The great diversity of Southwest Michigan agriculture is difficult to see from the highway. We have peaches, blueberries, vegetables, melons, grapes, and more. We also have farmers of all sizes and cultures: Longtime locals, young farmers coming from the city, and people from other countries like me and 12 other Hispanic blueberry growers in the new regional Farmers on the Move marketing cooperative.
Michigan's great diverse agricultural diversity is also difficult for many in Congress to see and appreciate from where they sit in Washington, D.C. That's why it's so important for us to recognize and thank our U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow for the good work she has done on the 2012 Farm Bill as chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee.
The Senate recently passed its version of the farm bill with strong bipartisan support. The Senate's version includes historic reforms to commodity programs that were backed by Senator Stabenow. And with Senator Stabenow's support, it also retained and enhanced provisions that are essential for Michigan's diverse farm economy and economic future, such as support for rural communities, beginning farmers, and agricultural entrepreneurship.
Such programs for diverse farms and their communities are a very small part of the farm bill. Less than one percent of farm-related funding in the farm bill has gone historically into agricultural diversity, including support for "specialty crops," which is a catch-all term for fruits, vegetables, maple syrup and other products that are so important to Michigan.
At Farmers on the Move we are thankful for that small slice of funding that goes toward helping rural communities and farmers innovate. With help from a USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant, we have developed a brand and a marketing plan that will help our blueberries and other products stand out on grocery shelves. We expect to grow and include many new farmers in the area. We are confident because our market research has confirmed what many already know: consumers are interested in the people and places behind the label and will buy products that help them connect their dollars to outcomes they want, like preservation of farmland they love.
Members of Farmers on the Move are proud to be part of Southwest Michigan's farming community and its future as a vibrant component of the state's economy, a source of healthy food, and the foundation of a beautiful landscape for visitors and residents alike. We are also proud to work alongside our neighbors who, like most of the Hispanic farmers in our cooperative, have farming in their blood and a lifelong connection to the land. We are all small farmers with big dreams who have made our way into business after years of working outside jobs and investing as we can every year in our farming futures.
Senator Stabenow has shown that she understands the dedication and diversity that makes Michigan agriculture great, from our wide array of crops and micro-climates to the full spectrum of people and enterprises involved. We trust that she will continue to represent Michigan's farming economy and rural communities well. We hope that she will hold fast to the gains we've made when the 2012 Farm Bill reaches the final conference committee session when pressure rises to remove small but essential programs that help beginning farmers and rural communities thrive. We also ask Senator Stabenow to advocate for minority and other socially disadvantaged farmers in conference committee.
Pedro Bautista raises blueberries in Van Buren County. He is president of the Farmers on the Move cooperative.
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