Georgia governor candidates focus on agricultural policy

Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson has unveiled an agricultural platform aimed at supporting Georgia’s farming industry amid rising costs for diesel, fertilizer, and other essentials. Speaking at Cagle’s Farm in Canton, Jackson proposed several measures, including preserving agricultural tax exemptions and implementing automatic state tax relief on diesel fuel during price spikes caused by market shocks or natural disasters.

Jackson’s plan also includes connecting family farms with cost-effective capital, recruiting fertilizer manufacturers, opposing cheap imports with weak regulatory standards, and establishing an emergency water reserve of 250 million gallons per day. He also intends to foster cooperative meat and produce processing centers to reduce costs.

Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms responded by highlighting her own agricultural proposals. Her platform includes supporting property tax relief for heirs and encouraging cooperatives that allow farmers to pool resources, share equipment, and utilize shared processing capacity. Bottoms also emphasized increasing agricultural education through schools and technical college pathways, while assisting farmers with administrative paperwork.