On Friday, April 24, over six dozen farmer-members, elected officials, community partners, and FFA students met to talk agriculture, legislation, and regulations. Thank you to Robinette’s for hosting the Kent County Farm Bureau Legislative Breakfast again—and for making their famous donuts just for us.
There were three main topics of conversation: the Farm Bill, deer herd management, and data centers. We’ll be sharing one article per topic over the next week.
Proposed DNR Regulations
A number of our members expressed frustration, not only with the current state of the deer herd in Kent County which already leads to crop damage and the highest deer-vehicle crash rate in the state, but also with the proposed DNR regulations that would limit tools to manage deer populations. Michigan Farm News outlines the changes: “The proposals under consideration include a one-buck rule, reduced antlerless bag limits through Deer Management Unit-based limits and Antler Point Restrictions.”
Member Kylee Zdunic-Rasch spearheaded our Doe Pole initiative in 2025 and she was frank: “If you limit us, give us a longer season. We have to do something to manage the herd here, not in all of Michigan. It’s a tragedy to our roads. Everyone’s auto insurance rates are affected. It’s a tragedy to our crops. Getting tags to harvest them is already hard enough, why make it harder?”
Senator Thomas Albert and Rep. Gina Johnsen agreed that we need to reduce fees and increase the hunt by any means. Sen. Albert has seen crop damage firsthand: “It looked like someone took a mower to my uncle’s beans.”
Jerry Byrne of the Kent County Road Commission spoke to the ways the Road Commission is working on the issue. He said that they have hired two USDA biologists and are looking for ways to connect hunters and landowners. He said, “We need to find out what works. Other counties harvest more deer than we do and we have way more deer.”
MFB associate legislative counsel Justin Tomei noted that the Natural Resources Commission will be making a decision on the rules that will be in effect for the next three years on May DATE. You can attend the meeting or send a message to the Commission at https://bit.ly/ActNowDeerRegs or by texting MIDEER to (855) 374-5673. He also encouraged anyone who is having trouble getting crop damage permits to contact his office ([email protected]) for assistance.
Our County President Bruce Klamer said that our Doe Pole initiative will be expanding this year in partnership with Ottawa County Farm Bureau. He said, “We’ve got to change the mindset of the hunter from, ‘I got a big buck,’ to ‘I harvested some venison.’”
KCFB Doe Pole
One way that we at Farm Bureau contribute to reducing the deer herd in West Michigan is to work with community partners to offer a competition for harvesting the largest does. As of now, our 2026 Doe Pole competition is scheduled for Sunday, December 13, with some collection times between December 9-12. We will have more categories and more prizes this year. Thank you to Kent County Road Commission, GVSU, Ottawa County Farm Bureau, ChoiceOne Bank, Hunters Feeding Michigan, and to MFB Community Engagement for a 2026 Venison Donation Processing Assistance Grant.
Check here and our Facebook page in November for more details!
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Thanks again to Robinette's for hosting the Legislative Breakfast. Thank you to Congresswoman Hillary Scholten, MI Sen. Thomas Albert, MI Rep. Gina Johnsen, MI Rep. Pat Outman, and MI Rep. Luke Meerman for attending in person. Thank you Senator Elissa Slotkin, Congressman John Moolenaar, MI Sen. Winnie Brinks, and MI Rep. Carol Glanville for sending staff members to the meeting. We enjoy the chance to meet fellow community leaders: Jerry Byrne of Kent County Road Commission, Jerry Miller and his crew from Kent Conservation District, Samantha Bloom and her friends from MSU Extension 4-H, Kim Kropf from Michigan Apple Committee, Alexandria Johnston from Kent Youth Agricultural Association, and teachers and students from Caledonia FFA, KCTC FFA, and Lowell FFA. Thank you to our District 4 representative on the MFB Board of Directors, Jeff Sandborn; to Justin Tomei and Jack Smith from the MFB Legislative office; and to MACMA's Nick Nadai. There was the din of many voices talking both before and after the official question-and-answer period, and all of you added to the depth of those conversations.