Local farm bureau members attend GFB Day
Visit to Gold Dome provides opportunity to promote agriculture issues
Polk County Farm Bureau members traveled to Atlanta, Feb. 11 to participate in Georgia Farm Bureau Day at the Capitol. Members of the Polk County Farm Bureau delegation visited with Senator Bill Heath, GFB President Gerald Long, Gov. Brian Kemp, Commissioner of Agriculture, Gary Black and Representative Trey Kelley.
Members of the Polk County Farm Bureau who attended the event included: Jeff Hawkins, Polk School District young farmer, James I. Casey, Polk County Farm Bureau President, Jeannene Powell, Ms. Agriculture USA and board member, Joan Mitchell, Women’s Committee Chair and her granddaughter, Jacklynn Bozeman, Sue Cuzzort office manager, Glenn Robinson, board member, and Lorene Parker, young farmer member and Rockmart High FFA President.
The Polk County delegation raised legislators’ awareness of GFB’s 2020 priority issues which include – securing funding for ag programs in the state budget, protecting farmers against frivolous nuisance lawsuits with HB 545 and preventing cell-cultured protein and nonanimal food products from being labeled as meat (SB 211).
“Georgia Farm Bureau is working on numerous issues that impact our farms. Georgia Farm Bureau is well-respected at the capitol because of the work our members do back in their counties and the relationships they have with their legislators,” GFB President Gerald Long said.
Gov. Brian Kemp spoke at the lunch GFB held at the Georgia Freight Depot attended by about 550 GFB members and state officials. Gov. Kemp pledged his support for House Bill 545.
“I believe we can find a balance that will protect the ag operations we have in this state and continue to make agriculture our number one industry,” Kemp said.
Kemp said he is optimistic about economic development for rural Georgia.