True Friends of Agriculture.
That’s how Michigan Farm Bureau President Ben LaCross introduced Sens. Kevin Daley, Dan Lauwers, Ed McBroom, Rick Outman and Roger Victory to MFB members during the closing session of Tuesday’s Lansing Legislative Seminar (LLS).
In addition to their service as tireless advocates for ag in state politics, the five farm-friendly senators have another thing in common: They’re all term-limited at the end of 2026.
That left them just 310 more days in office, as of Tuesday.
As they came together at LLS, the senators shared stories, reflected on what Farm Bureau means to them, and offered guidance for cultivating the next generation of agricultural leaders and advocates.
“Growing up on a farm, you learn to make do with the tools that you have available and that’s something that we bring to the legislature that is going to be sorely missed when most of us are gone,” Outman said.
“There'll be a few ag related people (in the legislature), but certainly not to the extent that that we have right now. Farm Bureau makes a big difference by reaching out to the legislators, but it's even more important to have farmers in the legislature.”
Daley recalled starting in the House in 2009 with 109 other representatives and being the only one who was a full-time farmer. Now that he and the other senators on the panel are reaching the end of their terms, it could be the same story for the senate after this year.
“We need agricultural representation here, because this can change so fast,” Daley said.
“You can go through one term and not have representation here, and there will be things done to agriculture that will never change in the state again. So, we need to have this representation here.”
To that end, Lauwers said farmers really only have two choices if they want to be effective with the Legislature: Either get elected themselves or become the go-to person for their elected official to reach out to when they have questions.
“You might as well just become the elected person,” Lauwers said.
“But if you're not going to, you have to know your representative and your senator, and you have to have to show up at their events, you have to give them some of your hard-earned money, and you have to become that confidant.”
McBroom echoed that sentiment, offering this question to the more than 300 MFB members in attendance: “If not you, then who?”
He said farmers come with a high level of credibility with the public and noted that they’re seen as trustworthy problem solvers.
“You're seen as people who are well connected with the community and have staying power and consistency and steadiness, able to take the blows with the good times,” he added.
“So don't sell yourself short. You’ve got to get out there. You're going to be amazed when you do it.”
Just before receiving a formal endorsement from MFB’s AgriPac in his run for the Michigan State University Board of Trustees, Victory looked back on his time in the legislature and said it was a pleasure to tell the story of agriculture.
“If you got a chance to be an ambassador, take it,” Victory said.
“Because there are willing ears to hear the story.”