Three seats on the nine-member Michigan Wheat Program board are up for appointment or re-appointment by Gov. Rick Snyder in spring.

Districts 1, 4 and 9 have board positions that are up this year. District 1 includes Mason, Oceana Newaygo, Mecosta, Gratiot, Montcalm, Muskegon, Ottawa, Kent and Ionia counties.

District 4 is comprised of Wayne, Washtenaw, Eaton, Ingham, Livingston, Oakland and Genesee counties.

District 9 is the milling representative to the board.

To see the map of districts, visit miwheat.org.

Wheat farmers who live in Districts 1 and 4 with an interest in serving on the board, and any interested milling representative, should contact Executive Director Jody Pollok-Newsom at [email protected] or 888-943-2801 for a petition form.

The procedure requires you to get petition signatures from growers in your district and to fill out an online application for the Governor’s Office. All paperwork needs to be completed by mid-March, with appointments being made in the spring.

Pork Checkoff offers college scholarships

College students who are juniors or seniors planning to pursue a career related to swine production are invited to apply for a scholarship sponsored by the Pork Checkoff. Also, those planning to attend veterinary or graduate school, and major in a discipline with an emphasis on swine are encouraged to apply.

“The pork industry is committed to continual improvement in producing safe, wholesome protein. Identifying and developing the next generation of leaders and decision-makers is critical to this continual improvement,” says Chris Hostetler, animal science director for the Pork Checkoff. “A survey of previous scholarship winners revealed that 80% are pursuing advanced degrees in preparation to serve the industry as veterinarians, nutritionists, reproductive biologists and management consultants.”

Go online for an application, which is due Feb. 16.

In addition to the application, each applicant must send two letters of recommendation and an official university transcript to [email protected] or mail to: National Pork Board, Attn: Stephanie Gunn, 1776 N.W. 114th St., Clive, IA 50325.

Specific questions about the Pork Industry Scholarship program should be directed to Chris Hostetler at [email protected] or 515-223-2606.

‘Stand Up for Potatoes’ on Capitol Hill

Michigan potato growers are preparing to take their stories of key issues impacting potato production in Michigan and across the nation to our elected officials in Washington.

Those attending will join other potato growers as a part of the National Potato Council’s Potato D.C. Fly-In: Standing Up for Potatoes on Capitol Hill, Feb. 26 to March 1. Meetings will be at the Capital Hilton, just blocks from the White House.

Mike Wenkel, executive director of the Michigan Potato Industry Commission, says, “It is always an informative and eye-opening experience to interact with the members of the Michigan House and Senate delegation in D.C. We welcome individuals from throughout the potato supply chain to join us, as it really helps us to connect with how an issue for our industry can affect their district — rural or urban.”

Attendees will hear from top political analysts on policies impacting farms and agriculture, meet face-to-face with Michigan’s congressional members and staff, help convey real-life farming practices to influential administration officials and regulators, and gain year-round advocacy tools to shape policy to benefit your business.

If interested, plan to arrive in Washington Feb. 26 as the first activities begin at 3:30 pm. Sessions on the key issues along with some keynote speakers will be on the schedule for Feb. 27. Those from Michigan will be able to participate in office visits to all of Michigan’s 14 House offices and two Senate offices with pre-arranged morning meetings Feb. 28 and March 1.

If you have questions or plan to attend, contact our office at 517-253-7370 to be included in the special Michigan activities that will be taking place.

In other travels, commission members attended Potato Expo 2018, Jan. 10-12, in Orlando, Fla. Members joined more than 2,000 growers, suppliers and experts at the largest conference and trade show for the potato industry held in North America. 

2018-19 soybean scholarships available

The Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee is offering scholarships to students enrolled in Michigan State University’s Crop and Soil Science program. Interested students can apply for the MSPC scholarships through MSU's scholarship and grant department.

MSPC is also offering a statewide scholarship for students attending other colleges, or MSU students with majors other than CSS, as long as they are going into an ag-related field and a family member pays into the soybean checkoff.

View the statewide scholarship application online. The application deadline is Feb. 21.