08/24/2026
Encouraging to know our Ag Commissioner understands this business. Agriculture is Georgia’s largest industry. Our farms can raise enough product to satisfy local demand. Buy local! Not to mention, your health will thank you.
I have heard from cattle producers across Georgia who have serious concerns about the announcement of temporary tariff relief for additional foreign beef imports and the impact it could have on American producers. I have shared those concerns.
Increasing our reliance on imported food is not a long-term solution to Americans’ affordability concerns. We can lower costs for consumers while supporting the farmers and ranchers who produce our food here at home. A strong domestic food supply is essential to our economic and national security.
Agricultural commodity markets are cyclical. Prices rise and fall with supply and demand, and cattle producers have endured years of drought, rising input costs, tight margins, consolidated markets, and herd liquidation. Now, as the cattle market has finally strengthened and producers have an opportunity to recover and rebuild, we should not artificially disrupt the market or undercut the very producers we need to increase American beef production.
The fundamental issue is supply. The U.S. cattle herd is the smallest it has been in 75 years. Strong cattle prices are a market signal to retain cows and heifers, rebuild the herd, and produce more American beef. Rebuilding takes time, and short-term market interventions risk discouraging the investment necessary to increase supply and ultimately bring greater stability to consumer prices.
In Georgia, we are working to strengthen our producers, lower costs for consumers, and address these long-term challenges by:
-Protecting working farmland through the Georgia Farmland Conservation Fund
-Expanding market access for small and medium-sized producers
-Increasing in-state processing and value-added capacity
-Fighting consolidation and increasing competition throughout the food supply chain
-Promoting Georgia products and connecting consumers with local producers through Georgia Grown
The long-term solution to food affordability is strengthening American agriculture — not becoming more dependent on foreign food. We can address affordability while supporting the farmers and ranchers who feed us.
