Sweet corn may help Southwest Georgia Ag bounce back; many farmers still recovering

Georgia Governor demands action from Congress for farmers impacted by Hurricane Michael

April 10, 2019
Atlanta, GA – Today, Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp again demanded action on recovery funds for farmers impacted by Hurricane Michael.

“Georgia farmers, who suffered generational losses during Hurricane Michael, are on the verge of bankruptcy,” said Governor Kemp. “Yet a handful of vindictive politicians refuse to end the gridlock and provide the resources these hardworking Americans so desperately need.

“This gridlock exposes the rotten core of some in Congress. They would rather crush an entire industry – destroying the livelihood of countless Americans – than do something that the opposition party wants. This dire situation highlights the brokenness in Washington. We have reached a low point as a nation.

“We refuse to excuse the political games that exploit our farmers and discount the dire situation in Southwest Georgia. We will not settle for gridlock that compromises the future of so many hardworking Georgians. This is not an empty threat from a red state governor. This is a promise – we will not stand down until Congress stands up for our farmers.”

Agriculture is Georgia’s largest – and oldest – industry, employing one in seven Georgians and contributing $74 billion to the state’s economy annually. Hurricane Michael made landfall on October 10th as the third-most intense hurricane in our nation’s history, dealing $2.5 billion in damage to Georgia crops alone. Georgia has received no disaster relief funds appropriated by Congress since the storm’s devastating damage.

More Southwest Georgia AG News

• • Sweet corn will pop up when the heat comes on (The Packer)
    

    After a nice early growing season without major setbacks, Eastern U.S. sweet corn growers are optimistic about the coming crop as demand ticks up for the coming warm months and summer holidays.“We checked our crop in Belle Glade, and it looks like a beautiful crop. We had great weather and expect it to continue. We had good volume, excellent supply,” said J.D. Poole, co-owner and vice president of Scotlynn Sweet Pac Growers, Belle Glade, Fla.

    The company ships corn first out of Belle Glade, then Bainbridge, Ga., and finishes with Vittoria, Ontario.

     

  • Southwest Georgia farmers wait in pain as storm aid stalls in Congress (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
    

    January through March is when most line up financing for seeds, equipment and living expenses and prepare their fields for planting season. But without federal aid money to help them settle their 2018 debts, many have been unable to obtain financing for their upcoming crop.Low-interest loans approved by the General Assembly offered temporary help to some farmers, but Hank Jester, a co-owner of the Blakely, Ga., based Cornerstone Insurance Group, said some have been forced to delay planting, mortgage their land or find other stopgap fixes.