Georgia Farm Bureau's Oct. 11 Field Notes

October 11, 2024

HELENE WREAKS HAVOC ON GEORGIA CROPS & TIMBER

By Jay Stone and Jennifer Whittaker

The heavy rains and high winds of Hurricane Helene that pummeled Georgia on Sept. 26 into the morning of Sept. 27, caused an estimated $6.46 billion in agricultural and forestry losses across Southeast Georgia in a stretch from Valdosta to Augusta and over to the coast, according to a preliminary study released by the University of Georgia. Final damage loss amounts are expected to rise after row crop and pecan farmers harvest what remains of their crops. State officials say this estimate should be interpreted as preliminary, as it will take months to understand the full scope of Helene’s damage.

The storm left many of the state’s farmers improvising to run their livestock and poultry operations and many are still living without electricity. All of Georgia’s major commodities took horrific hits.

Hurricane Helene is the third named storm to hit Georgia in the past 13 months – Hurricane Idalia Aug. 2023 and Tropical Storm Debby Aug. 2024 and it could not have come at a worse time for Georgia farmers and producers who were already facing economic hardship caused by inflation, high input costs, and depressed commodity prices. Prior to Helene, U.S. Net Farm Income was projected to drop by $6.5 billion in 2024, following a decline of $35.6 billion in 2023.

On Thursday, Oct. 10, Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper were joined by members of Georgia’s Congressional delegation and state legislators at a press conference on the farm of brothers Terry and Ronnie Phillips in Treutlen County to discuss the damage done to Georgia’s agriculture and forestry sectors which contribute more than $83 billion to our state’s economy on an annual basis and employing more than 320,000 Georgians according to the latest UGA Ag Snapshots report.

"The damage that you see around you here - twisted cotton, broken and twisted pine trees - it's representative of what we've seen from Valdosta to Augusta, the entire impact zone of Hurricane Helene. It is catastrophic, widespread damage that has impacted every rural community and farm in the storm's path. Before Hurricane Helene, we had an ag economy that was in dire straits due to low [commodity] prices and high production costs. Our farmers need help right now to help them

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Continued from previous page through this and to make it to the next growing season," Commissioner Harper said. "We hope the federal government will implement a block grant program soon to allow each state affected by Helene to help their farmers. We can't wait six months or a year."

Gov. Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp have visited numerous communities ravaged by Helene since Sept. 27, seeing the destruction first-hand as they’ve met with local leaders and first responders and linemen working to help the hard hit areas recover.

"We depend on our farmers and timber growers to provide the food and fiber we use every day and that drives our economy as part of Georgia's No. 1 industry," said Kemp. "Following the immense losses caused by Hurricane Helene, I'm urging all of our local, state, and federal partners to join efforts in bringing them relief. That's why we're calling on the federal government and Congress to act quickly in appropriating relief funds and helping them rebuild their livelihoods."

Having visited numerous affected communities, Georgia Farm Bureau President Tom McCall said, “Our thoughts and prayers go out to all Georgians facing the devastation of Hurricane Helene. While we are still assessing the extent of its impact, this storm has already disrupted lives and caused significant damage, particularly within our farming communities. Georgia's producers are resilient. They’ve weathered storms before, and they will do it again. Georgia Farm Bureau stands ready to support our farmers as they work to recover and continue providing the food, fiber, and resources that sustain us all. In times like these, our strength comes from standing together and moving forward."

Timber

Hurricane Helene traversed 8.8 million acres of timber and had a total impact of $1.28 billion on Georgia’s timber sector, Georgia Forestry Commission Director Johnny Sabo said.

“Forestry changed overnight in this state,” Sabo said. “The detriment Hurricane Helene caused to our private landowners will take years to clean up. This area where we are today is considered the wood basket of the state. On top of the financial impact there’s also an impact to landowners’ mental well-being.”

According to a report compiled by the Georgia Forestry Commission and peer reviewed by the UGA Warnell School of Forestry, private forested land accounted for 88% of the impacted land owned in the hurricane’s path. Wind graphics from Peachtree City National Weather Service indicated wind speeds from 60-100 miles per hour from Valdosta to Augusta.

A mobile data collection application was utilized by GFC foresters to gather more than 2,800 field observations from Valdosta to Augusta. The observations detailed species, product class, percent damage, and location to make up damage intensity levels. Timber damage was classified as catastrophic, moderate, and light.

GFC recommends that homeowners call certified arborists https://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist or licensed tree services for major tree debris removal and proper maintenance of remaining trees.

Hazardous trees and limbs should be removed. However, major pruning should be delayed six to 12 months (preferably during the winter months). Sometimes, tree mortality takes at least that -continued on next page

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long or even longer to occur, so major expenditures before then would be wasted. When it appears the tree will survive, more careful pruning and continued fertilization (with deep watering, if necessary) is recommended.

County extension offices https://extension.uga.edu/county-offices.html can conduct soil tests to determine pH and nutrient levels. Based on the results, homeowners may need to help preserve the tree by fertilizing the tree, aerating the soil, mulching the tree’s root area and watering if soil conditions become excessively dry

It’s important to keep in mind that storm debris cleanup can take weeks or even months.

Helpful resources for timber owners available on the GFC website include: Forest debris management program practices

https://gatrees.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Forest-Debris-Management-ProgramPractices.pdf

How to evaluate and manage storm-damaged forest areas

https://gatrees.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/stelprdb5448015.pdf

Managed storm-damaged trees do’s and don’t’s

Https://gatrees.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/dos-and-donts-storm-tree.pdf

Selling storm-damaged timber

https://gatrees.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Selling-Storm-Damaged-Timber-Final.pdf

Storm damage information for landowners

https://gatrees.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/GFCStormDamageManagementWeb-2.pdf

National timber tax website https://www.timbertax.org

Timber tax credit

https://dor.georgia.gov/timber-tax-credit

Poultry

Southeast Georgia poultry producers lost about 800 houses to Helene and are estimated to have suffered $500-$520 million in damages, according to the preliminary loss estimates released by the UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences (CAES) on Oct. 10.

Jeff Davis County Farm Bureau Director Vann Wooten, who grows broilers (chickens for meat) for Pilgrim’s Pride was hit hard. He’s raised broilers for 41 years.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. I’ve seen spots where tornadoes have touched down, but this goes on and on all over the county. The storm broke timber 50 years old. I’ve got one [chicken] house left standing, and it has some damage, but I’m trying to get it fixed so we can -continued on next page

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Continued from previous page get birds back in it. A timber patch kept the brunt of the wind off it,” Wooten said. “I just lost my source of income and my retirement fund to this storm. We [farmers] don’t need a disaster loan. We [farmers] need a grant so we can get back up and farming. We also don’t need higher insurance rates.”

Wooten said he’s slept very little since the storm struck.

“I’ve worked my whole life for this farm. How am I going to stay here? How am I going to make a living?” Wooten asked. “I’m willing to build back with some help. All I know is farming cattle and chickens and row crops.”

Thankfully, the chickens in the house had just recently been caught before the storm struck.

“I don’t want people feeling sorry for me, but if we’re [the U.S. government] going to send money to other countries, let’s throw it down here and help our own country first.”

Jeff Davis County Farm Bureau Director Jamie Tate sustained heavy damage at his poultry farm that includes four houses where hens lay table eggs sold in grocery stores. The roof of one of his layer-houses completely collapsed. The other three houses sustained a lot of damage.

Tate estimates that ¾ of the house with the collapsed roof is gone. The other three houses lost at least 30% of the tin off their roofs. One of the houses had no chickens. The hens remained in two of his houses unharmed and birds in the collapsed house were lost.

Helene also ripped off about 2/3 of the tin roof on the poultry Stackhouse at Jamie Tate’s farm. This shed is used to store poultry litter and let it dry out before it’s applied to fields as fertilizer.

As of the morning of Oct. 11, the Tates were still without power and running their layer houses on generators.

“That’s another job for us just to keep the generators running. It takes an hour every morning to fill up all the gas tanks for the day that we use to run the generators,” Jamie explained. He estimates he can run one of his four generators for nine hours on seven gallons of gas.

Tate wasted no time getting a contractor from Dothan, Ala., to begin repairing his houses. By Friday, Oct. 4, the crew had a few panels of new tin nailed over the easiest-to-fix holes Helene left on his chicken house roofs. The panels of shiny new tin offered hope of a new beginning amidst the Helene’s chaos.

The devastation at these two poultry farms has occurred at farms in Appling, Bacon, Coffee, Evans and Tattnall along with many other counties in Helene’s path from Valdosta to Augusta.

Pecans

Georgia pecan growers took a major hit that is being described by growers and industry leaders as a generational loss, with entire orchards of trees blown over, wiping out not only this year’s crop but those in future years, too.

