By Cameron Rudolph
Although Michigan Rep. Luke Meerman, 89th District, spends much of his time in Lansing working with legislative colleagues, his mind is never too far from the family farm.
Meerman was first elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2018, but prior to his foray into politics, he spent many years as a fifth-generation dairy farmer on an operation that sits within the district he represents.
The strenuous efforts of farming are rewarding, he said, but he understands the growing pressure the industry faces.
“I come back to the farm almost every day,” Meerman said. “I still milk some cows once in a while, and I’m certainly operating equipment and machinery. I do some farming with my brother, too, with corn and soybeans. I just love it and love that kind of work.
“But agriculture also has a lot of different stresses. Some of it is regulatory, and there are a lot of financial pressures, as we all know. There aren’t a lot of people interested in farming. Less than 2% of people now raise food for the rest of us, so it’s challenging.”
Source : msu.edu