Agriculture
18 aquatic pathways between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins

Bubbles, electricity, designed to deter invasive carp from Lake Michigan

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INVASIVE CARP: A coalition of organizations is developing an innovative engineering project south of Chicago to block invasive carp from reaching Lake Michigan. The $1.146 billion project, paid for by Michigan, Illinois and the federal government is meant to help prevent catastrophic damage to the $7 billion Great Lakes fishery and prevent untold disruption to the $15 billion boating industry. There’s also concern about grass carp in Lake Erie. We hear from U-M, the Army Corps of Engineers and Ohio DNR. By Vladislava Sukhanovskya. FOR MONROE, ALPENA, ALCONA, ST. IGNACE, MARQUETTE, BAY MILLS, DETROIT, IRON RIVER, CHEBOYGAN, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, MANISTEE, LUDINGTON, HOLLAND, BENZIE COUNTY, CHEBOYGAN, OCEANA COUNTY, TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, PLANET DETROIT, SAULT STE. MARIE AND ALL POINTS.

Agriculture

Pollinator fans take a break from lawn mowing

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NO MOW MAY: Communities around Michigan will suspend enforcement of grass and weed codes in May in an effort to give bees and other pollinators a chance to thrive. Michigan cities promoting “No Mow May” this year include Ann Arbor, Ferndale, Royal Oak, Jackson and East Lansing. We talk to a No Mow May enthusiast in Muskegon Heights, the Rochester Hills-based Wildflower Association of Michigan and the West Michigan Environmental Action Council. By Morgan Womack. FOR DETROIT, LANSING CITY PULSE, FARM NEWS, PLANET DETROIT, WKTV, HOLLAND, LUDINGTON, IONIA, GREENVILLE AND ALL POINTS.

Agriculture

Check out Mason library’s free One Seed, One State program

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Mason’s Capital Area District Library has announced its third annual One Seed One State initiative which provides free seeds for the month while supplies last to encourage growing and saving seeds. 

In collaboration  with the MI Seed Library Network, multiple CADL branches have become Seed Libraries providing seeds brought in by local gardeners to teach the community about growing for a nutritious benefit. 

Agriculture
One winemaker in northern Michigan is concerned about the recent wild swing in temperature affecting the cherry crop this year.

Farmers thankful for cool temperatures after high mid-April temperatures

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CROPS: Recent extreme swings in temperature that had folks breaking out their winter coats again could harm Michigan crops. We talk to the state climatologist, a Grand Traverse County winemaker and an Alpena County strawberry farmer. By Dan Netter. FOR FARM NEWS, TRAVERSE CITY, OCEANA, ALPENA, LUDINGTON, HOLLAND, PLANET DETROIT, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, WKTV, CORP! AND ALL POINTS

Agriculture

More farm tourism brings more workplace hazards

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AGRITOURISM LABOR: With an upcoming shortage of tourism personnel expected this year, the safety and health of some agritourism workers may be at higher risk than usual, a new study cautions. We talk to the researcher, the vice president of Pure Michigan and XXX. By Dan Netter. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS, CORP! TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, PETOSKEY, HOLLAND, CLARE, GLADWIN, CADILLAC, HARBOR SPRINGS, ALPENA, MONROE, CRAWFORD COUNTY, OCEANA, ALCONA, BENZIE, GREENVILLE, GLADWIN, BIG RAPIDS, LUDINGTON, MANISTEE, CRAWFORD COUNTY, MARQUETTE, SAULT STE. MARIE, ST. IGNACE, CHEBOYGAN, BIG RAPIDS AND ALL POINTS.

Agriculture
Kudzu covering an open forest landscape

Watch out! Creepy kudzu coming? 

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KUDZU: Beware! Kudzu – that fast-growing invasive vine we associate with smothering abandoned buildings and suffocating forests in the South – is moving into the Great Lakes region thanks to climate change. It’s been found in several places in Michigan as far north as Benzie County and has been reported in Cass, Berrien, Allegan and Clare counties. We talk to a DNR invasive species expert, a study co-author and a Southwestern Michigan “strike team coordinator.” By Eric Freedman. FOR BENZIE COUNTY, CLARE, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, HOLLAND, MANISTEE, LUDINGTON, OCEANA, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS AND ALL POINTS.

Agriculture
Volunteers from Friends of the St. Clair River, based in St. Clair, organize seeds for a native plants project.

Native plant projects help pollinators across state

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WILDFLOWERS: The Wildflower Association of Michigan has awarded almost $15,000 for local projects promoting the use of more native plants. Recipients include Friends of the St. Clair River in St. Clair, Little Traverse Conservancy based in Harbor Springs and nonprofit groups and local agencies in the Upper Peninsula, Metro Detroit and Montcalm, Kalamazoo and Ottawa counties. Reference to Michigan Wildflower Farm in Portage. By Morgan Womack. FOR IRON MOUNTAIN, MARQUETTE, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, CHEBOYGAN, WKTV, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, HOLLAND, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS, SAULT STE. MARIE, ST. IGNACE, PLANET DETROIT AND ALL POINTS.

Agriculture
High school students install a monitoring station on the Pine River.

High schoolers help scientists study stream pollution

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MiWaterNet: A stream monitoring program developed at Lake Superior State University is providing scientists with real-time water quality data from small streams in a number of locations in Northern Michigan. The program is also training schoolchildren how to become citizen-scientists in such districts as Les Cheneaux Community Schools, Brimley Area Schools and Pickford Public Schools. By Nicoline Bradford. FOR SAULT STE. MARIE, ST. IGNACE, CHEBOYGAN, BAY MILLS, IRON MOUNTAIN AND ALL POINTS.

Agriculture
The avian flu has not harmed Michigan’s commercial turkey farms to date.

Turkey farms spared so far from avian flu

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TURKEYS: While avian flu hit Michigan’s chicken farms heavily, contributing to higher egg and chicken prices, the state’s commercial turkey farms have largely been spared so far. Only one turkey farm, in Muskegon County, has been hit. Turkey farmers have ramped up biosecurity measures but worry about the impending spring bird migration to the state. We talk to the Michigan Allied Poultry Industries, DNR and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. By Dan Netter. FOR HOLLAND, OCEANA, WKTV, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS AND ALL POINTS.