East Michigan News

State Representative Jerry Neyer has been appointed as the chair of the agriculture committee in the Michigan House of Representatives for the 2025-2026 term. This appointment was made by Speaker of the House Matt Hall.

Neyer, a Republican from Shepherd, previously served as minority vice chair when Democrats held the majority. With Republicans now holding a 58 to 52 seat advantage following the November election, they have control over which bills are prioritized in committee.

“I’m very happy with the assignment,” Neyer stated. “I’m looking forward to working with the agriculture community to make the industry more viable and prosperous for our state.”

Neyer brings extensive experience to his new role. He is a dairy farmer with over two decades of service on both the Isabella County Farm Bureau and the United Dairy Industry of Michigan Board. His family owns Neyer Farms, which has been operational since its founding by his father in the 1960s.

One of Neyer's initial goals as committee chair is to engage with producer groups to identify common issues that require legislative action. “I want to start meeting with ag industry people to get their shortlist of things they want to get done, problems they are facing, things we can help them with," he said.

Neyer also plans swift action on legislation concerning fines for family farms that fail to report workplace deaths within an eight-hour window. This follows a 2019 incident where a family farm owner died after falling through a roof during repairs unrelated to farm operations, resulting in a $12,000 fine due to delayed reporting.

“No one in that kind of situation is going to be thinking about filing paperwork with the state in the first eight hours," Neyer remarked when introducing legislation aimed at addressing this issue last year.

The proposed legislation has passed the House twice but has not become law due to vetoes and procedural delays. Additionally, Neyer aims to update regulations for online sales by cottage farms and simplify permit processes for multi-owner methane digesters.

Besides leading the agriculture committee, Neyer will serve on three other committees: insurance, regulatory reform, and transportation & infrastructure. The transportation committee is a new assignment for him this term.

“I expect the regulatory reform and transportation committees to be very active this term," Neyer noted. "Insurance is going to be a challenging committee... dealing with issues such as no-fault and increasing insurance costs."

Neyer represents Michigan House District 92, encompassing all of Isabella County and parts of Gratiot County including several townships and towns like St. Louis, Alma, and Ithaca.