Sanford Bishop: “after experiencing one weather-related disaster after another, including this year's drought, the future of production…”

“after experiencing one weather-related disaster after another, including this year's drought, the future of production agriculture and family farming in middle and south Georgia faces a threat of almost unprecedented proportions. This is not a sudden, overnight crisis. Farmers, bankers, and communities dependent on production agriculture have been in a crisis mode for some time. Our farmers have faced a threatening situation that has now become even more severe. Over the past few weeks, I have visited farms to meet with farmers all across the Second District and to see first-hand the destruction that has been wrought by the droughts and other disasters which have struck our area. Indeed, as mentioned by Ms. Kaptur, the University of Georgia has estimated farmgate value lost this year at over $767 million. Farmers want indemnification payments that will give them the same kind of safety-net our government offers to other nations in Asia, such as South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia and the Phillippines--to bail them out in their time of crisis. Farmers want relief from high production costs and low commodity prices. I promised I would carry that message back to Washington and work with my colleagues in Congress and the Administration to get some relief. I am pleased to join my colleagues in supporting this motion to instruct the Ag Appropriators to designate disaster spending as 'Emergency Spending' under our current Budget Rules.”