Yes, despite all of the urbanization that has occurred and continues to occur in Oakland County, there are still some operating farms. Although they are obviously modernized over the years, they still seem to possess a whisper of that more rural, simpler life of years ago.
And agriculture is still a major industry in Michigan. Consequently, the 2007 farm bill currently pending in the U.S. Senate is important legislation not only for the state but also Oakland County.
Information from Mary Wilson, extension horticulture educator for the Michigan State University Extension service in Oakland County, there are 643 working farms in the county, based on the most current data available.
Most are operated by part-time farmers and the average size is 64 acres.
About 7.3 percent of the land in Oakland County is for farms, which includes fruit and vegetable growers.
Wilson notes that many of the Oakland County farms are nurseries that grow trees and shrubs. Also, there are a number Christmas tree farms. Statewide, the percentages are understandably higher. About 27.9 percent of Michigan land is used for farming with the average size of a farm about 190 acres.
Ben Kudwa, executive director of the Michigan Potato Industry Commission and a member of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, says the farm bill is a good piece of legislation that needs to be passed to help Michigan's $60 billion agricultural industry.
"Michigan is a big specialty crop producing state -- we produce apples, cherries and other fruits as well as potatoes and other vegetables in addition to the main crops wheat, corn and soy beans," Kudwa says. Kudwa notes the alliance is a national coalition of more than 120 specialty crop organizations.
The farm bill must be renewed regularly but Kudwa says, for the first time, it recognizes the priorities of specialty crop producers, who account for more than half of all the crop value in the nation.
The U.S. Senate's agriculture committee was scheduled to begin reviewing the farm bill this past week. The Senate is scheduled to pass some version of the farm bill by the end of October.
Because the bill includes funding for the federal Women, Infants and Children and Food Stamp programs, some version is expected to be passed into law.
Currently, the bill has some provisions that would help Michigan specialty crop producers and farmers in general.
They include: expansion of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program to all 50 states; enhancement of critical trade assistance and market promotion tools that will grow international markets for specialty crops; investment in prevention and mitigation protocols to combat invasive pests and diseases that cost the economy millions of dollars per year; and investment in research to improve the taste and quality of foods.
However, changes in the bill still could be made between now and the end of October. We call upon Michigan's senators -- Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin -- to make sure that the bill will still include the necessary provisions that benefit Michigan farmers.
It's amazing how some old adages using farm terminology are still appropriate today throughout society -- such as what you sow is what you reap.
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