--This article originally appeared on February 12, 2009
In the interest of wiping carbon footprints from the dirt, and to support the local economy, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation have formed the "A team" to support the efforts of agricultural entrepreneurs.
Excerpt:
It was the sign that caught Don Koivisto's eye as he started to drive back to Lansing from the Chelsea headquarters of Jiffy Mixes. There, in front of the New Chelsea Market on South Main Street, a sign boasted more than 300 Michigan products. Koivisto stopped the car, went inside and saw a cornucopia of homemade "Michigan made" labels on sauces, wines, even eggs on display.
Two of the three legs of Michigan's economic tripod are tottering. The domestic auto industry is in freefall, while the tourism sector has been pummeled by high fuel prices and the deterrent impact of fiscal hard times on business and pleasure travel. But agriculture, the third leg and a $64 billion-a-year powerhouse, holds steady, insists Koivisto, the state Agriculture Department director since September 2007.
Read the full story here.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.