Oceana County fruit grower Michael DeRuiter represents Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana and Osceola counties on MFB’s board of directors.
A third-generation farmer, DeRuiter works a 1,000-acre, MAEAP-verified fruit farm with his father, Richard, raising apples, peaches and tart cherries. They also process cherries and do custom harvesting.
Before joining the MFB board, DeRuiter served on the state Young Farmer and policy development committees, and study committees tasked with evaluating MFB staffing and the Michigan Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Association. From November 2012 to December 2013 he represented MFB’s Young Farmer program on the state board of directors.
For the Oceana County Farm Bureau, he helped build the Young Farmer and candidate evaluation programs. He was named MFB’s Volunteer of the Month in December 2010 for building local leadership and spearheading political involvement.
Outside Farm Bureau, DeRuiter has been involved with both the Michigan Cherry Committee and the Cherry Marketing Institute.
DeRuiter graduated from Hart High School in 2000, then earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Grand Valley State University. He and his wife Amanda have two young boys.