Oceana County asparagus and its June celebration

Along Lake Michigan in West Michigan sits Oceana County, anchored by the city of Hart. The county calls itself the “Asparagus Capital of the World.” That is a local identity rather than an independently audited world ranking. The grounded version is still impressive: MSU Extension says asparagus is Oceana County’s largest vegetable commodity.

Michigan as a whole ranks first among states for asparagus in MSU’s 2025 agriculture report, which uses 2023 production data. That statewide result can change as new crop data arrives. It also does not support the old claim that one county grows 80% of Michigan’s crop, so that number is best left out unless a current official county-level source establishes it.

Naturally, the crop gets a party. Hart hosts the National Asparagus Festival on the second weekend in June. The organizer calls it the country’s longest-running asparagus festival and currently lists a parade, a Taste of Asparagus, farm tours, a road race, and an Asparagus Queen. That mix of farm work and small-town ceremony is why asparagus feels less like a novelty here and more like a county tradition.