Category: Column

By: Sen. Larry Walker, III (R–Perry)

Agriculture has been and continues to be the backbone of our state. It feeds our families, fuels our economy and sustains communities from Clinch to Murray County. Fall has officially arrived, and you don’t have to look far to see cotton fields turning white, peanuts being dug, pecans beginning to open and families preparing for the Georgia National Fair here in Perry. This is the season when the hard work of our farmers comes full circle, and it’s time we pause to celebrate them.

Every October, the Georgia National Fair gives people of all ages the chance to see what agriculture looks like up close. For many young students, it’s the first time they will experience livestock shows, meet FFA or 4-H members and start to truly understand our farmers’ dedication to growing the food that ends up on their table. It’s a celebration and teaching moment to remind us that agriculture is a calling passed down from generation to generation.

This month, the Sunbelt Ag Expo will bring together farmers and innovators from across the Southeast and beyond in Moultrie. Billed as “North America’s Premier Farm Show,” the expo showcases the latest precision ag equipment, tools and technologies. It’s also where farmers trade ideas and find new ways to remain competitive in a changing world. Events like this highlight both the heritage and the future of agriculture in Georgia.

Our farmers and foresters rise before daylight, manage forces outside their control and shoulder the responsibility of feeding our citizens and sheltering much of the nation. They need freedom to do their jobs and the assurance that their state government will defend them when it matters most.

That’s why I was proud to support Senate Bill 144 earlier this year. This legislation is based on the commonsense principle: if a product meets federal safety standards, that should be enough. SB 144, ensures that companies providing agricultural inputs like fertilizers and pesticides won’t be dragged into frivolous lawsuits for not adding warnings beyond what the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) already requires.

Why does that matter? Without access to these EPA-approved products, Georgia farmers can’t stay competitive. Across the country, we’ve seen lawsuits weaponized against companies that produce fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, even when those products cleared rigorous federal review. Those lawsuits drive up costs and land squarely on the shoulders of the people growing the cotton in your shirts and the produce on your table.

SB 144 shuts that door, giving certainty to suppliers, stability to farmers and the tools they need to keep producing strong, healthy crops. It’s a law rooted in the common-sense principles that Georgia farmers live by every day.

Through the Fiscal Year 2026 state budget and as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and Natural Resources, we made significant investments to strengthen agriculture for the next generation. That includes $7.3 million for new vocational and ag-ed equipment, so students in more school systems have access to the hands-on tools they need to learn. It also provides over $50 million in capital projects for the Georgia Department of Agriculture, including upgrades to state labs and critical facility improvements.

We also put new resources into promoting Georgia-grown products and our state’s forestry industry. A new pilot program for Georgia-grown wood will open doors for our foresters so their products reach more markets here at home and abroad. These targeted, conservative investments support Georgia jobs, families and communities dependent on agriculture. They prove that state government can make a real difference when it works with the people it serves.

Georgia has been named the No. 1 state to do business for twelve straight years. We can’t hold that title without protecting our top industry. That means standing up to nuisance lawsuits, investing in rural infrastructure and workforce pipelines, and recognizing that food security is national security. If our farmers can’t produce affordably and reliably, we all lose. SB 144 and our budget investments clearly convey that Georgia stands with its farmers.

This October, as families enjoy the Georgia National Fair, farmers gather in Moultrie for the Sunbelt Expo, and combines roll across our fields, I hope you’ll join me in recognizing how vital agriculture is to our lives.

At the end of the day, agriculture supports faith, family and freedom in all corners of our state. It’s about parents teaching their children the value of hard work and neighbors lending a hand when times get tough. We must preserve the American Dream for the next generation, and as your senator, I’ll continue to fight for policies that honor those values and keep Georgia growing strong.

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Sen. Larry Walker serves as Secretary of the Majority Caucus and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Insurance and Labor. He represents the 20^th Senate District, which includes Bleckley, Dodge, Dooly, Laurens, Treutlen, Pulaski and Wilcox counties, as well as portions of Houston County.  He may be reached by phone at (404) 656-0095 or by email at Larry.Walker@senate.ga.gov.

For all media inquiries, please reach out to SenatePressInquiries@senate.ga.gov.

By: Sen. Larry Walker, III (R–Perry)

When Hurricane Helene ripped across Georgia last September, the storm didn’t just topple trees and barns. It cut into the heart of rural communities, upending farms, families and a way of life built over generations.

