August 14, 2013
www.gfb.org
Vol. 31 No. 33
COLLINS TOUR INCLUDES TAILGATE WITH GFB LEADERS County Farm Bureau leaders in Northeast Georgia had the opportunity to meet with Rep. Doug Collins (R-9th District) during a legislative tailgate luncheon with GFB President Zippy Duvall held Aug. 8 at CeNita Vineyards in White County. Habersham County Extension Coordinator Steven Patrick gave an overview of agriculture in Northeast Georgia, Collins and Duvall each talked about immigration and the farm bill, and Collins fielded questions about waterway restoration funding to expand the Port of Savannah. Patrick pointed out that poultry growers in Northeast Georgia produce a significant portion of the state’s largest commodity, and several Northeast Georgia counties rank in the state’s top 10 in production of cattle, goats, horses and swine. The counties in Collins’ district are the state’s main producers of apples and wine grapes and are among the state’s leaders in production of numerous vegetables. Duvall emphasized the importance of solving the immigration issue, noting that food processing jobs and other occupations in the food and fiber industries depend on the generation of raw products from farms. “The bottom line is there are jobs in agriculture that Americans don’t want to do any more,” Duvall said. “So it is vitally important, not just to the farmer, but to other people who depend on those processing jobs.” Collins, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, said the key aspects of the nation’s immigration problem are security, legal immigration and illegal immigration. He expressed a desire to have bills passed to address agricultural guest workers and the security issues. “I think if you pass the security bill you’ve got to also pass the guestworker bill,” Collins said. “You can’t just cut off the flow at the border and have agriculture die. You can’t do that.” Regarding the farm bill, Duvall noted that its conservation programs are very important to farmers in the northeastern portion of the state. “It’s important that we have a good farm bill and that we have a good safety net,” Duvall said. “I didn’t say a giveaway check. I said a safety net for agriculture that helps preserve agriculture like we know it.” The luncheon was part of a multiday tour of agricultural sites Collins took during Congress’ August recess. Earlier in the day, he took part in the ribbon cutting ceremony at Jaemor Farms’ new market in Commerce. Along with Collins and Duvall, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black spoke at the ceremony.