Agriculture

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) this week introduced bipartisan legislation with Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) to help working forests recover from natural disasters. The Disaster Reforestation Act would reduce the financial burden of recovery by amending the tax code to recognize the value of destroyed timber. The current tax code disadvantages forest landowners by… Read more »

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN   In this episode of A Voice for Rural America, Rep. Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (R-GA) and Georgia State Senator Russ Goodman joined Chairman Dan Newhouse (R-WA) to discuss how Congress can work to improve federal disaster relief included in the Farm Bill and how these relief funds can impact… Read more »

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) is granting Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) the Friend of Farm Bureau award for his work supporting ranchers and farmers during the 117th Congress. Rep. Carter is being awarded this distinction, in part, for his support of a resolution to create National Future Farmers of America Week, the Growing Climate Solutions… Read more »

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that agricultural producers affected by natural disasters, including Georgia blueberry growers who were devastated by unusually harsh freezes, are now eligible to apply for assistance beginning on September 11, 2019.   Congressman Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (R-Ga.) fought to secure this assistance… Read more »

After months of negotiations, disaster aid secured by Congressman Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (R-Ga.) to assist Georgia blueberry growers who were devastated by unusually harsh freezes is headed to President Trump's desk to be signed into law.  In 2017, Georgia was expected to produce around 90 million pounds of blueberries, but was drastically reduced to 30 million because of the… Read more »

After Congressman Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (R-Ga.) and members of both the United States Senate and House of Representatives called on the U.S. Department of Commerce to terminate an unfair trade agreement harming U.S. tomato growers, the department this week announced the intent to withdraw from the agreement.  Since 1996, Mexican tomato growers have used a suspension agreement to… Read more »

Congressman Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (R-Ga.) voted against legislation today that fails to support a critical part of the First District of Georgia's agricultural community. After months of negotiations by Carter, the Agriculture Improvement Act, also known as the Farm Bill, did not include the adequate crop assistance Georgia's blueberry farmers need to recover from the devastating… Read more »

Congressman Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (R-Ga.) voted in support of the Agriculture and Nutrition Act, also known as the Farm Bill, today to support farmers and the agriculture industry.  The legislation includes several measures critical for agriculture in the First District of Georgia including reauthorizing the crop insurance program, reauthorizing and improving… Read more »

Congressman Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (R-Ga.) introduced legislation today to protect timber land owners in times of catastrophic loss.  Currently, after a catastrophic loss, 70% of timber farmers have no recourse due to limitations in the tax code and because timber is not eligible for federal crop insurance.  Carter's legislation, the Forest Recovery Act, allows… Read more »

Today Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue designated 83 counties in Georgia as primary natural disaster areas due to damage from Hurricane Irma. This declaration makes farm operators in primary counties and those counties contiguous to such primary counties eligible to be considered for certain assistance from the Farm Service Agency (FSA) if certain requirements are met. The assistance… Read more »