LISTEN: Sen. Ossoff on His Bipartisan Push for Agricultural Disaster Relief Funding after Hurricane Helene

Click here to listen to Sen. Ossoff's interview with AgNet Radio, beginning at 1:27 and ending at 12:34

Atlanta, Ga. - U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is leading a bipartisan push for disaster relief funding to prevent deep and lasting economic damage to the agricultural industry in the southeastern United States.

This week, Sen. Ossoff and Congressman Austin Scott (GA-08), alongside Georgia's entire Congressional Delegation, led a bipartisan, bicameral group of 34 lawmakers from Southeastern states, urging Congressional Leadership to work with them and the Biden Administration to ensure disaster relief resources are made available to agricultural producers following the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene for agriculture.

On Tuesday, Sen. Ossoff spoke with AgNet Radio to discuss the dire need for economic relief for Georgia farmers and growers after the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene and his push to pass relief (click here to listen to Sen. Ossoff's interview, beginning at 1:27 and ending at 12:34).

"From the moment it became clear that this storm was forming and going to run up the Gulf, I got on the phone with growers and agricultural leaders across Georgia to get a sense of their level of concern and the preparations they were making. And this storm did even more damage to agriculture in Georgia than expected, and these are the same farmers who were out there the next day with their chainsaws and their equipment clearing their neighbors roads and driveways," Sen. Ossoff said.

"A lot of growers have been struggling as it is with high input costs and low commodity prices, concerned about credit worthiness headed into the next season, and this is a very significant additional blow to them. So, for their long-term economic prospects, which mean the long-term economic prospects of rural communities in Georgia and our nation's food security, we need to step in. We need to come together as Democrats and Republicans and act swiftly once these damage assessments are complete to pass ag disaster assistance," Sen. Ossoff said.

"It's always important that we're working together, no matter our political affiliation, to put the national interest first. And having a strong agricultural economy is in our nation's essential national interest. I always try to work across the aisle. There's so much bickering in politics and government. When we can put that aside and do what's right for the people we represent, that's when we succeed, that's when our communities succeed," Sen. Ossoff added.

Please find below a transcript of Sen. Ossoff's interview with AgNet Radio's Sabrina Halvorson:

SABRINA HALVORSON: "Joining us on the phone is Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff. Senator, thank you, for taking some time to be on the show today.

SEN. OSSOFF: "Thank you for having me.

HALVORSON: "I wanted to start off with just asking, we're focusing on the agricultural sectors that are affected by the hurricane. Can you tell me, do you have any idea of how extensive the damage is across the southeastern area?

SEN. OSSOFF: "The damage that Georgia growers have sustained, as well as poultry and dairy operations, is in some cases catastrophic. The fall crops that were still in the field have been defoliated or knocked over, are now at additional risk of rot and disease. Our pecan orchards have been uprooted, our foresters have taken very serious damage, and the agricultural loss to Georgia and the entire southeast region is massive, and that's why I've led this coalition of 34 members of Congress in urging that as soon as possible, after the completion of damage assessments, that we appropriate funds for disaster assistance for our farmers.

HALVORSON: "And it's been just devastating to see the amount, just of all of the damage. There have not been a lot of good programs that were already put in place, readily accessible, I guess, is what I'm trying to say. And so, you were leading this charge to get our federal government involved as quickly as possible. Is that right?

SEN. OSSOFF: "Yeah, let me say, first of all, that my office, my team, and I are standing by to assist growers in accessing those programs that are presently fully funded, as well as to assist them with their crop insurance claims. But the bottom line is that we have to supplement disaster assistance, and we need to do it soon. From the moment it became clear that this storm was forming and going to run up the Gulf, I got on the phone with growers and agricultural leaders across Georgia to get a sense of their level of concern and the preparations they were making. And this storm did even more damage to agriculture in Georgia than expected, and these are the same farmers who were out there the next day with their chainsaws and their equipment clearing their neighbors roads and driveways.

"These farmers are the backbone of the society and the economy in rural Georgia, and a lot of them, they don't have 401K accounts, right. For them, their crops, their orchards, their forestry tracks, these are their savings. These are their assets. And when an act of God comes through like this and does this kind of damage, we've got to be there supporting our agricultural community. It remains Georgia's number one industry, and it's essential to American food security. Our agricultural production feeds the nation and feeds the world.

HALVORSON: "With all of the damage that has been done, what can be done now to prevent lasting economic damage, as mentioned in the letter, how can we help make sure that they can, at some point, get back up on their feet?

SEN. OSSOFF: "That's why agricultural disaster assistance is so essential. A lot of growers have been struggling as it is with high input costs and low commodity prices, concerned about credit worthiness headed into the next season, and this is a very significant additional blow to them. So, for their long-term economic prospects, which mean the long-term economic prospects of rural communities in Georgia and our nation's food security, we need to step in. We need to come together as Democrats and Republicans and act swiftly once these damage assessments are complete to pass ag disaster assistance.

HALVORSON: "We are speaking this morning with Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff about the destruction from Hurricane Helene, we will continue the conversation right after this.

