Sen. Ossoff: Action needed on relief for farmers
Published 3:22 pm Thursday, October 10, 2024
- Sen. Ossoff (file photo)
Saying action was urgently needed to help storm-stricken farmers, Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) said Wednesday Congress needs to step in with a disaster relief program.
Speaking to press and political leadership in a Zoom call, Ossoff said 34 senators had agreed in a bipartisan effort to press for such relief to help an agricultural industry crippled by Hurricane Helene.
Ossoff said initial estimates showed losses of 35% of the cotton crop, 10-30% of peanuts and four million acres of timberland attributed to the recent hurricane. Fall crops were defoliated and Georgia’s citrus crop also took a hit, the senator said.
“Damage assessments are needed for agriculture across the entire Southeast, not just Georgia,” he said. “There were very significant impacts across the entire ag economy.”