It’s no secret: The farther north you go, the thinner agriculture gets. The farm-to-forest ratio at the tip o’ the mitt is a mirror image of our southern tier. In Lenawee County woodlots are the exception to the rule; in Presque Isle it’s the other way around!
Obviously the population of farmers also shrinks to a nub and with it the volunteer resource available to the region’s county Farm Bureaus. Even so, small numbers don’t stop them from doing all they can to rally and galvanize their respective farming communities, which I promise you are just as passionate as yours!
MFB North Regional Manager Matt Frollo recently reported on this flurry of activity up in District 11:
Presque Isle County Farm Bureau made a financial contribution to the Montmorency County Fair, which saw another successful run this year, July 24-29 in Atlanta.
Cheboygan County Farm Bureau bought its members tickets to attend a membership-appreciation day at the Cheboygan County Fair Aug. 8, complete with snacks and prizes.
Charlevoix and Emmet County Farm Bureaus are also teaming up to host a membership-appreciation day, Aug. 24 at their joint county fair in Petoskey.
For young people showing animals at this year’s county fair, the Otsego County Farm Bureau is providing pails filled with all kinds of goodies to help them get through their busy week. This year’s Otsego County Fair takes place Aug. 20-26 in Gaylord.
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P.S.: Big kudos to all county Farm Bureaus, north and south, large and small, that leverage the high profile of their county fairs this time of year for the benefit of their members and the local farm communities they comprise. County fairs are once-a-year opportunities to put agriculture in the spotlight at a pre-existing event already guaranteed to draw a crowd of all those “everyday consumers” we’re so eager to win over. Go get ‘em!