Protecting Our Farmers and Agriculture

The Backbone of District 157

Farming isn’t just an industry in Tattnall, Evans, Appling, and Jeff Davis counties. It is our heritage and our lifeblood. From the Vidalia onion fields to our poultry farms and timberlands, the hard work of South Georgia farmers feeds the state and the nation.

But for too long, the political establishment in Atlanta has treated rural Georgia like an afterthought. Decisions are made by politicians who have never driven a tractor or worried about the price of fertilizer.

Micah King understands that when our farms hurt, our entire local economy hurts. That is why he is committed to being the strongest voice for agriculture in the State Capitol.

Defending the GATE Program

The Georgia Agricultural Tax Exemption (GATE) program is essential for keeping our family farms competitive. Recently, we have seen attempts from career politicians to water down or eliminate these critical exemptions to fund pet projects in Atlanta.

Micah’s Promise: He will fiercely defend the GATE program and oppose any legislation that attempts to increase the tax burden on family farms. We should be finding ways to lower costs for producers, not nickel-and-dime them out of business.

Standing Up to Corporate Monopolies

Family farms are being squeezed from all sides. On one end, input costs like fertilizer, seed, equipment, and fuel are skyrocketing. On the other end, corporate agribusiness monopolies dictate the prices farmers receive for their goods.

When a handful of massive corporations control the meatpacking and processing industries, the local farmer loses.

In the State House, Micah will:

• Support “Right to Repair” legislation so farmers aren’t forced to pay exorbitant dealer fees just to fix their own equipment.
• Push for greater transparency in agricultural pricing.
• Champion investments in local and regional processing facilities so farmers have more options for selling their livestock and crops.

Keeping Farmland in the Family

We are losing prime Georgia farmland to massive out-of-state developers and foreign corporate interests. When family land is sold off to build subdivisions or massive industrial solar farms without local community input, it changes the fabric of our counties forever.

Micah believes in protecting private property rights, but he also believes that the state government should not be incentivizing the destruction of prime agricultural land. He will support smart, locally-driven zoning policies and conservation easements that help families keep their land in agricultural production for the next generation.

A Voice for Rural Georgia

We don’t need another politician who goes to Atlanta and forgets where he came from. Micah King will always put the interests of District 157 farmers first. By protecting our agricultural economy, we ensure that our communities remain strong, independent, and prosperous for decades to come.