EMMET COUNTY — A dozen counties in northern Lower Michigan experienced a disastrous ice storm that lasted from March 28-30.
The storm is long gone but the damage remains, and farmers need help.
According to a May 14 news release, reports from local farms have been staggering: entire plantings and livestock lost, miles of fencing down, greenhouses collapsed, maple forests for syruping destroyed, debris hindering future farming efforts.
With farmer livelihoods under threat, Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities, Crosshatch Center for Art and Ecology, and the Local Food Alliance have partnered to launch the Ice Storm Farm Relief Fund to help the region’s farmers recover.
“The damage has been compared to a category 5 hurricane,” said Kevin Donner, Emmet County farmer and member of the Local Food Alliance. “So many farms struggled through this, and some lost everything. It was clear to me immediately that our farmers needed help.”
The GoFundMe Ice Storm Farm Relief Fund, hosted by Crosshatch Center, can be found here.
Nearly everyone living in the 12 affected counties—including Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, Mackinac, Montmorency, Oscoda, Otsego, and Presque Isle counties—suffered damage of some kind.
Damage estimates currently range from $200 million to $300 million and are expected to climb. And farmers were hit especially hard.
“Many farmers lost power and internet for weeks, so we’ve been kinda in survival mode. With everything that’s happening, we’re only just now getting in touch to hear how more folks have been affected,” Donner said.
While state and federal officials are in the process of surveying the full extent of the agricultural damage, some impacts are already clear. Vegetable farms have lost entire plantings of seedlings after greenhouse heat was cut off due to the power outage. Other farmers lost livestock.
Miles of fencing and farm structures were damaged — much is not covered by insurance. Maple syrup producers have been devastated because farms lost not only sap production for this season but also future income because of extensive tree damage.
Responding to a survey, one local producer said, “It’s like starting over from scratch, and the heartbreak is indescribable. Every resource we have is being reinvested immediately into this process, which makes the situation even more difficult. We are planning for a six-figure loss.”
“If people value the local food and want Northern Michigan farms to survive, we need their help,” Donner said.
Any donation helps.
You can donate and learn more about where the funds are going by clicking here or by contacting Christina Marbury, Community Outreach Specialist, at christina@crosshatch.org or Jeff Smith, Communications Director, Groundwork, 231-499-5874 or jeff.smith@groundworkcenter.org.