AGRICULTURAL REGIONS
The regional patterns of Michigans agriculture are not as consistent as those in themidwestern, corn-belt, prairie states, primarily because of more heterogeneous soils,topography (slope), drainage, and climatic characteristics and the states locationon the leeward side of Lake Michigan and, to some extent, Lake Superior.
WHAT WE GROW (below)
Source: State of Michigan - Department of Agriculture
The state divides into two general regions, namely, (1) the southern half of the LowerPeninsula, which has the most farms, the largest amount of land in crops, the highestyields per acre, and the greatest volume and value of crops, animals, and animal products,and (2) the remainder of the state which has poorer agricultural conditions and much lessvolume and value of farm production
Wide variations in climate, soil types, topography and markets are found within the state.Because of these factors, Michigan farmers find it advantageous to follow types of farmingbest adapted to the particular conditions within the region in which they live.
Source: Unknown
The distribution of farms in Michigan shows about 80% ofMichigans farms are in the southern half of the Lower Peninsula where soil andclimatic conditions favorable for agricultural production are found. The cost to rent an acre of farmland reflects not only the quality of the soil but also the pressures from development, e.g., wind turbine fields, as well as expansion of mega-dairy operations. See below. Keweenaw County hasthe smallest number of farms, and is closely followed by Crawford.
In terms of emphasis in production, the following generalized regions can be identified on the basis of major farm products sold: (1) dairying in the southern and central parts of the Lower Peninsula and scattered throughout the rest of the state; (2) beans, soy and dry, in the Saginaw Valley and cash grain, mostly corn and wheat, in many of the central and southern counties of the southern Lower Peninsula; (3) the fruit-growing counties along Lake Michigan in the Lower Peninsula; and (4) nurseries and greenhouses in the three metropolitan Detroit counties-Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb. Small areas of specialization also occur, such as hogs and pigs in Cass County, poultry and poultry products in Ottawa, and field seeds in Roscommon.
Source: Central Michigan University
What to farm?
The factors determining the selection of crop and livestock enterprises (in effect, thetype of farming) on a particular farm may be classified under four headings as follows: 1)physical, 2) economic, 3) personal and 4) biological. Physical factors largelydetermine which products may be produced most efficiently in a given area. The economicones determine which products are most profitable to produce. The personal factors includethe likes and dislikes of the farmer. These are important, particularly in the selectionof the kind and location of a farm to buy or rent. Biological factors include insectpests, plant and animal diseases and animal pests.
PHYSICAL FACTORS
The three physical factors important in determining the best type-of-farming to followin Michigan are 1) climate, 2) soils and 3) topography. Farmers have little or nocontrol over climate and topography. A farmer may, however, supplement rainfall byirrigation. Once the farm is selected, a farmer has no control or choice as to the kind ofsoil on the farm. A farmer may, however, modify the drainage, organic matter content,fertility and acidity and thus improve the productivity of the land he/she owns. Themajor climatic factor affecting the selection of crop and livestock enterprises inMichigan is the length of growing season. The rainfall and total precipitation, rangingfrom about 28 to 32 inches, have little or no effect on the selection of crops andlivestock.
Michigan has a wide range in the length of growing season, which plays an important part indetermining the different type-of-farming areas. The crops in Michigan most sensitive toadverse climatic conditions are the tree fruits, corn, dry beans and certain vegetables.
Source: The Climatic Atlas of Michigan, Val L. Eichenlaub, et al., 1990.
The three main reason why Michigan has so many variations in length of growing seasonare 1) the surrounding Great Lakes, 2) the variation in latitude and 3) the variation inelevation. Of the three, the influence of the lakes and the variation in latitude are mostpronounced and important. The influence of Lake Michigan on weather makes possible the fruit area in western Michigan. This large body of water, afterbeing warmed by the summer sun, retains its heat during the autumn. As a result, theautumns are usually long and mild, and hence favorable for ripening fruit and hardeningnew growth on fruit trees, thus lessening winter killing. After the water in the GreatLakes is finally cooled during the winter, it remains cold until late spring and usuallydelaying the opening of fruit buds until danger of frost is past. This lake influence ismuch less pronounced on the Lake Huron and Lake Erie shores because the prevailing windsin the Great Lakes region are from the west. Michigan extends about 400 miles northand south, and at latitudes 42 and 47, the length of growing season of the northern partof the state is considerably reduced as contrasted with that of the southern part.
