Senator Reverend Warnock joined Agri-Pulse Managing Editor Spencer Chase to discuss the Senator’s leadership in addressing Georgia’s agriculture challenges and his work to advance farmers’ priorities in the 2023 Farm Bill

Agri-Pulse Newsmakers is a weekly show focused on agriculture policy and aired every Saturday morning on RFDTV, the flagship network for Rural Media Group

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Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) joined Agri-Pulse Newsmakers to discuss the Senator’s leadership in addressing Georgia’s agriculture challenges and his work to advance farmers’ priorities in the 2023 Farm Bill. Agri-Pulse Newsmakers is a weekly show focused on agriculture policy and aired every Saturday morning on RFDTV, the flagship network for Rural Media Group.

“I think it’s my job as one of the two senators from Georgia to center the concerns of ordinary people to deal with issues around commodities, to make sure our farmers are well–positioned to do well and to succeed in a very tough business, tough market,” said Senator Reverend Warnock.“And at the same time to secure nutritional food security programs, our forestry industry—we can do all of these things. We can walk and chew gum at the same time.”

The Farm Bill is the primary agricultural and food policy tool of the federal government, authorizing a majority of the programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as well as the nation’s nutrition assistance programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Congress renews, revises, and reauthorizes the Farm Bill in a comprehensive bill every five years. The Farm Bill, which last passed Congress in 2018, is set to expire on September 30, 2023. The Farm Bill also addresses agriculture community priorities such as commodities, crop insurance, forestry, conservation, trade promotion, nutrition assistance, research, including research at land-grant institutions, and rural development, such as rural housing and rural broadband.

Senator Warnock is focused on expanding resources to support export opportunities for Georgia’s farmers and agribusinesses, expanding access to credit and technical assistance for beginning farmers and underserved farmers, protecting vital federal nutrition benefits and boosting Georgia institutions like Fort Valley State University and the University of Georgia through USDA’s agriculture research and extension program.

See a transcript below of key excerpts between Senator Warnock and Agri-Pulse reporter Spencer Chase:

• Senator Warnock (SW): I think it’s my job as one of the two senators from Georgia to center the concerns of ordinary people to deal with issues around commodities, to make sure our farmers are well positioned to do well and to succeed in a very tough business, tough market. And at the same time to secure nutritional food security programs, our forestry industry, we can do all of these things. We can walk and chew gum at the same time.

[…]

• Spencer Chase: Bipartisanship is kind of a rare commodity in Washington these days, but in your conversations with your fellow Senators, in your conversations with agricultural groups, do you get the impression that there is that kind of appetite for that level of bipartisanship in this upcoming bill?

• SW: I think it’s the only way to get things done, particularly now where we have a divided government, if you will, between Democrats and Republicans. And look, solutions last longer when they’re bipartisan. So, I’m going to hold true to my values on things that I think are important, but I’m always looking for opportunities for bipartisan solutions because I think they’ll last longer and that’s what I’ll continue to do.

The full interview is available here.

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