ATLANTA — Pledging to fight for farmers, Republican Rick Jackson unveiled his plan to support Georgia’s agricultural industry as the sector gets squeezed by rising prices for diesel, fertilizer and other essentials.
“I want our farmers to know that as governor I will be in the fight to help them in any way I can,” the healthcare executive said at a small gathering of supporters and media at Cagle’s Farm in Canton, a tourist destination.
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms fired back, with her campaign saying that she had already met with farmers and unveiled her own plan. The former Atlanta mayor also pointed to Jackson’s alliance with President Donald Trump, noting that the rising prices for diesel and fertilizer that were hurting farmers had occurred during Trump’s watch.
“Slick Rick Jackson has proven he is too afraid to stand up to Trump and fight for Georgia’s farmers,” TaNisha Cameron, the Bottoms campaign spokesperson, said in a statement.
Jackson’s plan would preserve an agricultural tax exemption and suspend the state tax on diesel fuel during price spikes. It also would connect family farms with “cost-effective capital,” recruit fertilizer makers, oppose cheap imports from countries with weak regulatory requirements, and establish an emergency water reserve of 250 million gallons a day.
Jackson said he also would foster co-op meat and produce processing centers to bring down costs.
Bottoms and Jackson align on that idea. Her plan encourages cooperatives allowing farmers to pool resources while sharing equipment and processing capacity.
Like Jackson, Bottoms also would target taxes, in her case by supporting property tax relief for heirs. She also would push for more agricultural education — in schools and through free pathways to technical college. And she would help farmers fill out paperwork for federal programs.
Bottoms’ campaign said she would oppose Trump’s tariffs, yet she slammed Trump for announcing temporary relief from certain beef tariffs.
State Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, a Republican, pushed back on that Trump policy last month, warning on social media that it could harm cattle producers.
“Increasing our reliance on imported food is not a long-term solution to Americans’ affordability concerns,” Harper posted. “We can lower costs for consumers while supporting the farmers and ranchers who produce our food here at home.”
Neither Bottoms nor Jackson offered many details about how they would execute their plans.
On restricting agricultural imports from countries with lax regulations, for instance, Jackson basically said to trust him.
“I don’t know all of the ways,” he said, “but if there’s any way to do it, I’ll get it done.”
Bottoms and Jackson will have a chance to attack the other’s platform at 8 p.m. on Oct. 6, during a town hall hosted by Atlanta News First.
So far, it is their only scheduled debate before early voting starts Oct. 13. Bottoms and nearly every other statewide candidate except Jackson have confirmed attendance at the Atlanta Press Club debates at Georgia Public Broadcasting on Oct. 12 and 13.