Sen. Ossoff Introducing Legislation to Cut Taxes for Farmers

Sen. Ossoff's new "Farm Disaster Tax Cut Act" would give farmers tax relief after natural disasters, revenue losses, or pest outbreaks

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is introducing legislation to cut taxes for Georgia farmers.

Today, Sen. Ossoff introduced the Farm Disaster Tax Cut Act to provide eligible farmers with a tax cut after natural disasters, revenue losses, or pest outbreaks.

The bill would exclude crop insurance indemnity payments, which are made to farmers after they face qualified losses, from farmers' taxable income after natural disasters, revenue losses, or pest outbreaks.

"Georgia's farmers are the cornerstone of our state's economy and many of our communities. After facing soaring costs from Hurricane Helene, recent droughts, and other outbreaks, they are in desperate need of relief," Sen. Ossoff said."My new bill will cut taxes for Georgia farmers."

Key Georgia agricultural leaders are backing Sen. Ossoff's new bill.

"As a farmer, I am grateful for Senator Ossoff's understanding of the ongoing farm economic crisis and the complexities of taxation on the farm. Crop insurance indemnities (and disaster relief) are intended to keep producers with enough resources to meet obligations during a crisis. This legislation will help farmers, family businesses, and rural communities afloat until the situation on the farm improves," said Bart Davis, Colquitt County Cotton Producer.

"We want to thank Senator Ossoff for offering legislation that will exclude crop insurance indemnity payments made due to losses experienced from August 2024 to December 2028. Our growers that have been hit by natural disasters, such as Hurricane Helene, know that these crop insurance payments do not make you whole. Many of the crop insurance products available to specialty crop growers already fall short of what's needed in a crisis. To pay taxes on these payments diminishes the value of these risk management tools even further. We look forward to working with the Senator and his Team to move this bill forward," stated Chris Butts, Executive Vice President, Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association.

Sen. Ossoff continues working to support Georgia agriculture.

In March, Sens. Ossoff and Ashley Moody (R-FL), alongside Rev. Raphael Warnock and Rick Scott (R-FL), introduced the bipartisan Land Grant Research Prioritization Act of 2026 to improve research and development for advanced agricultural technologies, including mechanization technology.

Also in March, Sens. Ossoff and Rev. Warnock announced more than $531 million in Hurricane Helene Federal relief for Georgia's farmers after Sen. Ossoff successfully fought to pass a bipartisan disaster relief package in December 2024 that included $21 billion in agricultural disaster funding to help Georgia farmers recovering from the disastrous impacts of Hurricane Helene and farmers nationwide impacted by natural disasters.

Earlier this year, Sen. Ossoff cosponsored the bipartisan Buying American Cotton Act of 2025 to incentivize retailers to sell products made with U.S. cotton to boost demand for cotton grown in the U.S., becoming the first Senate Democrat to back the bill.

In November, Sen. Ossoff cosponsored the bipartisan Securing American Agriculture Act to decrease dependence on China for agricultural imports.

In September, Sen. Ossoff joined lawmakers across the aisle to urge the United States Trade Representative to prioritize American pecan producers in ongoing trade negotiations with India.

In August, Sen. Ossoff cosponsored the bipartisan United States Citrus Protection Act alongside Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) to support and protect Georgia's citrus growers by banning imports of fresh citrus from China, which can often undercut domestic citrus producers and hurt the rapidly growing citrus industry in Georgia.

Click here to read the Farm Disaster Tax Cut Act.

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