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 from 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. Alarming reports have surfaced of Chinese Communist Party-affiliated corporations buying farmland near our military installations. 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 and their ability to compete in global markets. 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 fought to protect farmers from the devastating economic impacts of the Biden administration’s proposal to reinstate draconian regulations over waters and water use decisions that 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. In March 2025, the Trump administration announced the EPA would revise the onerous rule to reduce excessive regulation by the federal government and restore freedoms to landowners across the country.

Protect Family Farms

Agriculture is an integral part of Michigan's economy, and Congress has a role in providing our farmers with certainty as they continue their role in producing the world's safest and most abundant food supply. In 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was enacted which contained many important tax provisions including doubling the Death Tax exemption and indexing it for inflation each year to protect family farms from the Death Tax’s 40% rate. In July 2025, I voted in favor of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act which was signed into law by President Trump on our nation’s 249th birthday. This historic legislation expands these critical benefits to provide stability and security for America’s farmers. It would also cut taxes on farmers by over $10 billion. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure clarity and opportunity for our nation's farmers and families.

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 for the implementation of 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. By providing reliable internet access, we can ensure farmers have access to technologies that allow them to compete in the global market. Click here to 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 Great Lakes ecosystem. I've been supportive of developing voluntary agricultural assurance programs to promote conservation and minimize agricultural pollution risks.