Disaster Relief Fundraiser Launched for Northern Michigan Farmers

Multiple counties in Northern Lower Michigan experienced a disastrous ice storm that lasted from March 28 through 30, 2025. Damage reports from local farms have been staggering: entire plantings and livestock lost, miles of fencing down, 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, Northeast Michigan Healthy Food Initiative, and the Local Food Alliance have partnered for a fundraiser to help the region’s farmers recover. 

“The damage has been compared to a category 5 hurricane,” says 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, 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.

“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 of the 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 have been damaged, most of which is not covered by insurance. Maple syrup producers have been devastated. Farms have lost not only products for this season but also future sources of 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,” says Donner.