Michigan potato producers will have the opportunity to vote on a proposed amendment to the Michigan Potato Industry Commission. The referendum, announced by Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD) Director Tim Boring, will take place from February 3-14, 2025.
The proposed amendment includes an increase in the assessment cap from five and a half cents to nine and a half cents per hundredweight on potatoes grown in the state. This request, submitted through petitions by potato producers in October 2024, applies only to growers with 20 or more acres of potato production.
MDARD will mail ballots to eligible potato producers starting on January 28, 2025. Producers are eligible to vote if all assessments were fully paid by July 15, 2024, which was the due date for the final quarterly report for the 2023 crop. Each producer is entitled to one vote, which represents a single firm, individual proprietorship, corporation, company, association, partnership, or family ownership.
Ballots must be filled out completely, signed, and postmarked by February 14, 2025. Completed ballots should be sent to MDARD at the following address:
MDARD, Executive Office
P.O. Box 30017
Lansing, MI 48909
The Michigan Potato Industry Commission was established to promote the state's potato industry through research, promotion, advertising, and market development.
Producers who have questions or did not receive a ballot should contact MDARD toll-free at 800-292-3939.
For more information:
Kelly Turner
Michigan Potato Industry
Tel: +1 517 2537 370
Email: kelly@mipotato.com
www.michigan.gov