Here is a feature article from the Winter, 2007 Issue

GFB honors state program winners; burns note

Another highlight of the annual GFB Convention was recognition of the organization’s outstanding volunteers and county chapters.

Former GFB President Wayne Dollar (seated, center) congratulates the 2006 GFB state award recipients: (seated, L-R) Tim Duvall, Pat Daniels,Crystal Smallwood and Chuck Berry (standing L-R) Bo Childs, Albert Cagle, Elton Baldy, Scotty Dumas, Will Boyd and Greg Pittman.
Greene County Farm Bureau received the prestigious McKemie Award - the highest honor awarded to a county Farm Bureau - in recognition of the county’s member service programs. Tim Duvall was the 2006 president of the Greene County Farm Bureau.

The McKemie Award is a memorial to one of the organization’s former presidents, W.J. McKemie. Other finalists in the McKemie competition, listed alphabetically, were: Cherokee County, William Grizzle, county president, Crawford County, Jimmy Moncrief, county president; Jasper County, Paul Kelly, county president and Newton County, Brent Galloway, county president.

Will Boyd of Screven County was named the Young Farmer Achievement winner. Boyd produces cotton, corn, peanuts, soybeans and cattle on his farm near Sylvania. Boyd competed for national honors at the American Farm Bureau Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah, in early January. Boyd serves on the Screven County Farm Bureau Board of Directors. He served on the Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmer Committee from 1996-1997. Will and his wife, Wendy, have three sons, Wilson, Weston and Waylon. Boyd received a $500 cash prize from Dodge Truck and a year’s use of a Kubota tractor. Other finalists in the GFB Young Farmer Achievement Contest were Leighton and Brenda Cooley of Crawford County and Phillip Merk of Jackson County. The Cooleys raise broilers, cattle and hay. Merk raises cattle and hay.

Elton Baldy of Colquitt County won the Young Farmer Discussion Meet and competed for national honors at the AFBF Convention in Salt Lake City, on Jan. 7, where he advanced to the third round of competition. Other finalists included Matt Bottoms of Pike County, Brian Moseley of Chattooga County and Nancie Sanders of Greene County. During the discussion meet, the contestants discussed the topic “ What are the effects of animal identification on U.S. agriculture?” Baldy received a $500 cash award courtesy of Dodge Truck and an Arctic Cat 500 ATV.

Other state awards presented included: Jasper County – recipient of the Outstanding Information & Public Relations Committee Award; Jones County, recipient of the Outstanding Women’s Committee Award; Cherokee County, recipient of the Outstanding Legislative Committee Award; Jackson County, recipient of the Outstanding Promotion & Education Award, and Newton County, recipient of the Outstanding Young Farmer Committee Award. Crystal Smallwood, Jasper County Farm Bureau office manager, was named the Outstanding Secretary of the Year. Smallwood was recognized for her professionalism and for her work to promote the goals of Farm Bureau. She has been employed with the Jasper County Farm Bureau for nine years.

The GFB Distinguished Service Award was given posthumously to Wyatt W. Childs, who served on the GFB Board of Directors from 1989 until his death this year. Childs, of Lamar County, was instrumental in establishing Farm Bureau in that county and served as the charter president of the Lamar County Farm Bureau in 1946 and then from 1984 until his death.



GFB burns note for Headquarters building
Pictured from left, former GFB presidents Mort Ewing, Bob Nash, Emmett Reynolds, and Bill Lanier join GFB Treasurer and Corporate Secretary Wayne Daniel and President Wayne Dollar in burning the note for the GFB headquarters building.
Georgia Farm Bureau members celebrated the full payment of the GFB headquarters building in Macon with a note burning ceremony during the organization’s 68th annual convention.

Outgoing Georgia Farm Bureau President Wayne Dollar and former GFB Presidents William Lanier (1964-1970), H. Emmett Reynolds (1970-1978), Robert L. Nash (1978-1988) and T.M. “ Mort” Ewing (1988-1994) participated in the ceremony.

The groundbreaking ceremonies for the organization’s current five story, 170,000 sq. ft. building located in Bibb County at the interchange of Interstate 75 and Bass Road were held March 11, 1987. The new building was dedicated and officially opened on September 14, 1988.

“Today we celebrate a milestone in the life of this organization. Our accomplishment today is because of the collective strength of our past leaders,” Dollar said.