Michigan Farms: Agriculture History, How Farms Make Money and Strategy
Guide updated November 2026
Michigan farms number 45,581 and cover 9,472,069 acres, with an average size of 208 acres, according to the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture. The same census reports $12.2 billion in agricultural products sold, up from $8.2 billion in 2017, and the Michigan Farm Bureau says the state produces more than 300 commodities and is the second most agriculturally diverse in the nation.
| Farms and land in farms | 45,581 farms on 9,472,069 acres; average 208 acres (2022 Census) |
|---|---|
| Top commodities | Dairy, corn, soybeans, sugar beets, apples and cherries by economic impact (Michigan Farm Bureau) |
| Market value of ag products sold | $12.2 billion in 2022: $7.05 billion crops and $5.17 billion livestock, poultry and products |
| State agriculture department | Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) |
| Land-grant extension | Michigan State University Extension |
| Farm Bureau | Michigan Farm Bureau |
Agriculture in Michigan: A Short History
Michigan agriculture grew up around its lakes. The Great Lakes moderate temperatures along the western shoreline, creating the fruit belt where cherries, apples and blueberries thrive, and settlers also planted wheat, corn and dairy herds across the southern and central counties. The Thumb region became sugarbeet and dry bean country, and several farms profiled here, such as Dietrich Orchards, trace their family land back to the 1850s.
Today the Michigan Farm Bureau reports that about 95 percent of Michigan farms are family owned, and that the state grows nearly 75 percent of the nation's cherries. Michigan also leads in dry black and cranberry beans, blueberries, pickling cucumbers and squash. Recognition programs like the Michigan Farmers Hall of Fame, which several profiled operations have entered, record the generations that built these industries.
How Farms in Michigan Make Money
Commodity sales
The 2022 Census puts crop sales at $7.05 billion and livestock, poultry and product sales at $5.17 billion. The Michigan Farm Bureau lists dairy, corn, soybeans, sugar beets, apples and cherries among the largest economic contributors, with soybeans and field corn each near $1 billion in economic impact and apples above $700 million.
Value-added and processing
Tart cherry and berry growers have moved into drying, juice, freezing and ingredients. Shoreline Fruit processes cherries into finished goods, and True Blue Farms packs and freezes blueberries and runs a retail store. Michigan Sugar processes the sugarbeets grown by farms such as Atwater Farms.
Agritourism, leases and diversification
DeGrandchamp Farms combines blueberries, cranberries, harvest tours and a nursery selling plants to commercial growers. Trucking, cattle and drone spraying have been added by Atwater Farms. These secondary lines turn existing land and equipment into extra income.
Agriculture Strategy for Michigan Farms
Soils, water and climate
Lake Michigan's moderating effect helps the western fruit belt, while the Thumb's heavier soils suit sugarbeets, dry beans and wheat. Choose crops that match the microclimate, plan frost protection for fruit, and use rotations to break disease cycles.
Production and risk
Match diversification to your base. Fruit growers manage frost, hail and labor risk, while field-crop growers rely on rotation and crop insurance. The Packer reports that Michigan has 775 apple family farms on 34,500 acres, so scale and storage often determine whether a grower can reach buyers. Contact your local FSA and NRCS offices for conservation and disaster programs.
Technology and inputs
Controlled-atmosphere storage, processing capacity and drone spraying are examples of technology investments by profiled operations. Dairy herd output is another measure: De Grins Oer Dairy averages 32,230 pounds of milk per cow. Use MSU Extension and your input suppliers to compare yield data before major purchases.
Farm Business Strategy in Michigan
Margins and markets
Total production expenses reached $9.79 billion in 2022 against $12.2 billion in sales, so margin management matters. Cooperative marketing, such as the grower marketers and cooperatives used by profiled orchards, gives farms access to bigger buyers. Watch input costs and lock in markets before expanding acreage.
Land, credit and succession
The state's Farmland and Open Space Preservation program, formerly PA 116, lets landowners enroll land under a Farmland Development Rights Agreement for at least 10 years, with possible income tax benefits and protection from some special assessments. Use USDA FSA farm loans and Farm Credit lenders, and begin succession planning early. The Dietrich family's 1984 split into two branches that share packing infrastructure shows one workable model.
