Barn of the Year

The Barn of the Year program annually honors existing Michigan barns that exemplify outstanding character in our state. Over the past two decades, a total of 74 barns from across Michigan have been recognized for their unique qualities and/or preservation efforts.

2019 Winners To Be Announced June 1

The 2019 Michigan Barn of the Year Awards will be presented at the 24th MBPN Annual Conference on June 1 in Ypsilanti. The award categories cover barns that are in use for:

  • Continuing Agricultural Use
    • Family (Private), Non-Profit or Commercial
  • Adapted to Other Uses
    • Family (Private), Non-Profit or Commercial

Nominated barns are judged on (1) completeness of information presented in the application, (2) sensitivity and integrity of repairs or modifications, (3) visual appeal, (4) creativity, (5) thoroughness of work and (6) effort expended to repair and maintain.

Eligibility:

To be eligible, the barn must have been built before 1957 and be in-use, either for continued agricultural use or adapted for other uses.  Barns must retain their overall appearance-both interior and exterior barn characteristics.

Four items are required for the submission:

The nomination form will be available when the next submission period starts in early 2020. For further information, contact the awards program chairman, Keith Anderson.  E-mail: klanderson42@gmail.com or Mobile: 616-540-6701.

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2018 Winners

Five Barns of the Year were recognized last year in three categories:

Continued Agricultural Use:

  1. Lundberg Barn—Dimondale, MI in Eaton County.  Owners:  Keith, Pat & Kay(Ardis) Lundberg
  2. Mayo Barn—Ortonville, MI in Oakland County.  Owners:  David & Kathleen Mayo

Private Adaptive Use:

  1. Moser/Craig Barn—New Sewickley, PA in Beaver County.  Owners:  Art & Liezel Moser Craig
  2. Bruins Barn—Allendale, MI in Ottawa County.  Owner:  Tom Bruins

Non-Profit Adaptive Use:

  1. White Dove Barn—Hillsdale, MI in Hillsdale County.  Owned by White Dove Ministries

You can see 2018 photos and winning barn information here.