The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has given up trying to eradicate Snakehead fish from the Potomac River and its tributaries, and will instead try to manage their population. The good news is that so far they have not been the ecological disaster that was predicted and has not displaced bass and other fish in the area. Unfortunately, however, the Chinese mitten crab has been found in the Chesapeake Bay.

Maryland resolutions passed in 2006 call for the retention of school recess and for school employees that have contact with children to have background checks for child and sexual abuse. Maryland State Grange is calling for the state to reform health care laws to eliminate mandates for unneeded and unwanted coverage in order to make them more affordable.

The Maryland Grange also supports improvements and the expansion of MALPF, the state farmland preservation program, including installment payment options and critical farms programs and urges that the funding for programs such as these be made immune from being taken into the General Fund to balance the budget in times of deficit.

Finally, Maryland State Grange is calling for a return to the optical scan voting machines that leave a paper trail, can be recounted and quickly tabulated, and are less prone to fraud. We support a requirement that ID be shown when voting and oppose early voting. If early voting is used it must have at least the same strict guidelines as absentee voting.

Riga Michigan will soon be the home of a new ethanol plant. TLC, the construction company working on the plant, projects its completion by January 2007. Currently TLC has 253 employees, 190 of which are from the local community. Great Lakes Ethanol and TLC have made significant contributions to several local charities and community service organizations. The company has a strong commitment to be a good neighbor in the community. Local farmers have been increasing their on-farm storage capacity so that they can take advantage of stronger grain demand linked to increased local ethanol production. GLE will soon be offering another opportunity for local investors to participate in this business venture.

Michigan Biodiesel is working with all Michigan soybean crushing facilities to supply oil. Legislators were recognized for creating 10 new Agricultural Processing Renaissance zones that receive preferential tax treatment and for passing a package that reduces the gas tax by 36% on fuel that contains ethanol and by 20% on biodiesel blends.

Legislation also provides grants to service-station owners who want to renovate or expand their existing stations to make E-85 and biodiesel available. The idea of building a biodiesel plant in lower Michigan (one is also in the UP) first surfaced to discussion with Capital Area innovative farmers. To help support its own industry, the group started buying bulk biodiesel last fall to burn in their trucks and tractors. That led to even more interest. Through a partnership with Michigan Department of Agriculture, a general feasibility study and preliminary business plan for biodiesel production to Michigan was completed in March. The study concluded that with an investment of $7 million to $12 million, a stand alone 5 million to 10 million gallon biodiesel plant could be built in one several Michigan locations.

Mother Nature wasn’t kind when she threw us a curve ball, or should I say a snowball, for this year’s annual legislative reception, held at the State Capitol.  The weather slowed the reception down just a bit from our regular pace, but it was still a huge success.  Many legislators commented that our reception is their favorite event to attend, and this year was one of the best.  Legislators and Grange members love mingling with each other and the event gives everyone a chance to talk about the Grange’s legislative goals for this session. This year there were many freshmen legislators so Grange members had the privilege of talking with both old and new faces. Teaching elected leaders more about the Grange is always a fun way to get better acquainted.