Original article by Teresa K. Woodruff, Interim President of MSU, for Michigan Farm News, January 31, 2023
MSU responds: 'Sale of Morris’ farmland to benefit generations of Michigan growers'
In my previous role as provost of Michigan State University and in my current role as the university’s interim president, I’ve been honored to spend the last year meeting with agricultural leaders and producers all over Michigan, from Benton Harbor to Marquette. In coordination with leadership in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, I’ve traveled the state to hear concerns and affirm MSU’s land-grant commitment to service. It’s been incredibly valuable for me to learn how MSU can meet the needs of our state’s farmers directly from these critical partners. From these conversations, I know that farmers value candor and honesty, as do I.
In this spirit of transparent communication, I want to address recent concerns that some in the agricultural community have raised regarding David Morris’ bequest of property in Eagle Township.
In 2005, Mr. Morris made the decision to donate a significant land holding that he and his wife farmed to Michigan State University. His expressed expectation was that the land would eventually be sold and that 55% of the proceeds from the sale would fund four endowments within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and therefore benefit agricultural research, education and outreach in perpetuity. Mr. Morris was clear in his wish that this gift to MSU would support the college’s causes closest to his heart, and we will honor that wish. The remaining 45% of the funds will benefit Clark Retirement Community in Grand Rapids, as Mr. Morris stipulated.
The four endowments that bear Betty and David Morris’ names will support Michigan agriculture for generations to come through programming in communities, agriculture and natural resources; through college discretionary funding; through livestock research; and through a named chair in state and local government finance and policy. Those endowments reflect the Morris’ life’s work and Mr. Morris’ enduring commitment to advancing that work as their family’s legacy.
The Morris property is currently under a 25-year crop lease to Clark Farms, which Mr. Morris initiated in his lifetime and which will expire in 2031. If MSU sells the property, the crop lease will transfer to its new owner, who will work in partnership with the leaseholder to determine the future of that arrangement. Until there is an end-user identified for the land, Clark Farms can continue to farm it.
I know that some people are deeply disappointed that Betty and David Morris’ property may no longer be used as farmland should MSU sell it. It is painful to see the landscape of our daily lives change, and productive farmland is precious to our communities, our producers and the consumers who rely on the fruits of our farmers’ labors.
But as a public servant and an esteemed leader among his peers, Mr. Morris’ vision was for the land’s sale to benefit his beloved agricultural community by funding education, research and outreach.
MSU is the original school for scientific agriculture in the United States. We were doing it first — and, in my opinion, 168 years later, we are still doing it best.
My MSU colleagues and I stand firm in our commitment to advancing agriculture in Michigan. We will support this upward trajectory by investing in farm-first research, by providing responsive, in-the-fields outreach and by training the workforce that our state needs. We will do that by being transparent with you, as our respected partners.
Michigan’s farmers do their vital work in fields and barns across our home state; MSU’s charge is to carry forth our land-grant mission on their behalf in our classrooms and research spaces.
David Morris’ generous gift will empower us to continue that work for future generations. MSU will honor the wishes he clearly set forth for us, and it is his decisions that guide our actions.