MSU Extension welcomes Chris Bardenhagen as new farm management educator
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EmailBardenhagen brings a vast range of experience in farming, law and research to MSU Extension.
Chris Bardenhagen, a lifelong farmer, business lawyer and former Michigan State University Extension Product Center consultant has been hired by MSU Extension as a farm management educator. He joined the farm management team in early June 2023 and works out of the Leelanau County MSU Extension office. Bardenhagen fills the position held previously by Stanley Moore, who recently retired from MSU Extension.
“We are pleased to have Chris join MSU Extension,” Ron Bates, director of MSU Extension Agriculture and Agribusiness Education said. “MSU Extension will benefit greatly by Chris’s wide array of experience which includes farming on his family’s fruit and crop farm, serving as a law advisor for farming businesses and his time spent as an MSU researcher and consultant.”
In addition to his work experience, Chris was recently appointed to a four-year term on the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) Board of Directors. The board oversees the Federal crop insurance program available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and guides USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) on administering crop insurance.
“Through this appointment and his new duties with MSU Extension, Chris will be able to provide the board with a farmer’s perspective of the use and need of crop insurance,” Bates said. “From an industry perspective, he will be able to help allied industry grasp what is possible and available regarding crop insurance. On the farm side, Chris will help farmers better understand the background and details regarding different aspects of crop insurance and what choices will work best for them.”
Bardenhagen holds a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University, a J.D. degree from Wayne State University Law School and a Ph.D. from MSU’s Department of Community Sustainability. He farms with his family in the Suttons Bay area where they produce apples, table grapes, and some hay and small grains. He is a licensed attorney, having provided legal services for businesses and associations, working mainly with agricultural businesses and organizations.
“I am very excited to join the MSU Extension farm management team,” Bardenhagen said. “I’m looking forward to working with farmers and industry on a variety of business topics. I hope to engage on risk management, business structure and farm transfer, and cost assessments with farmers in order to help them assess their best options in these areas.”
Bardenhagen can be reached at bardenh1@msu.edu.
