Any time a cabinet member comes to town, it is a big deal.
So, when U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins showed up at Michigan State University in East Lansing for a kaffeeklatsch with Rep. Tom Barrett and a chorus of Michigan farmers, I took notice. MSU is a top 10 agricultural and forestry institution in the world — Ground Zero for farming innovation.
Michigan farming plays in the big leagues, producing over 300 commodities, leading with tart cherries, asparagus, pickling cucumbers, black beans and cranberry beans, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Only California produces more different kinds of crops. So, it makes sense that Michigan’s agriculture economy accounts for 12% to 20% of the state’s economic impact…