HOUSE RESOLUTION NO.199
Reps. Neyer, Kunse, Martin, Markkanen, Jaime Greene, Beson, St.
Germaine, DeBoyer, Outman, Hoadley, BeGole, Roth, Cavitt, Lightner,
Smit, Mueller, DeSana, Zorn, Fox, Johnsen, Meerman, Bruck, Slagh,
Prestin, Friske, Fink, Aragona, Paquette, Posthumus, Kuhn,
VanderWall, Phil Green, Wozniak, Witwer, Miller, Hall, Borton,
Tisdel, Paiz, Rigas, Alexander, Bezotte, Haadsma, Rheingans and
Schuette offered the following resolution:
1 A resolution to declare March 2024 as Agriculture Month in the
2 state of Michigan.
3 Whereas, Each year, states across the nation recognize March
4 as a time to celebrate the importance of food and agriculture as a
5 significant contributor to the national economy; and
6 Whereas, The Michigan food and agriculture industry
Agriculture M 24H
 2
1 contributes more than $125.8 billion annually to the state’s
2 economy and is a major source of employment for the state’s
3 workforce, supporting approximately 805,000 jobs, which is roughly
4 17.2 percent of the state’s workforce; and
5 Whereas, Michigan’s food and agriculture sector is the second
6 most diverse in the country with 44,300 farms, 99 percent of which
7 are family-owned, farming nearly ten million acres of farmland and
8 commercially producing more than three hundred food and
9 agricultural commodities; and
10 Whereas, Michigan ranks first in the nation for asparagus
11 production, producing up to thirty-two million pounds annually; and
12 Whereas, Michigan is one of the top blueberry producing states
13 with sixty-nine million pounds produced by over five hundred farms
14 contributing nearly $115 million to the state's economy; and
15 Whereas, Michigan has about 12,000 farms with 1.1 million
16 cattle and calves and cash receipts over $661 million; and
17 Whereas, Michigan produced roughly five hundred million pounds
18 of dry edible beans with a value of over $200 million; and
19 Whereas, Michigan ranks seventh in production of eggs with
20 more than 16.6 million laying hens that produce 4.9 billion eggs
21 per year, contributing $833 million to the Michigan economy
22 annually;
23 Whereas, Michigan leads the nation in many floriculture crops,
24 including impatiens, begonias, marigolds, geraniums, hearty
25 chrysanthemums, and petunias with a value of $711 million; and
26 Whereas, Michigan has 10,900 acres of vines, making Michigan
27 the sixth-largest grape producing state in the nation and home to
28 more than one hundred commercial wineries; and
29 Whereas, Michigan is now the fourth-largest hop growing state
 3
1 in the United States and ranks 14th in the world for hop
2 production; and
3 Whereas, Michigan has 47,641 farms with 2,066,138 acres under
4 irrigation; and
5 Whereas, Michigan grows 59% of the United States supply of
6 juicy tart cherries, ranking first in production with 120 million
7 pounds valued at $36 million; and
8 Whereas, Michigan grows over one billion pounds of apples
9 produced on 38,000 acres with an economic impact of over $400
10 million; and
11 Whereas, Michigan grows many varieties of kale and the market
12 has grown by over 60% in recent years; and
13 Whereas, Michigan grows multiple varieties of lettuce both
14 indoors and outdoors with a rapid expansion of production due to
15 climate, muck soil and hydroponic opportunities; and
16 Whereas, Michigan ranks #5 in the nation for maple syrup
17 production and produces about 195,000 gallons of syrup per year
18 with an economic impact of $7.0 million annual; and
19 Whereas, Michigan nursery, landscape, and lawn care industries
20 have an economic impact of $4.3 billion; and
21 Whereas, Michigan onion production is approximately thirty-
22 five million pounds which yield a total value of $5.4 million; and
23 Whereas, Michigan produced more than twenty-two million pounds
24 of peaches valued at more than $20 million; and
25 Whereas, Michigan has a total of seventy-nine farms raising
26 quail, with thirty-four farms selling quail; and
27 Whereas, Michigan has over five hundred farms and five hundred
28 acres in raspberry production; and
29 Whereas, Soybeans are Michigan's top export with over ninety-
 4
1 three million bushels produced with a value over $1,548 million;
2 and
3 Whereas, Michigan grows tomatoes for both fresh and processed
4 uses. In 2018, Michigan produced 112,750 tons of tomatoes for
5 process and fifty million pounds for fresh market; and
6 Whereas, Michigan is home to over 1,000 dairy farms who care
7 for over 439,000 cows giving US leading 27,000 pounds of undeniably
8 nutritious milk each year. Michigan is ranked sixth in milk
9 production in the United States; and
10 Whereas, Michigan grows over fifty types of vegetables with
11 3,047 farms harvesting over 165,000 acres; and
12 Whereas, Michigan is home to 600,000 acres of wheat in 75
13 Michigan counties producing over forty-six million bushels
14 annually; and
15 Whereas, Michigan is the leading producer of potatoes for
16 extra crispy potato chip processing and they are the state's second
17 leading produce commodity with over 2.1 billion pounds of potatoes
18 produced annually generating $291 million in sales; and
19 Whereas, Michigan pumpkins, yellow, and various other species
20 of squash generate over $55 million from production of
21 approximately 257 million pounds of pumpkins and squash; and
22 Whereas, Michigan ranks first nationally with 822 farms
23 harvesting over 33,000 acres and 246,000 tons of zesty cucumbers;
24 and
25 Whereas, Michigan’s food and agricultural sector continues to
26 be a growing industry offering new business and career
27 opportunities for Michiganders, making food and agriculture a
28 cornerstone of Michigan’s continued prosperity; now, therefore, be
29 it
 5
1 Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of
2 this legislative body declare March 2024 as Agriculture Month in
3 the state of Michigan. We encourage all citizens to recognize and
4 celebrate this momentous occasion.