In Washington County, Willis Hartley lost approximately 75% of the trees on his 180-acre orchard. It remains to be seen whether the ones left standing can be harvested.

“We were four weeks from harvest,” Hartley said. “Before we can get in there to harvest we have to get all the downed trees cleaned up.”

Hartley, age 80, had a stroke in 2022 and has worked his way back to being able to work the -continued on next page

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Continued from previous page farm, which he bought in 1968.

“You know, it's heartbreaking,” Hartley said. “I just sat down and cried. I had to work this long to accumulate this orchard, make it look like it did, and then to lose it … yeah, it's terrible.”

UGA’s preliminary loss damage report estimates Georgia lost at least 420,000 trees. Crop loss of pecans blown to the ground is estimated at $62 million while the cost to replant uprooted and damaged trees is $76 million for a total of $138 million. The loss of future income is estimated to be $417 million.

“We’ve had a little over a week to sort through the damage wrought by Hurricane Helene upon our pecan industry. It’s a difficult thing to see in person and to put into words. We have not seen a storm with this level of destruction in the past,” UGA Extension Pecan Specialist Dr. Lenny Wells wrote in his Oct. 7 pecan blog. “The damage begins in Brooks and Lowndes counties and extends north, north-east about 260 miles. As mentioned in the previous post, almost all the damage is east of I-75 once you reach Tift County.”

Wells said growers should be aware that USDA Farm Service Agency has provided a waiver to allow farmers to self-assess damage without waiting for FSA personnel to visit farms.

“Just be sure to take photos of the damage and keep up with hours of labor and each piece of equipment used during cleanup for use when ECP funds are made available. Growers should contact their local FSA to sign up for ECP beginning October 15, 2024,” Wells wrote.

Wells said most remaining upright trees lost the largest percentage of their nuts when they were blown off the trees still in their green shuck. These are not salvageable, Wells wrote. Even if the nuts inside the shuck are far enough along to be mature, if the shucks won’t open it is not economically viable to de-shuck them.

“There is no way to know for sure at this point how much of the remaining crop in stormdamaged areas will continue to mature normally and be eligible for harvest. There will likely be a lot of variation and almost assuredly some losses. Leaning trees which continue to have enough root to keep the trees green and alive will likely continue to mature some of their nuts, although that depends on the damage to shucks and stems in each tree,” Wells wrote. “If these nuts do open normally, the nuts will likely be marketable but check them and be aware that the potential for quality loss is there, even at a late stage, if the flow of water and nutrients to those nuts has been affected.

Pecan damage is extremely heavy in Atkinson/Coffee/Bacon Counties then straight north to Soperton, Vidalia and Lyons, UGA Southeast Area Pecan Agent Andrew Sawyer wrote in his Oct. 10 pecan blog Sawyer says the eye wall looks to have traveled between/around GA Hwy 19 and U.S. 221 to Dublin until turning towards Augusta.

“There is also significant pecan damage further east of the path. Throughout Appling County and Reidsville you could find orchards that survived. It changes from more consistent 60%(+) tree loss to varying 30% to 70% tree loss on that eastern edge,” Sawyer wrote. “Douglas and Alma do not have a significant amount of older orchards as they do younger orchards. If you follow U.S. 221 north, we have consistent and tree loss/pecan damage throughout Montgomery and Toombs -continued on next page

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Continued from previous page counties. Even in Emanuel County there were orchards with 75% tree loss.”

Visit https://site.extension.uga.edu/pecan/ to read the latest pecan updates provided by Wells and Sawyer.

Horticulture/Plant Nurseries

This sector was hit hard and is estimated to have sustained $450 million in damage to crop loss, future income, and greenhouses & other infrastructure, per the UGA CAES preliminary damage report issued Oct. 10.

At McCorkle Nurseries in McDuffie County, lost power meant lost irrigation, and winds damaged or destroyed numerous greenhouses on the farm. Skeetter McCorkle said nearly all of the farm’s 6 million potted plants had turned over and had to be sat back up.

McCorkle’s normally pumps 4 million gallons of water per day for irrigation. A week after the storm, the farm was irrigating at half capacity thanks to loaned generators.

“That’s enough to keep the plants alive,” Skeetter said.

McCorkle, a longtime Farm Bureau member who serves on the GFB Board, lost some cedar trees his family planted in the 1960s next to the nursery’s main office. Within a few days, the nursery was back to shipping orders of plants.

Cotton

Fields of cotton that would normally look as if Georgia had received a surprise fall snowstorm have been blown out and cotton stalks are blown over or tangled together. The UGA CAES preliminary damage report issued Oct. 10 estimates the equivalent of 500,000 to 600,000 bales of cotton have been lost resulting in a crop loss between $207-$220 million.

In Wrightsville, Johnson County Farm Bureau Vice President Hugh Veal had cotton stalks blown over, but then stood back up. Veal said he thought the crop loss might be minimal a couple of days after the storm because looking at a defoliated cotton field, he noticed a normal amount of white cotton still on the plants.

Closer inspection revealed a number of problems, though. About 20% of Veal’s cotton fiber was blown off the plants onto the ground, rendering it unusable. The rest remained wet for days, resulting in the white fibers becoming stained and inundated with material from the rest of the plant. Whatever fiber can be harvested will be graded a lesser quality, making it less valuable. Plus, many of the bolls weren’t large enough to be caught by spindles in the combine at harvest.

“It's a mess,” Veal said. “I don't think it's going to be worth picking. I mean, by the time you pay a man to pick the cotton, you don't have and money left and it's not going to grade well because of the stains in the cotton. All we do is farm farm. It's just hard. You work and try to do things right. Then it goes haywire.”

Johnson County Extension Agent Rocky Tanner estimated a 70% loss in that particular field.

At the Ware County farm of David and Lindsey Morgan, in Millwood, Hurricane Helene blew cotton stalks over in all their fields.

Helene left one of the Morgans’ fields, where all the plants were green before the storm, a -continued on next page

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Continued from previous page scorched, red color. David said this field was a month away from being ready to be defoliated (sprayed to make the leaves fall off so the cotton picker equipment takes in less plant material as the crop is harvested). The cotton bolls had only barely begun to open.

“Whether or not I pick this cotton will depend on what my insurance agent says,” David said. “It may cost more to run the picker than what we would get for the cotton that may come on and make.”

Lindsey, who teaches high school and grew up on a row crop farm, said, “We’ve never had a storm like this. Normally, when a hurricane comes through it only means a free day from school. This time it’s serious.”

The Morgans had 3 weeks of rain during May, which delayed planting their cotton. Some fields had to be replanted.

“This year has been an issue from the beginning. We had the wet planting season that made getting the crop in the ground an issue, followed by a dry spell in July. 2024 has been a ‘gift’ that keeps on giving,” David said.

Another field of the Morgans’ cotton is about 5 miles away from the field that was scorched since the storm. David is hopeful the plants will remain green, but the storm blew the stalks to the ground.

“As blown over as the cotton is in this field, it makes me feel better because the plants are still green,” David said. “The plants may live long enough to let the [cotton] bolls mature. “Picking blown over cotton like this will give you a heart attack because of how the stalks tangle in the picker.”

In Treutlen County, cotton grower Terry Phillips, said, “We spent five months growing this cotton crop and in three hours it’s gone.”

While some of the crop is salvageable, Phillips estimates they will have between $500,000 to $750,000 in losses.

Terry, along with his brother, Ronnie, hosted the Oct. 10 press conference where state officials announced preliminary ag and timber losses, added, “This farm has been in our family since the Revolutionary War. We’re not going to let it stop on our watch,” Terry said. “We’re not going to give up nor quit.

Blueberries

Georgia’s blueberry sector sustained an estimated loss of $202 million - $52 million in damaged bushes that will need to be replaced and about $150 million in future crop loss, according to the UGA CAES preliminary damage report issued Oct. 10.

Helene completely uprooted younger bushes just planted and left many bushes leaning on their sides. GFB staff witnessed this at the Ware County farm of Alex Cornelius.

Beef cattle

Georgia’s beef cattle producers are estimated to have suffered $198 million in loss of cattle, fencing and other infrastructure. When they lost power, the electric pumps on their water troughs stopped working making it necessary for many cattle producers to have to haul fresh water from -continued on next page

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Continued from previous page creeks or streams if they had them. The Georgia Cattlemen’s Association coordinated an effort through which livestock sale barns across the state served as a place where water was brought in on tankers for cattle producers to fill up containers to take back to their farms.

One pressing concern for cattle and dairy producers is replacing or repairing fences.

In Jefferson County, Daniel and Robert Newberry had miles of fencing down, much of it the result of fallen trees.

