February 15, 2012
www.gfb.org
Vol. 30 No. 7
GFB MEMBERS TALK PRIORITY ISSUES DURING GFB DAY AT THE CAPITOL Almost 500 Georgia Farm Bureau members participated in GFB Day at the Capitol on Feb. 14, taking the opportunity to discuss the organization’s priority issues with elected leaders. Though the Georgia General Assembly was in recess, GFB members were still able to interact with their state representatives and senators, many of whom attended the GFB luncheon at the Georgia Freight Depot. Participants were encouraged to raise legislators’ awareness on GFB’s 2012 priority issues -- water, taxes & budget, animal agriculture, metal theft and farm labor. “It’s vitally important,” said GFB President Zippy Duvall. “We’re here every day during the session, working the issues every day. But when 500 people leave their farm on their dollar to give their time to talk about the issues that we’ve been talking about all during the session, it puts a force behind it. The representatives and senators up here realize we’re speaking for a lot of people.” Gov. Nathan Deal spoke at the luncheon, praising GFB for being a cohesive element in the state’s social fabric. Deal discussed a variety of topics, including recently announced education initiatives, steps the state is taking to improve health, taxes and emerging overseas markets for Georgia agricultural commodities. Deal pointed out that pine trees grown in Georgia are now being used to generate electricity in the European Union, noting that the venues at the London Olympics this summer will be lit using energy generated through the use of Georgia pine tree pellets. He also discussed the ongoing challenges Georgia faces with its water supply, praising farmers for their willingness to participate in various water-related conservation and measurement projects being conducted by the state. Florida and Alabama on Feb. 13 petitioned the Supreme Court to review the appellate court ruling that allowed metro Atlanta access to water from Lake Lanier. “I am working hard to get this water war over with,” Deal said. “It is being used as a negative tool against us in the recruiting of businesses, because most businesses when they come are going to want to know that there is an adequate water resource, especially if they are manufacturers, and that is the kind of new business and new jobs we are looking for.” During the GFB luncheon, Georgia Tobacco Commission members Daniel Johnson and Paul Folsom presented a framed tobacco print to Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, to be hung in the Georgia Department of Agriculture building along with art depicting the state’s other commodities.