Around 100 farmers from all over Michigan will be in Lansing Tuesday for a tractor rally to express their frustration with regulations that hamper their work.

State Representative Jennifer Wortz of Branch County is one of the organizers of the really and tells us the House Oversight Committee will be holding a hearing on regulations that affect farmers. She says some state agencies go too far regulating growers.

“I mean, these are rules, they’re not laws,” Wortz said. “No legislature has passed them, yet they really affect the ability of farmers to be able to farm and grow and expand.”

Wortz says farmers pride themselves on being good stewards of the land, but excessive regulations often mean they spend more time on paperwork than actual farming.

“The whole process of permitting has become so burdensome and it takes months — I’ve even heard years — before people get a response from some of these departments.”

Whether it’s rules on meat processing and slaughtering or regulations on biodigesters, Wortz says farmers face red tape and fees everywhere they turn. They are going to rally with their tractors at the Michigan State Capitol from 8 to 11 a.m. Tuesday with some going inside to testify at the committee hearing.

Wortz says with Republicans back in control of the state House, there’s been a lot of talk about reevaluating some regulations.