MDA Director Don Koivisto

This fall I started my tenure as the Director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) and one of my most rewarding experiences thus far is the number of young people expressing an interest in an agricultural career. I believe your readers have an interest in Michigan agriculture and I will be providing regular columns on various topics and aspects impacting the state’s second largest industry.

MDA’s number one priority is to protect the continued viability of our food chain and ensure consumers are receiving safe and wholesome food and dairy products. In addition to maintaining Michigan’s food safety, MDA is also confronted with many other serious challenges including our battle to eradicate bovine tuberculosis (TB). We have also had a new case of Emerald Ash Borer in the U.P. which could pose new challenges.

But with these challenges also come great opportunities. Michigan is making great strides in several growing economic sectors such as renewable fuels, ag-tourism, entrepreneurial innovation, domestic and international trade, and the latest methods to reduce the impact on our environment. Yes, Michigan agriculture is here to stay and is well-poised to help diversify the state’s economy.

The impact of Michigan agriculture on our state’s economy is $60.1 billion annually and growing. Production agriculture, food processing and related businesses employ more than one million Michigan residents, and we rank 5th and 8th nationally in exports of fruits and vegetables, respectively. Michigan produces more than 200 commodities on a commercial basis, making the state second only to California in agricultural diversity. These statistics illustrate the importance of agriculture in Michigan.

I hope you will find these columns of interest to you and your readers. Please look for these columns each month as I strive to keep you informed of Michigan’s dynamic agriculture industry. Each article will be archived on the MDA Web site at www.michigan.gov/mda.

Attached is my first column, and companion Frequently Asked Questions document, discussing one of Michigan agriculture’s greatest challenges – the control and eradication of bovine TB.

Sincerely,

Don Koivisto