McDonald’s & Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Celebrate Poultry Farmers

To celebrate March as Michigan Food and Ag Month, McDonald’s of Michigan and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development held a special event to salute Michigan’s farmers at a McDonald’s restaurant in Ionia. Ionia County is home to Herbruck's Poultry Ranch, the largest egg producer in Michigan and the 10th largest in the United States.

At Wednesday’s event, leaders from MDARD, McDonald’s of Michigan, and Herbruck's Poultry Ranch spoke about the commitment to bring Michigan residents fresh, high-quality food items for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

“Farmers, processors and suppliers across the state of Michigan take tremendous pride in their work to help feed our families,” said Kathy Angerer, Acting Director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. “From here in Ionia, to the Upper Peninsula, and everywhere in-between, the care, commitment, and passion our farmers have for the quality of product they produce for Michiganders is on display in any restaurant or grocery store you visit.”

In 2021, the McDonald’s system purchased 56 million dozen eggs from Michigan suppliers. In addition to eggs, the McDonald’s system purchased 22 million gallons of milk, 3 million pounds of beef, and 14 million pounds of apples from Michigan farmers and suppliers in 2021. In total, the McDonald’s system purchased $162 million worth of product from Michigan farmers and suppliers.

“McDonald’s sources some of the world’s most in-demand ingredients, requiring intensive agriculture to feed the world,” said McDonald’s Owner/Operator Keith Berg, who operates McDonald’s restaurants in Allegan, Barry, Calhoun, Ionia, and Kent counties. “Quality partnerships like the ones we have with suppliers right here in Michigan helps us achieve our goals.”

“We want every one of our Michigan farmers and suppliers to thrive,” added McDonald’s Owner/Operator Shawn Saputo, who owns restaurants in Ingham, Gratiot, and Saginaw counties. “We depend on the success, resilience and sustainability of the many businesses across the McDonald’s supply chain. We count on our suppliers to bring us quality ingredients and products so that we can provide delicious meals to every customer we serve.”

Herbruck’s supplies eggs to nearly every McDonald’s restaurant east of the Mississippi River.

“We have a great, longstanding relationship with the McDonald’s system,” said Cody Herbruck, Director of Processing and Operations at Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch. “For decades, Herbruck’s has been providing high-quality eggs for people to enjoy. We appreciate that McDonald’s has trusted us to for so many years to help feed the millions of customers they serve.”

To celebrate Michigan egg suppliers and to honor McDonald’s commitment to always cracking a fresh egg for every Egg McMuffin it serves, the Ionia restaurant also hosted an egg cracking contest featuring representatives from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch, and the local McDonald’s restaurant.

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About McDonald’s USA

McDonald’s serves a variety of menu options made with quality ingredients to more than 25 million customers every day. Ninety-five percent of McDonald’s 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by businessmen and businesswomen. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter @McDonalds and Facebook at www.facebook.com/mcdonalds.