Food safety. Public health. These are the partnership pillars between MDARD and the Michigan Association for Local Public Health. 

“I think people might be surprised about the local public health’s role in protecting food safety." - Norm Hess, MSA, Executive Director. 

In this episode of the Fresh From the Field Podcast, discover how MDARD and The Michigan Association for Local Public Health work behind the scenes to keep your food safe and healthy.

World Soil Day is Dec. 5th! To celebrate the importance of soil in our everyday lives, we sat down with well-known soil scientist, Karl Hausler, for an in-depth conversation about the origin of Michigan's State Soil, Kalkaska Sand. Kalkaska Sand was chosen as Michigan's state soil in 1990. It occurs in 29 of Michigan's 83 counties in both the lower and upper peninsulas. 

In this episode, we sit down with Cheryl Collins, Swine Program Manager and Emergency Coordinator for Animal Industry Division at MDARD and Stevie Glaspie, Feed Safety and Fertilizer Field Supervisor, with the Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division. They discuss the role MDARD plays in ensuring animal health and safety. They also share tips on how farmers can maintain good swine health.

In this episode, we sit down with Nancy Barr, Assistant State Veterinarian with MDARD's Animal Industry Division and Emily Sewell, Wildlife Health Specialist, for Northern Lower peninsula with Michigan DNR. They discuss what bovine tuberculosis is and what is currently being done to combat the disease. 

Learn more here: Bovine TB 

Find your nearest TB Testing Dropbox: TB Testing 

Michigan is home to a little over 500,000 acres of wheat in 75 of Michigan’s counties. The economic impact of wheat in Michigan is $180 million. Michigan farmers produce over 35 million bushels of wheat annually. In this episode of, Fresh From the Field, we sit down with Jody Pollok-Newsom, the Executive Director of the Michigan Wheat Program and Todd C. Wright, Vice President of Sales and Grain Purchasing at Knappen Milling Company. They share an inside look into Michigan’s wheat industry.

Learn more about the Michigan Wheat Program here --> https://miwheat.org/

Learn more about Knappen Milling Company here --> https://knappenmilling.com/

Even though it’s not an official holiday, Halloween is much beloved by children and adults alike. Trick-or-treating, games, and costume parties are fun, but parents need to make sure treats are safe for their children. In this episode of, Fresh From the Field, we sit down with Michael Lally, Senior Food Safety Inspector with MDARD to share Halloween food safety tips with parents.

September is Emergency Preparedness Month. To celebrate we sat down with, Brad Deacon, Emergency Management Coordinator with MDARD and Elizebeth Weier, Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator with MDARD to discuss how to prepare for emergencies and keep your family and pets safe during emergencies.

September is National Food Safety Month. To celebrate we sat down with James Padden, Food Program Manager, with the Food & Dairy Division at MDARD to discuss proper food preparation, how MDARD inspectors keep the public safe and best practices for eliminating food borne illness. 

MIFMA was established in 2006 as a statewide association to promote local food consumption in Michigan by connecting more farmers to consumers through farmers markets. In this episode, we sit down with Hailey Lamb, Communications Manager for Michigan Farmers Market Association. We discuss the role farmers play in the local food system, how farmers help the community during times of need and also upcoming events. 

August is National Tree Check Month - time to be on the lookout for invasive, destructive pests threatening Michigan's urban and forest landscapes. In this episode, we sit down with Robin Rosenbaum and Rob Miller from MDARD's Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division to discuss the threats that the Box Wood Moth and Asian Long-horned Beetle pose to Michigan.

During the hot summer months, just like humans, pets and livestock are affected by high temperatures. In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Jennifer Calogero and Dr. Mike Thome to discuss how to protect pets and livestock during the summer months. 

In this episode, we sit down with Slagle's Family Farm owners to discuss their grant from MDARD to expand their kitchen. 

In this episode, we sit down with Susannah lott, Invasive Species Program Specialist, and Mike Bryan, Export and Compliance Program Specialist to talk about the importance of burning firewood where you buy it. 

In this episode, we sit down with Gerald Miller, President of the Michigan Association of Conservation Districts to talk about Conservation day and how MACD and MDARD work together to preserve Michigan's soil and water. 

In this episode, we sit down with Tim Lyons, Feed Safety and Fertilizer Section Manager, to talk about how MDARD keeps animal feed safe. 

In this episode, we sit down with dairy farmer Ashley Messing-Kennedy, owner of Sheridan Dairy in Bad Axe. Ashley will talk about what it’s like to be a dairy farmer and also touch on Michigan’s dairy industry and dairy products.

Ashley is a third-generation dairy farmer from Bad Axe. She lives on the farm she was raised on with her husband Eric and their daughters Calli and Adeline.

June is Dairy Month, and MDARD will be releasing one podcast per week to celebrate the people and companies integral to Michigan’s dairy industry. In this episode, we highlight, Hudsonville Creamery, in Holland, MI. 

This podcast focuses on Hudsonville’s products, the expansion project, and how MDARD, through a grant and through compliance assistance from Food and Dairy Division staff, has assisted the company during the expansion.

Guest features are Shane Gallagher, a dairy inspector for MDARD’s Food and Dairy Division, and Teresa White, a Hudsonville Quality Assurance Manager. 

Learn more about Hudsonville Creamery Here: 

https://www.hudsonvilleicecream.com/

Michigan is known for having the best asparagus in the nation. What makes Michigan's asparagus so good? In this episode, we sit down with Dwight Fuehring to discuss the secret's behind Michigan's amazing asparagus. 

Learn more about Michigan Asparagus and find recipes here: 

https://www.michiganasparagus.org/

June is Dairy Month, and MDARD will be releasing one podcast per week to celebrate the people and companies integral to Michigan’s dairy industry. In this episode, we highlight, MWC and its impact on Michigan dairy farmers, the St. Johns community, and the state.

The podcast features George Chappell, VP of Dairy Operations, for MWC, and Jodi Gruner, Economic/Community Development Specialist for MDARD’s Agriculture Development Division.

In this episode, we sit down with plant experts Jan Meeuwsen, manager at De Bruyn Seed, and Keith Eldred, inspector at MDARD. We discuss the best approaches to keeping your plants strong and healthy.