WMUK News

Governor Gretchen Whitmer appoints a new head of MDARD

WMUK | By Rick Pluta

Published March 20, 2023 at 6:14 PM EDT

A person bundled up in a hooded coat, ballcap and bandanna or mask across the face dumps apples into a wooden bin, with rows of trees and a couple of ladders visible in the background — A farmworker unloads picked apples, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022, at the Wittenbach Orchards in Belding.

Timothy Boring is the US Department of Agriculture’s top person in Michigan. He will now be the head of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

(MPRN) Governor Gretchen Whitmer has filled a vacancy on her cabinet to lead the department responsible for state agriculture policy.

Her pick, Timothy Boring, is a former member of the state Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development, which helps develop the policies carried out by the department. He is currently the State Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency in Michigan.

Agriculture is a nearly $105 billion industry in the state and Boring has held a succession of positions working in the agribusiness sector.

The position is subject to state Senate approval. That’s not expected to be a problem since the Senate’s controlled by Democrats.

The only remaining Whitmer cabinet vacancy is director of the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.