Here is a feature article from the Winter, 2007 Issue

GFB Elects New Leadership

By Jennifer Whittaker

Voting delegates at the 68th Annual Georgia Farm Bureau Convention, held Dec. 3-6, elected Zippy Duvall, of Greene County, to serve as president of the organization for a two-year term.
Newly elected GFB President Zippy Duvall thanks the GFB voting delegation for their support.
Duvall raises poultry, cattle and hay. Duvall ran against Robert Fountain, Jr., of Emanuel County, and Gary Paulk, of Irwin County, to replace former GFB President Wayne Dollar, of Thomas County, who retired after 12 years of service.

A Farm Bureau member since 1977, Duvall, 50, currently serves on the Greene County Farm Bureau Board of Directors and has held numerous leadership positions in the county Farm Bureau including president and vice president. He has served on the Georgia Farm Bureau Board of Directors representing the organization’s 4th District since 2002. Duvall has served on numerous GFB Commodity Advisory Committees, the GFB Policy Development Committee and is a past chairman of the GFB Young Farmer Committee. He has represented Georgia as a voting delegate at the American Farm Bureau Federation Convention since being elected to the state board and served on the AFBF Board of Directors in the 1980s as chairman of the AFBF Young Farmer & Rancher Committee. On Jan. 9, he was elected to the AFBF Board. He is a member of Gov. Sonny Perdue’s Agricultural Advisory Council.

In addition to his Farm Bureau leadership, Duvall served on the Greene County Board of Commissioners for eight years and resigned his position as commission chairman after being elected president of Georgia Farm Bureau. He has served on the Rayle EMC Board of Directors for 16 years. He is also a member of the Greensboro Farmers Bank Board of Directors and is a member of the Greensboro/Greene County Chamber of Commerce. Duvall and his wife, Bonnie, have four children: Vince and daughter-in-law Erin, Corrie, Zeb and Zellie. The family attends New Hope Baptist Church.

“We, the farmers, have some exciting challenges ahead of us. We’re proud of our heritage and what we’ve done in the past. We’re going to make this organization proud of our future,” Duvall said in his acceptance speech.

Duvall says the future of the organization is rooted in technology, communicating with Farm Bureau members and listening with open ears.

“This is a grassroots organization. We have to make sure that we are doing what our members want us to be doing, and we’ll do that by communicating with our Farm Bureau members,” Duvall said.


GFB members elect 2007 Board of Directors

In addition to electing a new president, Georgia Farm Bureau voting delegates also re-designated GFB North Georgia Vice President Donald Childs of Jackson County as the organization’s 1st vice president. Childs is vice president of the Jackson County Farm Bureau and has served on the GFB Board of Directors since 1979. Brent Galloway, Newton County Farm Bureau president, was elected Middle Georgia vice president. Gerald Long, Decatur County Farm Bureau secretary-treasurer, was elected South Georgia vice president.

Georgia Farm Bureau members also elected district directors. In district director races with opposition, William Hutchins of Barrow County was elected to represent the GFB’s 4th District. Jim Ham of Monroe County and Ralph Adamson, Jr., of Lamar County were elected to represent the GFB’s 5th District. Ben Boyd of Screven County was elected to represent the 7th District. Paul Shirah of Mitchell County was elected to represent the 9th District. Daniel Johnson of Pierce County was elected to represent the 10th District.

The following were re-elected unopposed to serve two-year terms on the Georgia Farm Bureau Board of Directors: Henry West, Gordon County, 1st District; Randy Ruff, Elbert County, 2nd District; Nora Goodman, Paulding County, 3rd District; James Emory Tate, Jeff Davis County, 6th District; Don Wood, Wilcox County, 8th District and Lucius Adkins, Jr., Baker County, 9th District.

GFB board members beginning the second year of the two-year term they were elected to in 2005 are: J. Louis Hunt of Walker County, 1st District; Dean Jones of Hall County, 2nd District; George Chambers of Carroll County, 3rd District; Marvin Ruark of Morgan County, 4th District; Jimmy Perry of Bleckley County, 6th District; Gennis Folsom of Tattnall County, 7th District and Phil Redding of Clay County, 8th District.

Chris Paulk of Irwin County was named chairman of the Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmer Committee. Hazel Masters of Dougherty County was named chairman of the Georgia Farm Bureau Women’s Committee. Both will serve a one-year term as committee chairmen and will sit on the Georgia Farm Bureau Board of Directors.