“You’ve got to get the cows hemmed in so you get them back on enough grass to where you don’t have to feed them. You’re going to shut them in to the best area you can so you can fix that fence so they’ll stay put,” said Daniel Newberry, who said their farm has miles of fences down. “We’re just getting what we can situated for the cows so we can start on peanuts, because we’re going to start digging here in a few days.”

Vegetables

UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences Dean Dr. Nick Place said Georgia’s fall vegetable crop accounts for 40% of the sector’s $1.2 billion annual production. Extension agents and farmers estimate 40% of the fall crop was lost to Helene or $100 to $120 million.

In Johnson County, Taylor Brett’s broccoli and cabbage crops took hits from the massive rainfall, which washed soil and plants down terraced fields, leaving small ditches behind and creating sand bars at the bottom. Brett double-crops his vegetables. He estimated a 10% from those he planted early and the later crop might be down 50%.

Brett noted some plants were washed away, some were buried, some were sandblasted and others were blown away.

At Corbett Brothers Produce in Echols County, Helene damaged numerous equipment sheds and did some minor damage to the operation’s packing shed roof.

“We had damage from Hurricane Idalia last year, but this is 10 times worse than Idalia,” Justin said. “We’ve got a lot more structure damage from this storm. We’re going to have drastically reduced yields, but it’s too early to say.”

Justin said that while he & his brother, Jared do have crop losses, they still have lots of viable squash, bell peppers and eggplants that they are working to harvest and keep young plants alive.

“We’re running the office and packing shed on generators but most of these generators are being used to run the well pumps in the fields to keep the crops watered so the plants can recover from the storm & keep producing vegetables,” Justin explained on Oct. 2

Power was restored to the Corbett Brothers’ office and packing shed on Friday, Oct. 4. They turned off the last generator running irrigation on the last field the morning of Oct. 9.

Dairy

Georgia’s dairy producers are estimated to have lost $75-$100 million in infrastructure damage, lost milk production and herd health issues.

Hillcrest Dairy in McDuffie County has pastures Mark Rodgers couldn’t use for grazing because of downed fences. On Oct. 4 he said the dairy is not staffed to conduct fence work on the scale of -continued on next page

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Continued from previous page the damage left by Helene.

“It may be months, a lot of months before we actually have livestock in there, because you have fences down, and we're going to have to hire somebody to come in and do that fence,” Rodgers said.

Compounding the fence problem, the storm blew the roof off of Hillcrest’s commodity shelters that house bins where cattle feed are stored. Hillcrest Dairy Operations Manager Caitlyn Rodgers said the ingredients they had on hand are OK to use, but they are saturated from rainwater, and the resulting extra water intake resulted in a loss of milk production, from approximately 29,000 pounds of milk per day to about 25,000 pounds per day.

“When you put water into silage, they're eating the amount that they would normally eat, but we're weighing it, and they're getting more water,” Caitlyn said. “You need energy and feed, so anytime that you take a horrendous amount of rainfall or blowing up into the commodity shed, anything like that, you're going to see a drop in production.”

Hillcrest, Georgia’s first dairy to utilize robotic milking stations, continued operations through the storm, though three of the five robotic milking stations went down.

The Rodgers counted themselves fortunate that the did not lose any cows and all their family and staff were safe.

On Sept. 30, at least $10,500 worth of milk had to be dumped as a result of power outages, according to the Georgia Department of Agriculture. Right after Helene came through, there were 19 dairies statewide left without power that had to operate on generators. As of Oct. 9, the number has dropped to five dairies without power.

Peanuts

UGA’s preliminary damage report estimates Georgia has initially lost 5-7% of its peanut crop at an estimated cost of $50 million. Many growers ran peanut pickers late into the night on the days before Hellene came through to pick as much of their crop as they could. However, much of the crop was still in the ground when Helene blew in, so, it’s likely peanut losses will increase by the end of harvest season.

The Veals in Johnson County were nearing time to harvest, but many a sampling of plants showed nuts that did not fill out the inside of their hulls. The hulls stayed wet for an extended period and mold developed inside.

In Ware County, David Morgan still had a power line across the entrance to one of his fields on Oct. 4, preventing him from harvesting it. He, like farmers all across Helene’s path of destruction, are also having to clear dirt roads of fallen trees and limbs.

“All of these peanuts are over mature. They’re ready to be harvested,” David said. “If they stay in the ground too long the peanuts are going to start falling off the vines.”

Another obstacle keeping farmers, like David, from harvesting their peanut crop is that numerous peanut buying points sustained damage that has to be repaired before they can start processing peanuts.

According to National Peanut Buying Points Executive Director Tyron Spearman, 29 peanut -continued on next page

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Continued from previous page

buying points in Hurricane Helene’s path from Valdosta to Augusta sustained some type of damage or lost power. As of Oct. 8, all the buying points are operating at some capacity. According to the Georgia Department of Agriculture, as of Oct. 9, 18 peanut buying points were still without power and 11 have been restored.

During a visit to Jeff Davis County Oct. 4, Archie Miller, manager of Jeff Davis Peanut & Grain, a peanut buying point serving farmers in 10 Southeast Georgia counties, was gracious enough to give a quick tour of his damaged facility.

“We’re going to be running at 50% production at the very best,” Miller said. “The Lord will get us through this but it’s going to take a while.”

The facility resumed taking in harvested peanuts from farmers the night of Oct. 3, Miller said. Miller brought in generators from Florida and Alabama and secured some from farmers. On Oct. 4 he was having trouble getting at some of them to work. Miller estimates it’s going to cost him $100,000/month to rent the generators not including the cost of diesel to fuel them.

An 110-foot peanut elevator that normally stands by storage bins was blown to the ground damaging a bin and shelter roof and knocking another bin over. At another elevator, The storm took out the transfer tube out of another peanut elevator at Jeff Davis Peanut & Grain and damaged the peanut cleaner.

Miller said the buying point lost some of its trailers used to haul in peanuts form the farms and that half of its hauling trailers were turned over in farmers’ fields as of Oct. 4.

Citrus

Georgia citrus producers lost about 40% of their crop according to UGA’s preliminary damage report issued Oct. 10. This represents a preliminary loss of $12 million.

Tobacco

“Tobacco is usually a $16 million crop for our state and we’re estimating that preliminary losses for this year for Tropical Storm Debby at about $7 million,” UGA CAES Dean Dr. Nick Place said.

Place said at the Oct. 10 press conference that UGA CAES is estimating that between Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Helene there will be a $3.6 million loss in tobacco infrastructure to curing barns and equipment.

Soybeans

Preliminary losses for Georgia’s soybean crop are estimated between $6-$7million.

In Johnson County, diversified producer Taylor Brett had soybeans blown over and estimated between 20% and 50% yield loss of his soy crop.

“That's gonna be a guaranteed rot,” Brett said. “Depending on how much is laid on the ground, we’ll have loss in yield and quality. The quality will go down because soybeans don't like getting wet and drying out multiple times.”

Brett also sustained damage to his grain facility and one of his nitrogen bins was toppled by Helen’s winds.

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STATE LEADERS ACKNOWLEDGE MENTAL IMPACT OF STORM

Beyond the damage and in many cases complete destruction of property is the burden of mental stress.

“In the coming weeks and months, it will be critical that we do all we can to support Georgia producers as they navigate lost income and determine the next steps forward in their operations. The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and University of Georgia Cooperative Extension stands ready to provide support in co continued damage assessment and rebuilding our state’s No. 1 industry – agriculture," said UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences Dean Nick Place.

Gov. Kemp also encouraged members of the ag community to support each other emotionally during this recovery period.

“The agriculture community pulls together and they support each other. As we’ve traveled around the state the past two weeks, Marty reminded me that we’re all strong, tough people, but there are times where people need a hug, a pat on the back or just some rest. This isn’t a one week or a one-month problem.”

Trained counselors are available to talk confidentially via phone or texting at 988 24 hours a day/seven days a week through the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities.

Visit https://extension.uga.edu/topic-areas/timely-topics/Rural.html for more helpful resources.

GEORGIA AG PARTNERS LAUNCH HURRICANE RELIEF FUND

The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA), in a partnership with the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture (GFA) and with support from the Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB), has launched the Weathered But Strong: Hurricane Relief Fund to aid farmers and ranchers facing devastating losses from Hurricane Helene. The fund aims to raise $1 million by December to provide direct financial aid to those impacted by the storm. All donations will go directly to verified farmers.

The Weathered But Strong: Hurricane Relief Fund is a cross-industry initiative with more than 40 ag organizations participating. It is designed to assist Georgia’s farmers with recovery efforts, including damages to crops, livestock, and farm infrastructure. The campaign emphasizes resilience within the agricultural community and collaboration across the sector to ensure a strong recovery for the state's farming community.

