In September 2024, Hurricane Helene tore through the Southeast, causing catastrophic devastation.
Homes were destroyed. Lives were tragically lost. Georgia’s agriculture producers watched years of work vanish in a matter of hours as crops, land and operations were left in ruin.
As a result, America’s food supply was jeopardized — a matter of national security. In the wake of this hardship, the Trump administration is stepping up to deliver needed relief for our agricultural producers.
The first step toward long-term prosperity is opening up new access to markets that have been sealed off to our high-quality products for too long.
Our negotiator-in-chief, President Donald J. Trump, has been quick to remedy the previous administration’s inaction on this front. He has already struck 18 new trade deals and frameworks for U.S. agriculture in key markets like the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, Mexico and Southeast Asia. These deals — and others that are around the corner — have helped cut the agricultural trade deficit nearly in half and expanded growth for row crops, animal protein and tree nuts grown right here in Georgia.
These positive market signals are moving commodity prices upward, and median net cash farm income is improving. Input costs are still way too high, but the thanks to Trump we are starting to see them moderate compared to previous years. And, in some cases, they are even starting to go down.
Disaster assistance will go a long way
Credit: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Credit: U.S. Department of Agriculture
There is much more work to do, but for the men and women here in Georgia who manage our forests and help make America the world’s breadbasket, these changes are a lifeline that will pull them back from the brink of ruin.
I’ve met and spoken to producers who know firsthand what it’s like to lose livestock, have their crops destroyed, infrastructure damaged and the economic stability of their families and communities upended.
Trump also understands the devastating impact these natural disasters had on Georgia agricultural lands and infrastructure, from the Piedmont to the coastal plain. They not only hurt the heartland but also put our national security at risk. If we can’t feed ourselves, our freedom disappears and we become beholden to other countries.
Over the past 17 months, farmers, ranchers and foresters in Georgia and have been on the long and difficult road to recovery.
At the U.S. Department of Agriculture, we are committed to giving them a hand up so they can continue to produce the fuel, food and fiber that our nation depends on. That’s why I recently met with legislators at the State Capitol in Atlanta to outline disaster aid and relief funding that will soon be available to Peach State producers.
Last fall, the USDA and the Georgia Department of Agriculture reached a $531 million block grant agreement that will cover future economic losses, infrastructure, dairy feed, nursery and timber losses that are not covered by existing USDA programs. This is a crucial step to the restoration our producers need and deserve, and we have been working at breakneck speed with our Georgia partners to get it out the door in record time.
Thankfully, they won’t have to wait long for this relief, as the application period went live March 16 and runs through April 27.
This disaster assistance will also go a long way toward maintaining Georgia’s nationwide leadership in agriculture.
Producers are getting back on their feet
Credit: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Credit: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Just consider the timber industry.
Here in Georgia, 21 million acres of privately owned forests support over 200,000 jobs. These are good, high-paying jobs that power more than $36 billion in sales and manufacturing every single year.
The men and women who manage these forests provide an abundant supply of wood for 115 manufacturing facilities here in Georgia, and millions of Americans rely on the forest products they produce — from lumber and panels to paper and pellets.
This administration is committed to keeping Georgia’s farmers in the driver’s seat and charging full speed ahead.
After years of natural disasters and market downturns, we are finally getting producers who were hurt through no fault of their own back on their feet, and back to doing what they do best: feeding and clothing our nation and allowing America to remain the shining light for the entire world.
Brooke L. Rollins is the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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