Lansing, Mich. (July 18, 2024) – When you bite into that cookie or graham cracker s’more this summer, you can thank a Michigan wheat farmer – and the state’s milling industry. Wheat is a multi-million-dollar-crop in the Great Lakes State, with most of it ending up in cookies, crackers, pretzels, pastries, cereals, pies and cakes.
“Many think of wheat being utilized in bread and pasta, but our Michigan wheat farmers grow winter red and white wheat which are utilized in several products that are not bread and pasta,” said Jody Pollok-Newsom, Michigan Wheat Program Executive Director. “We are also very lucky that Michigan and the great lakes region is home to several millers and food companies utilizing wheat.”
“Michigan’s diverse food and agriculture industry is a key piece of our economic engine powered by our farmers and food processors, including our 8,000 wheat farmers across the state,” said Tim Boring, director, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. “The Whitmer-Gilchrist Administration continues to champion and invest in agriculture to ensure our farmers and ag-based companies can ‘Make it in Michigan.’ Please join Governor Whitmer and me in celebrating our wheat industry throughout the month.”
In honor of Michigan’s wheat farmers who are harvesting the amber waves of grain, Governor Gretchen Whitmer has proclaimed July as Wheat Month in Michigan. The proclamation recognizes wheat as a $281 million annual economic industry with 32 million bushels of red and white winter wheat expected to be harvested this month.
“As a wheat farmer, I am very proud of our contribution to the state’s economy,” said Jeffery Krohn, Michigan Wheat Program Chairman. “And given that we have growers in so many counties across the state, those financial contributions are shared throughout the state.”
The Governor’s proclamation hails the 8,000 wheat farmers that plant and harvest over 380,000 acres in 78 counties across both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas.
“Whereas…Michiganders celebrate in partnership with the Michigan Wheat Program in highlighting the importance of Michigan’s wheat farmers and all of the millers, food companies and businesses that utilize the state’s bountiful wheat crop … now, therefore, I, Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan do hereby proclaim July 2024 as Michigan Wheat Month.”
So, when your family tucks into a summery outdoor picnic this summer, give a nod to the hard-working farmers harvesting over 32 million bushels of wheat in about four weeks’ time, while sustaining the environment and preserving farmland for generations to come.
Thank you to the wheat farmers of Michigan!