In the last week, the Georgia Farm Bureau held its annual Commodity Conference in Tifton to hear news and discuss policy priorities for 2025. Attendees heard presentations on state government, weather, land values, the economy and politics.
Former state Representative Tom McCall continues to serve as the GFB, with few people knowing the legislature better, holding office from 1994-2020 before retiring and taking the helm at GFB.
“This meeting kicks off our policy development process of getting our members’ input on issues affecting your farms and agriculture,” GFB President Tom McCall said. “Developing our policy is the most important thing we do and it starts at the local level in your counties and with those of you serving on our commodity committees telling us what position you want Farm Bureau to take on legislation and agency regulations discussed in Atlanta and D.C.”
Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper also attended the conference, giving an update on the legislature’s support for farmers and the work he is doing at the Department of Ag. Harper announced the creation of a new division specifically for the state’s farmers markets. Harper also noted the state legislature allocated more than $37.5 million for infrastructure improvements at the Atlanta State Farmers Market.
The start of the conference came on the same day that Agriculture agents partnered with the Atlanta division of the Drug Enforcement Association on the largest single seizure of crystal methamphetamines in the division’s history. In total, 2,585 pounds of crystal meth, worth more than $3 million, were seized at the Atlanta State Farmer’s Market in Forest Park. The drugs were concealed in boxes of celery in the truck driven by Jesus Martinez, a suspected cartel member having driven in from Mexico.
The seizure is also some vindication for Commissioner Harper’s decision to restore the law enforcement division of his department. “This monumental seizure underscores the importance of safeguarding Georgia’s agricultural industry and our state’s food supply from criminal activity – and that’s exactly why we began the process of restoring the Department’s Law Enforcement authority on Day 1,” said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper.
Perhaps the most important presentation at the conference for the attendees came from Bryant Peace, a senior advisor with Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate about the state’s land values. Development pressure is pushing on farms across the state as Georgia’s population continues to grow at a brisk pace. At the same time, demand for agricultural land is also pushing up prices in south Georgia due to even stronger residential development pressure in Florida. In short, so many people are moving into Florida that cattle ranchers are looking to Georgia land to move their herds.
One attempt to address these pressures comes from the Georgia Farmland Conservation Act, passed by the legislature, which is a conservation easement program that allows for agricultural land to be kept and protected. The move comes from the recognition that individual farmers may be tempted to sell but eventually the loss of farms can have a real impact on supply chains and security. As the state’s number one industry and part of a secure local supply chain, the legislature’s attention and work of the conference remains critical.
