Les Timmer’s southeast Michigan carrot farm on Muck Road near
Imlay City is about as pure Michigan as you can get.
But like most of Michigan’s
agricultural products, Timmer’s carrots sit side by side in grocery stores with
carrots from California and elsewhere. It’s not easy for Timmer’s Michigan carrots
to stand out in that global commodity crowd.
That could change, however, because
the Michigan Economic Development Corporation is now making the state’s highly
successful Pure Michigan logo available for free to farmers and other
businesses.
Pure Michigan is one of the strongest destination brands in the world; Forbes magazine has put it in the Top 10 of all time. Now farmers like Timmer can use it to connect with a large and growing contingent of shoppers who prefer to buy Michigan products.
“It’s a very good promotional idea
that could go like crazy,” Timmer says. He plans to take the next step of requesting
a licensing agreement to use
the Pure Michigan logo. “All we’d have to do is talk to our bag supplier and
add that to the printing,” he says.
How much Michigan?
The big question that could slow use of Pure Michigan in
agriculture, however, is how purely Michigan a product must be to use the logo.
Many Michigan-made products include
ingredients from other places, and some products, such as pineapple or
potatoes, may be packed for distribution by Michigan companies but are not from
Michigan.
That’s why the Michigan Economic
Development Corporation, which administers the program, is working with the
Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to develop criteria.
They are working to assure consumers that a significant percentage of the value
of a product has been contributed within the state.
Until those criteria are available,
the agricultural meaning of the Pure Michigan brand and needed guidance for
farmers and food businesses remain up in the marketing air.
Michigan residents and farmers who
want to get these criteria moving along can contact MEDC Marketing Director
Kelly Wolgamott, wolgamottk@michigan.org
and Linda Jones of the MDARD business development division, jonesL9@michigan.gov, with carbon copies to state
representatives and senators.
Posts
It's an awful story, I read it with pleasure. Thanks.I must say, I thought this was a pretty interesting read when it comes to this topic.
ReplyDeleteMichigan has been the place where I have been raised, and I can never stop loving the beauty of it. People are so nice, everything seems so friendly there. It provides amazing support to full US with in agriculture industry. I wrote one of the term paper for one of my student who was looking to buy a term paper from our company!
ReplyDeleteWhat then does it mean to be an educator? Does it signify something different than the assigned job title? What I have learned through my work in higher education is that becoming an educator is not an automatic process. Everyone who is teaching adult students is not functioning as an engaging and highly effective educator. However, it is possible to learn how to educate rather than teach and that requires making a commitment to the profession.http://www.writingdesk.pw/
ReplyDeleteCarrots from the southeast Michigan are worth more, considering the overall price of carrot in the market. Not because they are pure, but they have been taken care of, quite well. This usually happens, when you perform far better than your competitors. The price increase dramatically and you are preferred over your competitors.
ReplyDeleteIf you are a newbie with intentions of making a jumpstart into online selling magneto is a good consideration. Being free, magneto is open source and so has several extensions. Magneto is also SEO ready with ensures that you have very little work to do. creative web company
ReplyDeleteI want to say this one here on the grounds that it is nothing unless there are other options however generally experienced. You may realize that those with Celiac Disease must be on a gluten free eating routine, however that isn't on the grounds that gluten is a sensitivity. j kings steak and seafood gambrills
ReplyDelete