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Tag: Georgia farmers

  • Recent rains end Georgia drought as farmers look ahead to fall harvest

    Recent rains end Georgia drought as farmers look ahead to fall harvest

    Recent rains end Georgia drought as farmers look ahead to fall harvest

    Recent rains have officially brought Georgia out of a severe drought, and farmers are looking ahead to the fall harvest.

    Dry conditions have heavily affected farmers in Georgia for nearly a year, but the National Weather Service recently announced that Georgia’s drought is officially over.

    Local farmers were hit hard by the dry spell. Brandi Whitney of Serenbe Farms said they had to irrigate their fields constantly.

    “Oh, we had to irrigate almost all the way through until the nighttime,” Whitney said. “So I would leave it on during the daytime. I would go home and eat, and then I would come back in the evening time to turn everything off, so yeah, it was a long period of just rotational everyday irrigation.”

    When the rains finally did come, the ground was too hard to absorb the water properly, causing flooding in fields and additional crop loss.

    “The soil was so compacted that when it rained it didn’t have anywhere to go, and erosion follows the path of least resistance so we had a lot of flooding in our field areas,” Whitney said. “There were a lot of crops that we lost.”

    However, Whitney said she believes they made it through the worst.

    “So we’re really excited,” Whitney said. “For us, the fall is the greatest time of the year. It’s the longest-producing on this farm, so we’re just hoping for a steady rain so that we don’t have to irrigate so much. Our plants are healthy and strong in the ground. They’re not having to be stressed by the heat or the lack of water from rain and that sort of thing.”

    Farmers with livestock are also seeing the benefits from the summer rains, producing green pastures and more natural pasture growth for their grazing herds.

  • Georgia group works to address growing mental health crisis among farmers

    Georgia group works to address growing mental health crisis among farmers

    Georgia group works to address growing mental health crisis among farmers

    A Georgia organization is looking for ways to address mental health concerns among the state’s farmers.

    John P. McElveen is the director of the Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance, which was founded in 2022. He told WABE that the general population might not realize the types of stressors farmers are under today.

    “I do think those outside of agriculture sometimes have this very rosy picture of the pastoral settings in which farmers work and that they get to be outside and enjoy that. And that’s true to a certain extent,” McElveen said. “But it is a double-edged sword, if you will. And so, they really need to understand — those consumers and others — and we’re all impacted and depend upon agriculture. We need to know about that stress and those challenges.”

    From natural disasters like hurricanes to economic challenges, such as tariffs and rising fuel costs, farmers face several obstacles to keep their businesses going, which contribute to worsening mental health.

    The National Rural Health Association reports that farmers are three to five times more likely to die by suicide than the average population.

    McElveen was introduced to a program called COMET, the Changing Our Mental and Emotional Trajectory, based out of Colorado. The program works to train rural communities how to help people who are struggling.

    McElveen hopes to bring the program to Georgia to help rural communities deal with mental health challenges.

  • Kemp signs 10 Georgia bills impacting agriculture, forestry and water policy

    Kemp signs 10 Georgia bills impacting agriculture, forestry and water policy

    Kemp signs 10 Georgia bills impacting agriculture, forestry and water policy

    Gov. Brian Kemp signed 10 bills last week that impact Georgia agriculture and natural resources.

    The signing follows several days of Kemp approving legislation ahead of the Tuesday deadline to either sign or veto bills passed by the Georgia legislature before they become law.

    “Georgia’s farming and foresting families are some of the toughest people in our state who, despite the challenges of the past several years, have persevered and continue to put food on our tables, clothes on our backs, and provide the material for structures like our very homes,” Kemp said in a news release.

    Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper applauded Kemp’s decision to sign the legislation at the event Wednesday.

    “We’re always going to do everything in our power to support our Georgia farm families, our consumers, our forestry industries and our ag industries in a time of need,” he said. 

    House Bill 117 requires all food service establishments that serve shrimp imported from other countries to notify customers either on their menu or through other signage. House Bill 134, also known as the Keep Georgia Forested Act, expands tax credits for forestry manufacturers.