Soils. Soil is a very important factor in determining, not only, the best typeof farming to follow but also the productivity and value of a farm. The characteristics ofthe soil which are of major importance in determining the best us of land are texture,structure, drainage, slope and the degree of erosion. The soilsof Michigan do not occur, generally, as uniform individual types in areas of largeextent except on some of the dry sandy pine-plains in the northern part of the state. Theyexist more commonly in small bodies and in associations comprising a number of soil typeswhich not only differ chemically and physically, but which also exhibit a great diversityin topography and drainage. Michigan soils range in texture from plastic compact clayswhich are difficult to till and drain to dry sands which, when unprotected, are subject towind erosion.
In addition to the mineral soils, Michigan has approximately 5 millionacres (nearly one-seventh of the land area of the state) of organic soils (mucks andpeats). The organic soils, which generally occur inrelatively small separate bodies, range in chemical and physical properties from raw,highly acid peat bogs or marshes to black well-decomposed mucks.
. Michigan has a wide range in topographyfrom the level lands of the old lake beds which range from 580 to 800 feet above sea levelto the Huron and Porcupine Mountains in the Upper Peninsula which reach about 2,000 feetin elevation. The topography or slope of the land is an important factor in theselection of the best kinds of crops and livestock to produce on a farm. For example, withhilly land and land with steeper and longer slopes a higher proportion needs to be ingrass and legumes than is true for the more level land. With the level to gently rollingland, a higher proportion may be in row crops and grains. The topography or slope ofthe land also effects the air drainage, water drainage, soil erosion, and the size andtypes of farm power and machinery units which can be used efficiently on the farm. Soilerosion is a problem on the rolling and hilly lands. Water drainage is often a realproblem in the level loam and clay loam areas. The modern farm power and machinery unitsare much better adapted to the level and gently rolling areas than they are to the hillyand steeply sloping areas.
The elevation above sea level influences the climate of some sectionsof the state to a considerable degree. In the north-central portion of the lower peninsulaand in the western part of the upper peninsula where the elevation is 1,200 to 2,000 feetabove sea level, the weather is colder in the winter and the growing season iscomparatively shorter than it is at lower elevations.
Largely responsible for our topography, landforms,and our conglomeration of soils were the glaciers which covered Michigan. Six majorlandform types emerged from the maelstrom of forces that were operative in our stateduring recent geologic time: moraines, till plains, outwash plains, lake clay plains, lakesand plains, and rock outcrop areas with little or no glacial drift upon their surfaces.
Glacial end moraines are belts of rollingor rugged hills with intervening swales, swamps and lakes that enhance the beauty of thecountryside. Morainic soils, however, consist of materials ranging from boulders to fineclay and silts, with all possible gradations of rock derivatives from coarse gravel tofine sand intervening between the two extremes. Our morainic areas contain much good soiland much that is either too poor or too steep for cultivated crops.
Till plains, or ground moraine, aregently undulating lands. They are generally fertile, with soils that are predominatelyclay loams and sandy loams, capable of supporting diversified agriculture indefinitely,provided they are handled properly.
Outwash plains occupy extensive areasin northern Michigan and constitute the poorest soils, with the exception of exposed oralmost barren rock. The sandy hardwood and jack pine plainsof the northern half of the Lower Peninsula are typical. These have been the problem landsof Michigan. Forty to 50 years ago large scale attempts were made to clear and farm theselands, but the thin forest humus overlying infertile sand wassoon exhausted and thousands of hopeful pioneer farmers starved out and their landsreverted. Ownership records indicate that some of these farms went through the taxreversion wringer two or three times before they finally came to rest in public ownership.
The lake (lacustrine) plains,which are typical of Saginaw, Huron, Monroe and other counties bordering lakes Huron andErie, comprise our richest agricultural lands, but they require drainage and carefulhandling. Sandy areas on the lake plains, with dune lands and ancient beach ridges, are oflow fertility and often wet. Like the outwash plains, they help supply our need for woodand vast areas of wildlife habitat.
