Agriculture
Georgia’s farmers, ranchers, and producers are the backbone of our state’s most important industry: agriculture. As a Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, the Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Chicken Caucus, and Co-Chair of the Congressional Peanut Caucus, I am a staunch supporter of the agricultural community in Georgia's Second Congressional District and the entire nation. I support assistance to farmers affected by drought, wildfires, and other natural disasters that occur each year. In addition, I have worked to ensure that the peanut support program remained strong in the 2014 Farm Bill; strengthen our nation's nutrition programs; reform the H2-A program for non-immigrant agricultural workers; bolster child nutrition programs in our nation’s schools; prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from imposing burdensome regulations on agriculture; ensure that Mexican tomatoes and chicken do not drive down the prices of U.S.-produced tomatoes and chicken due to illegal dumping; and advance agricultural research, food safety initiatives, and broadband services to rural communities.
More on Agriculture
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, stood in support of Georgia’s tomato industry in regards to unfair trade practices. In a letter to the Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce Rebecca Blank, Congressman Bishop called for the withdrawal of the 1996 antidumping petition and the termination of the 2008 Suspension Agreement governing the importation of tomatoes from Mexico.
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) released the following statement today in recognition of the 150th anniversary of the United States Department of Agriculture:
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) and Congressman Rick Crawford, (AR-01) will hold a lunch on Wednesday, March 21st with leaders of the American chicken industry. The lunch will serve as the inaugural event of the bipartisan Congressional Chicken Caucus. The Chicken Caucus was established to educate members of Congress and their staffs on the concerns and benefits of the U.S. chicken industry.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) attended a budget hearing hosted by the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Related Agencies. Dr. Margaret Hamburg, the Food and Drug Administration’s Commissioner for Food and Drugs, testified before the subcommittee on President Obama’s fiscal year 2013 budget request for the FDA.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) sent a letter to Ambassador Ron Kirk, United States Trade Representative, urging him to ensure that Georgia’s tobacco farmers are not excluded from taking advantage of trade protections offered under the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA). Georgia Senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson along with Representatives Jack Kingston, John Barrow, and Austin Scott were co-signatories to the letter.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) today joined members of Georgia's congressional delegation in urging U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to grant Secretarial Disaster Designations for those counties that have been adversely impacted by the state's ongoing drought. Due to high temperatures that have engulfed Georgia the last several months, sectors of the state's agricultural industry, particularly farming communities in southwest Georgia, have suffered severe economic hardships. |
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WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved H.R. 1309, the Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2011. The measure, which would reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for five years and make several reforms to strengthen NFIP’s financial position, passed the House by a vote of 406 to 22. Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) voted in favor of the bill. |
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Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) stood up for farmers and rural communities in voting against the Fiscal Year 2012 Agriculture Appropriations Act because it unfairly targeted the agriculture community. If signed into law, the bill would make draconian cuts to agriculture research programs, rural development programs and assistance for seniors and pregnant mothers who go hungry. The bill barely passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 217 to 203. |
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Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) this week joined members of the Georgia delegation in sending a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack urging him to designate 22 Georgia counties suffering from drought as Secretarial Disaster Areas. Farmers across Georgia have suffered major crop losses because of the extreme weather, and the Georgia USDA State Emergency Board recently listed which counties are suffering from extreme drought conditions according to the U.S. Drought Monitor as of June 2, 2011. |
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Donalsonville, GA – Rep. Sanford D. Bishop Jr. (GA-02) toured downtown Donalsonville, Georgia today to see the damage caused by severe storms and subsequent fires earlier this month. Donalsonville Mayor Joe Burke, City Manager Marty Shingler, and business owners affected by the storm, joined Rep. Bishop on the tour. |