PETOSKEY, MI -- Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) paid a visit to Petoskey Friday to highlight the importance of agriculture.

The Senator toured American Spoon, a 30-year-old business that partners with farmers and producers in the area to make preserves.

Chairwoman Stabenow discussed the importance of Michigan’s fruit and vegetable sector at American Spoon in Petoskey, noting that Michigan has the greatest crop diversity in the country, behind California. She also discussed the importance of food processing in terms of jobs, noting that statewide, food processing accounts for more than 40,000 jobs, and contributes nearly $15 billion to the Michigan economy. She said that businesses like American Spoon are investing back into Michigan’s economy by processing locally grown foods and creating jobs in the state.

Stabenow is the Chairwoman of the US Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forest Committee and says one out of four Michigan jobs is directly related to the fields.

"The future of Agriculture is very bright. Even as tough for us with the economy, Michigan agriculture has continued to grow, part of that is because of great leadership in the production of Agriculture but we also continue to invest in research," said Sen. Stabenow.

"So many jobs come from Agriculture and food processing, and there's such opportunity there because there's so many opportunities to educate Michigan consumers about what grows here," said Justin Rashid, President of American Spoon.

Stabenow says part of the visit is to take ideas to make the 2012 Farm Bill strong for the state.

She also stopped at the Horticulture Research Center in Traverse City to discuss the protection of the Great Lakes and environment.

“We are extremely pleased to host Chairwoman Stabenow at today’s roundtable,” said Dr. Nikki Rothwell, Coordinator, Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Station and District Extension Horticulture Educator. “As specialty crop producers, we are very interested in conservation efforts and are excited about the potential opportunities in the next Farm Bill.” 

Chairwoman Stabenow discussed the recently announced effort by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help protect and preserve the Saginaw Bay and the Western Lake Erie Basin, saying the effort “represents a major step forward in ensuring that we maintain the integrity of our outdoors and wildlife communities.”

The roundtable discussion builds on the discussions held on Tuesday at the East Lansing field hearing, where Chairwoman Stabenow met with farmers, ranchers, foresters, academics and community leaders from across Michigan to discuss how a new streamlined approach to the Farm Bill can benefit Michigan’s economy. The fifteen witnesses, from all corners of the state representing nearly every area of the agriculture industry, offered insights into how the policies could be strengthened to better serve the people.

Additional information regarding Tuesday’s field hearing, as well as the recently announced effort by U.S. Department of Agriculture to protect the Great Lakes, can be found on Senator Stabenow’s website at http://stabenow.senate.gov.