Dawn Drake was not raised on a farm but her life’s work on behalf of specialty crop growers is being held in high esteem by Michigan State University.

Drake, 62, of Mattawan, will receive an MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Honorary Alumni Award on March 7 at the campus in East Lansing.

Ben LaCross, a second-generation cherry grower and president of Michigan Farm Bureau, considers Drake a pillar of Michigan’s specialty crop industry.

He said Drake’s top priority over anything else has been servicing the specialty crop industry and doing so as a “consummate professional.”

“She’s just a true champion for Michigan agriculture, especially the apple industry,” he said.

In some ways, Drake is considered the face of the state’s apple industry from her nearly half century long career with the Michigan Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Association (MACMA), an affiliate of Michigan Farm Bureau.

Many of the younger growers she meets affectionately refer to her as “Mama D.”

One of her primary jobs is to secure minimum pricing with processors for Michigan’s apple and asparagus growers. Michigan is the nation’s second leading producer of apples.

Drake said she also lobbies state and federal lawmakers on a variety of other issues in the specialty crop industry, with the main one in recent years being labor due to the shortage of domestic workers.

In addition, she works closely with USDA on federal specialty crop purchases.

Drake, who began with Michigan Farm Bureau fresh out of high school in 1980, said she was shocked at being named a recipient of the honorary alumni award because she prefers to remain off radar screens.

“I just go to work every day and try to do the best that I can for our growers because I’m just very passionate about them and our industry,” she said.

Her work often crosses over to touch growers of cherries, peaches and other specialty crops in the state. Since 2019, Drake has been general manager of MACMA’s apple and asparagus processing division.

According to MSU, her accomplishments have included securing research dollars to help combat Fire Blight, a bacteria that can impact yields in fruit trees, and securing other resources to help apple growers recover from market and weather related losses.

MSU also noted her work in securing $110 million combined in bonus buys for the 2022, 2023 and 2024 processed apple crops.

“I just feel very strongly about helping these growers in any way that I can,” she said.

With no previous roots in agriculture, fate must have been at work when Drake applied for a job at Michigan Farm Bureau.

Drake said she went there looking for work after hearing good things about the organization from people she knew who were employed by the group.

She credited a lot of her success to previous mentors at Michigan Farm Bureau showing her the ropes in building relationships with growers, processors and other industry leaders.

Drake also recognized her co-workers over the years for their role in her achievements for growers.

“I don’t look at things as something just for me because I think of us as a team,” she said.

LaCross, who has known Drake for over 20 years, called her kind and someone with a “unique ability to build trust across a diverse group of interests from growers and processors. She found her calling, that’s for sure.”

According to MSU, Drake is also director of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives Board, along with a member of the Government Affairs Committee and the National Council of Agricultural Employers.

She has also worked with various commodity groups to organize events like the annual EPA tour in Michigan, which brings federal officials to the state to see challenges farmer face from environmental regulations.

Drake is also a strong supporter of the Great Lakes Fruit and Vegetable Expo, an event for Michigan’s specialty crop growers.

The expo, hosted jointly by the Michigan State Horticultural Society and the Michigan Vegetable Council, brings together growers and MSU experts to exchange knowledge on the latest research, production and marketing strategies.

Drake, who has three children and seven grandchildren, said her plans are to continue her passion of helping farmers succeed in a challenging profession.

She described many of the farmers as like family because of her involvement with them over a long period of time.

“I’ve never known any harder working people in all of my life like farmers. It’s not easy because of all the regulations they have to deal with daily when all they want to do is grow food and feed people,” she said.