Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) today celebrated House passage of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, the Farm Bill, which includes hard-fought wins and recognitions for Georgia farmers.

Included in this bill are Rep. Carter’s request for a study on the Hurricane Insurance Protection – Wind Index (HIP-WI) program, inspired by his bill, the Farmers’ AID Relief Act, and the renaming of the U.S. National Poultry Research Center in Athens, Georgia, after the late President of the Georgia Poultry Federation, Francis “Abit” Massey.

“Georgia’s agricultural industry is the backbone of our economy and way of life. Representing the number one state in which to do business, where agribusiness is our top industry, I strongly support the Farm Bill. I proudly championed two provisions in this legislation, including a HIP-WI study to ensure the program properly protects farmers financially during disasters and the honoring of the late Abit Massey, a remarkable Georgia poultry giant, whose legacy should never be forgotten, said Rep. Carter. “American farmers feed and clothe our nation and the world, and they deserve policies that support their success.”

“The HIP-WI Program failed many Georgia farmers who were unfairly denied financial relief after the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene. I am proud that the 2026 Farm Bill includes language from our Farmers’ AID Relief Act to conduct a much-needed study on the HIP-WI Program to ensure it reflects real-world storm paths and protects farmers affected by damage,” said Rep. Rick Allen (R-GA).

“I am pleased that, today, the U.S. House voted to designate the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Poultry Research Center in Athens, Georgia, as the Abit Massey Poultry Research Center and to require a hurricane insurance protection-wind index report based on the Farmers’ AID Relief Act through the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026,” said Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA). “This larger farm bill was made better because of these two bipartisan bills which honor a giant in Georgia Agriculture and help protect our ag producers when destructive storms hit. I am proud to have led both efforts with Congressman Buddy Carter.”

"The Farm Bill is critical legislation for America's farmers, ranchers, rural Americans, and Georgians. In the legislation are major wins for our state, including text honoring the late Abit Massey, text honoring the late former Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture and longtime Representative for Georgia, David Scott, and the creation of a study on how the USDA can improve data collection for HIP-WI calculations," said Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA), Vice Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture.

Background:

The HIP-WI program is a wind-based insurance option managed by the USDA designed to protect farmers impacted by hurricanes. However, Hurricane Helene exposed the program’s vulnerability to inaccuracies, leaving farmers who experienced significant crop losses without protection. This bill would authorize a study to examine the loss of crop insurance coverage caused by a weather station outage, assess contingency plans, and report on the feasibility of obtaining data from land-grant colleges and universities or other third-party sources to support HIP-WI and Georgia farmers.

The bill also includes a provision to rename the U.S. National Poultry Research Center in Athens, Georgia, after the late Francis “Abit” Massey, who passed away in June 2024 at the age of 96. Mr. Massey served as President of the Georgia Poultry Federation for 48 years and was recognized statewide for his leadership and instrumental role in establishing Georgia as a leading poultry producer, which has grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry.

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