Echo

Ag industry hopes to grow high-tech workers

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Michigan agriculture is struggling to find qualified workers to fill positions at all levels, and one challenge is informing potential employees that modern agriculture is a high-tech industry in need of people with the right skills, according to the Michigan Agri-Business Association.

At an egg factory, a robot counts how many eggs each chicken has laid. A computer detects the purity of each egg, and checks for cracks.At a dairy farm, a computer calculates how much milk cows can produce each day by recognizing unique IDs on their tags.

And association President Jim Byrum said, “Agriculture is being revolutionized by cutting-edge technology and scientific advancements.”

Echo

A dozen Michigan organizations receive specialty crop grants

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This October in Michigan the federal government awarded grants to a dozen food and agriculture organizations for projects that include improving fruit production, promoting cleaner soil and studying crop pollination. The $1.3 million is divided among 12 recipients, including the Michigan Vegetable Council in Erie, Michigan Farm Bureau in Lansing, Lakeshore Environmental Inc. in Grand Haven and Michigan State University in East Lansing.

These organizations and their projects were selected by the state Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to receive the federal grants.

Recreation

Hunting for a hunting spot? There’s an app for that

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Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources upgraded its Mi-HUNT computer app for the 2012 fall deer hunting season. Users will be able to view 7 million acres of public hunting lands and print hunting maps.

The other improvements include detailed information and printable maps of Hunting Access Program lands and state game and wildlife areas, and capacity to load that information directly into the user’s personal GPS.

Echo

State bird capital is dead duck

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Iosco County would become tMichigan’s birding capital under a legislative proposal that’s a dead duck — at least for this year.

The bill stems from work that an Oscoda woman did with the sponsor, Sen. John Moolenaar, R-Midland, to make Iosco County a destination for bird watching tourism.

Echo

Wildlife refuges bask in national celebration

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Federal wildlife refuges across Michigan are celebrating the outdoors during National Wildlife Refuge Week.
The National Wildlife Refuge System maintains about 150 million acres in 558 refuges across the country. There are three main ones in Michigan.

Echo

FEMA floodplain maps called into question

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After the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released floodplain maps, effective April 17, homeowners started receiving letters from their lenders giving them 45 days to buy additional insurance because they were in a flood zone.

Floodplain maps for counties statewide were determined by FEMA, but officials in Gladwin and Crawford counties were concerned about the accuracy and impact of the maps.

Echo

Local officials: Late tax payments on state land hurt

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The size and timelines of state payments to local governments is under fire as many counties, advocacy organizations and legislators are calling for more accountability in Lansing.

At issue are state payments in lieu of taxes (PILT) to local governments, including school districts, instead of property taxes on land administered by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Late and reduced payments are harming local governments and communities that feel the state already holds an advantage through the PILT system, critics say.