“The Weathered But Strong Hurricane Relief Fund is a perfect example of Georgians helping Georgians in their time of need, and we’re proud to work hand-in-hand with Georgia Foundation for Agriculture and all our industry partners to get much-need relief to our farmers and producers,” said Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper. “The damage Helene caused to our agricultural community is devastating for farm families across our state, and I strongly encourage anyone who is able to donate, to do so through the Weather But Strong Hurricane Relief Fund.

The fund will help address essential needs by covering gaps left by other forms of assistance, for efforts like repairing fences, restoring livestock operations, rebuilding essential structures, and -continued on next page

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Continued from previous page eventually providing financial aid to those impacted.

In Coffee County, farmers Danny and Angie O’Steen witnessed the destruction of cotton and timber on their land.

“The kind of loss we saw all over Coffee County is incalculable and catastrophic," Angie O'Steen remarked after seeing the damage to farms around the area.

Danny O’Steen added, “This was a storm of a lifetime that couldn’t have come at a worse time for Georgia farmers as they were starting the harvest season.”

Visit www.SupportGeorgiaFarmers.org to donate online or download the forms for check contributions.

The Weathered But Strong Hurricane Relief Fund is made possible by the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the following agricultural organizations:

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College; Dickey Farms; Fort Valley State University Cooperative Extension; Georgia 4-H; Georgia 4-H Foundation; Georgia Agribusiness Council; Georgia Agricultural Education; Georgia Association of Conservation Districts; Georgia Cattlemen's Association; Georgia Citrus Association; Georgia Cotton Commission; Georgia Department of Agriculture; Georgia EMC; Georgia Farm Bureau; Georgia Federal-State Inspection Service; Georgia FFA; Georgia FFA Alumni; Georgia FFA Camps-Covington and Fort Valley; Georgia FFA Foundation; Georgia Forestry Association; Georgia Forestry Commission; Georgia Forestry Foundation; Georgia Foundation For Agriculture; Georgia Green Industry Association; Georgia Milk Producers; Georgia Peanut Commission; Georgia Pecan Growers Association; Georgia Poultry Federation; Georgia Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association; Georgia Wine Producers; Georgia Young Farmers Association; Lamar Pecan Co.; Magnolia Loom; Stuckey’s Corporation; Sunbelt Ag Expo; The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association; The Georgia Pecan Commission; University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; University of Georgia Cooperative Extension;

The Georgia Foundation for Agriculture is Georgia Farm Bureau's nonprofit (501(c)(3)), and contributions to the Hurricane Relief Fund are fully tax-deductible. Donors will receive a receipt for their records. 100% of funds donated will go directly to farmers and ranchers.

BIDEN GRANTS FEDERAL DISASTER DECLARATION FOLLOWING HELENE

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Oct. 1 that federal disaster assistance is available to the state of Georgia to help recovery efforts in the areas hit by Hurricane Helene from Sept. 24 and continuing. The storm entered Georgia from Florida as a Category 2 in the wee hours of Friday, Sept. 27.

FEMA announced the morning of Oct. 1 that Biden's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Appling, Brooks, Coffee, Columbia, Jefferson, Liberty, Lowndes, Pierce, Richmond, Tattnall and Toombs counties.

At 2:05 p.m. on Oct. 1, FEMA announced via press release that individuals in 30 additional -continued on next page

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Georgia counties are eligible for federal assistance.

Individuals in Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Bulloch, Burke, Candler, Chatham, Clinch, Colquitt, Cook, Echols, Emanuel, Evans, Glascock, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jenkins, Johnson, Lanier, Laurens, Lincoln, McDuffie, Montgomery, Screven, Telfair, Treutlen, Ware, Washington and Wheeler counties

On Oct. 4 FEMA announced that individuals in the following counties are eligible for federal assistance: Effingham, Elbert, Rabun and Tift. On Oct 6, FEMA added the following counties to the eligibility list: Bryan, Butts, Camden, Charlton, Glynn, Long, Newton and Wayne.

Individuals in all of the counties listed above that are eligible for federal assistance may be eligible for grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help them recover from the effects of the disaster. In addition to housing expenses, survivors may be eligible for other serious disaster-related needs, such as replacement of damaged personal property and expenses for transportation, childcare, moving and storage.

On Oct 10, FEMA announced that homeowners and renters in Dodge, Hancock, Thomas and Warren counties who had uninsured damage or losses caused by Hurricane Helene may apply for FEMA disaster assistance.

Federal funding is also available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work in Appling, Brooks, Coffee, Columbia, Jefferson, Liberty, Lowndes, Pierce, Richmond, Tattnall and Toombs counties.

At 2:05 p.m. on Oct. 1, FEMA announced that federal funding is also available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work in Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Bulloch, Burke, Candler, Chatham, Clinch, Colquitt, Cook, Echols, Emanuel, Evans, Glascock, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jenkins, Johnson, Lanier, Laurens, Lincoln, McDuffie, Montgomery, Screven, Telfair, Treutlen, Ware, Washington and Wheeler counties.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

The evening of Oct. 2, FEMA announced that President Biden authorized the federal cost-share to be increased from 75% to 100% for the first 90 days of the storm incident period.This applies to the individual assistance and public assistance in designated counties as well as the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program statewide.

Kevin A. Wallace, Sr. has been named the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected areas. Additional designations may be made later if warranted by the results of damage assessments.

Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 1-800-621- 3362 or by using the FEMA App. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA the number for that service. For the latest Georgia specific -continued on next page

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Continued from previous page information visit  www.fema.gov/disaster/4830 .

Georgians should be alert for fraud from scammers posing as FEMA representatives. Tips to avoid becoming a victim are available at https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20241005/be-alert-fraud-after-hurricane-helene-georgia

Many rumors/false stories have circulated regarding FEMA & its response to Helene. Visit https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20241004/fema-launches-web-page-respond-rumors-andconfirm-facts-related-hurricane for correct information.

After Georgia’s Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) completed disaster assessments across the state on Sept. 30, Gov. Brian Kemp formally requested President Joe Biden to declare a major disaster in the State of Georgia.

Following the State of Georgia’s formal request, all of Georgia’s U.S. Congressional Delegation united in a bipartisan effort to urge President Biden to swiftly approve the request.

Sen. Jon Ossoff, Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock and Reps. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (GA01), Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), Drew Ferguson (GA-03), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Nikema Williams (GA-05), Rich McCormick (GA-06), Lucy McBath (GA-07), Austin Scott (GA-08), Andrew Clyde (GA-09), Mike Collins (GA-10), Barry Loudermilk (GA-11), Rick Allen (GA-12), David Scott (GA-13), and Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA-14) urged President Biden to quickly approve the State of Georgia’s request, which would provide a range of important federal assistance programs in the counties impacted by Hurricane Helene, including funds for both impacted individuals and public infrastructure.

“We write to convey full support for Governor Brian Kemp’s request for an expedited major disaster declaration for the counties in the State of Georgia significantly impacted by Hurricane Helene,” Georgia’s Congressional Delegation wrote to President Biden. “We encourage your team to promptly consider Governor Kemp’s request for a major disaster declaration, and we stand ready to work with you and your Administration to support these critical recover efforts in Georgia.”

You can read the Georgia delegation’s letter at https://gfb.ag/GAUSdelegationrequestingfedhelp .

Based on the GEMA assessment of storm damage, Governor Kemp has requested public assistance for the following counties: Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Baker, Baldwin, Ben Hill, Berrien, Bleckley, Brantley, Brooks, Bryan, Bulloch, Burke, Calhoun, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Clay, Clayton, Clinch, Cobb, Coffee, Colquitt, Columbia, Cook, Crisp, Decatur, DeKalb, Dodge, Dougherty, Douglas, Early, Echols, Effingham, Emanuel, Evans, Fayette, Fulton, Glascock, Glynn, Grady, Gwinnett, Hancock, Henry, Irwin, Jasper, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Lanier, Laurens, Lee, Liberty, Long, Lowndes, McDuffie, McIntosh, Miller, Mitchell, Montgomery, Pierce, Pulaski, Putnam, Quitman, Randolph, Richmond, Rockdale, Screven, Seminole, Taliaferro, Tattnall, Telfair, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Toombs, Treutlen, Turner, Twiggs, -continued on next page

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Ware, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wheeler, Wilcox, Wilkinson, and Worth.

Gov. Kemp also requested individual assistance for the following counties: Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brantley, Bryan, Brooks, Bulloch, Burke, Butts, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Columbia, Cook, Echols, Effingham, Elbert, Emanuel, Evans, Glynn, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Lanier, Laurens, Liberty, Long, Lowndes, McDuffie, McIntosh, Montgomery, Newton, Pierce, Rabun, Richmond, Tattnall, Telfair, Tift, Toombs, Treutlen, Ware, and Wayne.

Gov. Kemp also requested President Biden use his discretion under Section 403 and Section 407 of the Stafford Act to increase the federal cost share of the eligible costs associated with Hurricane Helene.

