Learn about MDARD's four bureaus, including contact information, by clicking the above link, or view specific information below.
Find a schedule of MDARD's public meetings online, or locate regularly published reports below.
Official press releases, articles, media contact information, email subscription options, social media accounts: everything you need to stay informed, all in one spot.
The Michigan Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development recommends and determines policy on food, agricultural, and rural development issues. MDARD oversees several additional boards and commissions.
Want to know how to contact the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development? On this page you will find phone numbers, email addresses, snail mail addresses, and online contact forms for everything we do here at MDARD. We even have a complaint form for those of you with complaints.
Live, work and play in Michigan's robust and diverse food and agriculture industry.
Laws and Regulations pertaining to and governing the actions and policies of the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development.
Animal ID and movement requirements in the State of Michigan
Animal health resources for veterinary professionals.
Information on how to acquire a feed license to manufacture or distribute commercial feed in Michigan.
Rules governing the disposal of Bodies of Dead Animals (BODA).
Materials developed to provide information on how an individual may become a qualified Animal Control Officer.
Find funding for your organization.
Information about how MDARD's Agriculture Development Division can help you grow your business in Michigan.
Regenerative agricultural practices improve soil health and water quality
MDARD works with local providers of natural resource management services that help citizens implement conservation on their land and protect the environment for a cleaner, healthier, and economically stronger Michigan.
Farmland Preservation
Programs under the Private Forestlands Initiative, including the Forestry Assistance Program, Qualified Forester Registration, and Qualified Forest Program.
MAEAP helps farms of all sizes and all commodities voluntarily prevent or minimize agricultural pollution risks. We are here to help and recognize farmers who reduce erosion and runoff from private land into public waters.
The food industry is responsible for producing safe food. Government sets standards, conducts inspections, and monitors food. Consumers also play a huge role in keeping their food safe and wholesome. Learn more.
Find a licensed firm in Michigan, from pesticide businesses to retail establishments, and more.
For the registration of horses, breeders and owners so as to render them eligible for racing and breeder/owner awards.
Good migrant labor housing is an essential element in securing an adequate supply of seasonal agricultural workers.
Retail Motor Fuel Outlet licensing information, applications and forms.
Information on Weights & Measures service person and agency registration, as well as weights and measures advisories.
For help with the sale, use, and disposal of pesticides, including labels and integrated pest management.
The plant health program protects agricultural and environmental resources through the early detection and management of invasive species and the inspection of plants and plant products for pests and diseases, while facilitating international and domestic commerce.
Each new, existing, and proposed commercial pesticide or fertilizer bulk storage facility is required to register annually with the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Fertilizer License and Registration Requirements, as well as Liming License Requirements
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The Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD) number one priority is assuring the food grown, transported and processed in the state is safe and wholesome.
Selling raw milk or raw milk products is illegal in Michigan. The exception is raw milk cheeses produced in a licensed and inspected facility and properly aged.
Raw milk is milk that hasn’t been pasteurized, which means it can contain harmful bacteria that can make people sick. These bacteria—like E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria—can cause severe illnesses, including diarrhea, vomiting, kidney failure, and even death.
Milk, as an animal product, is fundamentally different from other agricultural commodities sold off the farm such as fruits and vegetables.
Raw milk has not been pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria, presenting a health risk to consumers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warn about the risks associated with consuming unpasteurized milk products. Raw milk can carry dangerous pathogens, such as Brucella, Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, E. coli, Listeria, Mycobacterium, and Salmonella, which pose serious health risks and can cause illnesses like diarrhea, stomach cramping, and vomiting, resulting in kidney failure, stroke, other serious health conditions, and/or death. With few exceptions, such as manufacturing of raw milk cheese aged according to regulatory requirements, production and sale of raw milk and raw milk products is a violation of Michigan’s Manufacturing Milk Law, Public Act 267 of 2001, and the Michigan Food Law, Public Act 92 of 2000, as amended.
In 1948, Michigan was the first state to require that all milk sold to consumers be pasteurized. Pasteurization is simply the process of heating milk for a defined period of time to a specific temperature, effectively killing most or all of the harmful pathogens present in raw milk. Because of this practice, the spread of diseases such as diphtheria, streptococcal infections, typhoid fever, brucellosis, tuberculosis, listeriosis, and campylobacteriosis through the milk supply has been virtually eliminated. The Michigan Legislature reaffirmed this important food safety principle in 2001 when it continued the prohibition on the sale of unpasteurized (raw) milk to consumers through a rewrite and update of the state's dairy laws. FDA banned the interstate shipment of unpasteurized (raw) milk to consumers in 1987, garnering the United States worldwide recognition as having the gold standard for milk safety and reducing the annual number of raw milk-related illness outbreaks by about half.
MDARD works diligently to help farmers add value to their products and establish small, on-farm pasteurization plants for safely bottling milk and making cheese and/or selling directly to the public. Michigan's dairy laws do not prohibit dairy farmers from selling milk directly to consumers if the farms meet pasteurization requirements. MDARD encourages small, on-farm pasteurization plants and direct sales to consumers are allowed when products are safe and wholesome.
Michigan consumers deserve the public health benefits provided by safe, wholesome, pasteurized dairy products. The state's pasteurization requirements have successfully protected our consumers for more than 50 years and the Michigan Department of Agriculture strongly advocates all consumers drink only safely pasteurized milk.
For more information about raw milk and milk pasteurization, please visit the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition online call the toll-free hotline at 1- 888-INFO-FDA.