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"Agriculture... is the first in utility, and ought to be the first in respect."
--Thomas Jefferson to David Williams, 1803
Web links about farming... |
Farmers are very busy people, click here to watch six movies created by the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, that showcases the many hats that farmers have to wear. This means, all the different roles that they must play in order to run a farm successfully! For a fun websites to learn about farming, click here to visit the Kid's Zone brought to you by the AITC. There are many interactive things to do here; you'll also find links to other websites just for kids about farming! Check out this very cool page about farming by clicking here! It is about farming in Iowa, but a lot of the information is general knowledge and they point out some thought-provoking questions about the future of farming in Iowa that can be easily asked of Michigan too! On Camp Silo's page, you'll find movies of baby pigs being born, the story of corn, and how farming has changed over the years. |
Agriculture in Michigan is a booming industry! Michigan's diverse climate helps it to grow many different fruits, vegetables, fibers, and grains. Livestock are also raised in Michigan. Many of the people who farm today come from a long line of farmers. These people are carrying on the traditions and the customs that their grandparents and even their great-grandparents taught them. Even though technology has changed the way people farm their land now, one thing is certain: people will always need food! Michigan does a great job of producing many different types of crops because of all the different climates Michigan has--in fact, it's second in the nation for the diversity of food produced with more than 200 different crops! The crops grown in Michigan are shipped around the world.
There are roughly 1 million Michiganders who are employed in the agriculture and food production sector. With over 53,000 farms in Michigan, it's not hard to imagine that there is over 10% of the population working in the agriculture industry!
The picture above is of Patty Bartley, of Bartley Farms located in Dowagiac. She is standing with 5 gallon buckets full of zucchini squash. Michigan is second in the nation for production of squash, celery, and carrots.
Michigan is first in the nation in the number of cucumbers that are grown for pickling!
In 2005, there were 2.25 million acres of farmland used to produce corn in the state of Michigan. 2 million acres were used to grow soybeans. There are only 36 million acres of land in the state of Michigan! That means that 6.25% of Michigan's land was used to grow corn while 5.55% was used to grow soybeans! Michigan farmers exported $960 million worth of products in 2005.
Michigan ranks 8th in national production of milk from its 312,000 dairy cows which produced over 6,735 pounds of milk. Michigan ranks 13th in national production of hogs, at 470.5 million pounds in 2005. On January 1, 2006, there was an estimated $1.27 billion value of the over 1 million cattle raised on Michigan farms.
Michigan is in third place as far as floriculture wholesale goes; however, Michiganders are first in the nation for the production of the following 13 crops: Potted Easter Lilies, Potted Spring Flowering Bulbs, Potted Geraniums (seed), Potted Petunias, Potted New Guinea Impatiens, New Guinea Impatiens hanging baskets, Geraniums, Impatiens, Begonia & Petunia hanging baskets, Impatiens and New Guinea Impatiens (flats), and Potted Geraniums (cuttings).
Michigan is third in the nation for apple production. In 2005, there were 780 million bushels of apples grown by Michigan farmers. "How do ya' like them apples"?
The picture below is of one of the world's largest cherry pie tins. This particular pie tin is located in Traverse City (click on the picture of the pie tin to read an article about the Traverse City & Charlevoix pie tins). This is important because Michigan is the leading producer of tart cherries in the United States. In 2005, Michigan farmers grew 208 million pounds of cherries, which was a whopping 76.9% of the total grown in the United States that year!
Click below for an instructional PowerPoint on how tart cherries grow... |
Information on this page can be found at Michigan Agriculture in the Classroom
Last updated on August 2, 2007