MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources to honor Sen. Darwin Booher
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EmailMichigan State Senator Darwin Booher will receive the Distinguished Service Award from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) at Michigan State University (MSU) during the ANR Week Luncheon on March 7.
Michigan State Senator Darwin Booher will receive the Distinguished Service Award from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) at Michigan State University (MSU) during the ANR Week Luncheon on March 7.
Booher is one of three individuals who will be recognized with the Distinguished Service Award, which is given to individuals or partners who have made outstanding contributions to Michigan’s agriculture and natural resources industries, and who possess high standards of integrity and character and positively reflect and enhance the prestige of the CANR. They demonstrate a commitment to MSU and the CANR by continuing outstanding levels of leadership and volunteerism at the state, national or international level.
Booher was re-elected to the Michigan Senate in November 2014 representing the 35th District, which comprises Benzie, Crawford, Kalkaska, Lake, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason, Missaukee, Ogemaw, Osceola, Roscommon and Wexford counties.
He chairs the Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee and serves on the Agriculture and Education committees for the 2014-18 legislative term. Sen. Booher also serves as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, where he chairs the Capital Outlay and Community Colleges subcommittees. He also serves on the Appropriations subcommittees for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and general government.
Sen. Booher serves as assistant majority caucus whip for the Republican Caucus.
In 2013, Sen. Booher was one of the legislators who received credit from Michigan State University Extension (MSU Extension) for contributing to the 3 percent budget increase in state funding. He has long been a proponent of MSU Extension and its many services to the community. While his children were involved with 4-H, Sen. Booher was then a banker and worked to ensure support of the Osceola County Fair.
Sen. Booher was instrumental in passing legislation that provides resources to struggling homeowners. An aspect of that bill involved MSU Extension in providing resources to individuals and families across the state. Since that bill was enacted, 11,574 Michigan residents have received counseling from the MSU Extension Financial and Homeownership Education team.
Last year, he initiated “10 cents a meal for school kids and farms,” a pilot program to provide schools with a match of up to 10 cents per meal to purchase Michigan fruits and vegetables.
Sen. Booher annually hosts young 4-H visitors to the Capitol from the Michigan Youth Conservation Council and Capitol Experience.
Prior to his service in the Senate, Sen. Booher served three terms in the Michigan House of Representatives. During his tenure in the legislature, he has been a supporter of the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP). He has also worked to strengthen the state’s Farmland and Open Space Preservation Act.
Sen. Booher served 28 years as Osceola Township supervisor and assessor. He was on the Board of Trustees for Spectrum Health, Reed City campus. He was a charter member of the Evart Downtown Development Association (1984-2000) and the Local Development Finance Commission (1990-2004).
The other Distinguished Service Award recipients are:
• Ray VanDriessche
• William Demmer
Tickets for the luncheon are on sale for $30 and are available at www.anrweek.canr.msu.edu.
The luncheon will be hosted by the CANR, MSU AgBioResearch, MSU Extension and the CANR Alumni Association, with support from Consumers Energy and DTE Energy.
