From the April, 2007 issue:
CHEROKEE COUNTY
Cherokee County Farm Bureau’s main focus this year is Ag Education, and their county volunteers have been busy with different activities. The county participated in “Read Across America” at Ball Ground Elementary School where Young Farmer Chairman Clint Weatherby and CCFB member Vicky Grizzle read books about poultry to students.

Weatherby also visited Harmony on the Lakes Pre-School where he read Johnny Appleseed and taught the children how to plant seeds. He took the children apple juice and ag teaching resources to the teachers. Weatherby also did an Ag Education Program for 3rd and 4th grade students at the Community Christian School where his topic was Agriculture in Georgia. He took the students bags filled with agriculture information for notebooks they were making on Ag-In-Georgia as a class assignment.

To celebrate National Agriculture Week, CCFB held an Ag Week Breakfast cosponsored with the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce. Cherokee and Etowah FFA & 4-H students participated in the program. Booths from 14 farms and businesses were on display to educate the public about agriculture. CCFB ran several pages in the Cherokee Tribune on Ag Day, March 21, to promote agriculture, and had radio spots on WLJA Radio Station. CCFB also sponsored the 5th grade Ag Awareness Week activities coordinated by the governor’s office. In addition to having an Ag Awareness display in their office, CCFB put displays at three schools, TSC Tractor Supply and other businesses, and in seven Sequoyah libraries.


COLQUITT COUNTY

The Colquitt County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee promoted Food Check-Out Day by hosting an educational booth at Harvey’s Supermarket in Moultrie.

Committee members talked to consumers about the affordability of food in America and collected donations for the Ronald McDonald House and the Colquitt County Food Bank.

The CCFB Women’s Committee collected $100 during the event that was divided between the two charities. Mrs. Cannon and CCFB President Donald Horne recently presented a $50 check to Andy Jordan, director of the Colquitt County Food Bank.

CCFB Women’s Chairman Erline Cannon is pictured explaining the significance of Food Check-Out Day to a Harvey’s customer.



CRAWFORD COUNTY

The Crawford County Young Farmer Committee has been active this winter!

Committee members cooked hot dogs the night before the annual Crawford County Livestock Show for all of the show participants and their parents, when the animals were weighed and checked-in. Some of the committee members worked the ring during the show, Feb. 17, and helped cook pork chops for the FFA fundraiser.

In an effort to promote GFB’s commodity of the year, poultry, CCFB YF Chairman Leighton Cooley (left) recently visited two 3rd grade classrooms at Crawford County Elementary School to talk to them about the industry.

Cooley, a 4th generation poultry farmer, talked to the students about the process of receiving the biddies that are less than a day old and raising them for 8 weeks until the birds weigh approximately 7 lbs. and are picked up to be delivered to the processing plant. The 50 students and two teachers were very attentive and full of questions. Poultry Ag Mags were also distributed to each student.

The Young Farmers also conducted a raffle for a Remington shotgun. The drawing was held, March 22, during the annual CCFB Steak Supper. This supper provides the prize money for the Livestock Show participants. The proceeds of the raffle will also be used for furthering the project work of the Young Farmers this year.


EMANUEL COUNTY

The Emanuel County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee observed Food Check-Out Day by hosting a booth at Harvey’s Supermarket in Swainsboro.

Committee members were on hand to share information with shoppers about the affordability of food in America and to collect non-perishable food donations from shoppers for the local food bank.

A drawing was held from the names of shoppers who made food donations for two $25 gift certificates.

Becky Moore serves as chairman of the Women’s Committee.



HENRY COUNTY

Henry County Farm Bureau recently hosted a Legislative Breakfast at the state capitol.

Chicken biscuits were served to promote Georgia Farm Bureau’s 2007 commodity, poultry.

Henry County Farm Bureau members (left to right) Dick Toppins, HCFB Legislative Chair Eleanor Toppins, Dianne Elkins and HCFB President Jack Elkins were joined by “Henry-etta,” one of the famous Chick-Fil-A cows, as they welcomed more than 80 visitors to the breakfast, and urged them to “Eat more chicken.”  

“Henry-etta” proudly wore her HCFB badge as she promoted Georgia’s poultry industry.




JASPER COUNTY

Jasper County Farm Bureau celebrated Food Check-Out Week.

During February, JCFB volunteers accepted non-perishable items to assist the hungry in Jasper County.

The items were taken to the local DFACS office for the food pantry.

