what is michigan agriculture

Michigan Agriculture: Dairy products, apples, blueberries, cattle, vegetables, hogs, corn, nursery stock, soybeans. Michigan Industry: Motor vehicles and parts, machinery, fabricated metal products, food processing, chemical products, mining, tourism. Michigan is primarily known as the birthplace of the automobile industry.

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What are agriculture products of Michigan?

 · One of the country’s most agriculturally diverse states, Michigan is ripe with opportunity. The food and agriculture industry contributes over $104.7 billion to Michigan’s …

What type of Agriculture is practiced in Michigan?

 · The Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD) works to assure food safety, protect animal and plant health, sustain environmental stewardship, provide consumer protection, enable rural development and foster efficient administration operations through service, partnership and collaboration.

What are the common crops grown in Michigan?

Michigan leads the nation in the production of specialty crops, making it the second most agriculturally diverse state in the nation. LEARN MORE. BELOW IS A LIST OF WHERE MICHIGAN RANKS IN THE NATION. FIRST IN THE NATION FOR: …

What does Michigan produce?

Michigan grows a wide variety of crops each year and our farmers take pride in growing high-quality, diverse products. The state leads the nation in the production of several crops, including asparagus; black and cranberry beans; cucumbers; tart cherries; Niagara grapes; and squash. Michigan agriculture contributes more than

What is Michigan’s top agricultural product?

Cattle and beef production are the largest sectors of the United States’ agriculture industry. Michigan’s cattle herd totals 1.15 million, of which 108,000 are beef cows and 422,000 are dairy cows. Cattle are raised throughout Michigan on 12,000 farms and ranches.

What are the major crops grown in Michigan?

Corn for grain produces about 11% of the state’s agricultural revenue. Other Michigan field crops are soybeans, sugar beets, wheat, and hay. Michigan is one of the leading producers of apples, blueberries and cherries.

What is Michigan’s number one crop?

In terms of revenue and production numbers, potatoes are Michigan’s top crop. Potatoes are grown throughout the state, from the southernmost counties of the Lower Peninsula all the way up into the cold climates of the Upper Peninsula.

What is Michigan’s biggest agricultural export?

ExportsIn 2018, Michigan exported $1.98 billion in food and agricultural products. … Michigan’s top agricultural exports are processed food products; wood and wood products; soybeans and soybean meal; vegetables and dry beans; and cereals, baked goods, and pasta.More items…

What is Michigan’s largest industry?

In Michigan, motor vehicles, bodies and trailers, and parts manufacturing is the largest industry, accounting for 7.6% of the state’s total GDP of $536.9 billion.

What is Michigan most known for?

Michigan is famous for the following foods:Detroit Style Pizza.Mackinac Island Fudge.Chipati.Paczki.Better Made Potato Chips.Whitefish.Web Burrito.Taverse City Cherries.More items…

What is Michigan’s cash crop?

The major cash crops are field beans, sugar beets, corn and wheat. The other major crops – oats and forages – are mostly fed to livestock on farms in the area.

What is Michigan State fruit?

Tart CherriesState Fruit: Tart Cherries (Unofficial) Michigan is the nation’s leading producer of the fruit, accounting for 75 percent of the country’s supply. The majority are grown in the northwest counties of the state. The area is so well known for its cherries that Traverse City hosts an annual National Cherry Festival.

Where does Michigan rank in agriculture?

Specialty Sectors. Michigan ranks third in the nation for number of farmers markets. The state is home to 129 wineries.

Is Michigan good for farming?

Michigan farming not only provides consumers with food and fiber on nearly 10 million acres of farmland, but it also lays the foundation for a dynamic food and agriculture industry, making it one of our state’s critical economic drivers, substantially contributing to our state’s economy each year.

What fruits does Michigan produce?

In addition to cherries and blueberries, Michigan growers produce other fruit crops such as apples, peaches, pears, plums, grapes, raspberries and strawberries. Michigan fruit is abundant, delicious, nutritious and hard to beat!