Marketing and diversification
Add steps that capture margin: packing, freezing, juice, retail and plant sales. Family involvement is a strength, and several profiled farms assign each relative a clear division. Build a brand only if you can supply it consistently.
Farm Insight: Michigan Trends to Watch
Watch the big shifts: sales rose sharply between the 2017 and 2022 censuses, but costs rose too, and farm numbers fell from 47,641 to 45,581. Larger, better-capitalized operations and integrated processors are gaining share, which rewards careful costing and storage or processing partnerships.
Profiled operations show different routes to scale: Shoreline Fruit through integration, De Grins Oer Dairy through steady herd growth, and Atwater Farms through large acreage plus sidelines. Whichever route you choose, document your numbers and talk to your extension educator before committing capital.
Michigan is the only state where you can explain the whole map using your hand, and the only one where a farm joke about cherries can start a polite debate over which county grows the best ones. If you enjoy farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes, farm.FM is a good place to take a break between planting and picking.
Readers who want the full experience can pair the jokes with Tractor Tunes, the country music for farmers that farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, plays between stories. This author page is a fine starting point.
Elite Farms and Ranches in Michigan
These 6 operations are profiled in full, with history, how each makes money, lessons for other farms and published contact details.
Elite operations in Michigan
- Atwater FarmsElite operation. Ubly, Michigan. Atwater Farms, Ubly, Michigan: a six-generation Thumb farm with about 4,100 acres of sugarbeets, beans and wheat. History, revenue, lessons and contact page.
- De Grins Oer DairyElite operation. Blanchard, Michigan. De Grins Oer Dairy, Blanchard, Michigan: a family dairy that grew from seven cows to 690, 2026 MSU Dairy Farm of the Year. History, revenue, lessons, contact.
- DeGrandchamp FarmsElite operation. South Haven, Michigan. DeGrandchamp Farms, South Haven, Michigan: blueberry, cranberry and nursery family farm since 1958. History, markets, revenue streams, lessons and contact.
- Dietrich OrchardsElite operation. Conklin, Michigan. Dietrich Orchards, Conklin, Michigan: a family apple and cherry grower on land settled in 1853. History, storage, revenue streams, lessons and contact.
- Shoreline FruitElite operation. Williamsburg, Michigan. Shoreline Fruit, Williamsburg, Michigan: a grower-owned tart cherry company with roots to 1969. History, revenue streams, lessons and contact details.
- True Blue FarmsElite operation. Grand Junction, Michigan. True Blue Farms, Grand Junction, Michigan: a blueberry grower and processor founded in 1990, Michigan Farmers Hall of Fame 2021. History, revenue, contact.
Who to Contact in Michigan: Agriculture Offices and Associations
- MDARD Farmland Preservation - State farmland and open space preservation program
- MSU Extension on PA 116 - Land-grant extension guide to farmland preservation
- USDA NASS 2022 Census, Michigan - State farm counts, land and sales
- Michigan Farm Bureau agriculture facts - State commodity rankings and economic facts
- USDA FSA Michigan state office - Farm loans and programs
- Family farms: backbone of the Michigan industry - The Packer on Michigan apple family farms
- Michigan Sugar grower profile - Sugarbeet farm profile
Michigan Farming FAQ
How many farms are in Michigan?
The 2022 Census of Agriculture counted 45,581 farms on 9,472,069 acres, with an average farm size of 208 acres.
What is Michigan known for in agriculture?
Cherries, apples, blueberries, dairy, sugar beets, dry beans, corn and soybeans, and the Michigan Farm Bureau says it produces more than 300 commodities.
How can Michigan farmland be protected?
Landowners can enroll in the Farmland and Open Space Preservation program through MDARD, formerly PA 116, which has a minimum 10-year term.
Where can a Michigan farmer get help?
MSU Extension, MDARD, the Michigan Farm Bureau, the USDA FSA state office and Farm Credit lenders.
Michigan farms range from cherry processors to dairies and sugarbeet growers. Read the profiled operations below to see how Shoreline Fruit, Dietrich Orchards, De Grins Oer Dairy, Atwater Farms, True Blue Farms and DeGrandchamp Farms build their businesses. Michigan farms offer practical lessons for operators across the state.