The steady leadership of Ben LaCross has helped to strengthen Michigan agriculture at the local, state and national levels. A second-generation fruit farmer, LaCross owns and operates an 850-acre operation with his wife, children and parents, growing cherries and plums. In late 2024, LaCross was elected as the 17th president of Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB), adding to his extensive service to MFB and the agriculture sector.
Locally, LaCross belongs to the Northwest Michigan Farm Bureau and has served on his county Farm Bureau’s Membership and Policy Development Committees. At the state level, LaCross served four years on MFB’s Young Farmer Program Committee, including two as its chair. In 2011, he became the district 9 representative on the MFB Board of Directors, serving in this role until his election as president.
Nationally, LaCross was appointed to a two-year term in 2010 on the American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee, where he served one year as chair. In January 2025, LaCross was selected by AFBF delegates to represent the 12-state Midwest region on the organization’s board of directors.
Outside his MFB and AFBF roles, LaCross has also served on the Michigan Cherry Committee; Michigan’s 21st Century Infrastructure Commission under former Governor Rick Synder; the Leelanau County Horticultural Society; the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce and more. He has been honored as one of the “40 under 40 Most Influential Leaders” by the Grand Traverse Business News and the “40 Under 40 Next Generation Leaders” by Fruit Grower News, as well as receiving the Distinguished Service Award from the Cherry Marketing Institute.
Growing up, LaCross was a 10-year Leelanau County 4-H member who participated in the sheep project. He attended various state 4-H events, including 4-H Exploration Days, and credits 4-H and MSU Extension programs with shaping his early leadership development and helping to lay the groundwork for his career in agriculture.
