Sen. Raphael Warnock Discusses Mental Health With GA Farmers

GEORGIA — Georgia farmers met with Senator Raphael Warnock, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Dr. Jewel Bronaugh and State Representative Robert Dickey this week to discuss farm stress and mental health, according to reports.

Warnock, who participated in the roundtable Tuesday at Dickey Farm, said he hopes leaders will find solutions for the problems farmers face, reported 41NBC. He said that natural disasters and the pandemic have exacerbated the stresses of farming, reported 41NBC.

"As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I'm always proud to fight for the resources our farmers and rural communities need," Warnock wrote in a Twitter post. "I'm fighting to ensure the next generation of farmers can carry on their families' legacies."

Warnock is addressing mental health by working to get more resources to rural communities, reported 41NBC.

“We were able to get $10 million in additional support for a network to support our farmers and our ranchers,” Warnock told 41NBC. “As I go back to D.C., I’ll be focusing on bringing more people the resources they need.”

Will Bentley, a cattle farmer from Upson County, told 13WMAZ with costs going up and end product staying the same, it's been really hard on folks in the industry.

"We can't control the price. We can't control the price of our inputs. We also can't control the price of our final product," Bentley said.

Bentley says fertilizer, gas, equipment, transportation, and labor have also increased adding to farmers' stress.

According to Warnock’s website, part of his platform has been farmers’ rights, especially Black farmers.

“Georgia is home to a significant number of African-American farmers who are critical to the agricultural economy,” the website reads. “Reverend Warnock believes that we should level the playing field for Black and minority farmers by expanding access to capital for equipment and financial resources and ending discriminatory policies at the federal level that limit opportunities.”

According to the website, Warnock has fought for the agriculture community in the Senate by:

• Fighting to include federal debt forgiveness for all of Georgia’s small farmers (Relief for Small Farmers Act) in reconciliation
• Joining with House Agriculture Committee Chairmen Sanford Bishop and Rep. David Scott to push USDA on support for cotton merchandisers regarding COVID-19 losses
• Leading a bipartisan effort with Senator Tommy Tuberville asking USDA and the U.S. Trade Representative to work together on European Union non-tariff trade barriers for our peanut farmers
• Partnering with Senator Bill Cassidy to introduce the Disaster Reforestation Act to help our forest landowners recover after a natural disaster