Grainnet

Zeeland—Zeeland Farm Services is calling for Governor Jennifer Granholm to rescind her proclamation of Saturday, March 20, 2010 as Michigan Meatout Day, which encourages Michigan residents to choose not to eat meat in observance of the day and to eat only vegetables, fruit and whole grains.

“We need an education program that shows people the whole agriculture system,” explained Cliff Meeuwsen, Zeeland Farm Services, Inc. president.

“Animals eat a lot of byproducts that would otherwise not be utilized, and these same animals then produce good protein we eat for a well balanced diet.”

Zeeland Farm Services supports the Michigan Agricultural industry, which contributed nearly $71 billion to the MI economy in 2008 from cattle, hogs, sheep and poultry sales alone, as reported by the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

According to the Farm Bureau reports, Michigan livestock sales, including dairy and eggs, alone total about $2.4 billion a year, and make up 42 percent of the state’s commodity mix.

Zeeland Farm Services is opposed to Granholm’s Meatout Day as it will negatively impact Michigan’s agriculture business and thousands of farming families.

Agriculture accounts for 86,000 jobs in MI, based on the 2007 Census of Agriculture.

The Meatout Day will also mislead the public as to what constitutes a healthy diet.

For more information, call 616-748-1838.

See Related Websites/Articles:

• Zeeland Farm Services

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