Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/author/capital-news-service/page/14/)
A pair of bills in the Michigan Senate aim to deter hunters from trespassing on farmland, as well as increasing penalties for poachers who target large-antlered deer by tacking on additional restitution fees.
Last year’s tart cherry loss has inspired a flurry of activity to explore federal crop insurance to protect Michigan growers.
Recently proposed increases to Michigan’s hunting and fishing fees could disproportionately hurts seniors, one legislator said, even for some who haven’t hunted or fished for years.
Michigan has always been a good place to grow potatoes, and the traditional crop is expanding.The latest target may be the Northeastern Lower Peninsula, where suitable soil is available.
As the price of copper rises, thieves turn to farm irrigation systems. Irrigation systems have appealed to thieves for some time, authorities say. They’re often unprotected, in remote areas surrounded by few houses.
As vehicles become more efficient, gas tax rates have remained the same and no longer provide enough money to pay for building and upkeeping roads and bridges. Tracking how much a vehicle drives may be an answer — but only way down the road.
Oswald Bear Ranch in Newberry has allowed the public to interact with bear cubs for 15 years, but Michigan law and animal rights activists would end the practice unless a bill passes to make the activity legal.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office is proposing measures to prevent future oil pipeline spills. They include automated valves, spill modeling software, locating response personnel closer to pipelines and collecting better data on response times.
If fourth-graders in Canton, Mich. get their way, the tart cherry will become Michigan’s state fruit. Students from Gallimore Elementary School write persuasive essays to legislators and the governor every year, asking them to make it happen.
Drug traffickers have been conducting business deep within the lush canopy of Michigan’s forests since at least 2008. After five years of eradication efforts, police say the problem shows no signs of going away.