GA AG COMMISSIONER REQUESTS FEDERAL AID FOR HELENE LOSSES

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper sent a letter Sept. 30 to members of Georgia’s U.S. Congressional Delegation requesting immediate action be taken to provide federal funding to help Georgia farmers and producers recover from Hurricane Helene, the third Hurricane to hit Georgia in the past thirteen months.

The letter was co-signed by House and Senate Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Committee Chairmen Russ Goodman and Robert Dickey.

The letter specifically requests federal aid be provided in the form of a Block Grant to the State of Georgia, which will provide greater flexibility than USDA’s pre-existing emergency relief programs. The full letter is available at https://gfb.ag/agcommisrequestsfedfunding .

On Sept. 24, the day before Helene struck Ga., Gov. Brian Kemp directed the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) to activate the State Operations Center (SOC) in preparation for Hurricane Helene. He declared a State of Emergency Sept. 24 for all 159 counties, enabling emergency management teams to make necessary arrangements and position needed resources ahead of the storm's impact. Gov. Kemp also asked FEMA to grant Georgia an emergency declaration to further marshal resources and deploy them where most needed before, during, and after the major weather event.

President Joe Biden approved the emergency declaration on Sept. 26. This action authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate all disaster relief efforts to alleviate the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population and to provide appropriate assistance to save lives, to protect property, public health and safety and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe.

Federal funding is available to state, tribal and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency protective measures including direct federal assistance for Atkinson, Baker, Banks, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brooks, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Crisp, Dawson, Decatur, Dooly, Dougherty, Early, Echols, Fannin, Forsyth, Franklin, Gilmer, Grady, Habersham, Hall, Irwin, Jackson, Lanier, Lee, Lowndes, -continued on next page

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Lumpkin, Macon, Miller, Mitchell, Pickens, Pulaski, Quitman, Rabun, Randolph, Schley, Seminole, Stephens, Stewart, Sumter, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Towns, Turner, Union, Webster, White, Wilcox and Worth counties.

Federal funding is also available for emergency protective measures limited to direct federal assistance and reimbursement for mass care including evacuation and shelter support for Appling, Bacon, Baldwin, Barrow, Bartow, Bibb, Bleckley, Brantley, Burke, Butts, Camden, Carroll, Catoosa, Charlton, Chattahoochee, Chattooga, Clarke, Clayton, Cobb, Columbia, Coweta, Crawford, Dade, DeKalb, Dodge, Douglas, Elbert, Emanuel, Fayette, Floyd, Fulton, Glascock, Glynn, Gordon, Greene, Gwinnett, Hancock, Haralson, Harris, Hart, Heard, Henry, Houston, Jasper, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Jones, Lamar, Laurens, Lincoln, Madison, Marion, McDuffie, Meriwether, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Murray, Muscogee, Newton, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Paulding, Peach, Pierce, Pike, Polk, Putnam, Richmond, Rockdale, Screven, Spalding, Talbot, Taliaferro, Taylor, Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen, Troup, Twiggs, Upson, Walker, Walton, Ware, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wheeler, Whitfield, Wilkes and Wilkinson counties.

Finally, federal funding is also available for emergency protective measures limited to direct federal assistance for Bryan, Bulloch, Candler, Chatham, Effingham, Evans, Liberty, Long, McIntosh and Tattnall counties.

FARMERS STEP UP TO HELP COMMUNITIES IN POST-HELENE CRISIS

Sometimes, the old tools are best. At McCorkle Nurseries in McDuffie County, Hurricane Helene presented many problems, not the least of which was getting power to the computers that manage parts of the nursery’s automated systems, from controlling irrigation to coordinating the robots used to move and track plant inventory.

Helene knocked the power out, but she could not stop Georgia farmers’ willingness and ability to help. Just down the road from McCorkle’s is Hillcrest Farms, a dairy operation and agritourism venue run by the Rodgers family. The Rodgers loaned a 1969 International 856 tractor, which was connected to a generator via the tractor’s power takeoff gear. Voilá, computers are back up and running

“I was really floored at how other nurseries – some of them our competitors – jumped in and helped us,” Skeetter McCorkle said. “We’ve been blessed, for sure.”

Other major nurseries, including Monrovia based in South Georgia and Alabama-based Flowerwood, loaned McCorkle’s enough generators to keep running sufficient irrigation to keep the farm’s 6 million plants alive.

The 1950s tractor powering a bank of computers is a fun example, but it’s one of many instances where Georgia’s farmers stepped up to help other farmers and their communities in their time of need.

Hurricane Helene brought billions of dollars’ worth of damage, a legion of disrupted lives and lost lives across much of the eastern half of Georgia.

After Helene, the first order of business for many on Sept. 27 was simply re-establishing local -continued on next page

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Continued from previous page travel. Georgia’s farmers went to work, not only clearing their driveways, but in many cases secondary roads, which were littered with trees, downed power lines and other debris inhibiting travel. Cutting away the trees allowed farmers to get around and see how their farms fared, and it enabled their neighbors to get out and being the process of recovery.

“Farmers cleared our whole road,” said Rodgers, who said he went down the road clearing trees until he encountered a power crew working to clear a downed power line from a tree blocking the road

Clearing roads were only the beginning.

“The response to Hurricane Helene shows that Georgia’s farmers care deeply about their communities and their neighbors,” Georgia Farm Bureau President Tom McCall said. “Our volunteer members are servants at heart, and we could not be more proud of how our members and county offices have responded and offered help to others.”

There were numerous farmer-led initiatives around the state to help those in need. Here are just a few examples of how GFB members and county offices shepherded their communities through the storm:

Jefferson County Farm Bureau board members served their community by removing trees from roads and houses, as well as providing bottled water and meals. The JCFB board hauled water to livestock while power outages prevented some livestock producers from pumping water.

In McDuffie County, Rodgers came across neighbors whose employers in nearby Thomson or Augusta were closed due to storm damage or a lack of power. He gave them the opportunity to work temporarily at Hillcrest, where the Rodgers family also provided meals for farm employees, their family members, and others who came to the farm.

While dealing with damage to farm structures and equipment and assessing damage to his crops, Washington County Farm Bureau Corporate Treasurer James Hitchcock used a generator to power his family’s home, where he and his wife, Brooke, welcomed guests for food and a chance to shower. James also responded to requests for aerial imaging, taking his drone to other farms to help producers document their damage.

Similarly, Taylor Brett in Johnson County used generator power for his house and allowed guests to get showers. Brett said in the days following the storm he’d done the bulk of the family’s cooking on outdoor cooking equipment.

“I’ve spent a lot more time with my kids in the last week,” Brett said on Oct. 1, four days after the storm.

Farmers all over the state reached out to those in Helene’s path. Cherokee County Farm Bureau Director Ben Cagle drove a truck filled with 28 pallets of a variety of supplies for hurricane victims, according to a Facebook post by his wife, Vicki. With help from CCFB staff, two local Boy Scout troops and the Holly Springs Police Department, Cagle collected donations and loaded the truck.

“One of the things I’ve always loved about GFB is how it is one big community,” Vickie Cagle said. “Within a couple phone calls you can make a connection with someone in almost any county -continued on next page

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Continued from previous page in Georgia. This is great example!”

The Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Young Farmers & Ranchers chapter packaged snack bags for children.

Young Farmers & Ranchers from GFB District 5, along with GFB 5th District Director Matt Bottoms, and 5th District Federation Manager Kari Creamer, loaded donations from Mid GA Grain Feed Store in Woodbury to take to farmers in Vidalia, helping to meet needs of storm victims in East Georgia The 5th District team also raised more than $5,000 to help purchase much-needed diesel fuel, mixed gas, and other basic supplies.

Hancock County Farm Bureau donated money to help feed electrical crews working to restore power.

On Oct. 2, GFB Middle Georgia Vice President Ralph Caldwell and Rep. David Huddleston drove a truckload of supplies on behalf of Ephesus Church and Heard Co. Farm Bureau to Macedonia Church of God in Jeff Davis Co. where the church distributed them. Pastor Van McCall opened his church as a distribution point to get supplies to the Snipesville Community.

The GFB YF&R Committee first loaded up a trailer full of water, food and other supplies wwith the help of the Alabama Farmers Federation YF&R Committee to take supplies to Echols County on Oct. 3 where they cooked for the community. Then the GFB YF&R Committee partnered with Jeff Davis County Farm Bureau on Oct. 7 to serve more than 1,000 meals for Jeff Davis residents affected by the storm.

Residents of the Hazlehurst area received a hot BBQ chicken meal on Oct. 4 thanks to the generosity of the Villa Rica FFA Chapter & the Carroll County Farm Bureau. The Villa Rica FFA, advised by Bennett Jacobs, donated 50 plates while CCFB donated 250 plates. Jeff Davis County Farm Bureau shared the plates with a local nursing home, the JD Co. Sherriff’s Department and the community at large.

