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also hauls fertilizers, biosolids and landscape products. Lance and her husband, Brian, started a Red Angus cow-calf operation in 2019. She is an active member of the Morgan County Farm Bureau YF&R Committee for which she has served as treasurer since 2017. As the state winner, Lance received $500 cash, a John Deere ATV, and an expense-paid trip to the 2022 AFBF Convention.

Brian Fleming of Hart County and Ashley White, then of North Fulton County, were finalists for the Excellence in Agriculture Award. Each received $500 cash. Fleming is assistant farm manager of PTL Agriculture, LLC., his family’s farm that grows soybeans, wheat, milo/grain, sorghum, corn, oats and hay; and raises cattle. Fleming grew up working on the family farm and today has responsibilities for just about every aspect of the farm. He has chaired the Hart County Farm Bureau YF&R Committee since 2014 and grew the county’s YF&R program from just himself to its current membership of about 35. He regularly visits local schools to teach students about agriculture and has served on the GFB YF&R Committee since 2019.

Ashley White grew up working on her family’s cattle ranch and horse boarding facility in Florida and competing in various equine competitions including barrel racing, rodeo, and dressage, which she still competes in. Having grown up in FFA and 4-H, it was natural for White to become an ag education teacher. She taught seven years in Florida and the past four years at Milton High School in North Fulton County. White has been active in Farm Bureau in

From left, Jessica Lance, Brian Fleming & Ashley White were the top finalists for the GFB YF&R Excellence in Agriculture Award. Lance won

the event. | Photo by Logan Thomas

both her home state of Florida and in North Fulton County Farm Bureau (NFCFB). She has served as a NFCFB director since 2017, as NFCFB YF&R Chair in 2018-19 and as NFCFB president from 2019 until she and her husband, Ryan, moved back to Florida in late July where she will continue teaching ag education.

DISCUSSION MEET

The Top Four finalists in the GFB YF&R Discussion Meet Competition were: from left, Willie Sizemore, Cleve Jackson, Emily Leonard & Will

Cabe. Jackson won the event. | Photo by Jennifer Whittaker

Cleve Jackson, of Floyd County, prevailed over 16 other competitors from 16 counties, to win the GFB YF&R Discussion Meet. This event is designed to mimic a committee meeting in which individuals seek solutions to ag issues. In the Final Four round of the discussion meet, Jackson and the other finalists: Will Cabe of Franklin County; Emily Leonard of Echols County; and Willie Sizemore of Lee County; discussed how Farm Bureau can improve its effectiveness at recruiting YF&R members and increasing participation in YF&R programs.

Jackson, received $500, a John Deere ATV and an expense-paid trip to the 2022 AFBF Convention. Jackson is a sales representative for Elanco Animal Health’s poultry products and runs a commercial cow/calf operation.

Cabe is a poultry, cattle, hay, goat and sheep producer who is a past chairman of the GFB YF&R Committee. Leonard, who was the top collegiate competitor in the discussion meet, is a rising senior at the UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences (CAES) where she is majoring in agricultural communications. She will represent GFB in the AFBF YF&R Collegiate Discussion Meet next winter at the AFBF YF&R Conference. Sizemore is a recent graduate of the UGA CAES where he majored in ag communications. The three finalists each received $350.

2021 GEORGIA FARM BUREAU COMMODITY CONFERENCE

Commodity conference speakers upbeat about agriculture By Jay Stone and Jennifer Whittaker

Georgia Farm Bureau held its 2021 Commodity Conference at the UGA Tifton Campus Aug. 12. Speakers gave members of the organization’s 20 commodity advisory committees updates on a variety of ag issues and attendees had a chance to talk to UGA ag researchers about projects they are conducting to help farmers. GFB kicked off its policy development process as the committees reviewed the organization's state and federal policy pertaining to their specific commodities.

Farmers should vote & vax

Georgia’s ag economy should remain stable according to State Fiscal Economist Jeffrey Dorfman. He said Georgia’s overall economy has fared relatively well since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dorfman, a UGA professor of agricultural and applied economics, emphasized that farmers need to vote and get vaccinated.

“Elections are important,” Dorfman said. “If you want to know what’s going to affect the type of regulations you’re going to face in farming, if you don’t want that ditch on your farm to become a water of the United States again, then you’ve got to vote in 2022 and 2024.”

He also encouraged Georgians to get the COVID-19 vaccine. “The number one thing you can do is get vaccinated, wear a mask and socially distance,” Dorfman said. “If we can stay healthy, then our economy is going to go gangbusters, and we’re going to be fine.”

Dorfman said farmers could expect continued low interest rates, slight decreases in energy prices and continued “mid-level” commodity prices.

Dorfman pointed to key indicators as gauges for the state’s economy since March 2020 when the pandemic hit. Thanks to federal stimulus payments and increased unemployment benefits, personal income

Ag has great conservation story

Agriculture’s conservation story, American Farm Bureau Senior Director of Congressional Relations Andrew Walmsley said, is one of which farmers should be proud. Farmers have been doing their part to conserve natural resources, and as the climate change policy discussion continues, agriculture has a seat at an important table.

Since the late 1940s, American agriculture has increased its production 287% while farm inputs have remained relatively flat. Walmsley said factoring in agriculture’s small share of greenhouse gas emissions and its sizeable contribution to carbon capture, ag absorbs more greenhouse gases than it produces. has remained steady, and people have saved money.

Americans went from saving approximately 7% of their income to about a third and have amassed $6 trillion in savings. Georgians have about $200 billion in savings.

Dorfman said full return to normal will take time because hiring and training employees takes time. This is complicated by workers switching jobs. Filling one job leaves another vacant.

“As we go forward in policy discussions or private market developments, how do you shrink [emissions] while increasing [carbon capture] and make sure we remain sustainable?” Walmsley said. “For me, sustainable for agriculture is economic viability. It does us no good to run anybody out of business.”