Issue Position: Agriculture

Issue Position

As a native son of Huron County and a descendant of farmers, Kurt has a long standing devotion to the land and a unique understanding of the needs of the men and woman who farm it.

Damrows set down roots in Huron County in 1884.
"I spent most of my time growing up on my grandparents dairy farm but also worked on area farms as a kid picking stones, working in the fields bailing hay/straw, putting up fences and cleaning the butcher shop every Saturday." Kurt worked these jobs from grades 7 through 12 to earn money for his school clothes and sport shoes.
Recently, Kurt found these skills useful. When friends were taken ill, Kurt was more than eager to help them out by milking their cows.

When wells ran dry Rep. Damrow moved quickly
Dry seasons and increased field irrigation caused a serious water problems across the state including areas of Tuscola and Huron counties. Reported in Tuscola Today "It's estimated so far about 100 wells in both Huron and Tuscola counties, have gone dry or have quite working in recent months. The problem is steadily increasing. Wells problems have been reported in the townships of Elmwood, Ellington, Elkland, Columbia, and Novesta. The same problems are being found in Huron County's townships of Oliver, Meade, Colfax, and Chandler."
Damrow arranged meetings with farmers and residents, and moved the necessary bill SB1008 through the legislature to resolve this problem with the greatest speed possible.
Reported by the Huron Tribune " In an effort headed by State Rep. Kurt Damrow and the Human Development Commission (HDC), HDC has agreed to become the clearing house for families or persons in immediate need."

State Representative Damrow's urging helps return the Michigan Dept.of Agriculture to pre-Granholm era stature.
During the Granholm era the authority of the Department of Agriculture and related advisory board was stripped to nothing more than a small group making recommendations to the Governor. "One of my first acts as your state legislator in 2010, was to impress upon my fellow legislators and Governor Snyder the importance of a properly financed and staffed Department of Agriculture."

Keeping the Feds at bay.
This meant undoing another Granholm mess. Under Governor Granholm the DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) was merged with the DNR (Department of Natural Resource) which created substantial headaches for state residents. Representative Damrow's recommendation to separate the 2 departments and keep the DEQ but in a downsized version, was based on the news that the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) was targeting states without environmental agencies to implement their new water quality demands. The DEQ established a "buffer zone" between the State and the EPA. "I felt we would have a better defense to keep them out by stating we are handling our own issues internally and did not need the Fed."

Commissioner Damrow saves residents millions of dollars annually in unneeded flood insurance premiums.
As the County Legislative Chairman, one of Damrow's biggest battles was with the EPA and the National Flood Insurance Program agency. Huron County was the first rural county targeted for tremendously expanded flood zone, requiring hundreds of homeowners and farmers purchase more NFIP insurance. "I called for and held meetings with all involved. It took substantial time and effort and in the end the management team from the NFIP and contracted engineering firm said this was the first time they had ever addressed a complaint from a rural county, and this was how the system was supposed to work." In the end hundreds of homes and farms were removed from the flood plain maps saving area residents millions annually in unneeded insurance premiums.

Other accomplishments as Commissioner include:

Formed the BATH group - The Bay, Arenac, Tuscola and Huron County residents and officials concerned in keeping the federal government from controlling our bay, drains, residents and farms. Our group applied and saw several of our members obtain several million dollars in federal grants to address water runoff issues.
Worked on eliminating invasive species
Applied for a $10 million dollar grant to help farmers in the thumb region with the purchase and installation of tile discharge levelers.
Applied for grants for phragmites removal, beach cleanup, studies with algae removal, and much more.
Chaired the Huron County Board Committee on Wind Energy - reviewed all statements related to zoning issues, zoning board proposals to the County Board and protection of wind tax revenue for local government. "My focus on this board was to maintain the rights of the landowners in addition to maintaining the quality of life for those who would not directly benefit by the wind farm construction but may be effected or have property value effected."

SOS (Save Our Shoreline)
"Kurt was most instrumental in getting our common sense beach maintenance bill passed and signed into law. This law, PA 247, permits shoreline property owners to maintain their beach without a permit from the MDEQ/MDNR. Property rights and tourism are important to the people of Michigan."
Joseph McBride, Chairman Legal Committee, SOS.

I worked closely and in support of the S.O.S. I also lead the request for federal grant dollars for the control and removal of phragmites and other invasive species as well as immediate discovery of the problems with algae covering our beaches. This included clarifying the removal of invasive species.

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