Two public hearings were held on the proposed Michigan Tree Fruit Commission on Nov. 25-26, 2013. The first meeting was held in Comstock Park, Mich., and the second finished up yesterday, Nov. 26, in Traverse City, Mich., at the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Center. The Michigan Tree Fruit Commission is a proposed new method of assessing tree fruits a small amount of money to support Michigan’s research and extension services. Dollars generated from fresh and processed cherries, apples, plums and peaches will be pooled to provide resources to Michigan’s fruit research stations, Michigan State University Extension field agents and campus specialists involved with tree fruit research and education. The intention of the Commission is to acquire matching funds from Michigan legislature to increase the overall pool of dollars to support these ongoing efforts.
The Michigan tree fruit industry has created this Commission in response to a decline in resources. In the past 10 years, Michigan’s fruit research stations have experienced a 50 percent loss of operating budgets. The Michigan Tree Fruit Commission is an innovative way to support ongoing research and Extension efforts to address inadequate funding that threatens to further regress research station infrastructure.
Michigan is unlike any other fruit growing state, hence growers have relied on information produced by personnel in key MSU fruit positions. A similar but larger assessment program has been established in Washington, and as a result, the Washington apple, cherry and pear programs will become increasingly more competitive in the coming years. The Michigan Tree Fruit Commission will help insure that Michigan growers will also be globally competitive into the future.
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