Hart County Farm Bureau and Elbert County Farm Bureau partnered to take two trailer loads of donated supplies to the Burke County Sheriff’s Office Oct. 5, working alongside Burke County Farm Bureau President Lee Webster.

Numerous examples of farmers helping farmers have been posted on Facebook and the Friends of Georgia Farm Bureau Facebook group page in thee past two weeks. If we’ve overlooked anyone we apologize.

Helene wasn’t the only storm for which Georgia farmers offered help. As Floridians evacuated for Hurricane Milton this week, GFB Women’s Leadership Committee Chair Stephanie Branch opened her Rabun County ranch to allow evacuated horse owners to board their horses and park their trailers.

USDA OFFERS GUIDE TO FARMERS WHO SEEK FEDERAL DISASTER AID

The USDA offered this brief guide to farmers seeking help in their farm recovery from damaged caused by Hurricane Helene:

Documenting Loss

USDA encouraged farmers to document damage and losses their operation has sustained as best they can, including gathering farm records, herd inventory, receipts and pictures of damages or losses. Livestock producers are advised to document livestock numbers by taking time and datestamped video or pictures of injury or loss, to the extent possible. The USDA indicated its understanding that these are extremely extenuating and stressful circumstances and there may be instances where documentation is lost, destroyed or unattainable.

Reporting Loss

Once you are able to safely evaluate the impact on your operation, be sure to contact your local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) county office or your crop insurance agent to report all crop, livestock and farm infrastructure damages and losses. For producers who have risk protection through Federal Crop Insurance, the USDA Risk Management Agency has authorized Approved Insurance Providers to provide flexibility on reporting requirements for those who are unable to report losses due the disaster.

Available Assistance

Producers in counties with a primary or contiguous disaster designation may be eligible for low interest emergency loans to help them recover from production and physical losses.

Additionally, FSA offers several loan servicing options available for borrowers who are unable to make scheduled payments on their farm loan programs debt to the agency because of reasons beyond their control.

Meanwhile, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service provides financial resources through its Environmental Quality Incentives Program to help with immediate needs and longterm support to help recover from natural disasters and conserve water resources. Assistance may also be available for emergency animal mortality disposal from natural disasters and other causes.

Online Resources and Tools

To learn more about programs available to producers here are some resources on farmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Farm Loan Assistance Tool can help you determine program or loan options.  Additionally, Farm Raise offers an FSA educational hub with livestock disaster assistance decision tools as well as farm loan resource videos.

Disaster Recovery Programs: Flexibilities and Waivers

USDA has issued program delivery flexibilities and waivers. We know this is a lot of information, but we want you to know what’s available as quickly as possible. As the recovery process progresses, there may be more flexibilities and waivers needed. Updated information will be timely shared as details unfold.

The information below describes some of the current program flexibilities and waivers, as of -continued on next page

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Continued from previous page Oct. 3, 2024, available for producers impacted by Hurricane Helene. To learn about benefits available through USDA recovery programs, please view the  Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet.

• Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP):

o Extended ECP and EFRP signup that begins Oct. 15, 2024, and runs through June 1, 2025, in states affected by Hurricane Helene.

o Waiver of onsite inspection requirement for non-engineering practices for ECP and EFRP.

o Executed Emergency Response (ER-850) authorization of emergency National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) circumstances to expedite FSA approval of practices involving surface debris removal, fence restoration, and nonground disturbing activities.

• Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP):

o Guidance to FSA County Committees and local staff to exercise maximum flexibility in determining acceptable loss documentation and to ensure LIP applications are acted on timely.

• Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP):

o Assistance to help cover above normal costs to transport livestock to feed and/or transport feed/forage to livestock in hurricane-impacted states.

o Assistance to help cover above normal costs to haul water to livestock in hurricane-impacted states.

• Tree Assistance Program (TAP):

o Extension of TAP assistance to trees/bushes/vines that have not died but are no longer capable of production (not economically viable).

• Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP):

o Waiver of 72-hour notification requirement on hand harvested crops.

o Extended deadline to file a Notice of Loss with FSA.

o Flexibility for FSA staff to perform loss adjustment activities and/or waive field inspections in cases where the cause of loss can be verified through other means.

• Marketing Assistance Loans (MAL):

o Additional time for producers to deliver commodities to a buyer to repay MALs with sale proceeds.

o Postponement of MAL foreclosure letters applicable to losses or damages due to hurricanes for up to 90 calendar days.

Contact USDA

To file a Notice of Loss or to ask questions about available programs, contact your local USDA Service Center.

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USDA has resources available through the FSA call center at 877-508-8364, the USDA hotline at 833-ONE-USDA (663-8732), or producers can access program information online at farmers.gov.

GFB TO ANNOUNCE FARM DOG OF THE YEAR AT SUNBELT EXPO

Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) is set to play its usual key role at the 2024 Sunbelt Ag Expo, but with a new tail-wagging addition

The winner of the inaugural GFB Farm Dog of the Year will be announced during the Willie B. Withers Sunbelt Expo Luncheon on Oct. 15. The contest drew nominations of 151 dogs from around the state. The winning dog will be highlighted as the cover feature story in an upcoming issue of Georgia Neighbors magazine and its owner will receive a $500 gift card. Four runners-up will be featured in Georgia Neighbors.

GFB will also conduct the annual Advocacy in Action contest. The contest, which has high school and college divisions, is designed for students with a particular interest in ag policy, law, and communication. Teams from participating schools make presentations to judges on designated agricultural topics.

The organization plans to have an informational flip board and a pecan pronunciation poll for patrons who visit the GFB booth in the Georgia Agriculture Building just inside the front gate.

Sunbelt Expo’s 46th annual show will include more than 850 exhibitors, who will display and demonstrate products and welcome thousands of visitors to the 93-acre show site.

The organization plans to have an informational flip board and a pecan pronunciation poll for patrons who visit the Georgia Grown booth in the Georgia Agriculture Building just inside the front gate.

Sunbelt Expo’s 46th annual show will include more than 850 exhibitors, who will display and demonstrate products and welcome thousands of visitors to the 93-acre show site.

Crowned as North America’s Premier Farm Show and the largest Farm Show in America with field demonstrations, the Sunbelt Ag Expo brings together all segments of agribusiness, including farmers, educators, policy-makers, ag-enthusiasts, and families. All attending the show will see the latest innovation and technology that the agriculture industry has to offer.

A highlight of the show is the naming of the Sunbelt Ag Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year. After an intensive judging process, ten state winners, including Georgia’s Bruce Redmond of Effingham County, attend the show to learn who will be selected as the overall winner. This year ushers in a new era for the award as Sunbelt welcomes new sponsors and a new look for the program.

Education is the key component of the show, with over 300 seminars and demonstrations offered over the 3-day event. These seminars and demonstrations are taught in exhibit areas for beef, dairy, poultry, forestry, pond management, equine, and cattle management. Farmers and ranchers attending gain beneficial knowledge on the latest in cutting-edge techniques from industry leaders -continued on next page

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Continued from previous page and university specialists. The Expo works with more than 20 different educational sponsors to host a strong seminar and demo schedule. These sponsors include major universities and colleges with six of these having permanent exhibit buildings on-site.

The Expo will feature Youth Educational Challenges sponsored by Country Financial for 6th12th graders as a competitive and fun opportunity for students to demonstrate their knowledge in five different content areas. Additionally, an Ag Mechanics contest sponsored by Farm Credit Associations of Georgia will be offered for students.

The Backyard Garden Area focuses on topics for the specialty gardener. Flint River Fresh, created by the Flint River Soil & Water Conservation District (FRSWCD) and run by Frenando Jackson, “Farmer Fredo,” will organize the display that attracts hobby gardeners and enthusiasts alike. A bounty of information on gardening tips, tools, healthy recipes, and more will be offered in the Georgia Metals Pavilion and in the demonstration garden. Be on the lookout this year for all things “pollinator bees” as the SOWEGA Beekeepers join the fun for the second year.

A crowd pleaser is the 530-acre research farm’s field demonstrations. These demos showcase harvesting and tillage equipment for multiple crops. In addition, hay demos will include all facets of hay harvesting, from cutting to baling, and will provide visitors the opportunity to see different types of equipment run in a true farm setting. This year, be on the lookout for the autonomous tractor as well as the drone demonstrations in the field.

Beyond the crops, the Expo is partnering with the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) South Georgia to focus on farmers through its inaugural healthcare exhibit. PCOM is teaming up with regional healthcare organizations and providers to bring information about health and wellness to those in the ag industry so that they can do well and be well. Attendees can participate in seminars and even have basic health screenings.

