Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/author/guest-contributor/page/5/)
Michigan is the second-most agriculturally diverse state, with farmers growing a wide variety of produce and specialty crops, such as cherries, asparagus and blueberries.
One bonus of buying locally grown produce is that the community’s economy benefits.
Michigan farmers, looking to expand crop insurance and research funding, are pushing to see their needs recognized as the federal Farm Bill moves along on the congressional agenda.
“This would not be the first time that a Farm Bill was extended. It’s happened several times, but we need leadership to sit down to get the job done,” he said.
While cornfields are abundant throughout the state, Michigan produces many more crops than just corn.
Specialty crops, which are fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, flowers and other horticulture crops, are abundant in the Great Lake state.
An initiative to improve water quality throughout Ohio and Lake Erie is gaining ground — about a hundred acres to be exact.
Wetlands have the potential to restore the water quality of the Great Lakes, though Navarro says that may take decades of dedicated wetland restoration.
As automakers are beginning to make the switch to electric vehicles, the number of EV charging stations throughout the state is increasing, including at state parks.
At the beginning of the year, five state parks and a fish hatchery had EV charging sites installed.
Public transportation is suffering from a lack of drivers in communities across Michigan.
Clark Harder, the executive director of the Michigan Public Transit Association, said it’s a statewide problem.
As cities continue to expand, the amount of unused rooftop space grows too.
Steven Peck, the founder and president of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, said that flat roofs are wasted spaces. The organization is an association of the green roof and wall industry.
Michigan is set to receive $20.4 million from a federal grant to improve passenger and freight railroads around the state, including a bridge project in Wexford County.
The Manistee River Train Bridge replacement project is expected to begin in 2025 and be completed in 2027, according to MDOT.
The recent expansion of China-owned land in the U.S. is raising concerns about the food supply chain and affordable land in Michigan.
In the Midwest, Chinese entities own around 44,000 acres, which is about an eighth of such entity property holdings in the United States, according to the USDA.
The world of collegiate sports is ever-growing as new sports come into the spotlight, but one is emerging that might be a surprise – bass fishing.
“We just have all kinds of sports that are maybe off the beaten path, but have a strong following,” he said.