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In this Issue:
- Headlines
- Trump Names USDA Nominee
- SAFETY 24 Loan Program Offers Assistance to GA Farmers
- Reminder: Weathered But Strong Hurricane Relief Fund Accepting Applications for Relief Grants
- Upcoming Events
- GMP Classifieds
- Register for 2025 GDC
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Headlines
articles and press releases of interest this week
| Trump Selects Rollins for USDA Chief | |
In a whirlwind 24 hours, President-elect Trump was rumored to be considering Indiana farmer Katie Fray and former US Senator from Georgia Kelly Loeffler for the position of Secretary of Agriculture before ultimately selecting Brooke Rollins. Rollins is the CEO of the America First Policy Institute, the thinktank aligned with the President-elect’s campaign and many officials from his first administration. Rollins is a native of Texas who earned a degree in agricultural development from Texas A&M before earning her J.D. and serving in several policy-related roles with former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and multiple positions in the first Trump term.
With the Rollins announcement Trump has completed his selection of cabinet and senior White House positions in just over two weeks since winning the presidential election on November 5. Other key nominees for the ag and food industry to watch: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for Health and Human Services, Howard Lutnick for Commerce Secretary and U.S. Trade Representative, Lee Zeldin for Environmental Protection Agency, Doug Burgum for Secretary of Interior, Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Labor Secretary, Marty Makary for Food and Drug Administration.
For more on the Rollins Selection and Trumps Plans for USDA, check out
| GA Dept. of Ag and GA Development Authority Announce Opening of SAFETY 21 Helene Relief Loan Program | |
Macon, Ga – [Friday, November 22] Today, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper and Georgia Development Authority Executive Director Thomas G. Carter announced the opening of the application period for the SAFETY 24 Hurricane Helene Relief Loan Program. This low-interest, emergency loan program will provide Georgia farmers impacted by Hurricane Helene essential funds to recover from damage, replace lost income, and continue farm operations until additional federal aid is delivered.
Preliminary assessments from University of Georgia estimate the economic impact of Hurricane Helene on agriculture – Georgia’s #1 industry – at $6.46 billion, including $3.2 billion in direct losses to Georgia farmers. Farm operators who suffered losses from Hurricane Helene and reside in a FEMA designated disaster area or adjacent county are eligible to apply for up to $500,000 at a 2% fixed interest rate. This special loan program will be administered on a first come, first serve basis. Eligible uses of these funds include income replacement, operating capitol, repairing or replacing damaged farm structures, repairing or replacing damaged equipment, and the purchase of machinery or equipment necessary to recover from hurricane damage.
“Help is on the way for Georgia farmers impacted by Hurricane Helene. Our team at the Georgia Department of Agriculture has been working around the clock, in coordination with the Georgia Development Authority, to get the SAFETY 24 Hurricane Relief Loan Program online as quickly as possible so we can deliver these much-need funds to impacted farmers,” said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper. “The SAFETY 24 program is meant to provide Georgia farm families with the capital they need to keep operating while we continue pushing Congress to deliver additional federal relief, and I strongly encourage all impacted farmers to apply so we can begin to build back strong than before.”
“Georgia’s farmers have experienced unprecedented losses as a result of Hurricane Helene and the storms that followed it, and we’re taking decisive action on the state level to provide relief for them as quickly as possible,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “While we continue to call on Congress to take quick action in providing block grants that will further provide relief, we joined together with our partners in the legislature, Department of Agriculture, and Georgia Development Authority to move quickly in infusing this program with new funding. This is a significant step on the road to recovery, but it will not be the last. We will continue fighting for the hardworking men and women of our No. 1 industry and all Georgians impacted by Helene.”
“While the survey of the historic losses Georgia farmers and timber producers experienced is still ongoing, it is estimated that nearly a third of the state's $9.6 billion agricultural industry was impacted,” said Lt. Governor Burt Jones. “I want to thank Governor Brian Kemp, Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, Speaker Jon Burns, the Georgia Development Authority and everyone who partnered together to get the SAFETY 24 Hurricane Relief Loan Program online. This is one way we can ensure our Georgia agriculture community can start to rebuild. I look forward to continuing to work with these partners and our farmers across Georgia, whose resilience and determination is an inspiration for us all.”
“Across Southeast Georgia, our farmers and timber producers are facing historic losses and devastation in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene,” said House Speaker Jon Burns. “The Georgia House is proud to work alongside Commissioner Harper, Governor Kemp, Lieutenant Governor Jones, and our partners throughout the state to secure this critical relief for the men and women who put food on our tables and keep our No. 1 Industry running. We’re grateful to our partners at the Georgia Development Authority for their approval of this measure and we will continue working with our Congressional Delegation until our farmers, citizens and communities have received every available asset and resource they need to recover.”
How to Apply:
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The application form and additional details can be found online at https://www.gdaonline.com/hurricane-helene-loan-program/
- Applications can be submitted online via email or via regular mail.
