Michigan Farm News (2024)

FAQs

How many acres do you need to be considered a farm in Michigan? ›

(h) "Farmland" means 1 or more of the following: (i) A farm of 40 or more acres in 1 ownership, with 51% or more of the land area devoted to an agricultural use.

The distribution of farms in Michigan shows about 80% of Michigan's farms are in the southern half of the Lower Peninsula where soil and climatic conditions favorable for agricultural production are found.

Prairie Farm, Michigan's Largest Farm – Pure Saginaw. After the treaty of Saginaw in 1819 with the Chippewa Indians, the government acquired vast tracts of land.

From apples to cherries to corn to soybeans to pumpkins to potatoes to sugar beets, Michigan's farmers grow many of your favorites. In terms of economic impact, dairy, corn, soybeans and sugar beets along with apples and cherries lead the way.

Under MCL 324.3601, certain farmland in Michigan may be enrolled in a development rights program by which the owner may receive state income tax credits for property taxes paid. To be eligible, the farm must be at least five acres in size and 51% or more of the property must be committed to an agricultural use.

CRP is a land conservation program administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). In exchange for a yearly rental payment, farmers enrolled in the program agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that will improve environmental health and quality.

Apples are one of the largest and most valuable fruit crops grown in Michigan. In 2022, 1.36 billion pounds of apples were harvested in Michigan, ranking second in the nation. About 50 percent of the harvest was used for processing, yielding a farm value of $108 million.

The Netherlands is the largest owner in Michigan at 458,436 acres followed by Canada at 359,679 acres. These two countries account for 59.7 percent of all foreign ownership.

Michigan's cropland value increased 11.3 percent from the previous year to $5,900 per acre. The Lake States region experienced a 10.9 percent increase to $6,620 per acre. The average value of cropland in the United States increased 8.1 percent from 2022 to $5,460 per acre.

What is Michigan's main crop? ›

Apples. Apples are one of the largest and most valuable fruit crops in Michigan. The state slices more apples than any other state for use in pies. Michigan also processes apples into applesauce, fresh and shelf-stable apple cider, and apple juice, such as Indian Summer juice, which is made in Michigan too!

Tart Cherries (Late July - Mid-August)

Michigan's favorite, usually used in pies. To learn more about tart cherries visit the Cherry Marketing Institute.

Michigan is the No. 1 producer in the U.S. of tart cherries (65% of the U.S. total production), cucumbers, dry beans (cranberry, small red, black), squash and asparagus and ranks in the top 10 for production of many other valuable agricultural commodities.

The average size farm in Michigan is 208 acres per farm

Land in farms was 9.2 million acres, down 500,000 acres from last year. The average size farm in Michigan was 208 acres per farm, down from 211 acres in 2021. The number of farms in the United States for 2022 is estimated at 2,002,700, down 9,350 farms from 2021.

A farm is eligible if one of the following is true:

“Agricultural use” means the production of plants and animals useful to humans, use in a federal acreage set-aside program, or a federal conservation program. Agricultural use does not include the management and harvesting of a woodlot.

The definition of "farm" in the Michigan Right-to-Farm Act at MCL 286.472(a) says: "Farm" means the land, plants, animals, buildings, structures, including ponds used for agricultural or aquacultural activities, machinery, equipment, and other appurtenances used in the commercial production of farm products.

To attain $30,000 net farm income – approximately 4½ acres at $19,000 gross income per acre ($6,650 net income); approximately 7 acres at $12,000 gross income per acre ($4,200 net income); and approximately 12 acres at $7,000 gross income per acre ($2,450 net income).

More than 25 percent of the land in Michigan is farmland. Most of the land in Michigan is forestland.