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New Michigan House Ag Committee leadership

Representative Tom Barrett of Charlotte has been appointed to chair the Michigan House Ag Committee.

Barrett tells Brownfield after serving 17 years in the military, he’s interested in increasing opportunities for farmer veterans.  “There’s been a great bit of success with veterans that have struggled with post-traumatic stress or other invisible wounds coming home and finding agriculture as a therapeutic and really beneficial outlet for them, and I want to see what we can do to strengthen that.”

He says he’d also like to reexamine net metering in the state’s energy policy.  “That’s something that would benefit a lot of farmers and a lot of people who have an interest in the agricultural industry so that if they have a way of producing energy on their own property that they wouldn’t be penalized for doing that by their utility.”

Other House Ag Committee members include Representatives Julie Alexander, Brian Elder, Thomas Albert, Julie Calley, Gary Howell, Ben Frederick, Dan Lauwers, John Kivela, Phil Phelps, Terry Sabo and Tim Sneller.

AUDIO: Interview with Tom Barrett