Londa Champion (R), JCFB Women’s chair, presents the items to Valerie Goolsby at DFACS.







JONES COUNTY
The Jones County Women’s Committee held an event at Ingles supermarket in Gray, Feb. 7, to celebrate Food Check-Out Week.

Women’s Committee members Pat Daniels, Teresa Chambers, Frances Chambers, Betty Smith, and Louise Rowland, worked in shifts from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m., greeting customers and educating them about the significance of Food Check-Out Week.

JCFB Secretary Barbara Bridges provided the committee members with brochures that were distributed to explain that the week marks the time when most Americans have earned enough disposable income to pay for their yearly food supply.
The committee also distributed a wish list of food and pantry items requested by the Ronald McDonald House of Central Georgia in Macon.  

Participating shoppers gave their donations to JCFB Women’s Committee members as they left the store. About 430 food and pantry items were donated. The committee also collected almost $140 in cash donations. Ingles employee Andi Conyer donated pantry items during the event, and her mother, Darlene, gave a generous monetary donation. Patricia Clark and Judy Petty gave other special donations. This was a very rewarding project for the JCFB group. Ingles staff were very supportive of the program and invited the JCFB to come back again.

Pictured from left, JCFB Women’s Committee co-chairs Betty Smith and Pat Daniels accept a donation of pantry items for the Ronald McDonald House from Ingles employee Andi Conyer.


MACON COUNTY

The Macon County Farm Bureau held their Food Check-Out event Feb. 8.  

Farm Bureau members arranged Food Check-Out displays in the Harvey’s Supermarket in Montezuma and the Oglethorpe Piggly Wiggly and were on hand to tell shoppers the story behind Food Check-Out Week.  

Harvey’s and Piggly Wiggly also teamed with Farm Bureau to sponsor prizes of poultry products in drawings held at each store.

 Martha Hardy was the winner at Harvey’s, while Rose Mathis and Ella Mae Towns were the winners at Piggly Wiggly.

Pictured from left, Women’s Committee Chair Ellen Chase congratulates Ella Mae Towns as she accepts her prize from Piggly Wiggly Manager Rodney Vissage.



NEWTON COUNTY

The Newton County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee promoted Food Check-Out Week by giving a presentation at the young farmer meeting and holding a contest with the agents at the NCFB office to see which agent could collect the most money.

The winning agent, Bill Calder, received a gift certificate to a local restaurant.

The women’s committee collected  $136 for the Ronald McDonald Foundation and an additional $36 that was donated to the Solid Rock Baptist Church Food Pantry.

Women’s Committee members involved with the project were Nancy Mitcham, Sandi Mitcham, Beth Galloway and Christy Allen.

Women’s Committee Chairman Nancy Mitcham is pictured collecting funds at the young farmer meeting.


WALKER COUNTY

Walker County Farm Bureau collaborated with English teachers at the LaFayette Middle School to encourage students to participate in the ’07 GFB Middle School Essay Contest.

The essay topic was “How Many Hats Does a Farmer Wear?”

Walker County Extension Agent Norman Edwards spoke to the LMS students before they wrote their essays, explaining the many different jobs farmers have.

7th Grade Essay Contest winners were: 1st Place, Joe Coffman; 2nd Place, Alison Hix; 3rd Place, Christian Hambrick. 8th Grade Essay Contest winners were: 1st Place, Luke Payne; 2nd Place, Taylor Oliver; 3rd Place, Emily White.

Each 1st place winner received $25, 2nd place $15 and 3rd place $10.

Pictured from left, WCFB Promotion & Education Chair Suzannne Chapman and LaFayette Middle School Principle Mike Culberson congratulate the 8th Grade winners Luke Payne, Taylor Oliver, and Emily White, along with WCFB Women’s Committee Chair Starr Hawkins and WCFB President J. Louis Hunt.

WHITFIELD COUNTY

Whitfield County Farm Bureau members celebrated their new office building with an open house, March 1.

The 9,248 square foot building includes a large boardroom for director meetings, a kitchen, offices for up to 18 agents, two adjuster offices, and a break room for office staff.

“We hope that our members feel comfortable when they come in and will be proud of the facility. This building is double the size of the office we had, and we added a meeting room where we can hold a lot of community activities that we’ve always had to go elsewhere to hold,” Whitfield County Farm Bureau President Willard Redwine said.

“I hope our members feel that we’re here to serve their needs, which is first with us, whether it be insurance or other things that we do.”

The 13-member Whitfield County Farm Bureau staff moved into the new building in November.