In Michigan’s Thumb region, where agriculture drives both the landscape and the economy, the Saginaw Valley Research and Extension Center, or SVREC, helps growers solve real-world challenges by testing what works directly in the field.
At the core of that work is the land itself and the people who manage it.
“We’re trying to mirror what growers are experiencing out in their fields,” says Tom Wenzel, the center’s farm manager. “If it works here, there’s a good chance it’s going to work out there.”
Spread across roughly 450 acres in one of Michigan’s most productive agricultural regions, the farm supports research on the crops that define the Thumb — dry beans, sugar beets and wheat — while also including rotational crops like corn and soybeans that reflect real-world farming practices.
Research conducted at the center has helped Michigan growers become national leaders in crops like dry beans and sugar beets.
It’s a hands-on expression of MSU’s land-grant mission: research designed not just to advance knowledge but to solve real problems in the field.
From Michigan bean fields to global markets
Michigan is one of the top producers of dry beans in the United States, ranking No. 2 nationally and contributing hundreds of millions of dollars to the state’s agricultural economy, but it’s a story many people don’t know.
“It’s a great untold story,” says Joe Cramer, executive director of the Michigan Bean Commission.
From navy beans to black beans and small reds, Michigan’s growers produce a wide range of dry beans. Exports go everywhere around the globe, but roughly one-third of the crop is exported to markets in Latin America and the Caribbean.
That success is driven, in part, by a long-standing partnership between growers and researchers at Michigan State University, much of it centered at the SVREC.
Through a checkoff system, growers invest directly in research by contributing a portion of each 100-pound bag of beans sold to support efforts that improve yield, develop new varieties and address emerging challenges.
“We do our best to fund research — anything that will help growers have a better yield,” Cramer says.
That investment has led to advancements that continue to reap benefits — both in the field and to the consumer.
“Customers expect to open a can of black beans and have them be black,” Cramer says. “Some of the work at the university has given us varieties that actually stay blacker, which makes the producers and consumers happy.”
Other innovations have reshaped the industry entirely.
Decades ago, dry beans required labor-intensive harvesting methods that made production difficult and discouraged younger farmers from entering the field. That changed when MSU’s world-renowned dry bean breeder, Jim Kelly, developed upright bean varieties that could be harvested using standard equipment.
“To me, that really saved our industry,” Cramer says.
At the SVREC, those kinds of improvements are tested under real-world conditions.
“We’re not working in perfect conditions,” Wenzel says. “We’re working in the same environment farmers are.”
The center also serves as a place where growers can see that research in action.
“It’s an opportunity for us to demonstrate things they can do at their farm to hopefully make them an extra dollar or two,” Cramer says.
Keeping Michigan sugar competitive
For growers in Michigan’s Thumb, sugar beets are more than just a crop — they are a cornerstone of the regional economy.
Michigan ranks among the top sugar beet–producing states in the country, underscoring the crop’s importance to both the regional and national agricultural economy.
Michigan Sugar Company is a farmer-owned cooperative made up of hundreds of growers across the region, processing locally grown sugar beets into sugar that competes in a global market.
“The world sets the price,” says Mike Houghtaling, a sugar beet farmer and member of the Michigan Sugar Company board of directors. “So, we have to be as efficient and productive as possible.”
That reality puts constant pressure on growers to maximize yield, manage costs and respond quickly to challenges in the field.
At the SVREC, that pressure translates into practical, field-driven research.
One of the biggest challenges facing growers is Cercospora leaf spot, a fungal disease that can significantly reduce yields and sugar content if not properly managed.
Research at the center helps growers understand how to control the disease while maintaining productivity — work that directly affects both farm profitability and the cooperative’s ability to compete.
“The growers know the research is being done in their environment, under their conditions,” Houghtaling says. “That makes a difference.”
For Wenzel, managing those trials is about producing results growers can trust.
“It has to be done right,” he says. “If the data isn’t good, it doesn’t help anybody.”
For growers, the value of that work is clear.
“It would be devastating if we didn’t have a place like this — not just for individual farms, but for the entire industry,” Houghtaling says.
That close connection between research and real-world conditions is what allows Michigan’s sugar beet industry to remain competitive even as global markets and environmental pressures continue to evolve.
Boosting performance of Michigan wheat
Wheat is a major crop in Michigan’s Thumb, where ideal soil conditions and climate make the region one of the most productive wheat-growing areas in the state.
“The Thumb has some of the best wheat ground in the state,” Wenzel says.
Huron County is the largest wheat-producing county in Michigan, and together with Tuscola and Sanilac counties, the region accounts for roughly a third of the state’s wheat production.
At the SVREC, that production is supported by research designed to help growers choose the best-performing varieties for their fields.
“It’s an essential testing site for wheat varieties grown in the Thumb,” says Eric Olson, associate professor of wheat breeding and genetics.
Each year, researchers evaluate hundreds of wheat varieties across thousands of plots, measuring how well each performs under local growing conditions.
“Every wheat variety that gets marketed to farmers in Michigan has been evaluated for performance at the SVREC,” Olson says.
That work helps identify varieties that deliver strong yields, resist disease and meet the quality standards required by mills and food companies.
“Farmers have to make money,” Olson says. “Farms don’t exist if they aren’t profitable. And when they succeed, the impact extends far beyond the farm — it supports the entire local economy.”
Where research meets the community
Beyond research, the Saginaw Valley Research and Extension Center serves as a meeting place for Michigan agriculture.
Field days and events bring growers together with researchers to share knowledge and see new practices in action. The Ag Education Center at the SVREC hosts over 100 events each year.
“We get growers out here so they can see what’s working and what’s not,” Wenzel says.
That direct connection between research and real-world application is what makes the center effective.
It’s not just about generating data — it’s about making sure that data is useful.
From beans to sugar beets to wheat, the work at the SVREC reflects a simple idea: The best research starts in the field and ends with the people it serves.
