Georgia farms receive cut of USDA grant

(ALBANY, GA) – For quite a few farms across South and Middle Georgia, they’re getting help in the form of a quarter million dollars from the USDA’s Rural Development department.

It’s known as a Value Added Producer Grant, with Georgia getting several million dollars.

“There is about $37 million that is awarded each year nationwide, Georgia got $3.2 million this year. It covers 13 different projects across Southwest Georgia.” says USDA Rural Development State Director, Joyce White

Among those 13 projects includes Dougherty County’s Pretoria Fields as well as Tift County’s Southern Drawl Cotton.

The grant is going towards not only helping programs that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the aftermath of Hurricane Michael two years later.

White tells us, “Southwest Georgia was already suffering because so many of the farms were hit and destroyed by Hurricane Michael. They’re still trying to recover from that. And it’s just been devastating in that area.”

As farmers across Middle and Southwest Georgia continue to pick up the pieces from COVID-19 and any lingering results from Hurricane Michael, the USDA hopes that more farms will come forward for grants in the coming years; especially since they can significantly boost their local economies.

“Not only is it the livelihood of the grower, but think about the supermarkets, the gas stations, and the rural hospitals in the area that we’re watching close. It has a ripple effect. This is the engine of the economy of Southwest Georgia,” says White.

You can view who else will receive a part of the grant as well as contact the USDA about the 2021 grant through their website.