The rock outcrop areas of Michigan are most prominent in the UpperPeninsula. There are two types of landforms in this category: the rugged hills and mountains found in the western half of the peninsula, andflat limestone and sandstone outcrops, typical of Drummond Island and certain sections ofthe eastern half of the peninsula. The rocks are frequently covered with a thin layer ofglacial drift and humus that is capable of supporting a vigorous stand of northernhardwood and coniferous trees.
None of these basic landmarks is hom*ogeneous. For example, in the LowerPeninsula moraines occur in concentric ranges parallel to theshores of Saginaw Bay, Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, but others occur inirregular patterns which seemingly have no relations to the outlines of the Great Lakes.Till plains and outwash plains commonly fill in the space between the hill formations. Lake plains occupy much of the Saginaw River Valley, andthe broad belt of flat land surrounding the "Thumb" and extending southwardalong the shores of Lakes Huron, St. Clair and Erie.
A large part of Michigans northern land has moderate limitationsas far as agriculture in concerned. It consists of rugged hills, shallow rocky soils withrock outcrops, rolling sandy plains, extensive swamps, inland lakes and streams. This isMichigans public and private forest and recreation land. This is the land that makesMichigans tourist industry second only to the automotive industry indollars-and-cents value. This is the land that was logged and destroyed by fire. This is the land that has come back from desolation as aresult of forest management, good forest fire control and intelligent land-use planning.However, not all of northern Michigan is bad, agriculturally. Scattered areas of fair togood farm land may be found throughout this part of the state. Northern Michigan has alsoproduced the major share of Michigans mineral wealth: limestone, gypsum, copper, iron, oiland gas. This rugged northern, mineral-laden land has supplied the crude materials forheavy industry in the great industrial cities of the world.
Source: Central Michigan University
ECONOMIC FACTORS
Economic factors largely determine the kinds of products that are most profitable toproduce on a farm. This influence is in the form of prices received by farmers for farmproducts, costs of production, and types and nearness of markets. For example, twoenterprises may be equally well adapted to the physical conditions within an area, and yetnot be at all comparable from the standpoint of financial returns per acre.
The economic factors which are important in determining the kind orkinds of crops and livestock to produce on a given farm are 1) markets, 2) price of landand 3) competitive and supplementary enterprises. Temporarily such factors as the cyclesin the supply of different products, periods required for returns on capital investments,and the supply of labor, the size of farms, the supply of capital and whether the farm istenant or owner-operated may affect the type of farming followed on an individual farm.
Markets. Nearness to large markets is the most important single economic factoraffecting the best types of farming to follow on southern Michigan farms. Large populationcenters in SE Michigan increase the local demand for bulky farm products and for productswith a high degree of perishability, like vegetables and milk. Such products tend to beproduced near the markets because of lower transportation costs and quicker delivery time.Thus, Michigan farmers tend to produce such products as fluid milk, vegetables and smallfruits in season, tree fruits and poultry products.
Price of Land. Farm land prices are probably more the result rather than the causeof variations in types of farming. Once established, however, farm land prices do have animportant influence on the selection of crop and livestock enterprises. Higherpriced land demands intensive use for successful operations. Intensive use is obtained byfirst producing intensive enterprises such as dairy, poultry, fruit, truck crops, drybeans, sugar beets, potatoes, corn and high producing pastures; and second by the handlingof these intensive enterprises in an intensive, high producing manner.
Extensive types of farming, where sheep and beef cattle are the majorenterprises, are best adapted to the larger farms in regions where land prices arerelatively low. These rather extensive enterprises do not as a rule produce sufficientincome per acre to be profitable on the average size of farm in Michigan.
Source: Central Michigan University
Source: Hart, John Fraser (1991) �Part-Ownership and Farm Enlargement in the Midwest.� Annals of the Association of American Geographers 81 (1) , 66�79.
Source: Central Michigan University
Types of farming in Michigan
There are a number of different farming areas in Michigan. The maps below show twodifferent classifications of farming regions within the state.
Source: Hill, E.B., Riddell, F.T., and F.F. Elliot. 1930. Types of farming in Michigan. Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station Special Bulletin 206.
TYPES OF FARMING AREAS
Michigans 17 farming areas are largely based on the sources of farm income andthe prevailing kinds of crops and livestock. The divisions between the areas are not sodefinite as the boundary lines would indicate. The transition from one area to the next isusually a gradual one.
