Michigan

In 2021, Michigan was the 9th leading chicken producer in the country, reporting just under 20 million chickens. The state isn't just known for poultry, there are 46,000 active farms operating on 9.7 million acres. Michigan is an agricultural powerhouse, raising everything from cattle, goats, sheep, hogs, and turkeys. Michigan's dairy industry is also booming, producing nearly 12 billion pounds of dairy in 2021.

While the state utilizes 5.7 million acres for mono-cropped corn, wheat, and soybeans, Michigan also produces substantial amounts of potatoes, apples, blueberries, cherries, cucumbers, squash, beans, asparagus, cabbage, pumpkins, bell peppers, peaches, sugar-beets, and flowering foliage, making it one of the most diverse agricultural landscapes in the country.

Michigan has allocated 341,000 acres to permanent pasture and rangeland but accommodates over 1.1 million head of cattle. This is some room for improvement here, as there are only 96,000 free roaming beef cows and the majority of the cows, 434,000 in fact, are housed on dairy farms and 160,000 on feed lots.

Amazingly, 96% of all farms in the state are family owned. Unfortunately in 2021, the pressure of inflation, ultra-competitive markets, and razor thin margins resulted in Michigan losing 500 farms, a tremendous loss that accounted for 7% of national decline. Supporting these local, family-owned farms is critical to keeping the power of agriculture in the hands of the people and keeping family-owned, regenerative and responsible farms in business.