In this Issue:

• Headlines
• 2022 Agriculture Census Released
• Georgia RFIS Grant Available for Producers and Ag Groups
• Reminder: SDBII Applications Due by March 1
• GDA Offering CAFO and NMP Specialist Training & CE Credits
• Legislative Tracker
• Upcoming Events

Headlines

articles and press releases of interest this week

• Kroger the Most-Visited Grocery Chain in 2023; Publix leads in GA
• Milk Production Continues to Drop in Europe
• Will Dairy Producers Fill the $7 Billion Processing Gap
• USDA Slashes Dairy Heifer Count
• Net Farm Income in 2024 Forecast to Be Down 25 Percent from Last Year
• Vermont to Add 4 More Anaerobic Digesters on Dairy Farms
• Digging Into DMC Payout Trends

USDA Releases 2022 Agricultural Census

The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service’s Agricultural Census for 2022 was released last week to much fanfare from the ag economics community. The Census is released every five years and provides a snapshot of farm statistics in the U.S. According to the most recent Census, the number of milk-producing farms nationally declined by 38.8% from 2017 to 2022. The Census also reports that the U.S. dairy industry produced 5% more milk than in 2017. The trend of larger farms making up a growing percentage of overall milk production continued with 8% of farms (those with 1,000 cows or larger) producing 68% of the milk.

On a state level, the Census data is a little mixed. USDA has consistently overestimated the number of dairy farms in GA. The 2022 Census shows a decrease of 4 milk-producing farms in five years and overestimates the number of operating dairies in 2022 by nearly 100%. While individual commodity figures on a state-by-state basis are sometimes unreliable, the Census does show national trends in all major agricultural commodities.

UGA’s Ag Economics Department has compiled a summary of the 2022 Census of Agriculture findings for the State of Georgia. You can view the summary for dairy and more at the link below (the beef and dairy summary begins on page 39).

Further Reading

• Feedstuffs: U.S. Lost 142,000 Farms According to Ag Census
• DairyBusiness: USDA Unveils 2022 Ag Census Findings



RFIS Grant Opportunity

The Georgia Department of Agriculture has announced the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI). This grant program is designed to enhance the robustness and sustainability of Georgia’s food supply chain. The funding comes through the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service with the intent of strengthening the middle segments of the food supply chain.

Georgia’s RFSI program has a total of $7.1 million available for projects that meet these goals. There are two possible grants that Georgia dairy producers can apply for. The first is the Simplified Equipment-Only Grant. This grant covers equipment purchases with a funding range of $10,000 - $100,000 and does not require any matching funds from the producer. 

The second grant, the Infrastructure Grant, supports large-scale projects to expand capacity and infrastructure and covers a funding range of $100,000 to $3,000,000. Applicants are required to provide a matching contribution of 50% of the total project cost.

Some examples of eligible projects include projects relating to packaging operations, processing capacity,value-added product creation, and logistics and storage. 

In addition to individual producers, producer groups, processors, nonprofit organizations, local governments, and educational and healthcare institutions are eligible to apply. 

For more information about the grant, visit www.georgiarsfi.com





SDBII Grant Reminder

A reminder to our Georgia and Southeastern Dairy farmers: the SDBII Farm Infrastructure Improvement Grant and the Precision Technology and Management Grant application period closes next Friday, March 1 at 5:00 PM.

If you are looking to invest in your farm operation, this may be the perfect opportunity to get some financial support through the Dairy Business Innovation Initiative. Check out UT’s webinar on the two grants below and be sure to read the RFPs as well.

Any Georgia dairy farmers interested in applying or in need of technical assistance can reach out to Bryce Trotter (bryce@gamilk.org) and Jillian Bohlen (jfain@uga.edu). 

SDBII Grants Webinar

Request for Proposals: Farm Infrastructure Improvement Grant

Request for Proposals: Precision Technology and Management

Animal Feeding Operator and Nutrient Management Specialist Training & CE Credits

Management Plan Specialist Certification Training in Athens, GA on March 20 and March 21. 

This training is limited to the first 25 registrants. You can register at this link.

Anyone looking for CE credits can attend one of GDA’s virtual CE opportunities showcasing many of the same topics presented during the AFO and NMP Specialist training. Email Courtney Wilson at courtney.wilson@agr.georgia.gov to RSVP to one of the Zoom sessions.



GMP Classifieds

Rewatch the Presentation from the 2024 GA Dairy Conference

Did you miss one of our GDC General Session Seminars? Or was there something in one of the presentations you wanted to revisit once you got back to the farm? You're in luck!

You can view the slideshows and recordings of our General Session Seminars HERE or by visiting gadairyconference.com

2024 Legislative Tracker

In the course of a week, legislation on navigable waters was introduced and passed the first major hurdle. House Majority Whip James Burchett (R-Waycross) introduced HB 1172 as a cleanup measure following SB 115 last year and the House Study Committee on Fishing Access to Freshwater Resources. This bill is just barely over one page and removes language relating to "public trust doctrine" that was inserted in SB 115 last year and clarifies that citizens have a right to fish, hunt, and travel down the state's navigable waters BUT that right does not constitute the right to enter private property nor does it extend to non-navigable waters.

