By Clint Thompson
U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) connected with South Georgia farmers on Thursday in an effort to hear producers voice their concerns ahead of the 2023 Farm Bill.
The Georgia senator met with producers representing multiple commodities, including pecans at the Georgia Pecan Growers Association in Tifton, Georgia. He discussed the importance of interacting with growers.
“It was great to meet with farmers and growers across the state. We will begin working on the farm bill in the U.S. Senate for passage next year. My purpose today has been to meet with farmers and growers across the state to understand their needs so I can be their champion,” Ossoff said. “I got to work right away when I arrived in the Senate to deliver for Georgia farmers and growers; for example, working to secure resources to better fight whitefly and aflatoxin pests in the state. There’s much more than I’m eager to do as we take on the farm bill in the Senate next year. But that begins with listening.
“Today, meeting with folks who are producing cotton, peanuts, pecans; many of the crops, staples, commodities that are key exports for the state of Georgia, it was a great opportunity to connect with Georgia farmers and growers and understand their needs. I will take these conversations and the quality time we spent together back to the Senate.”
Challenging Time for Growers
Georgia producers are faced with multiple challenges that are threatening their livelihood, specifically high input costs. Those highlighted the concerns growers relayed to Ossoff during his visit.
“We want to make sure that next year’s farm bill is written to ensure that Georgia farmers benefit. Georgia farmers are struggling right now with many of the significantly elevated prices for key agricultural inputs. That’s a major challenge,” Ossoff said. “We discussed opportunities to expand access to export markets and reduce trade barriers in other countries where Georgia farmers can export more product. We talked about working together to help promote Georgia products and increase domestic demand for crops that are produced here in Georgia.”