James Jan-Feb 2024 web - Flipbook - Page 13
With a new year comes new hope
and optimism for Georgia farmers
as they reflect on the prior year’s
crop and make decisions for the
upcoming planting season. It is an
opportunity to evaluate the needs of
their land, rotate crops, grow their
herd, nurture the established pecan
orchard or invest in a promising new
variety of citrus. This season of planning for the future with an eye on
the past is mirrored as the General
Assembly returns to Atlanta for the
legislative session.
Georgia’s landscape is changing.
Our population is quickly increasing
and expanding into quieter towns,
altering their needs. Small businesses are growing to meet demand and
supply new markets. Innovation
and technological advances have
brought new opportunity as well as
challenges. We are proud to don the
banner of the “Best State for Business” for the 10th consecutive year,
but it is also important to tend to the
commodity that provided our foundation— agriculture.
Our state’s number one industry
and driving force of local communities continues to be agriculture,
providing more than 340,000 jobs
and a $73.2 billion economic impact.
It is the historic bedrock supporting
Georgia’s growth and success. Its
importance is reflected in our state
seal cast with the motto “Agriculture
and Commerce, 1776” and with the
nation’s first established state Department of Agriculture, which celebrates
its 150th anniversary this year.
This industry has changed
significantly since our statehood,
however. Agriculture has become
globally interconnected with other sectors to provide the food and
fiber for an increasing population.
Beyond the fences, farmers depend
on researchers to develop the most
productive seed and inputs; manufacturers for efficient equipment;
financial services for capital; veterinarians for animal health; food
scientists and processors to develop
products; food safety inspectors;
transportation and the ports to
reach markets; and retailers.
Public policy significantly
influences each of these sectors
and, ultimately, agriculture. Georgia Farm Bureau was founded in
1937 to serve as the unified voice of
farmers in the legislative arena, and
that mission remains as important
now as ever. As the largest general
agricultural organization, our goal
is to cultivate a sustainable environment for farmers to be successful.
Protecting the future of agriculture
is vital to all Georgians and our
nation. With the global population
expected to increase by 2.2 billion
by 2050, farmers will need to produce 70 percent more than they
are today to meet this demand. By
advocating for adequate education
funding, natural resource management, control of wildlife crop damage, and farm-friendly tax policies,
we believe the General Assembly
can lead the state to these goals.
JA NUA RY/ F E BRUARY 2 0 2 4
13