Democrat Katherine E. Juhan-Arnold faces Republican incumbent Tyler Harper in the Nov. 3 election for Georgia agriculture commissioner, according to the Georgia Farm Bureau’s candidate guide.
In The Sandy Springs Record’s candidate questionnaire, Juhan-Arnold emphasized farm profitability, food safety, agricultural infrastructure and protection of farmland.
“Georgia needs an Agriculture Department that produces quality results,” she said, citing rising production costs, limited processing capacity and pressure on land and water.
Background and experience
Juhan-Arnold described herself as a farmer, nonprofit founder and engineering infrastructure professional. She said she founded Baby Katie’s Pharm & Kitchen to support food access, agricultural education and local production.
Her BallotReady profile lists her as the organization’s president since 2014. It also lists her as a BIM and document control site lead at Rohadfox Corporation, with Google Data Center Services identified as the client.
The profile lists associate degrees in design and visual communications from Atlanta Technical College, earned in 2012, and architectural drafting and computer-aided design from Georgia Piedmont Technical College, earned in 2014.
Juhan-Arnold said she has never held elected or appointed public office and that this is her first campaign. She said she is married and belongs to a large blended family.
Her Term lists her among statewide candidates it supports. The organization states that it does not endorse candidates.
Farm profitability and market access
Juhan-Arnold identified profitability as farmers’ biggest challenge.
She said she would assess existing agricultural infrastructure across nine regions and modernize facilities before pursuing new construction. Her proposals include expanding processing, cold storage, aggregation and distribution according to commodity needs.
She also wants Georgia Grown to provide licensing assistance, help producers prepare for procurement opportunities and connect them with buyers. She said success should be measured through contracts, repeat sales and producer income.
Farmland and development
Juhan-Arnold said she supports pausing new data-center approvals until Georgia establishes reviews of their cumulative environmental and agricultural effects.
She favors directing development toward previously developed and industrial sites before productive farmland. She said her goal is to guide growth responsibly while protecting property rights and securing lasting benefits for rural communities.
Consumer protection
Juhan-Arnold said she would strengthen inspection staffing, prioritize inspections according to risk and deploy mobile teams where backlogs or rapid growth create needs.
She proposed a public dashboard reporting inspection coverage, response times, staffing gaps and enforcement outcomes.
The Georgia Department of Agriculture oversees responsibilities that include grocery-store regulation, gasoline quality, pump calibration and commercial weights and measures.
Foreign ownership and accountability
Juhan-Arnold said Georgia should enforce existing farmland ownership restrictions while avoiding unfair treatment of lawful residents and immigrant farmers.
She also supports disclosure of the individuals behind corporate land purchases and accurate public information about foreign-held agricultural acreage.
Asked how she differs from other candidates, Juhan-Arnold said she would judge department programs by whether farmers can access them and whether they improve producer income.
“Georgia does not need more activity presented as progress,” she said. “It needs measurable outcomes, accountable leadership and service that reaches every region.”
Candidate responses were collected through The Sandy Springs Record’s questionnaire, conducted by Surround Sound News. This profile summarizes and excerpts those responses. Candidate claims remain attributed unless a separate source is identified.