Source: Hill, E.B., Riddell, F.T., and F.F. Elliot. 1930. Types of farming in Michigan. Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station Special Bulletin 206.
AREA 1 - GENERAL LIVESTOCK AND CORN
The most important source of farm income from Area 1 is from the sale of livestock, mostlycattle, hogs and sheep. The other sources of income in order of their importance are dairyproducts; field crops, mostly wheat, corn, sugar beets and soybeans, and poultry andpoultry products. On some farms, truck crops such as tomatoes, sweet corn, squash, melons,cabbage, and potatoes are important sources of income. The major factors influencing theselection of farm enterprises in this areas are the generally productive soils, therelatively long growing season, 150 to 170 days, and the good local and nearby markets.Detroit is about 65 miles to the northeast and Toledo, Ohio, is closeby to the southeast.
AREA 2 - DAIRY, LIVESTOCK AND CORN
The farming in this area is largely characterized by dairy cattle and hogs with beefcattle, poultry and sheep of importance on certain farms. The sources of farm income areabout equally divided between dairy products, sale of cattle and hogs and the sale ofcrops mostly wheat, corn, and soybeans, with smaller amounts from potatoes, mint, celeryand asparagus. The major factors influencing the selection of enterprises in Area 2 arethe generally lighter but wide range of soils; the relatively long growing season, 150 to170 days; the local markets of Battle Creek, Kalamazoo and many smaller cities; and thenearby cities of surrounding areas.
AREA 3 - SOUTHWESTERN FRUIT, DAIRY AND TRUCK
This is the most important fruit region of Michigan, the major fruits being apples,peaches, grapes and pears. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, asparagus, tomatoes,muskmelons and mint are important specialty crops. Dairying is the major livestockenterprise. Farmers in general have a wide choice in the selection of fruit and vegetablescrops. Largely because of the lighter soils, yields of field crops usually are not high.The major factors determining the selection of enterprises in this area are the climate,topography and nearby markets. Lake Michigan and the rolling to hilly land combine to makeclimatic conditions favorable to fruit production. The wholesale fruit market at BentonHarbor and local shipping centers provide good markets. The soils range from sands of lowproductivity to sandy loams and loams of relatively high productivity. Soil erosion is aserious problem on the more rolling lands.
This is an area of high land prices and of small farms intensivelyoperated. The farmers who have consistently good incomes year after year are those whohave several sources of income. The fruit farmers frequently include apples, peaches andprobably one other tree fruit in their farm program. They may also have asparagus,raspberries, blackberries and one other small fruit or vegetable crop.
AREA 4- DAIRY, POULTRY AND TRUCK
Area 4 is the most intensive poultry area in Michigan. The farms are small. In addition tothe usual field crops of hay, pasture, corn, oats and wheat, special crops of importanceare berries, mint, celery, onions and carrots. The acreage of tree fruits is small,primarily because of poor air drainage and wet sandy soils. The livestock program centersaround the dairy and poultry enterprises. Dairying has been increasing in importanceduring the past 15 years, and most of the milk is sold as fluid milk. The major factorsinfluencing the selection of enterprises in Area 4 are: 1) the soils which include level,wet and dry sand of low fertility; level to rolling loam soils of higher productivity; andmuck soils; and 2) the nearby markets of Muskegon, Grand Rapids and Holland.
AREA 5 - DAIRY AND GENERAL FARMING
Dairy and general farming predominate in this area. The minor livestock enterprises arehogs, poultry and sheep. Most of the crops grown are the feed crops of hay, pasture, cornand oats. Wheat, corn, and soybeans are the major cash crops. The major factorsinfluencing the selection of enterprises in this area are: 1) the relatively long growingseason, which ranges from 140 to 160 days; 2) the predominance of sandy loams, silt loamsand loams of medium to high fertility; and 3) the good markets for whole milk. The majorcities included in the area are Lansing and Jackson. A considerable portion of the milkgoes outside the area to Grand Rapids, Flint and Detroit.
AREA 6 - DAIRY, PART-TIME AND TRUCK
Area 6 is the metropolitan area of southeastern Michigan and contains the major cities ofDetroit, Dearborn, Ypsilanti, Willow Run, Livonia, Highland Park, Hamtramck, Pontiac, Mt.Clemens, Flint and many smaller cities and towns. The nearby markets and off-farm workopportunities are the best of any area in the state. The nearby markets are particularlygood for fluid milk, poultry and poultry products, vegetables, tree and small fruits.
