The Swede midge, an insect that damages cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and other crucifers, was found in five organic production fields in Sanilac County on the “thumb” of Michigan’s lower peninsula – the first discovery of the plant pest in Michigan, said the state Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. A relatively weak flyer, the Swede midge was first confirmed in North America in 2000, in Ontario, Canada, and has spread since then to at least seven U.S. states and six Canadian provinces.
Michigan ranks seventh in the country in vegetable production, most of it from small plots. Some 3,000 farms grow about 159,000 acres of vegetables annually in the state.