Georgia Farm Bureau voting delegates elected the organization’s 2019 board of directors Dec. 4 during the 81st Annual GFB Convention held on Jekyll Island.

GFB President Gerald Long was re-elected to a second two-year term. Long, of Decatur County, raises cattle and grows peanuts, vegetables, corn, cotton, hay, small grains and timber with his family on their farm near Bainbridge. He has served on the GFB Board of Directors in various roles since 1999 and is a Decatur County Farm Bureau director. He was designated GFB president in January 2016 and elected to his first full term in December 2016.

GFB members in the organization’s Middle Georgia Region re-elected Robert Fountain Jr. of Emanuel County to represent their region on the Georgia Farm Bureau Board of Directors for his fourth straight three-year term. Fountain was also redesignated as the organization’s 1st vice president. The GFB Middle Georgia Region includes 56 county Farm Bureaus in the middle third of Georgia. Fountain has held the position since 2009 and previously held the position from 1997 to 2006. He is the third generation to own his family’s farm located in Emanuel and Johnson counties. He raises cattle, hay, timber, small grains and pecans.

Bernard Sims of Catoosa County continues to serve as the North Georgia Vice President. Sims is in the second year of his fourth three-year term. The GFB North Georgia Region includes 49 county Farm Bureaus in the northern third of Georgia. Sims serves as the Catoosa County Farm Bureau president. He grows turf grass, small grains, strawberries and hay, and raises cattle.   

Daniel Johnson of Pierce County is beginning the third year of his three-year term as GFB South Georgia Vice President. The South Georgia Region is comprised of 53 counties in the lower third of the state. Johnson, who grows tobacco, cotton and peanuts, previously represented the organization’s 10th District on the GFB Board of Directors from 2006-2016. He currently serves as vice president of Pierce County Farm Bureau after serving PCFB president for the previous 25 years. Johnson chairs the Georgia Agricultural Commodity Commission for Tobacco.

The following were re-elected unopposed to serve two-year terms on the Georgia Farm Bureau Board of Directors: Wesley Hall of Forsyth County, 1st District; Randy Ruff of Elbert County, 2nd District; Nora Goodman of Paulding County, 3rd District; Skeetter McCorkle of McDuffie County, 4th District; Matt Bottoms of Pike County, 5th District; James Emory Tate of Jeff Davis County, 6th District; Ben Boyd of Screven County, 7th District; Don Wood of Wilcox County, 8th District; Lucius Adkins of Baker County, 9th District; and Lamar Vickers of Berrien County, 10th District.       

GFB directors beginning the second year of the two-year terms they were elected to in 2017 are:  Bill Bryan of Chattooga County, 1st District; Bobby Gunter of Lumpkin County, 2nd District; George Chambers of Carroll County, 3rd District; Marvin Ruark of Morgan County, 4th District; Ralph Adamson of Lamar County, 5th District; James Malone Jr. of Laurens County, 6th District; Gary Bell of Evans County, 7th District; Scotty Raines of Turner County, 8th District; Paul Shirah of Mitchell County, 9th District; and David Lee of Bacon County, 10th District.

Ben Cagle of Cherokee County was named chairman of the Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee. Nancy Kennedy of Hancock County was named chairwoman of the Georgia Farm Bureau Women’s Committee. Each will serve a one-year term as committee chairmen and on the Georgia Farm Bureau Board of Directors.

Appointed officers of the GFB Board of Directors include General Counsel Duke Groover, Chief Administrative Officer & Corporate Secretary Jon Huffmaster and Chief Financial Officer & Corporate Treasurer David Jolley.

Delegates also voted on policy that will direct the organization’s stance on legislative issues pertaining to agriculture in the coming year.