Senator Reverend Warnock visited Three Bees Pecan Farm to speak with Georgia farmers about how the uncertainty around Trump’s tariffs are bad for business

Senator Warnock is the top Democrat on the Finance subcommittee that handles trade and tariffs

Senator Warnock tours Three Bees Pecan Farm with owner Jeb Barrow Jr.   

Wrens, GA – On Saturday, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) visited Three Bees Pecan Farm to speak with Georgia producers about the impact of the ongoing tariffs on their farms’ operation. The Senator received a tour of the farm from owner Jeb Barrow Jr. and heard directly from growers about how tariffs are further threatening already thinning profit margins for the agriculture industry and making it harder for farmers to make long-term investments, including creating Georgia jobs. Senator Warnock is the top Democrat on the Finance subcommittee that handles trade and tariffs.

“I just know how hard farmers work in the state, and if you talk to them, they’re not interested in aid, they’re interested in trade. They wanna see their products make it to India, that’s what I heard today,  they want to see markets open up,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “And so there is a push and pull conversation that goes on, but right now this whole thing is being operated willy-nilly. It seems to me, from Donald Trump’s back pocket. He announces one thing and then, within hours, changes his mind, puts everything on pause. If you’re a farmer or producer trying to figure out what to do, I don’t know how you plan on the other side of that pause. So it’s creating a lot of uncertainty in the market. I think we saw the impact of that in the most recent jobs report. So, I’m very concerned, and I wanted to hear directly from the growers in Georgia, and I wanted them to know that I’m fighting for them.”

“[Senator Warnock] is a supporter of Georgia agriculture, and he’s serious about it as evidenced by him being on the Senate Ag Committee,” said Jeb Barrow, owner of Three Bee’s Farms. “He takes a genuine interest in our problems, and you noticed when we sit down at the table, he listened to what we had to say. He didn’t try to project a point of view, he just was here to listen.”

Senator Warnock believes that President Trump’s tariff policies aren’t just abstract policies; they’re a tax that will show up on grocery store shelves and in monthly bills for Georgia families. Farmers and producers have been particularly affected by tariffs, facing high input costs, increased prices for farm machinery, and obstacles to their ability to sell their products internationally. The administration’s erratic tariff strategy has alienated U.S. trade partners and strategic allies while destabilizing markets and making it harder on Georgia’s farmers. The continued uncertainty does little to ease the anxiety of Georgia’s farmers and leaves many producers unable to plan or make long-term investments in their farms.

Senator Warnock has worked to lower trade barriers for Georgia pecan farmers since coming into office, including lowering the trade barrier with India by 70% in 2022. Notably, 28% of U.S. pecans are exported, making access to international markets critical for pecan farmers.

How Senator Warnock is fighting back against President Trump’s harmful tariffs:

In January, Senator Warnock was appointed Ranking Member of the Finance Subcommittee on Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness. In this role, Senator Warnock has oversight jurisdiction over federal trade policies. 

• In April, the Senator joined a bipartisan majority of Senators in voting to rollback of tariffs against our ally, Canada and voted to end the President’s potentially illegal use of international Emergency Economic Powers used to put many of these tariffs in place.
• In April, Senator Warnock pressed United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer on the economic fallout that President Trump’s tariffs are having on Georgia’s farmers, producers, and small businesses. Senator Warnock focused on the ways the administration’s indiscriminate tariffs are providing no avenue for relief for small business owners and Georgia producers.
• In May, Senator Warnock pushed Secretary Rollins to open new markets for Georgia pecan growers by expediting the USDA process to meet India’s import requirements for in-shell pecans.
• In May, Senator Warnock demanded answers from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs nominee Luke Lindberg regarding the president’s tariff rates. Mr. Linberg specifically highlighted the impact tariffs are having on the Georgia pecan industry and agreed with the Senator that more work needed to be done to alleviate the pressures producers were feeling.
• In March, Senator Warnock urged the President to reconsider tariffs that threaten American agriculture. The Senator asked the President to consider a more targeted approach.
• The Senator pressed for answers from USTR Ambassador Greer about the impact the administration’s tariff agenda on the nation’s farmers.

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