Gratiot County's other crop: wind

Drive east of St. Louis through Bethany Township and the horizon does something unexpected for mid-Michigan farm country: it turns. The 133-turbine Gratiot County Wind project was Michigan’s largest when it came online in 2012. The county’s development group now counts six wind farms, with hundreds of turbines spread across the county. The same flat farmland that grows beans and beets turned out to be good for harvesting wind, too.

Several townships worked together on zoning before the biggest projects arrived. The trade-off is visible across the landscape: participating landowners can earn lease income, while turbine taxes support schools and other local services. Crops still grow around the towers. People nearby can also have real concerns about views, lights, sound, and where future projects may go. It is still farm country, just with another harvest turning above the fields.