Traverse City, MI Press Conference with MI Farmers Union and Local Officials

Event speakers included:

• State Rep. Betsy Coffia (HD-103)
• Commissioner TJ Andrews, Grand Traverse County Commission, District 7
• Bob Thompson, President, Michigan Farmers Union & Farmer

Event Recap: At this Traverse City, Michigan live press conference, speakers thanked Senators Stabenow and Peters and President Biden for working to pass and sign into law the Inflation Reduction Act. Specifically, speakers highlighted the historic federal investments in climate smart agriculture and Michigan’s rural communities A recording of the event can be found HERE.

Rep. Coffia opened the event and spoke about the small farmers and producers in her district who are facing challenges from a changing climate and how the IRA’s federal funding is crucial to their long term viability. She emphasized how these investments will help expand access to popular conservation programs and lower costs for farm operations by making clean energy more affordable and accessible through programs like REAP.

Commissioner Andrews spoke next and likewise detailed the challenges to Grand Traverse Counties family farms due to climate change. As she stated, "For thousands of years people up and down Michigan’s west coast have reaped the rewards of these rich productive lands. But our proximity to Lake Michigan also now makes Michigan’s west coast fruit farmers particularly susceptible to climate change." She emphasized that the IRA’s once in a generation climate smart agriculture investments will help Grand Traverse farmers be part of the climate solution. She called on Congress to protect these investments and oppose any attempts to reduce funding.

Bob Thompson followed and detailed how the IRA’s increased funding for USDA’s popular farm bill conservation programs "will help energize rural communities and economies and improve climate resilience." On behalf of the Michigan Farmers Union Bob called on Congress to "not only maintain but to increase the baseline funding for USDA’s conservation programs by the $20 billion in climate smart ag policies that the IRA allocated."

Media: Two (2) media outlets attended the event:

• WPBN-TV-TV (ABC)
• MLive

Media Clips:

• WPBN-TV (NBC) – 9/22 – 5:09 PM
• WPBN-TV (NBC) – 9/22 – 6:07 PM
• WGTQ-TV (ABC) – 9/22 – 6:37 PM
• UpNorthLive: “Northern Michigan lawmakers speak of Inflation Reduction Act’s impact on farmers” – 9/22