    Here are the eight other pieces of legislation Kemp signed.

    • House Bill 1159 exempts any payments received from the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program and the Specialty Crop Farmers Program from income tax.
    • House Bill 1008 updates that State Water Plan to revise Regional Water Planning Councils and specifies that Memorandum of Agreements will be renewed as-needed.
    • House Bill 956 expands the use of Solid Waste Trust Fund to include permitting, monitoring, regulation or guidance development, inspections and enforcement.
    • House Bill 983 protects prescribed burning by preventing counties and municipalities from imposing additional barriers on landowners.
    • House Bill 1310 designates cotton as the official state fabric of Georgia.
    • Senate Bill 306 streamlines the Conservation Use Valuation Assessment process to help protect Georgia farmers and farmland.
    • Senate Bill 435 renames the Georgia Development Authority to the Georgia Agricultural Development Authority.
    • Senate Bill 551 removes the egg candling code section from Georgia law for those with backyard flocks.
  • Federal Farm Bill could roll back Georgia pesticide limits, critics warn

    Federal Farm Bill could roll back Georgia pesticide limits, critics warn

    Federal Farm Bill could roll back Georgia pesticide limits, critics warn

    Just after Georgia farmers have worked to adjust to new state limits on pesticides, a new Farm Bill in Congress could roll back those limits.

    The bill in Congress would shield pesticide companies from liability and limit states’ abilities to regulate them. Georgia farmers had to adjust their use under new state limits that went into effect in January.

    While supporters argue that the bill supports farmers facing new challenges, critics warn that it could have dangerous impacts on children, waterways and endangered species.

    Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity, spoke with the Public News Service on the issue.

    “The Farm Bill actually basically seeks to immunize pesticide companies from that duty to warn,” Hartl said. “A lot of pesticides are dangerous. They can cause very serious harm, including potentially cancers.”

    Hartl highlighted a provision that would limit state and local governments from adding warning labels or restrict pesticide use at schools and playgrounds. Hartl also said the bill could weaken Clean Water Act protections for waterways.

    “Some pesticides are used directly in water to control aquatic pests,” Hartl said. “This would eliminate important Clean Water Act protections, sort of processes designed to make sure that again, we’re using better choices, less dangerous chemicals, those will be thrown away.”

  • Taylor Arnold named Georgia Peanut Commission director

    Taylor Arnold named Georgia Peanut Commission director

    Georgia Peanut Commission names Taylor Arnold as new executive director

    A new executive director is learning the ropes at the Georgia Peanut Commission after its longtime director decided to retire.

    The commission announced in December that Taylor Arnold would be filling the position, succeeding Don Koehler, who has served Georgia’s peanut industry for more than four decades.

    “We are excited to welcome Taylor Arnold as the next executive director of the Georgia Peanut Commission,” said Joe Boddiford, chairman of the Georgia Peanut Commission Board, in a news release. “Taylor’s passion for agriculture, strategic vision, and proven leadership make him the ideal person to guide the commission into its next chapter. We are confident he will continue building on the strong foundation established under Don Koehler’s leadership.”

    The Georgia Peanut Commission is funded by farmers, with $2 of every ton funding the commission’s mission to promote, research and educate Georgia’s more than $2 billion industry. In 2024, Georgia farmers produced 50% of peanuts in the U.S., which was more than 1.6 million tons, according to the commission’s website.

    Arnold is excited to continue the work of the commission to support farmers, fund research in the industry and educate the public about the benefits of peanuts, he said.

    “I just see being a part of Georgia Peanut Commission as being able to be a proactive voice for the agriculture community,” he said.

    Arnold looks forward to working with the commission staff and board to transition to the position.

    “My predecessor, Mr. Don Koehler, who I’m going to get to work with for the next few months, has been the executive director for 40 years and is just a wealth of knowledge and has been a titan for the industry, and I’m just so excited to get to work and learn from him,” he said.