AREA 7 - DAIRY AND CASH CROPS
Area 7 is a major dairy and cash crop area. It is close enough to the large nearby marketsto favor dairy production and general farming yet not close enough to have as manypart-time farmers as does the area to the southwest. The soils in the eastern counties ofthe area are level in surface and mostly loams and silt loams. In the western counties,the land surface is more rolling and in some cases hilly and the soils range from sands tolight loams.
Dairying is the most important enterprise for the areas and on manyfarms is the sole source of income. The number of dairy cows per farm is the highest inthe state. There are also many beef breeding herds and steer feeding enterprises in thearea. Dry field beans, corn, wheat and sugar beets are the major cash crops. Because ofthe heavier, wetter soils and late spring frosts the proportion of the land in corn in theeastern part of this areas is considerably less than in the areas to the west and south.Also, more of the land is in hay and tillable pasture.
AREA 8 - CASH CROPS AND DAIRY
Area 8 is the leading cash crop area in Michigan. The major cash crops are field beans,sugar beets, corn and wheat. The other major crops - oats and forages - are mostly fed tolivestock on farms in the area. The major factors accounting for the type of farming inthis areas are the level, generally highly productive soils (when drained); the nearbygood markets which favor dairy and poultry; the sugar beet processing plants; the lengthof growing season which ranges from 130 to 160 days; and the moderated temperatures whichfavor dry, field bean production.
AREA 9 - GENERAL LIVESTOCK AND PART-TIME
Area 9 is characterized by many soil types ranging from dry sands to wet clays, and fromlevel low lands to hilly uplands. Large acreages of state owned land dedicated toforestry, parks and recreation are included in this area. Nearly one-half of the farms inthis area are part-time or residential farms. This area does not have the good localmarkets that are found in the more southern counties of the state. In general, about halfof the total land is in farms and about one-half of the land in farms is tillable. Themajor crops grown are: hay and tillable pasture about 55-60%, along with oats, wheat andcorn. Livestock in this areas is rather diversified. There are many beef as well as dairycattle, and the sales of dairy products and those of livestock and livestock productsother than dairy and poultry are about equal.
AREA 10 - DAIRY, POTATOES AND TRUCK
Except for Montcalm County, the major source of farm product sales in this area is dairyproducts. In Montcalm, 41% of the farm product sales is from field crops mostly potatoes,dry field beans and wheat. Locally, cucumbers, snap beans, onion, celery, carrots andspinach are important sources of farm product sales. Area 10 was formerly the major potatoregion of Michigan. The major livestock enterprise in the area is dairy followed bypoultry and hogs. The major factors determining the selection of crop and livestockenterprises in this area are 1) the sandy loam soils which are comparatively low in limeand intermediate in fertility; 2) the muck soils which comprise about 10% of the area; 3)the intermediate length growing season of 110 to 140 days; 4) fairly good markets,particularly Grand Rapids for milk, and also the local canning and food processing plants.
AREA 11 - NORTHWESTERN FRUIT AND DAIRY
Area 11 is the second most important fruit producing region in Michigan. It is arelatively narrow strip of land extending from the central part of Kent County to thenorthwestern part of Charlevoix County. The area contains a great diversity of soil typesoccupying level to extremely hilly areas. The major factor encouraging fruit production inthis region is the favorable climate which results largely from the close proximity ofLake Michigan. The rolling topography which provides good air and water drainage is also afactor related to the location of sites favorable to fruit production. The average lengthof growing season ranges form 130 to 150 days. The markets are good for fruit and truckcrops. Grand Rapids, other nearby cities and Chicago take much of the fresh fruit. Localprocessing plants, canning and freezing, also provide good outlets for fruit and truckcrops. Apples are the major type of fruit; peaches are important in Kent and OceanaCounties.
