After more than a decade following the addition of Rural Development to the Michigan Department of Agriculture’s official title, a new office with an expanded focus will be opening within the agency.
Director Gary McDowell, with the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, tells Brownfield the pandemic demonstrated the need to address growing issues within rural communities.
“Studies show over and over again that the rural part of the state, for a lot of different reasons, have lower medium incomes, education levels are lower, and also the opportunities for our young people so that’s what we’re really going to focus in on,” he explains.
