchasing fruits and vegetables from Michigan farmers. And there is support for community-based organizations working to improve access to healthy foods for families.

We are a manufacturing state; we are also an agricultural state. When we make things here and grow things here, the jobs are here!

That’s why buying locally grown food is a healthy thing to do — for ourselves, our families, and our economy. I will continue to do everything I can to help make that happen.

This Op-Ed appeared in the Lansing State Journal