GFB Young Farmers visit Washington, D.C.

The Young Farmers who traveled to Washington are pictured on the terrace adjacent to the Kennedy grave site in Arlington National Cemetery.

Twenty-nine young Farm Bureau members from 20 counties traveled to Washington, D.C., March 13-16, for the 21st Annual Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmer to Washington Trip.

During the four-day legislative experience, the young farmers visited the American Farm Bureau headquarters where they met AFBF President Bob Stallman and were briefed on priority issues for Georgia and the American Farm Bureau.

The group also met with Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson and enjoyed a group breakfast meeting with Rep. Jim Marshall. Each young farmer had an appointment with his respective congressman. Among the legislative issues discussed were immigration, estate taxes, animal ID and private property rights.

In addition to the legislative meetings, the group had the opportunity to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, visit the Iwo Jima Memorial and see many of the other noted sites in Washington.

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GFB Young Farmers Attend
Leadership Conference

Members of the Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmer Committee attended the annual AFBF Young Farmer and Rancher Leadership Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, Feb. 25-27. The conference attracted more than 850 young farmers from across America who attended educational and motivational workshops.

During the conference, GFB was recognized for devoting more than 800 volunteer hours to the Harvest For All program. This was the second highest number of volunteer hours among participating state Farm Bureaus. During GFB’s 2005 Harvest For All Campaign, every Georgia county Farm Bureau contributed at least four bags of staple food items totaling 17,000 pounds of food that was delivered to victims of Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi.

Nationally, Farm Bureau members raised $160,000 for Harvest For All and donated 686,000 pounds of food.

GFB Young Farmers who accepted the plaque of recognition are pictured from left: GFB Young Farmer Committee Chairman Chad Carlton, Polk County; Jack and Laura Leard, McDuffie County; GFB YF Committee Coordinator Bob Ragsdale; Marilynn Howard and Chris Hopkins, Toombs County; Will Boyd, Screven County; Nancy Williams, Cherokee County; AFBF President Bob Stallman; Julie Anna Cobb, Jefferson County and Ben Boyd, former GFB and former AFBF YF Committee Chairman, Screven County.