In the following weeks, I visited with farmers, foresters and small business owners who were still knee-deep in debris, wondering how they would start again. For many, recovery wasn’t just about repairing buildings or replacing equipment. It was about saving a way of life passed down from grandparents to parents to children and protecting the economic foundation of our state.

From the fields of peanuts and cotton to the pine stands that cover our landscape, agriculture and forestry generate more than $70 billion annually. When storms like Helene devastate those sectors, it’s not just rural Georgia that suffers. Every family depends on affordable groceries, every factory depends on raw materials and every community relies on steady jobs.

That’s why, during the 2025 legislative session, the Georgia General Assembly made disaster recovery a top priority. We knew we couldn’t undo the damage but could deliver the tools to help families rebuild.

This spring, I stood alongside Governor Brian Kemp, Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, Lt. Governor Burt Jones and fellow legislators as we signed into law three key bills: House Bill 223, Senate Bill 201, and House Bill 143. These aren’t abstract policies or political talking points. They are real, practical lifelines for farmers and foresters still picking up the pieces.

Carried in the Senate by my friend Sen. Russ Goodman, HB 223 is as comprehensive as it is compassionate. It exempts federal crop loss and disaster payments from state income tax because when a family is depending on relief dollars to survive, the government doesn’t need to take a cut. The bill also creates a reforestation tax credit to help timber landowners replant what was destroyed. Timber isn’t like corn or cotton. It takes decades to mature. If we don’t replant now, we risk losing a generation of growth in one of Georgia’s most valuable industries.

The bill also allows local governments to temporarily pause harvest tax collections on storm-damaged timber. That may sound technical, but it’s a lifeline in practice, giving landowners breathing room to clean up and replant without facing another bill in the mailbox. HB 223 expands the Georgia Agricultural Tax Exemption (GATE) to include building materials for storm repairs for poultry, livestock and greenhouse producers whose barns and housing were destroyed. That’s money back in the hands of producers, helping them get back online faster.

Second, SB 201. This one was personal for me, because I carried it. In the aftermath of a disaster, families are desperate to rebuild. That desperation too often attracts dishonest contractors, people who demand cash up front and then vanish, or who cut corners at the expense of safety. SB 201 strengthens consumer protections for homeowners signing contracts after a natural disaster.

Having spent decades in the insurance industry, I’ve seen what happens when families make quick decisions under pressure. SB 201 sets more explicit rules for legitimate contractors while protecting families from those who would take advantage of them at their most vulnerable. It’s a preventative measure that will save countless Georgians from heartbreak and financial ruin.

HB 143, carried in the Senate by Sen. Sam Watson, shifts the responsibility for installing and maintaining agricultural water meters back to the state. Farmers are already juggling crop losses, equipment damage, and skyrocketing costs. They don’t need another unfunded mandate on their backs. HB 143 makes sure the state shoulders that responsibility, not families who are already stretched to the breaking point. Georgia’s farmers and foresters are the backbone of our economy and deserve a government that fights just as hard as they do.

Gov. Kemp said it best at the bill signing: “Their commitment to moving forward after all they’ve faced is an inspiration to us all.” He’s right. Rural Georgia’s resilience is remarkable, but this doesn’t mean we go it alone. It means we stand shoulder to shoulder, neighbors helping neighbors and leaders stepping in when the storm is simply too big.

Recovery from Helene is far from over. Driving through parts of our state, you can still see twisted pines piled on the edges of fields, barns with tarps stretched across the roof, and communities working to piece life back together. Rebuilding after a storm like this takes time. With these new measures in place, we’ve taken meaningful steps to ease the burden, protect families and secure the future of Georgia agriculture.

I’m proud to represent a district that doesn’t wait around for someone else to fix things. We show up. We dig in. We rebuild. As long as I’m serving you under the Gold Dome, I’ll keep showing up for rural Georgia… because that’s what neighbors do.

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Sen. Larry Walker serves as Secretary of the Majority Caucus and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Insurance and Labor. He represents the 20^th Senate District, which includes Bleckley, Dodge, Dooly, Laurens, Treutlen, Pulaski and Wilcox counties, as well as portions of Houston County.  He may be reached by phone at (404) 656-0095 or by email at Larry.Walker@senate.ga.gov.

For all media inquiries, please reach out to SenatePressInquiries@senate.ga.gov.