Senate committee approves SR 800 to form joint study on sustaining family farms

A Senate committee approved a resolution to convene a joint study committee on the generational sustainability of family farms, saying lawmakers need new ways to help family operations remain economically viable and transfer farms to the next generation.

An unnamed sponsor introduced Senate Resolution 800 and described the panel as a joint House and Senate study committee. The sponsor said the committee would have two co‑chairs, include the Commissioner of Agriculture, Tyler Harper, as a participant, and allow five picks each from the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the House. The resolution limits the body to a maximum of five formal meetings held across the state.

Lee Anderson, the committee chairman, made the motion to advance the resolution "for our family farms," and the motion was seconded by Sandra Hatchett. Chairman Watson later cited a Georgia Farm Bureau article, saying the state was "number 2 in Chapter 12 bankruptcies with a total of 27" for 2025 and that filings were "up 145% from 2024," arguing that the study committee was urgently needed.

Senator Howard and others discussed adding hands‑on site visits to the committee's work. The sponsor and the chairman clarified that informal, off‑the‑record site visits could be arranged with stakeholders but would not count against the resolution's cap of five formal meetings. The sponsor said the Farm Bureau, Agribusiness Council and the Poultry Federation had expressed support for the study.

With no further debate, the committee took a voice vote. Members answered "Aye," and the sponsor announced the measure passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned shortly afterward.

The resolution sets up the study but does not itself create programs or appropriate funds; it directs the appointed study members to examine issues and report findings. Details on the study's report timeline, staff support and final deliverables were not specified at the meeting.