Meeting with Some of Georgia's Finest Farmers

Last week, I attended the Southern Peanut Growers Conference and a National Cotton Council meeting in Savannah, Georgia, to talk to them about my work in Washington as Vice Chair of the House Agriculture Committee.

Through the efforts of our state's farmers, Georgia is a leader in peanut and fiber production. Peanuts contribute over $790 million to our economy annually, and cotton contributes over $1.3 billion.

In May, the House Ag Committee passed the bipartisan Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024, also known as the "Farm Bill." This bill is a win for Georgia's farmers and producers, and I am pleased that several of my priorities to ensure a strong farm safety net were included in this legislation.

Senate Democrats have not released their bill text yet, but what we do know is that their "framework" doesn't put the farm back in the Farm Bill, isn't paid for, and isn't bipartisan. 

In the House, we are continuing to work as hard as we can to address the issues facing our farmers. Any Farm Bill passed must make major improvements to Title I and address the impacts that high input prices are having on our farmers. 

I hope to see our bill come to the House Floor soon.

Southeast Ag Net | Rep. Scott Warns if More Funding Taken Away from Production Ag in Next Farm Bill

"The Georgia Peanut Commission, along with peanut organizations from neighboring states, is celebrating and learning more about peanuts at this week’s Southern Peanut Growers Conference in Savannah, Georgia.

Members from the Alabama Peanut Producers Association, Florida Peanut Producers Association and Mississippi Peanut Growers Association are also in attendance. Talks have put the current crop under the spotlight along with a focus on the farm bill. It is an important piece of legislation that will have huge ramifications on peanut producers across the Southeast.

U.S. Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) updated attendees about the farm bill during his talk on Thursday. He stresses the implications if more funding is taken away from production agriculture.

'Right now, we’re operating under an extension as you know. I think it’s likely that an extension will pass before the end of the year. A farm bill has come out of the House Ag Committee that takes care of production agriculture,' Scott said. 'Production ag spending is only about 10% of the total farm bill spending. Better than 80% of it is going to some type of SNAP or some type of food benefit. The majority of the democratic party are wanting to take more than the 80-plus%. If you do what they insist on doing, it leaves absolutely nothing for crop insurance, ARC (Agriculture Risk Coverage), PLC (Price Loss Coverage) and the other risk mitigation tools that our farmers need to actually grow the food we all depend on.'"

Read more here.