One of the things I love most about West Michigan is our commitment to providing a place where individuals with disabilities can not just plug in, but truly thrive. Peckham in Grand Rapids is doing just that–and providing vital services to the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the process. So cool to witness their bustling call center in action, and hear the stories of individuals who found true purpose and meaningful work here.

We’re the home of the free because of the brave. I had an awesome visit with the Honor Construction team this week, an amazing veteran-owned small business right here in Grand Rapids. As we continue to grow–and build–here in West Michigan, this amazing company is providing construction resources that businesses and individuals need to get their projects going–WITH HONOR.

There’s truly nothing like apple season in Michigan. I was so fortunate to spend a GORGEOUS September morning this week out on the ridge learning all about some incredible advancements in agriculture technology. My faithful readers know that I am PASSIONATE about the U.S. owning the ground on AI–in all areas.

While many may fear the unknown when it comes to artificial intelligence, the reality is, we’re using these tools already, every day. When used correctly, AI provides critical assistive technology to help enhance work that is already being done–not replace humans altogether. That’s incredibly important in the agriculture sector where it’s INCREASINGLY hard to find the labor necessary to do the manual work that needs to be done on a farm.

Here, we learned how advanced photo imaging is helping humans sort and detect apples with defects that won’t sell to market, and how cameras are tracking bud growth over time to predict harvest dates and size. That’s just now, in the future robots can be used to help humans with the harvest–allowing farm hands to grow in their jobs, moving from mostly manual labor to labor plus technical skills, as they age.

I believe that the best kind of representation happens the closer you are to the people, which is why I was excited to visit Fruitport Village this week. Across MI-03, our state, county, city, and municipal leaders are doing an excellent job delivering for the needs of West Michigan. That’s why it’s so important for me to take time whenever I’m back in the district to sit down and learn how my office can help and we can be the best partners possible at the federal level (even if it means getting out of the way!).

For three generations now, the Beechnau family has been providing high quality primary care services to the people of Ravenna and surrounding counties. I was so grateful they carved out some time today to sit down with me and share about the challenges (and joys!) of continuing to provide quality patient-centered care in an environment where it is increasingly hard for small and independent providers to make it.