GERALD GREENE: State leaders share good legislative news with farmers

I wanted to share good news for Georgia’s agriculture industry during these challenging times. Georgia’s No. 1 industry, agriculture, has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 crisis our state is facing, while still dealing with the continuing effects of 2018’s hurricane Michael. During this session, we passed legislation that will support and protect our farmers, and I’m excited to share those this week, along with some good news for Georgia’s agriculture industry.

The passage of House Bill 1057 protects our farmers and other adjacent land owners by preventing the application of a fertilizer or small amendment that contains domestic septage. Additionally, the Department of Natural Resources is allowed to set the minimum standards for applying soil amendments derived from industrial by-products through the rules and regulations, with exceptions for forest products, slates, clays, shells, gypsum and lime.

We also passed House Bill 1093, which creates an agricultural commodity commission for wine and grapes. This new commission will continue to promote the reputation of the continually growing Georgia wine industry. According to the Georgia wine producers, Georgia’s wine industry has an economic impact of $4.1 billion a year. It’s continued growth is an asset to our state, particularly in the agritourism industry.

To protect Georgia consumers from false or misleading advertising, we passed Senate Bill 211, which prohibits labels and advertising relating to food that does not come from an animal as “meat” without further explanation. Labels must also include one of the following: “lab grown,” “lab created,“ or “grown in a lab” if the product is made of cell-cultured materials. If the product is vegetarian or plant-based, the label must include “vegetarian,” “veggie,” “vegan,” “plant-based,” or other similar terms.

Under the leadership of Gary Black, our commissioner of agriculture, the department continues to update our Georgia farmers on COVID-19 and its effect on the agriculture industry.

An increase in unemployment and a decrease in commodity prices have reduced farm revenues, making it increasingly difficult for farmers. Fortunately, the CARES Act allocated $9.5 billion to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help the states‘ farmers continue to produce food for America.

At the direction of the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Purdue, the USDA has partnered with suppliers whose work forces have been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.

This partnership further supports both farmers and those who may have lost their jobs during this time. The USDA is purchasing up to $3 billion of fresh produce, dairy or meat products. These products will be packaged and distributed to food banks such as Feeding the Valley and Second Harvest, community and faith-based organizations, and other nonprofits serving those in need. More than 80 million food boxes have been distributed. My House District 151 has received large numbers of these food boxes in the past months and will continue to receive them in the coming months.

As we continue to move through these challenging times, I hope that you all are remaining safe and well. Thank you for allowing me to represent Georgia House District 151. It is truly an honor to work for you and this great state.

If you have any feedback, do not hesitate to call me at (404) 656-5105 or email me at [email protected]. God bless each of you and this great state.

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