    Arnold said he grew up in the agriculture industry in south Georgia on his family’s farm, and after graduating from Mercer University, he felt drawn back to south Georgia.

    “Growing up in it, it just felt like my calling,” he said.

    Arnold has served as the County Executive Director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture since 2017 in Worth County and chaired the District Payment Eligibility and Limitation Review team.

    “I know everything that the agriculture community is going through today economically, what it takes, and how hard these farmers work,” he said.



  • Trump-era wage cut slashes pay for thousands of Georgia migrant farmworkers

    Trump-era wage cut slashes pay for thousands of Georgia migrant farmworkers

    Trump-era wage cut slashes pay for thousands of Georgia migrant farmworkers

    A Trump administration policy change cut wages of thousands of migrant farmworkers in Georgia.

    The federal government slashed minimum hourly wages from $16.08 to $10.52 for the H-2A temporary agricultural workers program, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The program allows migrant workers to come to the U.S. on a temporary visa to work in positions that farmers cannot fill with the domestic workforce. 

    A coalition of farmworkers, including one from Georgia, filed a lawsuit last month arguing that cutting wages for the program ultimately cuts wages for domestic agricultural workers. As part of the program’s stipulations, farmers cannot pay domestic workers less than H-2A workers.

    The program requires farmers to pay for the H-2A workers’ flight to and from the U.S., their housing while they are here and transportation to the fields every day.

    Supporters of the cuts say they are a corrective measure for sizable increases in wages in the past several years, but critics say the move could increase labor abuses and hurt small farmers and farmworkers.

    Georgia was number two in the nation for the number of H-2A workers in six of the past eight years, second only to Florida. In 2024, Georgia welcomed 43,436 H-2A farmworkers, according to the AJC.

    Diego Iniguez-Lopez is the government affairs director for the United Farm Workers Foundation, which is a nonprofit that supports farmworkers and immigrants and is a plaintiff in the lawsuit. He told the AJC that the policy change only benefits big agricultural organizations.

    “Instead of actually complying with the statutory obligation to ensure that the H-2A program does not adversely affect U.S. workers, it’s going the opposite route,” Iniguez-Lopez told the AJC. “It’s going to force Georgia farmworkers and others across the country to take second jobs, make cuts to groceries, gas and other necessities,… and this is already a population that has far too much exposure to food insecurity and poverty, and these wage cuts will deepen that.”

  • Trump’s $12 billion farm aid package could offer short-term relief for struggling Georgia producers

    Trump’s $12 billion farm aid package could offer short-term relief for struggling Georgia producers

    Trump’s $12 billion farm aid package could offer short-term relief for struggling Georgia producers

    Georgia farmers are calling a new $12 billion federal aid package a much-needed lifeline as they confront rising production costs and years of unstable crop prices. The one-time assistance, announced this week by President Trump, is expected to reach producers before the end of February. Farmers told CBS News that the aid would help them secure the loans they need for the upcoming planting season.

     Lee Nunn, has farmed cotton, wheat, soybeans and corn for decades. But he told CBS News that recent years have been the most financially punishing he can remember. “Everything we touch has gone up a lot — 20% or more,” he said, listing fuel, fertilizer and equipment as the biggest pressures on the bottom line. The aid package includes $11 billion for row crops and $1 billion for specialty crops, funding meant to offset losses from increased tariffs on China.

    Nunn said the payment will largely go toward paying down equipment debt. “It’s not a solution,” he added. “It’s a temporary fix.”

    Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper agreed the funding will stabilize farms until larger provisions of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” — a sweeping $60 billion agricultural investment — begin next fall. In remarks reported by CBS News, Harper said the act aims to raise crop price guarantees, expand overseas markets and make insurance more affordable. He emphasized agriculture’s role in national security, calling the aid “a huge win for American agriculture and for Georgia producers.”

    As grocery prices remain elevated, farmers hope stronger domestic production will eventually ease consumer costs. But they also note another mounting challenge: labor. While many support higher pay for workers, they say rising wages add yet another strain on already thin margins, making federal relief all the more essential.