Georgia’s peach farmers are calling it the “worst season in decades” after a late-March freeze caused them to suffer huge crop losses. It is a real challenge that U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff understands.
The Georgia Farm Monitor’s Damon Jones shows us how the Democratic Senator from Georgia is working around the clock to secure more government funding to help farmers get the aid they need as well as support the struggling peach industry and ensure its long-term strength.
“The federal government has a role to play in providing smart, targeted disaster assistance,” Sen. Ossoff said. “The federal government and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have a role to play in ensuring that farmers and growers in Georgia and across the country who face this kind of risk, and put their livelihoods and their resources on the line every year with uncertainty about tough weather and other things that can impact their crop.”
Ossoff told his constituents that as Congress moves through the appropriations process, he hopes to push for “appropriate targeted, smart disaster relief funds for Georgia’s peach growers.”
“As polarized and divided as the political environment is these days, it’s tough to get things done,” Ossoff said. “But my job is to represent all Georgians, including Georgia agriculture. So, I’m going to work to try and get this done.”
This is not the first time the congressman has prioritized rural issues. Ossoff also pushed to designate more areas in Georgia as “lacking broadband access,” and the initiative saw great success. The Peach State now receives more than $1 billion in federal funding.
Reporting by Damon Jones, The Farm Monitor
