New federal statistics call into question the long-held claim that agriculture is Michigan’s second-largest industry.

“Agriculture is nowhere near as big as most Michigan industries,” James Hohman, the Center’s fiscal policy analyst, told The Detroit News. “You drive through the state, you see a lot of agriculture. But when you start adding it up, it doesn’t account for as much as you might expect.”

WTVB-AM1590 in West Branch reports that Hohman said agriculture “is a bright spot in an otherwise dreary economy,” but “not that big a bright spot.”

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