As some of you may have heard, one of the key points of Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s budget proposal for the 2010 fiscal year is significant cuts to the Agriculture sector, including major reductions and reconfiguration of funds in the racing industry.
From a letter sent out to members of the Michigan Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association:
“The Governor has made a recommendation to reduce the appropriation to the Ag Equine Development by $5,200,000.00 and use the remaining $8,100,000.00 solely for support of equine purses and regulation. What this means to you as an owner or as a breeder, all the incentive programs will be taken away, the owners & breeders awards as well as the Michigan Bred supplement monies.”
To put it simply, no breeder’s awards means breeding in this state becomes financially impossible. No breeders means no Michigan-breds, which will spell the death of racing in this state. This can not be allowed to happen.
Because I am currently working on a 1,500-2,000 word story on this very subject for a class, I am going to abstain from writing at length on the subject so as not to have my professor discover this and cry “self-plagiarism.”
However, that will not stop me from linking you to others who have written about Gov. Granholm’s proposed cuts.
Andrew at Turf Link has lots of useful information for those looking to learn more about the subject, including a link to the entire budget proposal document.
Also, be sure to visit the MTOBA website for more information regarding the status of owner and breeder awards.
If you are a Michigan horseman, a friend of one, or operate a business a Michigan horseman frequents, I encourage you to visit the MTOBA website to get more information and download the letters to send to the three Senate Agriculture Subcommittee members asking them to consider the long-term health of racing in this state when making their decisions.
Fans and Horseplayers, if you frequent one of the Michigan racetracks, play one of the state’s tracks over simulcast, or just enjoy watching a Michigan-bred run at your favorite racetrack, I also encourage you to contact the members of the subcommittee and let them know how much Michigan racing means to you.
For those interested in taking action, here are the letters offered from the MTOBA website. If you are not an owner or breeder but would still like to help, the addresses of the subcommittee members are listed at the top of each page.
Cameron Brown – Chair of the Senate Appropriations Sub Committee on Agriculture
Ron Jelinek – Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Sub Committee on Agriculture
Martha Scott – Minority Chair of the Senate Appropriations Sub Committee on Agriculture
For the sake of horse racing in the state of Michigan, I hope the state’s horsemen can count on your support. Thank you for your time.
The Michigan-Bred Claimer 
Thanks for the reference, Joe.
People need to realize this is imminent. According to an email I received from MTOBA, lawmakers will vote on this mid-April. That gives us less than two months. Also, I would imagine for every letter against the cuts, lawmakers receive many in support of these proposed changes. This isn’t crying wolf. The MHHA posted a letter written to the governor:
http://www.mhha-online.com/news/news.htm
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Andrew,
Sorry it took me so long to comment back. Classes are killing me right now.
I fully agree there needs to be greater public awareness on this issue if there is any hope for survival. Obviously, there are going to be people who will never be swayed (PETA, the anti-gaming crowd, the tribes, etc.), but I think there is a significant amount of underinformed people who could be swayed with some facts given plainly and clearly explaining why it’s a good idea to keep racing around. A TV spot, perhaps?