What’s Good for Farms Is Good for Michigan

Michigan farmers are taking every step they can think of to ensure that their profitable farms won’t be swallowed by another subdivision. Protecting farmland, say economists, not only aids thriving farms it is also vital to the state’s prosperity. Agriculture forms Michigan's second largest economic sector, and is becoming ever more important as a source of jobs and profit as wages flatten and manufacturing jobs disappear, according to new research by Michigan State University and the state Department of Agriculture. One million Michigan residents are employed in agriculture-dependent industries, including processing, manufacturing, marketing, transportation, tourism, and recreation. Yet state government and business leaders are reluctant to make investments that assure the farm sector’s success.