Expo is honored to have Florida as the 2024 Spotlight State. While visiting this year’s Expo, see for yourself how understanding the history of Florida agriculture combined with present-day research will aid in growing Florida’s future.

The Expo always features an array of aromatic compliments of the delicious food sold within the grounds during the show. In addition, many demonstration areas, including the Aquaponics display, the Georgia Peanut Commission building, and the Georgia Grown Marketplace within the Family Living Building, host segments throughout the day with chefs and food enthusiasts alike. Be sure to stop by for a sample of some fantastic treats.

There’s never a dull moment during the 3-day show, and attendees will find there is something for the entire family. There is a daily rolling Antique Tractor Parade, and this year Expo will once again be featuring a Tractor Pull. Don’t forget to make the Cow Milking Contest held every afternoon part of your plan.

The Sunbelt Ag Expo is open Tuesday through Thursday, October 15-17, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday and 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday. Admission at the gate is $15 per person per day. Advanced tickets can be purchased online. The show site is four miles southeast of Moultrie, GA, on Hwy 133. For more information, see the show website at www.sunbeltexpo.com

CONGRESS LET FARM BILL EXPIRE. HERE’S WHAT TO EXPECT

While Congress passed a continuing resolution on Sept. 25 to keep the government operating, the 2018 farm bill, which had already been extended for a year past its original termination, was allowed to expire. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), the farm bill could be revived with another extension later this year or early 2025.

On Sept. 30, the AFBF’s Market Intel published analysis from Chief Economist Roger Cryan on how the farm bill expiration might affect farmers, based on information provided by the Congressional Research Service

From the Market Intel:

In some ways, this farm bill has been dying for several years: thanks to unanticipated price inflation in recent years, the dollar is only worth 80% of what it was in 2018. The fixed reference prices from that farm bill, which define the help from USDA that farmers depend on in tough times, are only worth 80% of what they were in 2018. The value of dollars set aside for research and innovation grants and for certain conservation programs are only worth 80% of what they were in 2018.

In addition, a lot of the funding for other climate-focused conservation programs is being spent for the last time, rather than entering the farm bill baseline accounting so that it can become available for the next farm bill.

Cryan wrote that the death of the farm bill begins a calendar of expirations, let-downs and price support on steroids.

Some programs will be shut down immediately, as their day-to-day authority depends on the farm bill. Among those are:

Numerous international programs, including the Market Access and Foreign Market Development Cooperator trade promotion programs and Food for Progress;

The Biobased Markets Program and Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels; Several important animal health programs;

Programs for socially disadvantaged, veteran, young and beginning farmers;

The Specialty Crops Block Grants program; and

The National Organic Certification Cost-Share program. Conservation programs

New enrollment in some conservation programs stopped at midnight on Sept. 30; and some could continue for seven more years. Technical assistance and several emergency conservation and restoration programs are permanently authorized.

The Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act added nearly $18 billion in funding for farm bill conservation programs – outside the farm bill and only for certain programs deemed “climate-related” by the law’s authors. These programs are all at least partially funded with supplemental funding that doesn’t have to be spent until fiscal year 2031, including the Conservation Stewardship Program (other than the Grassland Conservation Incentive), the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP, other than livestock projects), the Agricultural -continued on next page

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Conservation Easement Program and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program.

New enrollments for most of the rest of USDA’s conservation programs, however, ended Sept. 30, including the bedrock Conservation Reserve Program, livestock projects under the EQIP program, the Grassland Conservation Incentive, and several wetland, forest and watershed restoration programs.

Permanent Law

A number of current farm bill programs operate under permanent law, meaning law without a sunset date. The most important of these are crop insurance programs and the primary nutrition programs – the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and The Emergency Food Assistance Program. Happily, these will continue to operate, although without the potential improvements and updates that would happen in a new farm bill. They both also adjust automatically to changes in price levels each year – and the crop insurance program has avenues for expansion to new agricultural products and new tools – so that they don’t need as much updating as the rest of the farm bill.

Several disaster programs are also permanently authorized, including the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP); Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP); Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bee, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP); and Tree Assistance Program (TAP)

When people talk about permanent law and the end of a farm bill, however, they are usually talking about farm programs dating back to the 1940s and 1930s that are still on the books, but which are suspended in each farm bill. Various farm bill commodity support programs will be extended through the current crop year, but over time they will be replaced with permanent law. Congress has left these laws on the books as a guarantee that it will take some action to prevent the return of these old programs. The programs would support certain farm prices that are (good news) far above the current support prices and (bad news) so far above market prices that they would be very disruptive to the agricultural economy and costly to the government. These support prices are based on prices in 1910 to 1914, with adjustments for rising input costs but not for (vastly) improved yields and input efficiencies. These “parity prices” are still published every month by USDA.

For the field crops that are eligible (wheat, cotton, rice, corn, sorghum, barley, oats and rye) this wouldn’t kick in until the 2025 crop is harvested.

The Farm Bill’s Dairy Cliff: Milk and Honey

What could kick in soon – on Jan. 1, 2025 – are price support purchases of milk and honey. The all-milk price in July 2024 was $22.80 per hundredweight. The parity price of milk is $65.90 and permanent law says that USDA should support July milk at 75% of parity, or $49.43 per hundredweight. This was historically translated into cheese, butter and nonfat dry milk purchases: the equivalent cheese price would be about $6 per pound, compared to recent prices below $2.25 per pound.

The July market price of honey was $2.53 per pound; the support price under permanent law -continued on next page

GFB Field Notes page 25 of 30

Continued from previous page would be $4.75.

The last time the farm bill expired for more than a couple months, USDA slow-walked rulemaking to implement these purchases and a new farm bill was in place before a pound of milk or honey was purchased; but USDA has the know-how and the facilities to begin these purchases by Jan. 2, if they are so inclined. Purchasing cheese, butter and nonfat dry milk at multiples of the market price would be severely disruptive to markets, would badly distort pricing under the federal milk marketing order system and would undermine demand at home and abroad in return for very uneven benefits to farmers over a limited time. And the release of USDA stocks when permanent law is suspended again would depress markets for months.

On the other hand, it would send a strong message to Congress that action is needed.

Support prices

If there was no new farm bill or extension through next year, USDA would pay excessive prices under these old programs for certain crops harvested in 2025 through purchases and nonrecourse loans. The table below shows the support prices for all the crops supported under permanent law. Every other commodity loses its support programs: no program for soybeans, peanuts, sunflower seeds, canola or several other crops.

Once again, permanent law would mean a heavy cost to the government for uneven and likely temporary benefits to farmers; the high support prices would drive up prices for food, fiber and fuel, at home and abroad; and the release of stocks if and when permanent law was -continued on next page

GFB Field Notes page 26 of 30

Continued from previous page again would flood the market.

CCC Authority

The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) has historically been used as the secretary of Agriculture’s Swiss Army knife (regardless of political party). The farm bill directs numerous programs to draw funding from the CCC and many of those will expire tonight and in the coming months, including the commodity price and margin support programs.

The secretary’s broad ad hoc authority to support farm prices, farm income, agricultural marketing, exports, domestic consumption and conservation programs, and to provide emergency relief remains, however. And when the Department of the Treasury pays the Agriculture Secretary’s bills this fall, he has a $30 billion line of credit to work with.

This gives the secretary flexibility to operate farm income support and disaster programs to supplement action not taken by Congress. This is in line with his recent suggestions that he can use CCC authority to fill the funding gap in various farm proposals, and a point of contention among some in Congress.

Conclusion

The 2018 farm bill was a good law for its time, but that time is past.

And that farmers are calling for a new farm bill, and not an extension, is telling.

Farmers face many difficulties this year and next, from crashing crop prices to backed up transportation systems to this weekend’s devastating hurricane. All of these demonstrate how much farmers can suffer from a lack of the certainty and support that a new farm bill can provide.

It’s not too late to imagine a new five-year farm bill coming out of this Congress. It is not that hard, unfortunately, to imagine the price of inaction.

GFB Field Notes page 27 of 30

CHEROKEE COUNTY FARM BUREAU LEGISLATIVE BREAKFAST

Oct. 18

Trinity Presbyterian Church Canton

Cherokee County Farm Bureau invites farmers in the surrounding counties to attend its annual Legislative Breakfast to hear updates from state elected officials & GFB Public Policy staff. Please RSVP by Sept. 27 to Denise Forward at 770-479-1481. A light breakfast will be served. Event address is 136 Trinity Church Rd., Canton, 30115.

