Michigan Farm Bureau is asking Governor Whitmer to make a change to the expansion and extension of the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order to allow garden centers to reopen. MFB says over 32,000 messages were sent to the governor from farmers and others in the state asking that the retail sale of garden and bedding plants be allowed to continue.
“This ask doesn’t come with us not keeping residents safe,” says Michigan arm Bureau horticulture specialist Audrey Sebolt. “We will consider curbside pickup, delivery, or restricting the number of people that enter these establishments.”
Sebolt adds this is a vital time for those businesses.
“If they lose this opportunity to sell their products, it is the entire year’s worth of income that is lost for this industry.”
For people who have gardens, we’re getting into the time of year where some purchase seedlings that have been started by greenhouses. Farm Bureau notes Whitmer’s restrictions for greenhouses and garden centers runs counter to similar EOs in Ohio, Illinois, New York and North Carolina, where the retail sale of plants has been deemed essential infrastructure.
More information is available at Michigan Farm Bureau’s website.