What fruit is Michigan famous for?

Michigan is well known for its cherries, peaches, apples, and blueberries!

How old is the average farmer in Michigan?

The average age of a Michigan farmer is 56 years old.

Which countries grow Michigan produce?

Rounding out the top countries eager for Michigan-grown products are Mexico, Japan, China, and Thailand.

What percentage of Michigan farms are single family?

95 percent of Michigan farms are single-family operated and/or family partnerships.

What is the commodity mix in Michigan?

Michigan has a diverse commodity mix that is made up of about 60 percent crops and 40 percent livestock.

What is Michigan’s most agriculturally diverse state?

One of the country’s most agriculturally diverse states, Michigan is ripe with opportunity. The food and agriculture industry contributes over $104.7 billion to Michigan’s economy each year and leads the nation in the production of several crops, including asparagus, …

How many farms are there in Michigan?

These crops are grown on the state’s 46,641 farms, which average 205 acres in size and span 9.7 million acres across the state. In total, Michigan farmers produce more than 300 commodities commercially, from pork and poultry to cabbage and carrots.

How can conservation practices help growers?

Weatherproofing the Farm: Conservation Practices Can Help Growers Navigate an Unpredictable Climate

What is vertical farming?

Vertical Farming is Growing From the Ground Up

What is Michigan Farm to Family?

Michigan Farm to Family Connects Consumers to Farm-Fresh Food

What is Michigan’s oldest industry?

As one of the oldest industries in the state, agriculture is more than just crops and commodities, encompassing many different areas, such as research and innovation, agribusiness and production, agricultural education, and agritourism. Michigan Food and Ag Professionals Serve Their Communities in the Face of COVID-19.

Is Michigan pulse the future?

Michigan Pulses are the Food of the Future

What is Michigan’s agricultural diversity?

Agricultural Diversity. Michigan produces more than 300 commodities, making us the state with the second most diverse agriculture industry in the nation just behind California. Michigan has a diverse commodity mix that is made up of about 60 percent crops and 40 percent livestock.

How many Michiganders work in agriculture?

Agriculture, food processors, and related businesses employ 923,000 Michiganders — 22 percent of the state’s workforce. 24,795 Michiganders operate farms as their primary occupation. An additional 52,719 work part-time on farms, while maintaining off-farm jobs.

How much of Michigan’s agricultural exports go to Canada?

Exports. Michigan exports about one-third of its agricultural commodities each year, generating nearly $2.8 billion. Almost 40 percent of all Michigan’s agricultural exports go directly to Canada, our No. 1 export market.

How old are Michigan farmers?

The average age of a Michigan farmer is 56 years old.

Which countries grow Michigan produce?

Rounding out the top countries eager for Michigan-grown products are Mexico, Japan, China, and Thailand.

What is the name of the university in Michigan?

Michigan is home to the nation’s pioneer land-grant university, Michigan State University, where the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources offers many agriculture-related majors.

Publications

Michigan Agriculture Magazine
A guide to Michigan’s farms, forests, food and exports, featuring stories about the state’s top crops, livestock, agribusiness, tourism, food safety and local products.

Facts about Michigan Agriculture

Michigan produces more than 300 commodities on a commercial basis, including tart cherries, blueberries, dry beans, floriculture products, and cucumbers for pickles.

Keep up with Michigan Agriculture

Want to stay in touch with Michigan food and farmers? Here are a few ways to get started:

Michigan Agriculture Industry Links

MSU Product Center – Helps you develop and commercialize high value products and businesses in the food, agricultural and natural resource sectors.

Food Industry Links

Michigan County Food and Agricultural Systems Profiles – These profiles highlight the diversity of Michigan agriculture, the economic impacts of the agri-food industry from a systemic view including food processing and distribution.

Join Our Team

At the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), we encourage and embrace innovation, creativity, and growth, so we can provide the best possible service to the robust food and agriculture industry and the residents of Michigan.

