Legislation aimed at protecting Georgia farmers from nuisance lawsuits drew support Monday from representatives of agribusiness and opposition from environmental advocates.
A controversial bill that proponents say is meant to keep farmers out of court has again collided with private property concerns and fears the measure will make way for large-scale industrial farms.
Last year, the region imported more than 36 million metric tons of wheat, mostly from Russia and Ukraine. The concern is that Russia's war in Ukraine could disrupt supplies and drive up prices.
Agricultural groups, which represent the state’s largest industry, argue the state has changed in the last 40 years – with subdivisions popping up in previously agricultural areas – and the law should reflect that while protecting the investments of producers.
A plan to provide debt relief to Black farmers championed by Sen. Raphael Warnock remains in limbo, but during a trip to Atlanta Monday, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said he’s hopeful a solution will come, whether through Congress or the courts.
More than a hundred countries just promised to protect and restore forests. Similar pledges in the past have not succeeded, but forest advocates hope that this effort can learn from past mistakes.
A legislative study committee has taken up the issue and is mulling potential legislation that would allow raw milk to be sold for people in Georgia while creating state regulations and setting minimum standards for a product that can be vulnerable to harmful bacteria, such as e. coli, if not handled properly.
India is repealing controversial farm laws that sparked a year of protest from farmers. Analysts say it's both a victory for nonviolent resistance, and a shrewd political move.
Currently, raw milk can only be sold for pet consumption in Georgia, and only goat farmers are currently licensed to sell it, not farms that produce cows’ milk for people to drink.
Farm lobbies and Republicans, along with influential Democrats like U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chair Rep. David Scott of Atlanta, strongly object to tax changes that President Joe Biden proposed in his “Build Back Better” plan for farmland and other assets handed from one generation to the next.
The Georgia Department of Agriculture should play a role in the state’s fledgling medical marijuana program, a member of a legislative oversight committee said Monday.
The federal government is at last rolling out a loan program meant to help farmers reclaim portions of property lost when the land changed hands over generations, leaving the ownership rights unclear.
A Colorado analysis found farmer suicide rates rise in tandem with increased drought. Experts say a big challenge is that there are few counsellors and many guns in rural areas.
