James November-December 2024 web - Flipbook - Page 22
one industry? Right now, it means the
future is uncertain for far too many
farm families across our state. I can tell
you firsthand that there is no worse
feeling for a farmer than uncertainty.
Uncertainty whether you’ll be able to
provide for your family, pay your bills or
even make it to next year.
Our farmers cannot wait six
months or a year for help. They need it
immediately. My team and I are working around the clock with state, federal
and ag industry leaders to get federal
aid to Georgia farmers as quickly as
possible. Specifically, we are asking
U.S. Congressional leadership to pass
a relief package structured as a block
grant to the state of Georgia as quickly
as possible.
It is essential this is done as a
block grant because, at the state level,
we can deliver aid to our farmers
more quickly and efficiently than our
counterparts in the federal government. We can also provide more flexibility than any pre-existing disaster
A POULTRY HOUSE IN JEFF DAVIS COUNTY.
program, allowing us to look at the
full scope of the damage any given
operation has received when distributing aid. The alternative for farmers
is to complete multiple applications
through multiple different relief programs depending on how many different commodities they grow or how
many different parts of their operation
were damage. This takes time that
our farmers simply do not have.
We cannot get this done unless
we are all working towards the same
goal. I have been incredibly proud to
see so many Georgia leaders— from
Gov. Brian Kemp and U.S. Rep. Austin
Scott to U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and U.S.
Rep. Sanford Bishop— put politics aside
and work together, as a team, to help
the people we all serve in their time
of greatest need. That is what public
service is all about.
In the weeks since the storm, I’ve
visited more than a dozen counties to
Here in the great Peach state, we approach all things with a sense of pride
and hands-on care, and our locally grown products are no exception.
Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper bottle
feeds a calf on his farm in Irwin County.
22
JAMES
NOVEM B E R/D EC E M B E R 2 0 2 4
GeorgiaGrown.com
