Myth Lives On, But Agriculture Still Not Second-Largest Industry in Michigan

Capitol Confidential ^ | 10/26/2013 | James Hohman

[MichCapCon]

Michigan has a diversified economic base and the relationships between one industry and the others can get complex. Perhaps the most commonly reiterated myth about the state economy is that agriculture is the state’s second-largest industry.

That myth was recently repeated by Michigan Radio, which did a series that looked at the people providing migrant labor.

While agriculture is important for the people who depend on it for their livelihoods, it's a relatively small part of the state economy. The state gross domestic product generated directly by farms, fishing and forestry accounts for just 1 percent of the state's total production.

The "second largest" claim comes from a report by Michigan State University professors that counts the direct, indirect, and ancillary relationship between agriculture industries. This expansive definition means that even waiters are considered agricultural employees since they work with food.

But because of this expansive definition, it is impossible to compare these findings to other industries.

All industries are connected and some are more connected than others and it's difficult to imagine Michigan without farming. This does not mean, however, that its contributions to the state's economic environment are the second largest.

[El Cid]

Well, I guess it is the truth if the ‘first-largest’ industry is categorized as ‘Non-Agricultural’...

[cripplecreek]

Agriculture is certainly big but most of it is restricted to south of Lansing with fruit and veggie crops along the lake Michigan shore up to the Traverse city area. There is a fair amount of money being made in forestry.

Michigan is a major limestone producer with the Rogers city quarry being among the largest in the world. Iron and copper potential is there but currently not terribly active. Natural gas is on the rise along with tech industries.

Hunting and fishing are major players in Michigan. If our governor weren’t such a liberal weenie he would have played on that in a bid to try to attract some of the east coast gun manufacturers.