MDARD Celebrates 100 Years of Service

On July 1, 2021, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development marked a special milestone: the 100th anniversary of the department’s creation. The law creating the Michigan Department of Agriculture, P.A. 13 of 1921, took effect on July 1, 1921.

Latest News

MDARD asking poultry owners to increase biosecurity and register for email alerts LANSING, MI — The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) contin…

What are the agricultural regions of Michigan?

AGRICULTURAL REGIONS. The regional patterns of Michigan’s agriculture are not as consistent as those in the midwestern, corn-belt, prairie states, primarily because of more heterogeneous soils, topography (slope), drainage, and climatic characteristics and the state’s location on the leeward side …

How many farming areas are there in Michigan?

Michigan’s 17 farming areas are largely based on the sources of farm income and the prevailing kinds of crops and livestock. The divisions between the areas are not so definite as the boundary lines would indicate. The transition from one area to the next is usually a gradual one.

What is the most intensive poultry farm in Michigan?

Area 4 is the most intensive poultry area in Michigan. The farms are small. In addition to the usual field crops of hay, pasture, corn, oats and wheat, special crops of importance are berries, mint, celery, onions and carrots. The acreage of tree fruits is small, primarily because of poor air drainage and wet sandy soils. The livestock program centers around the dairy and poultry enterprises. Dairying has been increasing in importance during the past 15 years, and most of the milk is sold as fluid milk. The major factors influencing the selection of enterprises in Area 4 are: 1) the soils which include level, wet and dry sand of low fertility; level to rolling loam soils of higher productivity; and muck soils; and 2) the nearby markets of Muskegon, Grand Rapids and Holland.

What are the major farm products in Michigan?

In terms of emphasis in production, the following generalized regions can be identified on the basis of major farm products sold: (1) dairying in the southern and central parts of the Lower Peninsula and scattered throughout the rest of the state; (2) beans, soy and dry , in the Saginaw Valley and cash grain, mostly corn and wheat, in many of the central and southern counties of the southern Lower Peninsula; (3) the fruit-growing counties along Lake Michigan in the Lower Peninsula; and (4) nurseries and greenhouses in the three metropolitan Detroit counties-Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb. Small areas of specialization also occur, such as hogs and pigs in Cass County, poultry and poultry products in Ottawa, and field seeds in Roscommon.

What are the major crops grown in Michigan?

This is the most important fruit region of Michigan, the major fruits being apples, peaches, grapes and pears. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, asparagus, tomatoes, muskmelons and mint are important specialty crops. Dairying is the major livestock enterprise. Farmers in general have a wide choice in the selection of fruit and vegetables crops. Largely because of the lighter soils, yields of field crops usually are not high. The major factors determining the selection of enterprises in this area are the climate, topography and nearby markets. Lake Michigan and the rolling to hilly land combine to make climatic conditions favorable to fruit production. The wholesale fruit market at Benton Harbor and local shipping centers provide good markets. The soils range from sands of low productivity to sandy loams and loams of relatively high productivity. Soil erosion is a serious problem on the more rolling lands.

What are the three factors that determine the best type of farming to follow in Michigan?

PHYSICAL FACTORS. The three physical factors important in determining the best type-of-farming to follow in Michigan are 1) climate, 2) soils and 3) topography. Farmers have little or no control over climate and topography. A farmer may, however, supplement rainfall by irrigation.

How high above sea level is Michigan?

Michigan has a wide range in topography from the level lands of the old lake beds which range from 580 to 800 feet above sea level to the Huron and Porcupine Mountains in the Upper Peninsula which reach about 2,000 feet in elevation.

Agricultural Diversity

See more on miagclassroom.org

Farms & Farmland

Farm Structure

Economics

Employment

1. Agriculture, food processors, and related businesses employ 923,000 Michiganders — 22 percent of the state’s workforce.
2. 24,795 Michiganders operate farms as their primary occupation. An additional 52,719 work part-time on farms, while maintaining off-farm jobs.
3. Michigan is home to the nation’s pioneer land-grant university, Michigan State University, whe…

1. Agriculture, food processors, and related businesses employ 923,000 Michiganders — 22 percent of the state’s workforce.
2. 24,795 Michiganders operate farms as their primary occupation. An additional 52,719 work part-time on farms, while maintaining off-farm jobs.
3. Michigan is home to the nation’s pioneer land-grant university, Michigan State University, where the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources offers many agriculture-related majors.

