Why does Fruit Grow in Michigan?
Where was the banana you ate with your morning cereal grown? Did the orange juice you drank come from oranges grown in California or Florida? How far does fruit travel to reach your breakfast table? What about the apple you had as an afternoon snack? Was it grown nearby or in another part of the county? As in the past, Michigan remains one of the most important fruit-producing states in the US. Fruit orchards and vineyards flourish in those portions of the state where the climate is mediated by the Great Lakes. There are three principle fruit-growing regions in Michigan: along the northern Lake Michigan shoreline especially the Traverse Bay area; in the area known as the “thumb” north of Detroit; and Southwest Michigan. Known as “Michigan’s Original Fruit Belt,” Allegan, Van Buren, and Berrien counties offer the state's most diversified fruit production. In the past, they offered the advantage of steamboat, railroad and later, motor truck shipping to the markets of Chicago. Today, there are still numerous fruit farms and processors in this region, including Welch’s, Gerber, and Minute Maid.
Van Buren County
Van Buren is presently the third largest county for orchard production in the state, totaling about 10,000 acres of orchard land. The county is also one of Michigan’s top producers of strawberries.
Allegan County
Today, Allegan county maintains an agriculture and tourist based economy. Its 240,000 acres of farmland contribute diversely to the state’s fruit production in apples, nectarines, grapes, and berries.
Berrien County and the Benton Harbor Fruit Market
Today, Berrien County is the largest for orchard production in the state. With nearly 400 fruit farms, it is one of Michigan’s leading producers of grapes, peaches, berries, and apples. From the 1930s-1950s the Benton Harbor Fruit Market was the “World’s Largest Cash to Grower Produce Market,” and as many as 400 trucks would wait to enter the market each day. Today, the Market is owned by a growers and buyers cooperative, and is still a multi-million dollar business that has over 1000 active buyers and sellers.
