Page 83 - strategicfactbook
P. 83
Labor Project Team
Final Report: June, 2020
Collegiate Farm Bureau and MSU Ag Tech program.
c. MSU/Community College partnerships offering Institute for Ag Tech curriculum in 12 locations across the state. Bay College in Escanaba is first collaborator in the UP.
4. Complete targeted fly-ins to DC with members.
a. NCAE annual meeting/Washington Fly-in with MFB and GLALS members with congressional visits. b. AFBF IAC, MACMA and GLALS members
5 Explore options for farmworker housing construction through partnerships with universities and technical training to address design, materials, cost, and zoning to meet requirements.
a. Organized tour of Peterson Farms employee housing project and asked MDARD to create Housing Task Force
b. Organized forum on housing at 2019 Great Lakes Expo with dedicated session featuring Washington State Office of Rural and Farmworker Housing and Peterson Farms speakers, along with update from MDARD Housing Task Force and prevue of survey.
c. Promoted attendance and participation in six MDARD Housing Task Force town hall meetings, February/ March 2020. (Suspended due to the virus).
d. Addressed local zoning issues related to ag worker housing construction and use.
e. Explored interest and opportunities for construction of centralized farmworker housing projects similar to Washington State.
Trend: State: Worker housing availability will continue to be a challenge. Domestic recruitment will decline.
6. Provided comments on Michigan’s Wagner Peyser State Plan to assure proper reporting of state recruitment activities and request the state review the effectiveness of the current system to assure employment opportunities are filled with qualified workers
7. Urge Michigan Works to apply for funding and programming for a state pilot project that would modernize labor recruitment for ag employment.
Trend: State: Domestic recruitment for ag jobs continues to decline and is hampered by mandatory use of an obsolete system that prevents ag employers from utilizing the web based employment system available to all other Michigan employers.
