PERSON: Debbie Stabenow

Senator

Debbie Stabenow has long been a champion of agriculture and forestry, Michigan’s second largest industry. In 2011, she became Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee - the second Senator from Michigan to do so, over 120 years after her predecessor, Senator Thomas Palmer, who served as Chairman from 1887-1889.<br> <br> In the Michigan State Legislature during the 1980s, Debbie Stabenow led efforts, working with the agricultural community, industry and environmentalists to update Michigan’s Pesticide Control Act, establishing balanced and effective standards for commercial applicators of pesticides. She also sponsored the Michigan Family Farm Development Act. As Chair of the Michigan House Economic Development and Energy Committee, Debbie Stabenow actively worked to develop more food processing business in the state and to showcase agricultural products as a major economic force in Michigan. As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, the first bill she authored was the Wheat and Barley Protection Act of 1997 to combat wheat and barley scab, a devastating agricultural disease.<br> <br> As a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, she hosted field hearings in Michigan on the farm bill - the first such hearing since 1915. Whether it’s Michigan’s extraordinary crop diversity, its 19 million acres of forest land, its abundance of traditional crops, the importance of school lunches, or even Detroit’s emergence as a leader in urban agriculture, Senator Stabenow has time and again brought together diverse stakeholders to find common ground.<br> <br> Keeping our food safe and our children healthy has been a top priority for Senator Stabenow. She developed legislation to help producers and processors comply with new FDA food safety regulations. She also co-authored the original fruit and vegetable snack program in the 2002 Farm Bill, made it permanent in the 2004 Child Nutrition reauthorization, and expanded it nationwide in the 2008 Farm Bill.<br> <br> Her leadership on the Agriculture Committee has led to an historic new focus on agricultural research, Michigan’s specialty crops, the development of renewable fuels, and critical land, habitat, and water conservation efforts.<br> <br> — stabenow.Senate.gov