The Michigan Farm Bureau Legal Defense Fund is designed to provide financial support in connection with legal issues of common concern to Michigan agriculture and, in particular, those issues where the decision will be viewed as establishing an important legal precedent.
We recommend county Farm Bureaus contribute to the Legal Defense Fund a minimum of 10 cents per member, based on prior year membership, and encourage them to make additional discretionary contributions whenever possible. Further, we recommend that MFB continue to contribute up to a maximum of $20,000 annually, or an amount equal to that contributed by the county Farm Bureaus.
A letter requesting contributions, outlining significant activities supported by the fund and the present status of the fund balance should be sent to the county Farm Bureaus prior to their annual budgeting process. The Chief Operating Officer of MFB should annually evaluate the need for contributions to the fund based on the accumulated fund balance and the requests for legal assistance.