Michigan falls behind in race to save disappearing farmland

Michigan’s Farmland Crisis: Preservation Efforts Fall Short as Development Pressures Mount

Carl Druskovich faces a familiar dilemma for many Michigan farmers. Despite being a seventh-generation fruit farmer in southwestern Michigan, he still works full-time as a dentist to support himself. Regular offers to purchase portions of his 400-acre farm for up to $20,000 per acre are increasingly tempting.

“I can see why some people are just saying ‘forget it,'” Druskovich admits. His goal is to preserve the farm for his godson, bucking the trend that has seen 5% of Michigan’s farmland disappear since 2012.

Michigan’s commitment to farmland preservation, however, appears inadequate compared to other states. This year, lawmakers allocated just $1.9 million statewide for local governments to purchase farmland development rights. To put that in perspective, a typical data center developer would pay over $3 million for 200 acres—roughly the average size of a Michigan farm.

Among the 29 states with permanent protection programs, Michigan ranks 22nd in spending on a per-farm basis, having preserved less than half a percent of its total farmland, according to the Farmland Information Center. By contrast, Delaware has invested approximately 10 times more over the past three decades, successfully preserving nearly a third of its farmland.

“Michigan as a whole has not embraced permanent protection of farmland as well as states out east and on the West Coast,” notes Becky Huttenga, agriculture and economic resources coordinator for Ottawa County.

The state’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has temporarily preserved about 3 million of Michigan’s 9.5 million acres of farmland through its Farmland and Open Space Preservation Program. However, this program only requires farmers to maintain their farms for 10 years—a short-term solution to a long-term problem.

The scale of Michigan’s farmland loss is significant. Between 2012 and 2022, the state lost nearly half a million acres across more than 6,600 farms. A University of Illinois study found that the Midwest as a whole lost 1.6 million acres of farmland from 2001 to 2021. This decline comes as land prices rise due to competing demands from housing developments, solar projects, and data centers.

Experts stress the importance of preserving agricultural land. Farming contributes $126 billion to Michigan’s economy, and locally grown food supports both public health and national security. However, farmers who are “land rich but cash poor” face immense pressure when developers arrive with lucrative offers.

“It’s all about money,” explains Nikki Rothwell, a Michigan State University Extension specialist. “You gotta have these growers make money.”

The impact is particularly severe in west Michigan, home to the state’s “fruit belt” along Lake Michigan’s coast. This region produces about a third of the state’s corn, nearly a quarter of its soybeans, and more than a quarter of Michigan’s dairy cows. Yet it has experienced the most significant farmland losses in the state.

“This is especially alarming,” says Rothwell, noting the region’s specialty in high-value crops like apples, blueberries, and peaches.

While data centers and solar farms grab headlines, housing development poses the greatest threat to farmland. West Michigan built nearly 47,000 homes between 2012 and 2024—more than any region except southeast Michigan.

“This area of the state has very rich soil for farming, but it’s also very desirable to live in,” explains Sue Boomgaard-Rasch, an Ottawa County fruit farmer working to preserve 80 acres of her 300-acre farm. “Once the ground has had concrete and drainfields and wells dug into it, it’s really not compatible with agriculture. You can’t reverse that.”

The numbers are stark: Ottawa County lost nearly 42,000 acres of farmland between 2012 and 2022, while neighboring Van Buren County lost even more—around 44,000 acres.

Local preservation efforts struggle with limited resources. Van Buren County’s Land Preservation Board, founded in 2005, has saved only 81 acres of a single farm through the state’s purchase of development rights program. The board has considered seeking a local property tax to fund preservation efforts but abandoned the idea because “people get millaged out pretty fast,” according to Lisa Ransler, the county’s community services director.

The challenges extend beyond land preservation policy. Farming has become increasingly difficult and less profitable. In 2024, Michigan farmers made about $2.6 billion in net income after receiving $187 million in federal assistance—down from $4 billion the previous year and the lowest profit since the pandemic began in 2020.

Rothwell hears regularly from farmers who say, “it’s not very fun to farm anymore.” Regulatory paperwork, immigration policies affecting the workforce, and trade barriers all compound the financial pressures.

“The ones that really do it have that just built into their souls,” Ransler observes.

Druskovich embodies that dedication. If his application for development rights isn’t approved this year, he’ll apply again next year, and the year after that if necessary. He hopes to use the funds to purchase 30 adjacent acres and upgrade his farm’s irrigation system.

His godson, who also works full-time as an electrician, lives on and works the farm with him and will eventually take over. Druskovich’s motivation is simple but profound: “I would like to go to the grave, after putting my life into this, knowing it’ll be used for farming.”