Today, Senator Reverend Warnock responded to a bipartisan group of Georgia state Senators affirming his commitment to strengthen specialty crop producers have increased federal protections
Senator Reverend Warnock is the only southern Democrat and the only Georgia Senator on the Senate Agriculture committee
Senator Reverend Warnock was named the 18th most bipartisan senator by the Lugar Center
Senator Reverend Warnock: “The needs of Georgia’s farmers are diverse, and I am committed to delivering for our farmers in the upcoming Farm Bill”
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), the only southern Democrat and the only voice for Georgia on the Senate Agriculture committee, responded to a bipartisan group of Georgia state Senators affirming his commitment to strengthen specialty crop producers have increased federal protections in this year’s Farm Bill. In a letter reply to local legislators, the Senator highlighted his bipartisan efforts to improve the Tree Assistance Program, promote precision agriculture, and support Southeastern agriculture. Senator Warnock is a bipartisan champion for Georgia’s producers and agriculture industry.
“From our famous peaches to our high-quality pecans and our sweet Vidalia onions, Georgia’s specialty crop farmers produce a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and nuts,” said Senator Reverend Warnock.“I understand the unique challenges they face, which are only compounded by increased input costs and competition from seasonal imports… As your U.S. Senator and a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, I have explored every avenue and pushed at every opportunity to provide critical U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) disaster assistance funding for Georgia’s producers impacted by 2023 disasters. I will continue to do so until our farmers receive the relief they need to recover from these extreme weather events. The needs of Georgia’s farmers are diverse, and I am committed to delivering for our farmers in the upcoming Farm Bill.”
Senator Warnock has championed improving safety net programs for Georgia’s specialty crops and securing federal relief for producers following natural disasters. Earlier this year, Senator Warnock introduced the Protecting America’s Orchardists and Nursery Tree Growers Act with Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) to reform the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) to better work more efficiently, improve margins for producers, and help them compete with foreign imports. These reforms include lowering the mortality threshold to be in line with similar programs, expanding eligibility to include biennial crops and damage caused by pests, and allowing farmers more than 12 months to replant a crop. Additionally, the bill would allow farmers to replant with a more resilient breed so long as the cost is less than or equal to the original, allowing farmers to better respond to changing environmental conditions. In March, Senator Warnock introduced the Promoting Precision Agriculture Act with Senator John Thune (R-SD). The bill would create a federal working group to establish interconnectivity standards to better communicate and share data. Precision agriculture includes the use of devices like robotics, sensors, monitors, drones, etc. to help growers increase efficiency, potentially increasing crop yields while reducing costs. Establishing interconnectivity standards will help promote the growth of the precision agriculture industry and make such tools easier for farmers to use and access. In April, Senator Warnock visited the University of Georgia’s Iron Horse research farm in Watkinsville to see precision agriculture research first-hand and to discuss with local producers how modernizing precision agriculture technologies can help support Georgia’s farmers and economy.
Find the Senator’s letter to Georgia State Senators HERE and below:
Thank you for contacting me to share your priorities for the upcoming reauthorization of the Farm Bill and for your service to our great state.
As you know, agriculture is Georgia’s number one industry. I understand the critical role our state’s producers play in sustaining our thriving agriculture industry, supporting our rural communities, and ensuring our families have access to affordable and nutritious food.
From our famous peaches to our high-quality pecans and our sweet Vidalia onions, Georgia’s specialty crop farmers produce a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and nuts. I understand the unique challenges they face, which are only compounded by increased input costs and competition from seasonal imports. This year, Georgia’s farmers have also been faced with multiple natural disasters, including a late freeze decimating our peach crop and Hurricane Idalia, which severely damaged many crops, including our pecan groves.
As your U.S. Senator and a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, I have explored every avenue and pushed at every opportunity to provide critical U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) disaster assistance funding for Georgia’s producers impacted by 2023 disasters. I will continue to do so until our farmers receive the relief they need to recover from these extreme weather events.
The needs of Georgia’s farmers are diverse, and I am committed to delivering for our farmers in the upcoming Farm Bill. My bipartisan Protecting America’s Orchardists and Nursery Tree Growers Act, introduced with Senator Tillis of North Carolina, would reform the Tree Assistance Program, one of the USDA’s permanent disaster programs, to work more effectively, improve margins for producers, and help specialty crop producers compete with seasonal imports. I also introduced the bipartisan Promoting Precision Agriculture Act, with Senator Thune of South Dakota, which would require the Federal Communications Commission to develop interconnectivity standards for precision agriculture equipment, helping Georgia producers to farm more efficiently and save on input costs.
Earlier this year, I sent a joint, bipartisan letter with my Senate Agriculture Committee colleague, Senator Tuberville of Alabama, to Senate Agriculture Committee leadership outlining our joint priorities and commitment to supporting Southeastern Agriculture in this year’s Farm Bill reauthorization process. I will continue to work in a bipartisan manner, with all my colleagues, to deliver for Georgia’s farmers.
Thank you again for contacting me. I am committed to working with you and my colleagues in Congress to support all of Georgia’s producers, including our specialty crop farmers. Please do not hesitate to do so again in the future if I may be of assistance to you or the Georgians you represent.
Sincerely,
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