Georgia Ag Leaders Dig Into Disaster Relief, Veterinary Support

On April 15, Georgia Farm Bureau and AgCredit hosted “Digging In,” a webinar featuring state ag leaders to discuss key legislative efforts impacting agriculture. Georgia House Agriculture Committee Chairman Robert Dickey, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Russ Goodman, Georgia Department of Agriculture Policy Counsel Katherine Russell, and AgCredit’s Rhonda Shannon shared updates on disaster relief and veterinary support, among several topics.

Discussions focused heavily on recovery from Hurricane Helene. House Bill 223 includes state income tax exemptions for federal relief and insurance payments, sales tax exemptions for rebuilding materials, and a $550 per-acre tax credit for lost timber. The bill also suspends the severance tax on harvested timber and allocates $285 million for low-interest loans through the Georgia Development Authority. In total, the legislature authorized approximately $1.2 billion in relief. “I think we’ve done all we can do from a state perspective,” said Dickey.

Russell also highlighted House Bill 172, which boosts the Veterinary Loan Repayment Program to $90,000 over three years for vets serving rural, large-animal practices. “We would just like to see those vets available to our constituents who need them,” she said.