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📰 In This Issue:
- Headlines
- Georgia's Hurricane Helene Block Grant Program Opening Soon
- Trump Administration Announces $12 Billion Farmer Bridge Payments for American Farmers Impacted by Unfair Market Disruptions
- USDA Launches New Regenerative Pilot Program to Lower Farmer Production Costs and Advance MAHA Agenda
- Make Plans to Attend the GDC Pre-Conference Symposium
- USDA Market Administrator Reports Bulletin
- GMP Classifieds
- Calendar of Events
- GMP Associate Membership
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Georgia's Hurricane Helene Block Grant Program Opening Soon | |
Yesterday, The Georgia Department of Agriculture sent out a press release detailing information farmers need to gather to apply for the Hurricane Helene Block Grant. While they are finalizing the official program details with the USDA, GDA is encouraging farmers to start gathering the information they will need to apply. The program will cover losses for timber, infrastructure, poultry, beef cattle, dairy cattle, milk loss, dairy feed loss, pecans, blueberries, citrus, nursery, plasticulture and bare ground practices due to Hurricane Helene. Producers may apply for assistance to the Georgia Department of Agriculture. Some of the documents producers should be collecting are:
• Deeds • 2024 Tax Assessments • Lease Contracts • Documentation verifying timber losses • Acreage Reports • Crop Insurance Records • Veterinarian Records • Poultry Lost Production Cycles • Tree, Bush, Nursery Damage • Damages to Buildings • Receipts for Medications • Records of Milk Production • Animal Numbers Pre- and Post Hurricane Helene • Expense Invoices • Sales Receipts • Trucking Receipts • Repair Bills • Demolition Bills • Reconstruction Invoices • Photographs • Aerial Photography • Replacement Invoices • Other Documentation necessary to substantiate losses
Click here to view losses eligible for compensation.
To view counties that will be eligible for the program, visit the website here. This will be the landing page for new information.
| Trump Administration Announces $12 Billion Farmer Bridge Payments for American Farmers Impacted by Unfair Market Disruptions | |
On December 8th, the Trump Administration announced a $12 billion bridge payment package to support U.S. farmers. Most of the funding, up to $11 billion, will go toward the new Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) Program, which provides proportional, formula-based relief for producers of major row crops affected by inflation, foreign trade practices, and 2025 crop-year losses. Payments are expected by February 28, 2026, and the effort is designed to help farmers manage financial strain until increased reference prices and other long-term support from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) begin in October 2026. An additional $1 billion will support commodities not covered by FBA, such as specialty crops and sugar. USDA leaders emphasized that this bridge program is part of a broader effort to stabilize the agricultural economy, expand risk-management tools, and reduce reliance on ad hoc aid.
The announcement accompanied a detailed list of actions the Administration says it has taken to bolster the farm economy, including over $30 billion in various assistance programs since early 2025, major expansions of crop insurance affordability, higher statutory reference prices, strengthened marketing and conservation programs, and significant tax benefits for producers. Officials also highlighted deregulatory efforts to reduce farm labor costs, federal investigations into anti-competitive practices affecting input prices, expanded commodity purchases for nutrition programs, and aggressive support for biofuels. The Administration further pointed to new trade deals or market access agreements with more than 15 countries, as well as rising export gains in key commodities, framing these developments as part of a broad strategy to restore U.S. agricultural competitiveness and open global markets for American farmers.
To learn more, click here.
| USDA Launches New Regenerative Pilot Program to Lower Farmer Production Costs and Advance MAHA Agenda | |
The following is from the USDA.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins, alongside U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz announced a $700 million Regenerative Pilot Program to help American farmers adopt practices that improve soil health, enhance water quality, and boost long-term productivity, all while strengthening America’s food and fiber supply.
Building off the Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy released in September, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is also investing in research on the connection between regenerative agriculture and public health, as well as developing public health messaging explaining this connection.
To read the full press release, click here.
| Make Plans to Attend the GDC Pre-Conference Symposium on January 19th | We are excited to share that the Pre-Conference Symposium is returning to the 2026 Georgia Dairy Conference Monday, January 19th at 9:30 AM. This two-hour informal session will focus on What's New and What's Next in the Dairy Industry. We invite all of our farmers and guests to attend this educational opportunity, sponsored by our friends at FerAppease, Alta Genetics, Agrarian Solutions, and Agri-Services Agency. Modeled as our own version of "Dairy TedTalks," the Pre-Conference Symposium will focus on new technology and services that are driving the dairy industry forward. Be sure to stop by the symposium to hear from our outstanding lineup of speakers. | USDA Market Administrator Reports Bulletin | |
The following is from the USDA Marker Administrator Reports Bulletin.

The October 2025 statistical uniform price for the Appalachian Marketing Area was announced at $21.42 per hundredweight at the base zone of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, the pricing point for FO 5.
The October 2025 statistical uniform price for the Florida Marketing Area was announced at $22.62 per hundredweight at the base zone of Hillsborough County, Florida, the pricing point for FO 6.
The October 2025 statistical uniform price for the Southeast Marketing Area was announced at $21.91 per hundredweight at the base zone of Fulton County, Georgia, the pricing point for FO 7.
To read the full report, click here.
| | Want to showcase your business to dairy producers and industry professionals across the Southeast and US? Email info@gamilk.org to learn more about how you can advertise in the GMP E-News. | |
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January 19-21 - Georgia Dairy Conference
Marriott Savannah Riverfront Hotel - Savannah, GA
February 16 - February Florida Snowbirds - The 2026 Dairy Old Timer’s Breakfast
O’Brien’s Irish Pub - Brandon, FL - Register and Learn More
| | Thank You, Associate Members | | |
The mission of Georgia Milk Producers is to support, sustain, and grow the Georgia dairy industry. In addition to our partners in industry who support the Georgia Dairy Conference each January, we are also offering an opportunity for allied industry to partner with GMP year-round, network with producers throughout the year, and promote their companies outside of the conference. Thank you to our inaugural Associate Members, Dairy Farmers of America, FERA Animal Health, and BMO Bank.
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