This bill is a major priority to many groups in the ag sector and environmental lobby. The bill passed by a 5-4 margin with Chairman Stan Gunter (R-Blairsville) casting the tie-breaking vote. HB 1172 must now make it through the House Rules Committee before coming to a vote of the whole House.

The following are pieces of legislation of potential interest to GMP members and E-News readers:

• HB 848 – Reps. Taylor, Lumsden, Collins, Hitchens, and Dunahoo
• A bill to authorize the enforcement of excess vehicle weight violations through an automated vehicle weight detection system.
• Status - Referred to the committee on Motor Vehicles on 1/8/24.
• HB 908 – Reps. Ridley, J., Ridley, J., Jasperse, Fleming, and Persinger
• A bill to require food service establishments to disclose if food products contain cell-cultured meat and/or plant-based meat alternatives.
• Status – Referred to the committee on Agriculture and Consumer Affairs on 1/11/24.
• HB 922 – Reps. Vances, Tarvin, Lunsden, Collins, and Hitchens
• A bill to constitute the entrance upon another’s property without consent of the owner as an offense of criminal trespass.
• Status – referred to the committee on Judiciary Non-Civil on 1/12/24.
• HB 981 - Reps. Burchett, C. Cannon, Dickey, Meeks, Rhodes
• A bill to exempt agricultural structures from permitting fees by local or municipal governments.
• Status - Read and referred to the Committee on Agriculture and Consumer Affairs on 1/23/24
• SR 470 - Sens. Hickman, Goodman, Watson, Anderson, and Gooch
• A resolution creating the Senate Study Committee on the Preservation of Georgia’s Farmlands; and for other purposes.
• Status - Passed Senate Agriculture and Consumer Affairs on 2/8/24
• HB 1015 - Reps. McDonald, Blackmon, Jones, Hong, Wade and others
• A bill to lower the state income tax rate for 2024 to 5.39% and reduce the income tax rate by 0.1% annually until the maximum tax rate is 4.99%.
• Status - House passed 2/8/24
• SB 420 – Senators Anavitarte, Goodman, Beach, Cowsert, and Gooch
• A bill to prohibit certain foreign entities from purchasing agricultural land.
• Status: Assigned to Committee on Regulated Industries
• SB 436 – Senators Watson, Goodman, Anderson, Walker, Ginn, and others
• A bill to give operators of farm vehicles the right of way on a state or local roadway when it is unsafe for the farm vehicle to pull off the far-right-hand side of the road.
• Status: Passed Senate Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee on 2/7/24
• HB 1052 – Reps. Cannon, Dickey, Huddleston, McCollum, and Meeks
• A bill to allow corporations to qualify for CUVA if the land they are leasing is used for agriculture or timber purposes and if the corporation ownership includes at least one US citizen
• Status: Referred to the committee on Ways and Means 1/30/24
• HB 1093 – Reps. Clark, Pirkle, Blackmon, Corbett, and Bonner
• A bill to prohibit certain foreign companies or individuals from purchasing agricultural land
• Status: Referred to House Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee 
• HB 1099 – Reps. Huddleston, Burchett, Cannon, Camp, and Rhodes
• A bill to constitute a charge of criminal trespass against individuals who enter the land of another person that has been marked with purple paint marks on either trees or posts on said property.
• Status: Referred to the committee on Judiciary Non-Civil on 2/1/24
• HB 1169 – Reps. Townsend, Smith, DeLoach, Vance, and Reeves
• A bill to allow the Environmental Protection Division to deny permit applications if the applicant has violated environmental laws or regulations
• Status: Referred to the committee on Natural Resources and Environment on 2/7/24
• HB 1172 – Reps. Burchett, Rhodes, Leverett, Smith, and Williams
• A bill to limit the public’s right of navigable streams to only using water as highways and for hunting and fishing. The public is not permitted to trespass upon privately owned beds
• Status: Referred to the committee on Judiciary on 2/8/24

Steak Biscuit Day at the Capitol

The Georgia Cattlemen’s Association’s annual Steak Biscuit Breakfast at the Georgia State Capitol will be February 29, 2024 at 7:30 AM. This is GCA’s largest legislative event of the year, and GMP members are welcome to attend and meet with their local legislators. Georgia Milk Producers will be supplying milk for the breakfast and the GA Mobile Dairy Classroom will be there for a milking demonstration. 

Join beef and dairy producers from across Georgia on Mitchell Street between the Georgia State Capitol and Coverdell Legislative Office Building from 7:30-9:00 am.

For more information about the Steak Biscuit Breakfast, please feel free to email Bryce Trotter at bryce@gamilk.org.



Until Next Time,

Bryce Trotter