Michigan Farmland and Income

Background: Agriculture is Michigan’s second largest industry and yet many counties throughout the state continue to lose valuable farmland to urban sprawl. Agriculture continues to play a significant role in Michigan’s economy and we must examine the economic impacts the loss of farmland is having throughout the state. The purpose of this study was to examine the loss of farmland by county in the state and to examine the income from farms in these counties. Methods: USDA Census County Summary Highlights were used to compare acres of farmland from 2002 to 2007. USDA Statistics Service Quick Stats was also used to compare net income from farmland based on a county wide level from 2002 to 2007. The data was unavailable for net income in 1997. The data was charted on geographical information software (GIS) to map and compare the results. Results: Several counties in Michigan lost farmland between 2002 and 2007 and several counties also gained farmland. The maps show 10 counties in 2002 had a negative net income and only 7 counties had a negative net income in 2007. The final map shows the percent change in acres from 2002-2007. The results show net income increased in most of the counties which experienced a loss of farmland when comparing the percent change in farmland to net income. Implications: This work reveals how the importance of this industry in Michigan cannot be highlighted enough due to the significant role it can have in our economy