Agriculture
Georgia’s farmers, ranchers, and producers are the backbone of our state’s most important industry: agriculture. As the Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and Co-Chair of the Congressional Peanut Caucus, I am a staunch supporter of the agricultural community in Georgia's Second Congressional District and the entire nation. I support assistance to farmers affected by drought, wildfires, and other natural disasters that occur each year. In addition, I have worked to ensure that the peanut support program remained strong in the 2014 Farm Bill; strengthen our nation's nutrition programs; reform the H2-A program for non-immigrant agricultural workers; bolster child nutrition programs in our nation’s schools; prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from imposing burdensome regulations on agriculture; ensure that Mexican tomatoes and chicken do not drive down the prices of U.S.-produced tomatoes and chicken due to illegal dumping; and advance agricultural research, food safety initiatives, and broadband services to rural communities.
More on Agriculture
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), Member of the House Appropriations Committee, released the following statement after the full Appropriations Committee approved its Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill. The government spending bill now goes to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives for its consideration.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, released the following statement after the full Appropriations Committee passed its Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 government spending bill. The government spending bill now goes to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives for its consideration.
ALBANY, GA – Yesterday, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) successfully included language in the Fiscal Year 2017 Agriculture Appropriations Bill protecting pecan processors and one of Georgia’s largest industries. If signed into law, the bill would require the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to include pecans in its preliminary report, providing pecan processors with necessary figure estimates related to the overall size of the crop produced and cost of product.
MONTEZUMA, GA – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop Jr. (GA-02), co-chair of the Congressional Working Forests Caucus, welcomed the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) recent action to expand use of forest products in their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building program by including recognition of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the American Tree Farm System (AFTS), effectively opening a pathway for more U.S. forest products to be used in the LEED rating system.
FORT VALLEY, GA— Today, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Vilsack announced $18 million in grants will be available to strengthen research and teaching at historically black land-grant universities. The grants are available through the 1890 Institution Research, Extension, and Teaching Capacity Building Grants program administered by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).
WASHINGTON, D.C – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee of Agriculture, released the following statement regarding his disappointment on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack’s refusal to label cottonseed as “other oilseeds” within the Farm Bill, an action which may negatively affect the cotton industry:
CAMILLA, GA – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies issued the following statement regarding the resignation of U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden, a native of Camilla, Georgia:
LAKE SEMINOLE, GA – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop Jr. (GA-02) welcomed the U.S. Army Corps’ South Atlantic Division (SAD) announcement of the suspension of the new policy change prohibiting minor water withdrawals from lakes across the division, including Lake Seminole and Walter F George Lake. Congressman Bishop inquired about the rule in response to shared concerns from his constituents in Southwest Georgia.
ALBANY, GA – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop Jr. (GA-02), member of the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies welcomed Vincent "Zippy" Duvall as the new president of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF).
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop Jr. (GA-02) welcomed the U.S. Court of Appeals’ decision to halt the nationwide enforcement of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) water pollution rule.