MSU Extension Farm Management

• 382 participants in farm policy programming
• 265,558 readers accessing team-written articles on farm policy

Priority Areas

MSU Extension works to improve farm personnel’s wellbeing and income, expand agriculture-related businesses and increase employment opportunities, leading to agriculture being one of the strongest industries within the state. Michigan agricultural businesses compete for market share and profits both domestically and in the world economy. Major challenges include highly volatile prices, an aging population of active farmers, changing tax law, weather-related disasters, credit availability and maintaining positive net margins. Uncertainty in the market continues to affect demand volatility, credit availability and market access. There is a fundamental need to understand how farm policy can impact or assist the survivability of agricultural businesses.

Impacts

Michigan State University (MSU) Extension worked with farmers to understand the ever-changing federal and state programs and policies. Programming efforts included topics on Michigan’s Earned Sick Time Act, the Corporate Transparency Act, Farm Bill Commodity Program decisions, and various crop and livestock insurance programs. In addition to these topics, educational publications also encouraged producers to consider the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops Program, which offered critical financial support to a broad swath of Michigan producers.

• 586 downloads of MSU Extension bulletins on insurance topics
• 470 views of recordings from program sessions
• 315 downloads of the Farm Bill Analyzer Tool

Supporting Farmers Through Implementing the New Michigan Earned Sick Time Act

Michigan’s new Earned Sick Time Act significantly increases the requirements for employers in Michigan to provide sick leave to their employees. The provisions of this law are quite complicated and not well understood by Michigan farmers. To better prepare farmers to comply with the law, several resources were created to provide critical information.

A webinar, “Michigan’s Earned Sick Time Act: What Farmers Need to Know,” provided insight for farmers into their responsibilities and strategies for implementation. A presentation on the provisions of the law was combined with a discussion including a national expert to discuss how other states have successfully handled such a law. Over 100 people registered for the webinar and most attended or requested the video recording.

A presentation at the MSU Dairy Advisory Committee meeting helped prepare industry professionals to assist farmers in preparing for this law. An MSU Extension news article on how the provisions of the law would affect farmers was shared widely, including Morning Ag Clips, Farmers Advance and the Michigan Department of Labor newsletter.

Importantly, we offer multiple informational resources and points of contact support for upcoming new legal requirements. This provides farmers with many opportunities to learn how they might implement these requirements in their own business.

Successful Cross-Organizational Collaboration on Corporate Transparency Act Assists Business Owners

The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) is a law that has been relevant to many business owners. It is an anti-money laundering law that required reporting of business owners’ information. Implementation initially started during the 2024 calendar year but was paused in early 2025. The intent of the Act is to make
it more difficult for bad actors to illegally hide assets. Reporting was originally required for many types of farm businesses, and there was potential for civil and criminal penalties for noncompliance. However, there has been a lot of back-and forth with both courts and the current administration regarding the Act. Currently, all entities created in the United States, and their beneficial owners, are exempt from the requirement to report ownership information to FinCEN under the interim final rule released March 21, 2025. This means there are no penalties for not reporting at this time.

MSU Extension has been working across departments to help spread updated news on this rapidly changing subject to farmers. The MSU Product Center and Extension educators worked together to put on a webinar that had a high attendance of 152 Michiganders from a wide variety of backgrounds, with 291 views of the recording.

The collaboration was critical to getting accurate information and spreading the word widely. Our efforts were bolstered by working with the State Bar of Michigan committee, who helped provide up-to-date information. Outreach was amplified by partners such as Michigan Farm Bureau, who shared our articles through their networks in addition to their own. With the help of these institutional networks, we have been able to provide timely, up-to-date guidance for business owners.

"Excellent webinar! Thank you so much for providing this information!" Earned Sick TIme Act: What Farmers Need to Know webinar participant

Farm Policy and Risk Management Series Helps Producers Navigate and Manage Risk

Michigan farmers need to manage many risks. Production risk brought on by weather, price risk from volatile markets, and even input cost risk can be challenging to manage. The Farm Policy and Risk Management Series was launched to aid producers in understanding risk protection programs. The educational webinars focused on U.S. Department of Agriculture insurance programs related to specific Michigan production areas. Sessions reviewed the basics of insurance and how producers can utilize programs to maximize benefits. This included understanding the different policies, their advantages and the ways each provides protection. Michigan farmers can better manage potential risks by understanding which options best fit their specific challenges, needs and production area.

The series also offered sessions to help producers explore their options for 2024 Farm Bill commodity programs. Speakers reviewed how Farm Bill programs interact with crop insurance policies. The session provided examples of program and insurance interactions using the MSU Extension Farm Bill Analyzer. The analyzer helps showcase which programs may produce the most benefits when managing an individual producer’s risk concerns.

Sessions featured guest speakers and panelists from within the insurance industry, including GreenStone Farm Credit Services, Growers Crop Insurance Agency, LLC, Eagle Valley Ag Risk Advisors, LLC, and several MSU experts.

• 100% of respondents indicated increased knowledge of insurance policy options.
• 92% of respondents indicated increased knowledge of Farm Bill commodity programs.
• 100% of respondents indicated the Farm Bill educational program aided in making their program sign-up decisions. 

"The insurance session I attended was very informative, thank you for putting this on!" Farm Policy & Risk Management Series participant