February 12, 1855
The Agricultural College of the State of Michigan is chartered; it will later become Michigan State University. The college will serve as a prototype for the Morrill Land Grant College Act of 1862 which will lead to the founding of 72 more land grant institutions in order to promote the scientific study of agriculture. (1) (2) (3)
1860
Farmers make up 58% of the United States labor force. (4)
1862
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is created. (3)
1884
The first Federal animal quarantine law passed. (6)
1889
The Department of Agriculture is given cabinet level status. (4)
1897
The Tea Importation Act passed. It is the first United States law regulating food products. (4)
1900
Farmers make up 38% of the United States labor force. (4)
1914
The Smith-Lever Act is passed. The intent of this act is to disseminate useful information related to agriculture, amongst American farmers. (7)
1926
The USDA begins inspecting live poultry. (4)
1927
Federal beef grading begins. (6)
1940
Farmers make up 18% of the United States labor force. (4)
1946
The National School Lunch Act is passed. (4) This act grew out of Public Law 230 passed in 1936; the law had a twofold goal, the first was to ensure adequate nutrition for school children, and the second goal was to find a market for the surplus agricultural goods produced by farmers during the Great Depression. The government would purchase surplus food, and provide it to schools. Children were able to have at least one nutritious meal during the day and farmers received a higher price for their products because the food purchased by the government for the schools was removed from the open market. (5)
1970
Farmers make up less than 5% of the United States labor force. (4)
1974
Between 500 and 1000 pounds of polybrominated biphenyl (PBB), a fire retardent chemical, is discovered to have been mixed in with dairy feed shipped to Michigan farms, after bags of "Firemaster" are confused for "Nutrimaster". This incident results in losses of cattle, sheep, and pigs, exceeding 35,000 and more than 1.5 million chickens. Over five hundred farms are put under quarantine over the following year and a half, and a number of lawsuits against the Michgan Farm Bureau Services--where the mixing occurred--follow. Despite receiving over twenty million dollars from a lawsuit against the Michigan Chemical Corporation where the feed came from, the Michigan Farm Bureau Services will eventually go bankrupt. (8)(9)
Public Act 116 is passed establishing Michigan's first farmland preservation program. (13)
1981
Michigan passes the Right to Farm Act. This act guarantees farmers following certain guidelines, known as the Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices, protection against nuisance lawsuits. (10)
1988
Manure Management and Utilization Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices (GAAMP) are developed, providing protection under the Michigan Right to Farm Act. (12)
1991
Pesticide Utilization and Pest Control GAAMPs are developed. (12)
1993
Nutrient Utilization GAAMPs are developed. (12)
1994
Public Act 451 is passed incorporating the Farmland and Open Space Preservation program into Part 361 of the act. (13)
1995
Care of Farm Animals GAAMPs are developed. (12)
1996
Cranberry Production GAAMPs are developed. (12)
1999
The Right to Farm Act is amended to so that localities cannot pass stricter standards than those required by the Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices. (11)
2000
Site Selection and Odor Control for New and Expanding Livestock Production Facilities GAAMPs developed. (12)
Irrigation Water Use GAAMPs developed. (12)
2008
The EPA publishes new federal regulations for CAFOs in order to comply with the Waterkeeper decision. (14)
1. MSU Facts http://www.msu.edu/thisismsu/facts.html September 19, 2008
2. History of Michigan State University http://keywords.msu.edu/viewpathfinder.asp?id=7#28 September 19, 2008.
3. A Condensed History of American Agriculture 1776-1999 http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-17451_18670_18793-53370--,00.html September 19, 2008
4. About ARS http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/timeline/comp.htm September 19, 2008
5. National School Lunch Program http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Lunch/AboutLunch/ProgramHistory_4.htm September 19, 2008
6. About ARS http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/timeline/leg.htm September 19, 2008\
7. Smith Lever Act Formula Grant http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/timeline/leg.htm September 19, 2008
8. Michigan's PBB Incident: Chemical Mix-Up Leads to Disaster. Luther J. Carter. Science. New Series, Vol. 192. No. 4236 (April 16, 1976) pp. 240-243. Published by: American Association for the Advancement of Science
9. Farm Bureau Serivices, Inc., Agra Land, Inc., and PBB. http://www.michfb.com/about/fbs_summary September 27, 2008.
10. Act 93 of 1981. http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(y2vevn55aa1ioeqglbqv3ljr))/mileg.aspx?page=getobject&objectname=mcl-act-93-of-1981&queryid=8769063&highlight= September 28, 2008.
11. Act 93 of 1981286.474 Section 3. http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(y2vevn55aa1ioeqglbqv3ljr))/mileg.aspx?page=getobject&objectname=mcl-act-93-of-1981&queryid=8769063&highlight=
12. Michigan Department of Agriculture: Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices for the Care of Farm Animals, March 2008. http://www.michigan.gov/mda/0,1607,7-125-1567_1599_1605---,00.html. October 22, 2008
13. Farmland Preservation Program: Farmland Preservation Agreements Brochure: Enrollment, Eligibility & Benefits. http://www.michigan.gov/mda/0,1607,7-125-1567_1599_2558---,00.html. November 7, 2008.;
14. National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES): Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) - Final Rule http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/afo/cafofinalrule.cfm November 23, 2008.
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