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Specialty Sectors

Exports

1. Michigan exports about one-third of its agricultural commodities each year, generating nearly $2.8 billion.
2. Almost 40 percent of all Michigan’s agricultural exports go directly to Canada, our No. 1 export market.
3. Rounding out the top countries eager for Michigan-grown products are Mexico, Japan, China…

1. Michigan exports about one-third of its agricultural commodities each year, generating nearly $2.8 billion.
2. Almost 40 percent of all Michigan’s agricultural exports go directly to Canada, our No. 1 export market.
3. Rounding out the top countries eager for Michigan-grown products are Mexico, Japan, China, and Thailand.

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Tops in National Agricultural Production

Major Commodity Sectors

Sources and Additional Resources

1. Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Michiganders: Let’s Celebrate Food and Ag Month, March 2017 News Release
2. USDA NASS Great Lakes Region, Michigan Farm Numbers, Feb. 2015 News Release
3. USDA NASS Great Lakes Region, 2012 Census Profiles Michigan Farmers & Agriculture, News Release

1. Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Michiganders: Let’s Celebrate Food and Ag Month, March 2017 News Release
2. USDA NASS Great Lakes Region, Michigan Farm Numbers, Feb. 2015 News Release
3. USDA NASS Great Lakes Region, 2012 Census Profiles Michigan Farmers & Agriculture, News Release
4. MSU Product Center, Strategic Research Papers, Economic Impact of Michigan’s Food & Agriculture Sector

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Facts About Michigan Agriculture

• Agricultural Diversity
  1. Michigan produces more than 300 commodities on a commercial basis, including tart cherries, blueberries, dry beans, floriculture products, and cucumbers for pickles.
• Economy
  1. The food and agriculture industry contributes $104.7 billion annually to the state’s economy. 2. Livestock (including dairy) has the greatest economic impact at $5.13 billion, followed by field crops with an economic impact of $5.12 billion. 3. The total impact of nursery and landscape pr…

See more on michigan.gov

Keep Up with Michigan Agriculture

Michigan Agriculture Industry Links

1. MSU Product Center- Helps you develop and commercialize high value products and businesses in the food, agricultural and natural resource sectors.
2. Michigan Farmers Market Association (MIFMA)- Works with and for farmers market organizers, managers, farmers, vendors and friends to create a thriving marketplace for local food and farm products.

1. MSU Product Center- Helps you develop and commercialize high value products and businesses in the food, agricultural and natural resource sectors.
2. Michigan Farmers Market Association (MIFMA)- Works with and for farmers market organizers, managers, farmers, vendors and friends to create a thriving marketplace for local food and farm products.
3. State of Michigan Agriculture Fact Sheet From USDA
4. USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service- Find Michigan ag stats.

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Food Industry Links

1. Michigan County Food and Agricultural Systems Profiles – These profiles highlight the diversity of Michigan agriculture, the economic impacts of the agri-food industry from a systemic view includin…
2. Cottage Food Checklist- Resources to educate the public regarding the regulations and requirements for “cottage foods.”

1. Michigan County Food and Agricultural Systems Profiles – These profiles highlight the diversity of Michigan agriculture, the economic impacts of the agri-food industry from a systemic view includin…
2. Cottage Food Checklist- Resources to educate the public regarding the regulations and requirements for “cottage foods.”
3. MSU Center for Regional Food Systems- Engaging the people of Michigan, the US, and the world in developing regionally integrated, sustainable food systems.
4. Michigan Good Food Fund- A $30 million public-private partnership loan fund that provides financing and business assistance to good food enterprises that benefit underserved communities across Mich…

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