Patrick McGuire, of Ellsworth, joined the Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB) Board of Directors in December 2006 when he was elected District 10 Director. The district represents Farm Bureau members in Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet, Otsego and Presque Isle counties.
McGuire and his wife Sara started farming part-time in 1996 with 30 acres of sweet cherries. McGuire switched to farming full-time in 1999, as did Sara in 2002. The pair grow cherries, apples, peaches, pears and apricots. Cherries are sold to processors and the other crops are sold fresh directly to consumers at the couple's farm market.
In 2002 McGuire earned MFB's prestigious Young Farmer Achievement Award, which recognizes a successful young Farm Bureau member for outstanding achievement in the business of farming and leadership in the agricultural community. He was also the 2005 recipient of the Antrim County Farm Bureau's Agricultural Ecology Award for proactive environmental stewardship.
Outside of Farm Bureau, McGuire is chairman of the board for Cherry Alliance, Inc. He's also on the board of CherrCo, Inc., and a member of the Michigan Association of Cherry Producers.
McGuire holds a bachelor's degree from Ferris State University in automotive and heavy equipment management.