The most recent Farm Bureau Legislative rankings show me as having a 100% perfect voting record in support of our great family farms. Agriculture is the bedrock of the 37th Senate District, and I will continue to work hard to preserve this legacy.

I will always stand guard for these precious industries that literally keep people alive!

Last month, I had the pleasure of welcoming students from around the district to the Capitol in Lansing. This is one of my absolute favorite parts of the job, and I was thrilled to welcome Harbor Springs fifth graders into my office, host a Q&A session with the Traverse City West and Central A.P. Government classes, and give the Rudyard CTE team a tour of the Capitol.

My staff and I love to help make a field trip or visit to Lansing a special event and welcome any outreach from our local schools when those trips are being planned!

The weekly fishing report is an email newsletter from the DNR that provides subscribers with updates on fishing conditions from around the state. Information comes directly from creel clerks and other DNR staff who spend their days in and around Michigan lakes and rivers. The report is organized by region and provides information on recent weather conditions and species updates, along with links to a Great Lakes Temperature Map and Daily Streamflow Conditions.

I was recently joined on the Senate floor by Carmen Beemer, who is our 2023 National Cherry Queen to introduce a resolution to designate May 22, 2024, as Cherry Industry Day in Michigan.

Our cherry farmers are struggling to stay in business in the face of illegal dumping of cherry products from countries like Turkey. If we want to keep our domestic agricultural industries alive, we better start to take these threats seriously. We must support our local agriculture.

Carmen was also kind enough to bring a slice of cherry pie for each member of the Senate in an effort to promote the industry. Thank you, Carmen, for being such a great representative of the cherry industry, and our beloved Cherry Festival!

I want to extend a special thank you to the Michigan Department of Transportation team in Kalkaska for putting together this year’s annual legislative meeting.

There are serious and complicated issues facing our state in terms of traffic safety. Some seem like simple solutions, and others will require years of effort and reform, or technological advancement to achieve. The MDOT garage was filled with professionals ranging from road and infrastructure experts to law enforcement and even meteorologists as we talked about what solutions would work for our state, and especially for Northern Michigan.

June 8 and 9 are this summer’s Three Free weekend when residents and visitors can fish, ride off-road trails, or visit state parks and state-managed boating access sites for free.

More than 4,000 miles of state-designated ORV routes, trails, and scramble areas are free to use without ORV license or trail permit requirements. All state parks and boating access points are open to visitors without Recreation Passports. All fishing regulations and ORV rules and laws apply.

To locate family-friendly fishing locations, visit the interactive Family Friendly Fishing Waters map. Locations on this map are easy access and have a high likelihood of catching fish. Locations can be filtered by the type of fish you want to catch, what kind of fishing you are looking for (boat, pier, shore), and what amenities you would like (swimming, restrooms, etc.). You can even print a free certificate to commemorate a child’s first catch.

Michigan’s 37th Senate District includes Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Leelanau counties and portions of Mackinac and Chippewa counties.