ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – Female farmers are taking center stage at a special exhibit at the U.P. State Fair.
All week long, fairgoers can visit the U.P. Farm Women’s Hall of Fame inside the Miracle of Life building. Local farm bureaus nominated two outstanding women from their counties for the display.
“Some of them are deceased, but some of them are still living,” said Miracle of Life building coordinator Diane Hanson. “We have a 96-year-old, and if she still had her eyesight, I think she’d still be at the farm.”
The display tells the stories of local women who have dedicated their lives to Michigan agriculture. Hanson says it is a special way to highlight the important roles women play on the farm and to honor the work they do every day.
“People don’t really realize just because you’re a farm woman, you have a job,” she said. “You don’t get in a car and leave; you’re on the farm, and that’s your job. Your children are with you every day and your husband is usually, if you are married, with you 24/7. If you had dairy cows, you were milking early in the morning. In the afternoon, crops had to get in. It was a little different back then than what it is today.”
While inside the Miracle of Life building, visitors can learn about agricultural products produced in the U.P., from milk and potatoes to beans and corn. A few items can even be sampled. Also in the facility, baby cows, chickens, and sheep are being born throughout the week.
Visit upstatefair.net to see more of what’s in store at the 2026 U.P. State Fair.
