U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) applauded passage by the U.S. House of Representatives of the 2026 Farm Bill, which he said includes priorities important for Georgia farmers. The measure is now before the U.S. Senate.
“American farmers feed and clothe our nation and the world, and they deserve policies that support their success,” Rep. Carter said on Thursday. “Georgia’s agricultural industry is the backbone of our economy and way of life. Representing the number one state in which to do business, where agribusiness is our top industry, I strongly support the Farm Bill.”
The House on April 30 voted 224-200 to advance the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, H.R. 7567, which includes Rep. Carter’s request for a study on the Hurricane Insurance Protection – Wind Index (HIP-WI) program, and the renaming of the U.S. National Poultry Research Center in Athens, Ga., after the late Georgia Poultry Federation President Francis “Abit” Massey, who died in 2024.
“I proudly championed two provisions in this legislation, including a HIP-WI study to ensure the program properly protects farmers financially during disasters and the honoring of the late Abit Massey, a remarkable Georgia poultry giant, whose legacy should never be forgotten,” said Rep. Carter.
The congressman pointed out that the HIP-WI program failed many Georgia farmers following Hurricane Helene when they were denied federal financial relief from the wind-based insurance option managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
On Feb. 10, he sponsored the bipartisan Farmers’ Assistance and Immediate Disaster Relief Act, H.R. 7462, alongside lead original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA) — also known as the Farmers’ AID Relief Act — to authorize a study to examine the loss of crop insurance coverage caused by a weather station outage, assess contingency plans, and report on the feasibility of obtaining data from land-grant colleges and universities or other third-party sources to support HIP-WI and Georgia farmers.
H.R. 7462 inspired a similar provision being added to the Farm Bill, according to Rep. Carter.