Growing On Podcast

Presented by Georgia Farm Bureau

"Growing On" is a show produced by the Georgia Farm Bureau to discuss agriculture related issues and topics to help promote and advocate for Georgia agriculture as well as educate consumers about the production of food and traditional farming practices. 

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Episode 56: Inside the Capitol: Adam Belflower on Lobbying, Policy, and Why Your Vote Matters for Georgia Ag

In this episode of Growing On, host John Holcomb sits down with Adam Belflower, Georgia Farm Bureau’s State Affairs Manager, for an inside look at how the organization advocates for farmers at the Capitol. Belflower breaks down what a state affairs manager (in plain terms, a lobbyist) actually does day to day, from monitoring the thousands of bills introduced each legislative session to building the trust that lets him serve as a go-to resource for lawmakers on agricultural issues.

We dig into how Georgia Farm Bureau’s policy positions are built entirely from the ground up, starting with resolutions from all 159 counties and commodity advisory committees, debated at the Policy Development Committee, and ultimately voted on by the membership at the annual convention in December. Belflower also walks through how a bill actually gets written and introduced, Georgia’s part-time legislative session, and why having farmers themselves serving in the General Assembly matters so much when lobbyists can’t be in every room.

With the November 3rd general election just days away, the conversation turns to Farm Bureau’s nonpartisan I Farm I Vote campaign, why voter turnout is one of the most powerful tools farmers have, and the key constitutional amendments on this year’s ballot, including Amendment 1, which would raise the conservation-use acreage cap from 2,000 to 4,000 acres to help keep farmland in agricultural production.

For more infoormation on the I Farm. I Vote. Campaign, click here.