By KEVIN WALKER
Michigan Correspondent

LANSING, Mich. — Democrat candidate for governor Virg Bernero will not rule out further cuts to the Michigan Dept. of Agriculture (MDA) if he is elected in November; that’s according to an AgriPac questionnaire Bernero turned in last month.

AgriPac is the Michigan Farm Bureau’s (MFB) political action committee (PAC). The MFB will endorse either Bernero or Republican candidate Rick Snyder in September, after the candidates have met with the PAC and answered questions. So far, only Bernero has filled out the AgriPac questionnaire.

Bernero was asked several questions relating to agriculture. One was whether he supported zero funding cuts to the MDA.

“In these tough times no state department can be held completely harmless from budget cuts, including MDA,” Bernero wrote. “We are all in this together and the only way we can get through this crisis is through shared sacrifice.

“I do support maintaining MDA as a stand-alone department. Michigan’s agricultural sector is critical to the success of our economy and it deserves a full-strength department to ensure that state government is a full partner in the development of Michigan’s agricultural economy.”

In response to other agriculture-related questions, Bernero wrote he supports annual reviews of Michigan’s Right-to-Farm law “to help embrace technology and processes that will make Michigan farmers more competitive.”

He said he supports a mix of voluntary and mandatory environmental programs and standards. He said accountability for “bad operators” who abuse the system is absolutely necessary.

When asked if he would support enshrining the Michigan Agricultural Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) into state statute, Bernero said it’s a voluntary program “that should remain an option” for farmers to demonstrate they are good stewards of the environment. On the issue of farm animal care, he said he doesn’t support any legislation.

“The market, the industry and farmers themselves need to continue to work together to determine the future of animal care,” he said.

On the roles of the state and private landowners in the management of wildlife, Bernero said the state must continue to pursue science-based policies and practices. At the same time, “we must ensure that private landowners have the ability to address issues including crop damage and livestock predation.”

In a related development, the Rasmussen Reports polling firm released its latest survey on the race for governor in Michigan. The survey, conducted Aug. 4, is the first one done after the primaries. Snyder holds a 12 percentage-point lead over Bernero, according to the report. Snyder has 49 percent of the vote, while Bernero has 37 percent support.

Three percent favor some other candidate in the race and 11 percent are undecided. In a survey conducted in June, Snyder had an 8 percentage-point lead over Bernero, with Snyder at 42 percent and Bernero at 30.

Bernero was revealed to have higher unfavorable numbers than Snyder at this point in the race; 21 percent of voters have a very favorable opinion of Snyder, while 4 percent view him very unfavorably. Bernero is viewed very favorably by 21 percent and very unfavorably by 19 percent.

According to the firm, the number of people with a strong opinion is more significant than the total favorable/unfavorable numbers. Five hundred likely voters were surveyed.