GFB WOMEN IN AG SUMMIT

Oct. 15 final registration deadline

Nov. 11&12 Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa Savannah Registration is now open for the GFB Women in Ag Summit! This conference is open to any woman with an interest in agriculture – female farmers, agriculture industry professionals, Farm Bureau volunteers, etc. This event will be a time of fun, fellowship, and personal and professional development. Keynote speaker is Kiah Twisselman Burchett, a California rancher, life coach and motivational speaker. A tour of the Savannah Port is being offered for $15/person on Nov. 11 before the conference begins. To register, visit https://gfb.ag/WomeninAgSummit. Final registration by Oct. 15 is $100 per attendee. Attendees are responsible for their own hotel reservations. A block of rooms has been secured at The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa (912-201-2000). Information is also located under the “Lodging and Hotel” tab at the top of the registration page. For more information about the conference, please contact your county Farm Bureau office, or Breanna Berry at bcberry@gfb.org

GFB LOOKING FOR NEXT AMBASSADORS: YOU COULD BE ONE!

Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) is looking for the individuals to serve as its 2025 Ambassador Team to represent the organization at GFB and major Georgia ag events next year. Online applications for the 2025 program are open through 11:59 p.m., Oct. 21. GFB Federation Ambassadors will work alongside GFB staff assisting in several member recruitment, public relations and brand awareness campaigns. This program is part of GFB’s effort to promote GFB membership to consumers, especially younger generations. Candidates looking to join the program will be chosen based on their interpersonal skills, passion for agriculture advocacy, innovative thinking and overall enthusiasm. Applicants must be over the age of 18 to apply and must commit to a year of service. Each ambassador will be expected to attend an orientation weekend in January and work events throughout the year, including GFB Day at the Capitol, the GFB Young Farmers & Ranchers Leadership Conference, GFB Commodity Conference, the Georgia National Fair, Sunbelt Ag Expo and the GFB Annual Convention, just to name a few. Applications, guidelines, and a tentative schedule can be found online at www.gfb.ag/ambassadors The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m., Oct. 21. Candidates selected to move to the next round will be notified and given their interview date within a week to participate in an interview process. For more information, contact Keaton Walker at kgwalker@gfb.org.

GFB Field Notes page 28 of 30

GEORGIA FARM BUREAU HAY CONTEST

Oct. 31 deadline for entries

Georgia Farm Bureau members who grow any variety of dry Bermudagrass hay have until Oct. 31 to enter the organization’s 33rd Annual Quality Bermudagrass Hay Contest. The contest winner will receive the free use of a Vermeer mower-conditioner for one year. The winner will have the option to buy the equipment at a reduced price at the end of that year. This is the 26th year that Vermeer has sponsored GFB’s hay contest. Hay entered in the 2024 GFB Quality Bermudagrass Hay Contest will be tested at the UGA Feed & Environmental Water Lab using the Relative Forage Quality (RFQ) Test, which provides an analysis of the nutritional value of hay. Additional prizes will be awarded to the top five producers. Winners will be determined by the RFQ analysis and announced in December at the GFB Convention. Entry forms and complete contest rules may be picked up at your county Farm Bureau office or downloaded at www.gfb.ag/HayContest. You may also contact the GFB Public Policy Department at 1-800-342-1192 if you have any questions about the contest. Important rules to note include: Only hay grown in Georgia by a GFB member is eligible; hay samples must be taken from fields with a minimum maturity or regrowth of at least 25 days to ensure fair competition; hay must have been dried in the field and should not be artificially dried by fans or forced air in a barn; forage samples must be collected with a hay probe. Any samples with moisture above 18% or nitrates above 4500ppm will be disqualified. There is a $25 fee for each entry to cover the cost of the lab test. Producers may enter more than one sample. Checks should be made payable to Georgia Farm Bureau. Contest participants will receive a detailed copy of their hay analysis and may choose to have a free listing in the 2024/25 online GFB Hay Directory available at https://www.gfb.org/join/hay . Producers must be a GFB member to enter the contest or list hay for sale in the hay directory. The cost to list hay in the directory alone is $10 and may be submitted at any time. If you aren’t a Farm Bureau member, you may join at the county Farm Bureau office of your choice or at https://www.gfb.org/join/join-today .Previous first place winners are not eligible to win any prize category for a period of five years from the year they won the contest. A previous first place winner may enter his/her hay sample for the purpose of having it officially graded. Any producer submitting more than one sample can only place in the Top 5 with one sample – their highest scored sample – but will receive analysis for all submitted samples.

Field Notes page 29 of 30

GEORGIA VET LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM

Nov. 1

Deadline extended to apply for 2025 cycle

The Georgia Veterinary Education Loan Repayment Program (GVELRP) is open for applications for the 2025 cycle. through Nov. 1. Financial relief is available to veterinarians through the GVELRP, provided they commit to delivering veterinary services for a minimum of 20 hours per week, over at least one year, in designated rural counties facing shortages in food animal care across the state. Applicants must practice or intend to practice in Board-approved rural counties with populations of 35,000 or less to be considered for an award. A map of eligible rural counties can be found here. To qualify for this program, applicants must be a U.S. citizen or have lawful presence in the U.S., live in Georgia, be a practicing veterinarian or a veterinary student in the final year of study. This year, participants can receive awards of up to $20,000 per twelve-month service period. Preference will be given to previous participants in GVELRP, provided they continue to demonstrate their commitment to practicing food animal veterinary medicine in the area of need they serve. Each participant must reapply after completing their initial contract, with a maximum total assistance cap of $80,000 per participant. Payment will be applied by the Georgia Student Finance Commission directly to the applicant's designated student loans. For detailed program information and to apply, please visit https://agr.georgia.gov/vet-education-loanrepayment-program Inquiries about the program can be made to: statevetedboard@agr.georgia.gov or by calling GDA’s Policy office at 404-656-3656.

AMERICAN FARM BUREAU CONVENTION

Jan. 23-28, 2025 San Antonio, Texas

Registration is now open for the 106th Annual American Farm Bureau Convention in San Antonio! Don’t miss the educational workshops, exciting keynote speakers, innovative industry trade show, and world-class tours in the beautiful state of Texas! Attendees can register now! We encourage you to sign up with your individual state Farm Bureau office or register now through this link.

UGA CITRUS ORCHARD NUTRITIONAL SURVEY

For the past three growing seasons, the UGA Agricultural and Environmental Services Labs (AESL) has been conducting a foliar nutrient survey of Georgia's citrus industry with funding from the USDA and Georgia Department of Agriculture's Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. One of the conditions of the project’s grant funding is that researchers seek stakeholder feedback on the effectiveness of the program, and how this work may influence future grower decisions. The project researchers ask that you please complete this short (7 questions, 3-5 minutes) Citrus Nutrition Questionnaire here. These results will help UGA researchers demonstrate the importance of this work to their sponsors, which increases the likelihood of future funding in this area. If you would like to learn more about this project and the results of the study, please visit the project website.

GFB Field Notes page 30 of 30

PIEDMONT CONSERVATION DISTRICT FERAL SWINE CONTROL SERVICES

Ongoing

The Piedmont Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) has acquired a trapping system to provide control services throughout Piedmont SWCD which includes Morgan, Greene, Taliaferro, Putnam, Hancock, Baldwin, and Jones Counties. If you are interested in feral swine control services, please contact the District’s Hog Control Custodian, Kris Pope at kmpope@bellsouth.net or 404-402-2207.More information can be found at www.gacd.us/piedmont

GFB HAY DIRECTORY

GFB is accepting listings for its online hay directory. Farm Bureau members with hay for sale or who offer custom harvesting or custom sprigging services are invited to list their hay and/or services in the GFB Quality Hay Directory published on the GFB website. Hay for sale or services can be listed or removed from the directory throughout the year. To be included in GFB’s online hay directory, complete a submission form by visiting your county Farm Bureau office or online at www.gfb.ag/hay. Please include a $10 check made payable to Georgia Farm Bureau for each listing of hay, custom harvesting or custom sprigging. Multiple listings are allowed. Listings can be updated in the directory throughout the year as hay inventories change. Hay producers who entered the 2023 GFB Quality Hay Contest receive a free listing in the online GFB Hay Directory.

CONSERVATION DISTRICTS OFFER NO-TILL EQUIPMENT FOR RENT

Ongoing

Local Conservation Districts and their partners help farmers try a number of conservation practices by purchasing equipment and making it available to rent. Some districts offer no-till drills, PVC pond pipe systems and repair parts, as well as geotextile fabric for agricultural and road use. To see what equipment is available in your conservation district, click here.

CONSERVATION DISTRICTS OFFER FERAL HOG CONTROL SERVICES

For a list of feral hog control services available in each GACD Conservation District, visit https://gfb.ag/feralhoggacdresources.

988 SUICIDE & CRISIS LIFELINE OFFERS SUPPORT

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can be reached by calling or texting 988 or chatting on 988lifeline.org 988 serves as a universal entry point so that no matter where you live in the U.S., you can easily access 24/7 emotional support. You don’t have to be suicidal to reach out. 988 trained crisis counselors can help you through whatever mental health challenges you are experiencing.