U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, USDA Executive Director meet with Terrell Co. farmers and ASU students

ALBANY, Ga. – The Biden Administration announced that more than five billion dollars is going towards helping rural communities with Georgia farmers receiving a large amount of that money.

CBS 44’s Brian Roche spoke with members of the United States Department of Agriculture about how they want to try and impact rural Georgia.

Members of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) were in southwest Georgia Tuesday morning to discuss the latest issues in agriculture, both with farmers out in Terrell county, and students at Albany State University.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, Xochitl Torres Small visited with farmers late Tuesday morning in Terrell county in a round table discussion about using part of the near $1.4 billion dollars coming to the state of Georgia.

And, with the breakout of COVID in 2020, it highlighted some glaring problems that farmers wanted addressed.

“One of the things that COVID demonstrated is that in addition to making sure that we have farmers being able to increase in their bottom line and stay in production. We also need to invest in global and regional food systems. When people walked into a food store and saw empty food shelves, especially with meat, we needed to diversify our meat processing,” said Xochitl Torres Small, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture.

One of the issues that was brought up both in Terrell county and on Albany State University’s campus was the matter of food insecurity.

And, hearing from both the people who grow the food and those who need it is vital.

“You have to have the the input of your citizens to have the right laws put together, and so to have the opportunity to get immediate feedback from individuals on the ground. From our youth, our young people, it’s a great opportunity to learn, how to get better, but also how we can continue to meet the need of those in our state,” said Arthur Tripp, Executive Director, Georgia USDA Farm Service Agency.

Small spoke with Albany State students about food insecurity and what’s been a need in east Albany on programs…

“When it comes to USDA programs like SNAP and WIC, we’re investing in the future of Georgia by making sure that kids, students have access to good, healthy food, so they can learn and contribute to our economy in the future,” said Small.

And, in southwest Georgia, the need to hear from farmers and anyone nearby has to be addressed.

“One in seven jobs in Georgia are agriculture related, but one in nine people across Georgia are food insecure, so that says to me that Georgia has an answer to that challenge. If we’re investing in our farmers, we’re investing in our agriculture, we’re also investing in our local and regional food systems,” said Small.

While definitive plans for that more than one billion dollars aren’t set in stone yet, help will be on the way to hopefully alleviate some of the food insecurity in southwest Georgia.

According to the USDA, the state of Georgia ranks top 10 in the country for food insecurity.

Brian Roche reporting.

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