Nearly 200 egg growers and suppliers, area farmers, and local Jaycees along with local and state elected officials who attended the Ionia Free Fair’s opening day breakfast celebrated Michigan’s egg growing industry, which has an extraordinary presence in Ionia County. The breakfast event featured Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Director Jamie Clover Adams as a keynote speaker, and also included McDonald’s inaugural “Fastest Egg Cracking” championship.
Sergio Brito, a McDonald’s crew member from Wyoming, cracked 13 eggs in 15 seconds and was crowned McDonald’s of Michigan’s Egg Cracking Champion. The contest was held to showcase how McDonald’s cracks fresh eggs for its Egg McMuffin breakfast sandwiches.
Michigan is the second-most diverse state in the country when it comes to agriculture. Food and agriculture has an economic impact of more than $101 billion in Michigan, employs more than 52,000 farmers, and ranks in the top ten in 19 different commodities. Michigan’s egg industry has an estimated $625 million impact on the state’s economy, Clover Adams said.
“I am thrilled to once again have the opportunity to thank McDonald’s for being one of Michigan’s best customers of our agriculture,” said Clover Adams. “In 2015, McDonald’s purchased about $164 million in Michigan agricultural products, including 69.9 million dozen eggs…that’s almost 1 billion eggs a year! Each year McDonald’s demonstrates its strong commitment to buying Michigan agricultural products; annually buying 16.2 million pounds of apples, 7.6 million gallons of milk, 7.8 million pounds of butter, 6.2 million pounds of beef, 1.7 million pounds of blueberries and 25.9 million pounds of corn.”
“It’s businesses like McDonald’s, and small business owners like Keith Berg, owner/operator of McDonald’s here in Ionia, that help Michigan to rank as one of the nation’s leaders in agribusiness and helps us continue to remain on a world class platform. By continuing to invest in Michigan agri-business, McDonald’s helps us to ensure that our farming industry will continue to grow and be embraced by future generations of farmers,” she added.
The event, co-hosted by the Ionia Jaycees and the Ionia Free Fair, also recognized one of the state’s leading egg suppliers, Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch, located in Ionia.
“At McDonald’s we take great pride in our relationships with suppliers like Herbruck’s, who are not only committed to providing McDonald’s USA with high-quality ingredients, but are industry leaders in their dedication to innovation, environmental sustainability and the highest quality and safety standards,” said Marcos Quesada, McDonald’s vice president and general manager of the Michigan region. “We value our partnership with Herburck’s and the many farmers, suppliers and processors throughout Michigan.”
McDonald’s employs approximately 32,000 people statewide with 450 restaurants being owned and operated by more than 100 small independent business owners.
