Where do the GA Dept of Ag Candidates Stand?
At a recent Open Office Thursday lunch, AAHC member Susie Cottongim asked a straightforward question: Which candidate for the Georgia Department of Agriculture will actually be better for our horses and horse owners?
To find out, we have put together a list of specific, highly relevant questions to send directly to both incumbent Commissioner Tyler Harper (R) and challenger Katherine Juhan-Arnold (D) ahead of the November election and invite them to answer.
As a reminder, AAHC is completely non-partisan—we don’t do candidate endorsements. Our goal here is 100% transparency so you can see exactly where each candidate stands before you head to the ballot box.
How This Works:
- Zero Editing: Candidate responses will be published on this page exactly as they are submitted to us. No clipping, no spin, just straight copy-and-paste.
- Equal Opportunity: If one candidate takes the time to respond and their opponent chooses not to, the responding candidate’s answers will stand alone on this page alongside a note letting you know the other campaign declined or didn’t answer.
- Newsletter Feature: Once we get responses back, we will select one or two of the top questions to feature in our newsletter.
The exact questions we sent over to both campaigns are listed below. We’ll update this page with their full answers the second they land in our inbox.
The Questions
1. Official Recognition of the Equine Industry
Horses require the same feed, vet care, land protections, and biosecurity tracking as cattle or other traditional livestock. In fact, breeding, training, and boarding horses represents a massive piece of the pie—consistently ranking 10 to 12th highest value agricultural commodity in Georgia, bringing in over $260 million in direct Farm Gate value and driving a total annual economic impact exceeding $750 million. Despite these numbers, our industry often feels sidelined or treated like a “hobby” in state agricultural policy discussions.
- Do you fully recognize the equine industry as a core, equal part of Georgia agriculture, and how will that recognition actually reflect in your department’s focus and resource allocation?
2. Farmland Preservation and Data Center Infrastructure
Rapid development—specifically the massive boom of data centers—is eating up rural acreage all over Northeast Georgia. Beyond losing open green spaces, horse owners are genuinely concerned about how putting these giant facilities right next to livestock operations affects our animals.
- What specific guidelines or zoning distances do you support regarding how close a data center can be built to active livestock and horse farms?
- What are your broader plans to actively protect Georgia’s remaining farmland from over-development?
3. Reopening the State Equine Impound Program
In 2020, when the state Equine Impound program was shut down under Brian Kemp and Gary Black, it removed one of the most respected and valued state-level programs in the country for protecting and rehabilitating severely neglected and abused horses. Closing it shifted the primary responsibility for seizing, housing, and rehabilitating neglected horses almost entirely onto local counties and private rescue networks.
Compounded by inflation and rising care costs, the “unwanted horse” crisis is accelerating rapidly across Georgia. Yet at a time when local agencies are expected to manage these complex cases, county Animal Control Officers (ACOs) regularly report a complete lack of state-provided training on equine abuse, handling, and technical rescue—with many turning to private non-profit programs, like AAHC’s own TLAER courses, out of sheer necessity.
- Training & Resources: What specific plans does your administration have to provide local county law enforcement and ACOs with the formal training, veterinary resources, and financial backing required to enforce Georgia’s equine protection laws?
- State Infrastructure: Are there any plans under your administration to reopen or re-fund a state equine impound program or framework?
- Unwanted Horse Crisis: What concrete plans do you have to address the growing crisis of unwanted horses and support owners who are priced out of basic care?
4. Economic Impact Data
To advocate for the horse industry at the local and state legislative level, we need hard numbers. Our community is eager to see a comprehensive, updated economic impact study on the horse industry in the state of Georgia.
- What specific data or industry participation would your office need from local horse owners and organizations to actively push for, fund, and authorize a full statewide economic impact study?
5. Biosecurity and Aggressive Disease Prevention
With the heightened threat of foreign animal disease vectors and invasive pests like the New World screwworm, agriculture bio-security requires expanded, proactive surveillance. Our community is looking at the state level agriculture oversight with brand-new eyes. Passive tracking isn’t enough anymore when dangerous new “bugs” are threatening our animals.
- What new, aggressive, and forward-thinking ideas do you have for monitoring bio-security risks, tracking regional disease vectors, and keeping our animals and the food supply safe?
Response Tracker
| Candidate | Status | Date Received |
| Tyler Harper (R) | Pending | Pending |
| Katherine Juhan-Arnold (D) | Pending | Pending |
This page was last updated on July 20, 2026. If you have questions about this questionnaire or want to share your thoughts, drop us a line at connect@athenshorse.com.