Agriculture

Agriculture is a key component of Michigan's economy. After all, agriculture is the second largest industry in Michigan and the state is also the second most agriculturally diverse in the country. Michigan’s 5^th District features a wide variety of agricultural products, many of which are enjoyed around the country. Michigan farmers work dawn to dusk to put food on tables in our communities and all across the world. During the challenging economic times that have plagued the Michigan economy, the steady growth of our agricultural sector has kept our economy afloat. To maintain this edge, I believe we must:

Protect our Farmland

Michigan’s farmers know better than most the importance of protecting our land for generations to come. This includes preventing our foreign adversaries from purchasing our land, especially near military bases. For this reason, I am a proud original cosponsor of, H.R. 809,Prohibition of Agricultural Land for the People’s Republic of China Act. We must stand up to our foreign adversaries and prevent them from threatening our food security and national security.

Prevent Undue Regulations

The safety of our food supply can benefit from standard rules and practices, and our farmers are committed to producing safe and affordable food for consumers. However, our farmers need to have fair and commonsense rules to live by, and I oppose excessive regulations that hinder the agricultural community. With rising input prices pushing farmers to the brink, Congress should be promoting efforts to slash bureaucratic regulations which only cause prices to rise.

I continue to fight to protect farmers from the devastating economic impacts of the Biden Administration’s proposal to reinstate draconian regulations over waters and water use decisions which impact farms all across southern Michigan. The “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act inflates the role of the federal government, burdening our producers and growers. I supported and the House of Representatives passed legislation, H.J. Res. 27, which would block this disastrous rule.

Additionally, I have cosponsored legislation that would prohibit the SEC from placing undue burdens on farmers which would require an issuer of securities to disclose greenhouse gas emissions from their upstream and downstream activities. This convoluted rule would family farms to report on-farm data regarding individual operations and day-to-day activities, giving the SEC jurisdiction over family farms. This overreaching policy would hinder farmers ability to compete in global markets, and burdensome compliance requirements for farms with few or no employees.

Expand Markets

Not only does south-central Michigan produce a wide array of agricultural products, it produces some of the best. It is important that we adopt policies that allow our farmers and producers to look outside our region and beyond to sell food and agricultural products. By advancing trade policies that are free, fair, and enforced, we can open new markets for Michigan-made products.

Implementation of the U.S. – Mexico – Canada (USMCA) Trade Agreement will help achieve this goal by expanding market access for dairy farmers, improving transparency for agriculture product standards, and modernizing guidelines for biotechnology, sanitary, and phytosanitary measures to reflect state of the art techniques utilized across the agriculture industry. I was proud to support passage of USMCA through the House and see it signed into law by President Trump.

Since the passage of the USMCA Trade Agreement, I have joined my colleagues in making sure other countries are honoring their agreements. I have called on the Administration to implement USMCA enforcement measures to support our dairy industry, and worked with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to voice our unwavering support for free trade and Michigan farmers.

Expand Rural Broadband

Rural broadband development is one of my top priorities as a member of Congress and as a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, where I serve on the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. By providing reliable internet access, we can ensure farmers have access to technologies that allow them to compete in the global market. Click here learn more about my work on rural broadband development.

Promote Conservation

As agriculture helps to drive Michigan's economy, we must also encourage responsible stewardship and conservation best practices to help ensure the long-term health of Lake Erie and the entire the Great Lakes ecosystem. I've introduced the Great Lakes Agricultural Stewardship Act, which builds upon Michigan's successful MAEAP program and encourages states throughout the Great Lakes Basin to develop voluntary agricultural assurance programs to promote conservation and minimize agricultural pollution risks.