Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development Annual Reports
Fruit and Vegetable Controlled Atmosphere Storage Licensing Details, FAQ's, & Forms
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.
Laws and Regulations pertaining to and governing the actions and policies of the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development.
This area contains information for press and media agencies. Press Releases, Pics, Podcasts & Videos
All public meetings, that fall under the Open Meetings Act, scheduled by the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development will be posted here. Questions about any of these meetings should be directed to contact person in the division listed on the notice.
Animal ID and movement requirements in the State of Michigan
Animal health resources for veterinary professionals.
Diseases affecting, or potentially affecting, animals in Michigan
Rules governing the disposal of Bodies of Dead Animals (BODA).
Information about how MDARD's Agriculture Development Division can help you grow your business in Michigan.
Michigan's Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) was created to help protect our environment and wildlife. Michigan is partnering with the federal government to implement conservation practices of great significance to the state, and valuable to the nation, in matters of soil erosion, water quality, and wildlife habitat.
Programs under the Private Forestlands Initiative, including the Forestry Assistance Program, Qualified Forester Registration, and Qualified Forest Program.
Good migrant labor housing is an essential element in securing an adequate supply of seasonal agricultural workers.
The Cottage Food law, enacted in 2010, allows individuals to manufacture and store certain types of foods in an unlicensed home kitchen.
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.
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.
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.
Information on how to acquire a feed license to manufacture or distribute commercial feed in Michigan.
Fertilizer License and Registration Requirements, as well as Liming License Requirements
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is charged with certifying sites where industrial hemp is to be grown under the authority of the federal Agriculture Act of 2014 and the state Industrial Hemp Research Act of 2014.
The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer.
In March of 2020, a Finnish Delegation led by Mika Lintilä, Minister of Economic Affairs of Finland visited Michigan to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Governor Gretchen Whitmer to promote increased cooperation in the research, development, and commercial sectors on clean technologies. This cooperation includes, but is not limited to, initiatives related to the automotive industry; battery technology solutions and energy storage; smart mobility solutions, including the maritime industry and autonomous shipping; and the sustainable forest bioeconomy. After the signing of the MOU, the Finland/Michigan Forest Bioeconomy Working Group was formed. In September of 2021 the collaboration was expanded to also include the State of Maine to focus on 5 areas: advanced wood construction, biorefining, new wood-based products, smart forestry, and policy. The outbound trade and study mission to Finland is being designed to connect businesses, research institutions, and other professional organizations to advance our forest bioeconomy collaboration. The delegation will also include participants from the States of Maine and Washington.
The mission includes a briefing on Sunday evening, May 21, 2023, two separate travel tours May 22-25, 2023, opportunity to participate in a Climate Based Solutions Through Biobased Products Workshop Friday morning, and a wrap-up session the afternoon of May 26, 2023.
There are two separate tours: 1) Wood building products and cross-laminated timber, and 2) Smart Forestry and new wood-based products. The tours will have some common stops. Participation in the workshop will require submission of a one page mini-proposal and virtual pre-mission work. Limited travel funds for the workshop are available. It is not necessary to participate in the delegation visits earlier in the week to participate in the workshop. Travel itinerary and workshop details are below the registration link.
Tour transportation, networking events, and lunches will be provided. Delegates are responsible for other travel costs including airfare, hotel, and other incidentals. Hotels costs are approximately $250 USD/night in Helsinki and $200 USD/night in other cities. Specific hotel information will follow.
As of March 2, 2023, the 25-person registration limit has been met. A waiting list has been established. Once on the waitlist you will be notified if space comes available. Waitlist registration is open until March 15, 2023.
Donna LaCourt, Economic/Community Development Specialist
Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
1-517-614-5518
LaCourtD2@michigan.gov
We seek one-page mini-proposals for workshop ideas focused on the contribution of biobased products to climate change solutions. We encourage the submission of ideas across the value chain, including climate-smart forest management; wood-based biorefining, products, and construction; and end-of-life circular economy strategies. The workshop will bring together researchers and business leaders from Finland and the northern United States in an intensive work session to build collaborations that will result in tangible outcomes such as FIN-USA research proposals or innovation exchanges. All mini-proposals should link to climate-change solutions and advance the circular forest bioeconomy.
Supported by a grant from the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki, travel funds will be made available to select workshop participants to travel from Michigan or Maine to Helsinki. The workshop culminates a Michigan and Maine delegation visit to Finland (May 22-25) focused on the forest bioeconomy.
To facilitate focused and in-depth discussion, we intend to assemble 3-4 thematic subgroups, which will be based on ideas submitted through this call for mini-proposals. The subgroups will meet in virtual sessions prior to the Helsinki workshop to prepare for a productive in-person session. The goal for the in-person workshop is to catalyze collaboration in research or business. After the workshop, each subgroup is expected to submit a one-page summary of their session and next steps.
Mini-proposals should be submitted to Ms. Renee Tilley via email (rtilley@msu.edu) and will be reviewed by the Workshop Organizing Committee, which is chaired by Richard Kobe (Michigan State Univ.) and John Kettle (Natural Resources Institute Finland, Luke), with representatives from the Michigan-Maine-Finland Bioeconomy
Collaboration, Smart-Forestry Workgroup, and Business Finland. Mini-proposal review criteria include: 1) potential impact of the idea to advance the forest bioeconomy and contribute to climate solutions and 2) potential for a substantive collaboration between Finland and Michigan and/or Maine in research and/or business.
| February 28 | Deadline extended, formerly February 15, for submittal of mini-proposals |
| March 15 | Notification to workshop participants and travel awards |
| April and May | Initial sub-group virtual meetings |
| May 22-25 | Michigan and Maine delegation visit to Finland (optional for workshop participants) |
| May 26 | In-Person Workshop in Helsinki, Finland |
| June 30 | One-page summary of workshop session and follow-up activities |
