Senator Reverend Warnock, joined by Republican Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, led a new bipartisan effort to urge Senate Agriculture Committee leadership to secure Southeastern agricultural priorities in the Senate Farm Bill

The Senators’ top priorities include: protecting crop insurance and farm safety net programs, addressing disaster assistance programs, and advocating for specialty crop producers in the Southeastern region of the country.

The Senators to Senate Agriculture Leadership: “From pecans and peanuts, to cotton, specialty crops, and forests, Southeastern agriculture plays a significant role in our nation’s agricultural profile and should play a significant role in this year’s Farm Bill reauthorization process”

ICYMI from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Coverage of Senator Reverend Warnock’s Visit to Lee Nunn’s Farm in Morgan County, Georgia

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), joined by Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), led a new bipartisan effort to urge Senate Agriculture Committee leadership to secure Southeastern agricultural priorities in the Senate Farm Bill draft. The Senators’ top priorities include: protecting crop insurance and farm safety net programs, addressing disaster assistance programs, and advocating for specialty crop producers. The letter was sent to the Democratic and Republican leadership of the Senate Agriculture committee, Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR).

“Agriculture is one of the leading industries in both Georgia and Alabama, contributing billions annually to our states’ economies,” wrote the Senators.“From pecans and peanuts, to cotton, specialty crops, and forests, Southeastern agriculture plays a significant role in our nation’s agricultural profile and should play a significant role in this year’s Farm Bill reauthorization process… Southeastern agriculture is vital to our nation’s economy and food security, and we believe it is our duty to advocate on behalf of our producers. We look forward to working with members of the Committee to forge a Farm Bill that reflects our commitment to our states’ producers.”

The letter follows Senator Warnock’s recent visit to Lee Nunn’s farm in Morgan County, Georgia. The Senator discussed with Nunn the challenges facing Georgia farmers, including razor-thin profit margins and increasing expenses. The Senator also discussed the importance of crop insurance and disaster relief programs for small and medium-sized family farms. A longtime champion for Georgia’s agriculture community and the only Southern Democrat on the Senate Agriculture committee, Senator Warnock is focused on securing major wins for the state in the upcoming Farm Bill.    

The letter can be found HERE and below:

Dear Chair Stabenow and Ranking Member Boozman,

Thank you for your efforts to support our nation’s farmers, foresters, and rural communities through your work leading the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee. As Senators representing Georgia and Alabama, we write to express support for the careful consideration of Southeastern agricultural priorities throughout the Farm Bill drafting process.

Agriculture is one of the leading industries in both Georgia and Alabama, contributing billions annually to our states’ economies. From pecans and peanuts, to cotton, specialty crops, and forests, Southeastern agriculture plays a significant role in our nation’s agricultural profile and should play a significant role in this year’s Farm Bill reauthorization process.

We are already working in a bipartisan fashion to ensure our constituents’ concerns are addressed through the introduction of several historic pieces of legislation. Specifically, we are seeking to extend and make permanent the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program to reduce the threat feral swine pose to our farmers’ land, livelihoods, and bottom lines. Additionally, through the recently introduced Farm Board Act, we aim to amend the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation’s Board of Directors to ensure it is representative of our nation’s livestock and underserved producers. To aid our foresters, we partnered on the Disaster Reforestation Act to carve out a tax deduction for losses of uncut timber.

Other top priorities for the Southeastern states in this Farm Bill include protecting critical crop insurance and farm safety net programs, addressing disaster assistance programs, advocating for specialty crop producers, and deploying broadband in our rural communities. Considering the Farm Bill is often a regional negotiation more than a political one, we appreciate the opportunity to jointly advance the bipartisan priorities of our farmers, foresters, and producers across the Southeast.

Thank you for your consideration of our important requests. Southeastern agriculture is vital to our nation’s economy and food security, and we believe it is our duty to advocate on behalf of our producers. We look forward to working with members of the Committee to forge a Farm Bill that reflects our commitment to our states’ producers.

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