These investments are made because of funding provided in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Section 1006, as amended by Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act. Senator Reverend Warnock championed farmer relief in both landmark laws.

Senator Reverend Warnock: “I’ve fought since I was sworn in to bring some relief to underserved farmers who are facing real challenges in acquiring land, accessing credit, and getting their goods to market.“

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, secured up to $300 million to help eliminate barriers to land, capital, and market access for underserved farmers. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on August 24 that it would begin looking for partner organizations to carry out projects that achieve these critical goals. According to USDA, these projects must focus on strengthening land access with respect to capital or market access. Additionally, USDA announced $250 million in investments for Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) to create career development opportunities in agriculture for Next Gen Scholars. Eligible entities include 1890 land-grant universities, such as Fort Valley State University in Fort Valley, Georgia.

“Farming is one of the toughest jobs in Georgia,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “That’s why I’ve fought since I was sworn in to bring some relief to underserved farmers who are facing real challenges in acquiring land, accessing credit, and getting their goods to market. This much needed shot-in-the-arm will finally begin flowing to Georgia farmers, many of whom have been left out of other USDA programs. I’ll continue to use my seat on the Senate Agriculture Committee to conduct thorough oversight of this program and to ensure funding secured in the Inflation Reduction Act quickly gets to farmers who need it most.”

Senator Reverend Warnock also fought to secure over $5 billion in the Inflation Reduction Act for economically distressed farmers in Georgia, including $3.1 billion to provide relief to the most at-risk farmers and $2.2 billion for farmers who have suffered discrimination by USDA. The Senator is urging USDA to implement these provisions as expeditiously as possible to provide much needed relief to farmers in Georgia. As a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Senator Warnock is a champion for Georgia’s farmers and forest landowners, including small-scale operators and historically underserved farmers who contribute to Georgia’s rural communities. These farmers, their families, and their communities have too often been overlooked and left behind, especially as consolidation increases within the agriculture sector and federal COVID-19 relief funds fail to reach these farmers. Senator Warnock has strived to center these farmers and their communities in federal policymaking, ensuring they have the resources needed to keep their operations profitable and retain land for their families.

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