AREA 12 - DAIRY, PART-TIME AND POTATOES
This area is largely a dairy and potato area along with a high proportion of part-timefarming. The major crops are 1) hay and tillable pasture, 2) corn 3) potatoes and 4) oats.The major livestock enterprise is dairy. Dairy product sales were the most importantsource of farm income in all the counties in this region except for Antrim and CharlevoixCounties where crop sales ranked first. The major factors accounting for the selection ofcrop and livestock enterprises in Area 12 are 1) the sandy loams and the dry deep sandysoils; 2) the relatively short growing season of 80 days on the eastern side to 130 dayson the western side and ; 3) the greater distance from major markets.
AREA 13 - FORESTRY, PART-TIME AND CATTLE
Forestry is the major land use in this area. The farming is limited in extent and islargely confined to the local isolated small areas of well drained sandy loams and clayloam soils. This area is composed largely of soils of very low agricultural value and isat a further disadvantage because of the shorter growing season, 80 to 110 days.Considerable acreages of land in this area are owned by the state and federal governmentsand dedicated to forestry, parks and recreation.
AREA 14 - CATTLE, POTATOES AND PART-TIME
Livestock is the major source of farm product sales in Area 14. Sales from livestock andlivestock products (mostly cattle) other than dairy products and poultry slightly exceedthe sales of dairy products in most counties. Crop sales, mostly potatoes, are of majorimportance in Presque Isle County.
AREA 15 - CATTLE, HAY AND PART-TIME
Area 15 is a small portion of the eastern tip of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan andcontains portions of Chippewa and Mackinaw Counties (the Chippewa County Clay Plains). Thesoils are dominantly level, productive red clays. One of the major soil problems of thisarea is inadequate drainage (i.e, the soils are wet). The length of growing season rangesfrom 130 days in the west to about 140 days in the eastern part of the area. Sault Ste.Marie is the best local market and provides an outlet for a limited amount of whole milkand fresh eggs. Local creameries and cheese factories provide markets for the remainder ofthe dairy products. The major crop is hay and tillable pasture, which occupies about 65%of the tillable farm land.
AREA 16 - DAIRY AND POTATOES
The major farm products for Area 16 are dairy and potatoes. Fairly good outlets for marketmilk are provided by the cities of Menominee, Stephenson, Hermansville, Iron Mountain,Escanaba, Gladstone; the many smaller towns and villages in this area and also by citiesimmediately outside this area such as Munising, Marquette, Negaunee and Ishpeming. Cheesefactories also provide relatively good markets for dairy products. Area 16 ischaracterized by a large proportion of well drained limy sandy loams and loams. Thegrowing season ranges from 100 days in the north to 150 days in the south.
AREA 17 - DAIRY, POTATOES, PART-TIME AND FORESTRY
Area 17 comprises most of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is a large area and has,therefore, considerable variation in soils, climate and markets between different parts ofthe area. The length of growing season is on the short side, ranging from 80 to 140 days.Considerable acreages of land are owned by the state and federal governments and are usedfor forestry, parks and recreation.
Locally, there are some good farming areas in the region. Theintervening spaces are mostly "wild land" and contain few if any farms. Farmingin the region is largely restricted to the land that has the better soils, without toomany stones or excessively steep slopes and where drainage and land clearing costs are notexcessive.
The locations of the better agricultural communities are as follows:Luce County, around Newberry; Mackinac County, around Engadine; Schoolcraft County, aroundCooks and in the Garden Peninsula; Marquette County, around Skandia and Champion;Dickinson County, around Iron Mountain; Iron County, the Iron River-Crystal Falls area;Baraga around Baraga, Skanee, Pelkie and Covington; Houghton County, around Chassell,Tapiola and Hanco*ck; Ontonagon County, the Ewen and Ontonagon areas; and in GogebicCounty, around North Ironwood.
The major sources of farm income are from the sales of dairy products,cattle, poultry and potatoes. Potatoes are of particular importance in Houghton, Iron,Dickinson and Schoolcraft Counties. The larger cities of the area provide an outlet forthe sale of fluid milk from a small number of farms. Other dairy products are marketedthrough local milk condenseries, creameries and cheese factories. Most of the potatoes areshipped to out-of-state or to southern Michigan markets.
Parts of the text above have been paraphrased from C.M. Davis Readings in the Geography of Michigan (1964).
This material has been compiled for educational use only, and may not be reproduced without permission. One copy may be printed for personal use. Please contact Randall Schaetzl (soils@msu.edu) for more information or permissions.
