By KEVIN WALKER
Michigan Correspondent
 
LANSING, Mich. — State legislators are pushing back against attempts on the part of the executive branch to combine the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) with other state departments.

Lt. Gov. John Cherry was quoted in a Michigan newspaper early last month suggesting that the MDA might be merged with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in order to make government more efficient.

“I don’t want to be held to an exact date, but I’m kind of seeing that this fall there will be an executive order out that will combine the three departments,” Cherry told the Marquette Mining Journal Sept. 3. “There’ll be somebody named to oversee the implementation of that … Probably, first out of the box, I would suspect, we’re kind of looking at dealing with the Department of Natural Resources, DEQ, maybe the Department of Ag.

“If you begin to look what’s underneath those agencies, the activities are all very similar. And what those programs do, they protect and enhance our interaction with our natural environment for the purposes of living and working here in Michigan.

“You find so much interaction there, to have an artificial distinction there between agriculture, environmental protection and natural resource management is pretty artificial. None of those things can be done very easily without some sort of collaboration within those three agencies. So you’re better off making sure that they’re all focused on the same mission. It shouldn’t be three contradictory missions, it should be one mission and bringing all that expertise to bear to advance that mission,” he said.

“We’ve got 18 departments now, each department has got its own budgeting process, its own public information process, its own lobbyist, and if you begin to consolidate departments, there is some of that (which) is duplicative and we can begin to pare back some things. I’m not saying that to suggest this is an answer to the budget process, but it does get us a little bit more focused and more aligned with what people expect us to do and in doing so, we can probably become a little leaner and a little more flexible.

“It’s just a recognition that the world has changed. For Michigan our economy has changed dramatically. Michigan going forward is going to be different than Michigan in the past,” he concluded.
In an attempt to push back against such a move, state Sen.
Cameron Brown (R-Sturgis) introduced a resolution that reaffirms the importance of the MDA as a separate state department. It passed the Senate by a wide margin. A concurrent resolution was sent to the House for its consideration.

Meanwhile, 64 members of the House sent a letter to Gov. Jennifer Granholm urging her not to combine the MDA with any other departments. State representatives Mike Simpson (D-Jackson) and Sharon Tyler (R-Niles), chair and vice chair of the House agriculture committee respectively, signed this letter along with their colleagues:

“We are writing today to express our opposition to any proposed executive order that would combine the Michigan Department of Agriculture with the departments of Natural Resources and Environmental Quality. This move would cripple an industry that contributes more than $71 billion annually to our state’s struggling economy,” the letter, dated Sept. 22, states.

The letter goes on to say that the MDA receives only 1/2 percent of general fund spending each year for its operations and that it is efficiently managed. The last sentence of the letter states: “The MDA demonstrates a model other departments should strive toward, not just as an efficient regulatory agency, but as a partner committed to the growth and development of an industry creating jobs for Michigan residents.”

On Sept. 16, Michigan Farm Bureau President Wayne Wood sent a letter to Cherry reacting to his comments in the newspaper. Cherry has been heading a task force whose mission is to help streamline state government. He’s also running for governor next year.

“Agriculture is a vibrant, diverse economic driver that will advance a new Michigan,” Wood stated. “We believe the current structure and focus of MDA is a major reason why agricultural output, food manufacturing and ethanol production is a $71 billion and growing business with over one million jobs in Michigan. Beyond a regulatory role, MDA is a facilitator and promoter of agriculture.”

He added that state decision makers need to focus on the big picture, with reforms in corrections, human services and education; these areas take up 85 percent of general fund spending, Wood said.

The state legislature is working on the budget for the next fiscal year, with the state operating under a continuing, temporary budget.