- Online applications should be sent to anita@gdaonline.com
- Printed applications should be sent to the below address:
Georgia Development Authority
1890 Highway 130
Monroe, Ga 39655
- Applications must include the following documents to be considered:
- SAFETY 24 Application Form
- SAFETY 24 Product Loss Verification
- This form is to be completed by your crop insurance agent, UGA Extension Service, Farm Service Agency, or a loan specialist.
- Operating Credit Continuity Agreement
- An agreement must be obtained from applicants’ primary operating credit provider stating that the primary operating credit provider will continue financing operating capital for the applicant, after the SAFETY 24 loan closes, for the next year of operation. If the operation does not require credit for operating capital and therefore a letter from a primary operating credit provider is not obtainable, a letter of intent from an entity the farm has a contractual relationship with stating that the entity will continue the contractual relationship with the farm will suffice.
| Weathered But Strong: Now Taking Applications | |
The Weathered But Strong Hurricane Relief Fund is now taking applications for assistance from farms that experienced damage from Hurricane Helene. The deadline for applications is December 31, 2024 and the goal is for review to take place in January with payouts beginning in February.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Eligible farmers must hold a current valid GATE card number issued through the Georgia Department of Agriculture.
- All farming operations impacted by Hurricane Helene may apply but priority will be given to the counties that make up the disaster declaration.
- Designated Disaster Relief Counties: Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks, Bryan, Bulloch, Burke, Butts, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Columbia, Cook, Dodge, Echols, Effingham, Elbert, Emanuel, Evans, Glascock, Glynn, Hancock, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Lanier, Laurens, Liberty, Lincoln, Long, Lowndes, McDuffie, McIntosh, Montgomery, Pierce, Rabun, Richmond, Screven, Stephens, Taliaferro, Tattnall, Telfair, Thomas, Tift, Toombs, Treutlen, Ware, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wheeler, Wilkes
Farmers can apply for assistance at supportgeorgiafarmers.org/application. If producers have any questions about the application or process, you can email grants@gafoundationag.org or email Bryce (bryce@gamilk.org) with Georgia Milk Producers.
The Weathered But Strong Campaign is also still taking donations as they aim to raise an additional $500,000 before the end of the year. If you would like to support the campaign and Georgia’s ag community, click the “donate” button below.
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7 Valve Federal Filler for Sale in Hall County (GA) - $30,000
Used mechanical filler for sale. Good Condition. Great for Start-Up Processing Plant. Email gcdairy@gmail.com for more details, photos, and vidoes.
Dairy Farm for Sale in Screven County (GA) -
Green Meadows Dairy for sale. 986 acres (600 irrigated), 60-stall rotary parlor, 1,000 cow feed pad, 8 pivots,
Call Leo Ruijne for more details 806-292-9909 or email leo@unitedagllc.com
| 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 | |
Upcoming Events
If you have an event that you would like to see added to our GMP Events Calendar, email bryce@gamilk.org
SE Dairy Producers Check-Off Info Session
December 4 - 12:00 Noon
Online: https://tinyurl.com/MCOCOMMITTEE
Contact Bryce Trotter to RSVP (bryce@gamilk.org or 229-221-3906)
Georgia Farm Bureau Convention
December 8-10
Jekyll Island Convention Center
Georgia Dairy Conference
January 20-22
Marriott Savannah Riverfront - Savannah, GA
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Southeast Dairy Checkoff Info Session | |
The Southeast Dairy Producer’s Check-Off Program is the research and educational checkoff program for southeastern dairy farmers. House at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, the checkoff program works with scientists and extension specialists from Universities around the Southeast including UF, UGA, Clemson, and Auburn. It is one of the few opportunities for dairy farmers in the southeast to fund research directly related to dairy production in the region.
The Milk Check-Off Program team is inviting all Southeastern dairy farmers to participate in an info session on December 4th to hear from current committee and faculty members about the program, its research initiatives, and how you can continue to support research to benefit dairy production in the Southeast.
Check out the flyer above or email Matti Moyer (matti.moyer@ufl.edu) for more information.
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USDA Market Information Bulletin | |
The following is an excerpt from the Market Administrator's Market Information Bulletin for November
The minimum order uniform price for a payment to producers supplying the Southeast Order marketing area during October 2024 is $25.37 per hundredweight for milk with a 3.5% butterfat test in Fulton County, Georgia. This is .965 times the uniform skim milk price of $14.05 per hundredweight plus 3.5 times the uniform butterfact price of $3.3745 per pound. Payment to producers may be adjusted by location differentials, if applicable, and by properly authorized deductions. Receipts of producer milk during October 2024 totaled 286.5 million pounds. There were 15 regulated pool distributing plants, 1 pool supply plant, and 9 cooperative associations submitting reports of receipts and utilization that were included in the computation of the uniform prices for October 2024. Total in-area Class I route disposition was 306.7 million pounds in October 2024, a decrease of 4.9 million pounds from October 2023.
Read the full Market Bulletin HERE.
| Don't Forget to Register for the 2025 Georgia Dairy Conference | |
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Until Next Time,
Bryce Trotter
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