Commodity Organizations

MDARD has legal, fiscal and program oversight responsibility for 15 legislatively established commodity boards that have producer check-offs or producer assessments. The Director is a non-voting member of these entities, which are administratively housed within the Department as component units of state government, but they are independent, and their producer funded budgets are not part of the state appropriations process. Oversight responsibility includes:

• Ensuring the Michigan Open Meetings Act and Freedom of Information Act are being followed at the check-off boards.
• Ensuring funds are being used according to industry adopted programs and in compliance with State of Michigan statutory financial and generally accepted accounting standards.
• Reviewing all commodity audits and providing a written review of the audits provided to ensure financial soundness and compliance with generally accepted accounting standards.

PA 232 of 1965, the Michigan Agricultural Commodities Marketing Act, includes the following entities:

• Michigan Apple Committee

• Michigan Asparagus Marketing Advisory Board

• Michigan Blueberry Commission

• Michigan Carrot Commission

• Michigan Cherry Committee

• Michigan Corn Marketing Program Committee

• Michigan Dairy Marketing Program Committee

• Michigan Onion Committee

• Michigan Soybean Committee

• Michigan Tree Fruit Commission

• Michigan Wheat Promotion Committee

The following four commodities have their own stand-alone acts, but operate in the same manner:

• Michigan Potato Industry Commission (PA 29 of 1970)

• Michigan Bean Commission (PA 114 of 1965)

• Michigan Beef Industry Commission (PA 291 of 1972)

• Michigan Propane Commission (PA 332 of 2020)