HALVORSON: "We continue now with Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff. We're talking about the destruction from the hurricane and what can be done to help farmers at this point. The bipartisan and bicameral support from nearly three dozen lawmakers across the southern states, that's notable. How important is it for this level of cooperation when it comes to seeking and securing this kind of relief funding?

SEN. OSSOFF: "It's always important that we're working together, no matter our political affiliation, to put the national interest first. And having a strong agricultural economy is in our nation's essential national interest. I always try to work across the aisle. There's so much bickering in politics and government. When we can put that aside and do what's right for the people we represent, that's when we succeed, that's when our communities succeed. And I want to add that I am accessible and available to growers and agricultural leaders in Georgia who want to bring any issues to my attention, I'm happy to speak with you personally, I've spoken with many of you personally over the last few days. You can reach out to my office, all of the information is at ossoff.senate.gov.

HALVORSON: "And of course, we're talking today about the agricultural losses because of the hurricane, but also in the letter, it mentions, or in the news release about the letter, excuse me, it mentions other agricultural disasters around the nation that farmers have seen that haven't necessarily been met quickly with federal support. Is there a way to improve this?

SEN. OSSOFF: "I do think we have to have a broader conversation about making these programs more flexible and responsive, and improving the accessibility and the quality of our crop insurance and risk management systems. But to your point, this is now the third time in just over a year that South Georgia has been faced with hurricane strength winds and major agricultural damage. We are about a year and a half behind on filling up the agricultural disaster assistance funding bucket, and we must do it now in the aftermath of this hurricane.

"I also spoke over the weekend, and then I think this will be of interest to your listeners and your readers, with Secretary Vilsack as well as Under Secretary of Agriculture Bonnie. And I requested that they issue a waiver so that farmers can self-assess the damage on their farms and not have to wait for FSA personnel to get out to their operations to document it. Given the challenges for transportation and power and logistics across the region right now, we need that kind of waiver from USDA to empower growers, farmers to document their own damage for the purposes of filing claims.

HALVORSON: "That would, I could see how that would be extremely helpful in the situation. Especially since even this morning, I was on a press call with Under Secretary Bonnie, who mentioned just the staffing issues alone, because their staff is also affected. So getting out to do these assessments, I can see, would be a problem. So, allowing farmers to be able to do some of these assessments themselves, I think, would be, would certainly streamline some of the processes, wouldn't it?

SEN. OSSOFF: "Yeah, that's why I've requested that USDA issue that waiver. I will inform the agricultural community if and when such a waiver is granted, and the images that I'm getting on my phone, there's hundreds of farmers in Georgia who have my cell phone number, and I'm glad, because it allows me to see directly and hear directly from them when they go through something like this. These are really devastating pictures of very significant crop loss, catastrophic damage to orchards, and we've got to be there for them.

HALVORSON: "Is there anything that you would say for my farmer listeners who are listening in other states, our listeners out in California and in other areas, is there anything that they can do to help their fellow farmers in the affected areas in Georgia?

SEN. OSSOFF: "Well, here's the thing. Over the last couple of years, every region of the country has been impacted by some kind of natural disaster. If you are a western grower or you're in the Midwest, you also stand to benefit from the appropriation of agricultural disaster assistance by Congress. You likely have, or have colleagues who have, claims that haven't yet been funded through USDA for past disasters. So, it's not just a matter of concern for southern growers. This is really a national issue. So, my advice is, call your Senators, call your U.S. Representatives, and aggressively advocate for ag disaster assistance. Engage your local and State Farm Bureaus and the American Farm Bureau, who are pushing for this. Let them know you want to help get it done. Engage with the industry groups and advocacy groups who represent your crops in particular and get them to push for it. We really need a full court press right now putting pressure on Washington to get this done.

HALVORSON: "And then, we are speaking just a day after the Farm Bill extension expired. Would having a farm bill in place, or getting a farm bill into place would those programs also be able to help our farmers with the with the damage from the hurricane?

SEN. OSSOFF: "It's crucial for farmers in Georgia and for ag across the country to get a farm bill done, and for it to be a good farm bill. One of the things that I'm pushing for are increased reference prices for commodities grown in Georgia, as well as assistance for our specialty crop growers who are dealing with unfair imports from Mexico and Central America. It's very important that Congress find a bipartisan path forward, quit bickering and pass a good farm bill.

HALVORSON: "Right, and I know that there are a lot of questions I probably should have asked you and have not, if there's any that you can think of, or do you have any final thoughts for our listeners that they need to know on this?

SEN. OSSOFF: "To everybody in Georgia and across the southeast impacted, please know that you're in my and my family's prayers, and I want to emphasize for farmers in Georgia that my team and I are here to help and assist you, in any way that we can. You can get me on the phone. You can get my staff on the phone. All the contact information is at ossoff.senate.gov just let us know what you need.

HALVORSON: "Thank you. And once again, I want to thank you for taking a few minutes out. I know that you do have a lot of work that you're doing right now, so I do appreciate your time.

SEN. OSSOFF: "Thanks for the opportunity. Take care."

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