Georgia's Youth Celebrate Equine Championship Day

By Erica Lummus, spring intern

Young equestrians from all over Georgia traveled to congregate at the State Capitol on Feb. 4 to celebrate and be commended for their equine accomplishments.

Gov. Nathan Deal addresses attendees at the Fifth Annual
Youth Equine Championship Day on Feb. 4. Photo by
Evan Karanovich

“We look forward to Youth Equine Day each year and are thankful for the opportunity to promote and educate others on Georgia’s equine industry while honoring our young equestrians,” Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary W. Black said.

This year’s occasion marked the Fifth Annual Youth Equine Championship Day. 

“This event has grown from an idea that we had about six years ago. We had everyone over in [a Department conference room] and we were trying to fit 400 people in the room.  Commissioner Irvin, at the time, told me to go find a bigger building; so you can see where we are now.  We have a gaggle of people,” said John Clements of the Georgia Department of Agriculture Commodity Commission for Equine. 

The event recognizes young people who have participated in, qualified and won in regional, national or world championship horse shows.

“We have over 300 national world qualifiers, our state champions and 11 world champions.  That is very impressive for Georgia.  We have anything from mini horses all the way up to Quarter Horses, Appaloosas and Palominos and we have two world champions this year from the Mini Horse association and a reigning horse young lady from the Appaloosa association,” Clements said.

More than 200 horse show winners were recognized by Gov. Nathan Deal, Black and the Senate and House agriculture committees.

“We believe we are the only state in the nation that has a program of this kind honoring young equestrians. These kids all enjoy their Capitol Hill experience but it is also special for them to be recognized by their peers. Every year this event grows beyond our expectation,” Clements said.

Capitol Corner: What's Up Across the Street

Compiled by Chris Green, deputy policy director for the Department

The House passed the Governor’s FY2014 amended budget. It will now move to the Senate for a vote.

We are continuing to monitor HB 718, which would allow the sale of raw milk for human consumption. Georgia law allows for such products to be sold and used for pets and livestock, but NOT humans due to health concerns.

HB 780 was introduced last week, which would allow Georgians to own pygmy hedgehogs as pets. Hedgehogs are non-native wild animals in Georgia and owning one as a pet is prohibited under Georgia’s Wild Animal Law (OCGA §27-5-1). The Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the Georgia Department of Agriculture drafted a briefing highlighting the significant public health and livestock concerns regarding disease transmission. Hedgehogs can harbor several bacterial and fungal disease agents that are transmissible to humans.

SB 213 revises the Flint River Drought Protection Act (2013 legislative session) and may be discussed in the House Agriculture Committee soon. We are watching this bill closely as it directly impacts agriculture water use, conservation, and efficiency of agriculture irrigation systems.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture supports HB 731 (J. Calvin Hill, Jr. Act) which will clarify some outdated language in the Official Code relating to measurements and the National Bureau of Standards.

Guest Column: State Beef Referendum Coming in 2014

Originally published in the Dec. 11, 2013, issue

 

CALLAWAY

Now is the time for all cattle producers in Georgia to make your voice heard! You have until Dec. 31 to request a ballot to vote in the beef referendum that will be held in early 2014. In case you are unaware of what is happening with regards to the referendum, I would like to give you a brief summary of how this all came about.

The Georgia Farm Bureau Beef Commodity Committee was meeting in August 2011. During the meeting the need for more dollars for valuable research and product promotion was discussed.  After much conversation it was suggested that a study committee of stakeholders be formed to look at a producer investment program. The idea was put into official policy and passed by the general membership at the annual meeting at Jekyll Island.

Fast forward about four months and a similar policy was passed by Georgia Cattlemen’sAssociation at their annual meeting at the Beef Expo in Perry during April 2012. It was just a matter of time before the Georgia Milk Producers and the Georgia Livestock Marketing Association came on board also. Three people from each organization were appointed to a 12-member study committee. 

The study committee met through the summer and fall at various locations throughout the state. In the end it was unanimous among the committee that a referendum be held and let the producers decide if they wanted a state beef checkoff.

This checkoff should not be confused with the National Beef Checkoff that has been law since 1986. The national Checkoff of $1 per head can be spent only for promotion, research or education. Fifty cents of every dollar collected is administered by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board at the national level. The other 50 cents of every dollar is returned to the state where it is collected and here in Georgia is administered by the Georgia Beef Board. Both the state and national boards are comprised of beef farmers, ranchers, dairymen and livestock market operators.

Meetings were held with the commissioner of agriculture and other key members of the Department of Agriculture. They were supportive and offered their help in any way. After much work by all involved, Senate Bill 97 was introduced in the 2013 legislative session of the General Assembly. The bill, passed and signed into law by the governor, called for a referendum to be held with all Georgia cattle producers eligible to vote their wishes as to whether or not to fund the Georgia Agricultural Commodity Commission for Beef. Anyone in Georgia who owned cattle in the last 12 months is eligible to vote. Ballots will be mailed sometime after the first of the year.

If passed, the Agriculture Commodity Commission for Beef would be run by cattlemen. This five-member producer board would determine how the funds would be spent. The commission must also be reaffirmed every three years by a vote of all cattle producers in the state.

The original legislation that created the foundation for commodity commissions in Georgia was passed in 1961. There are 12 other such commodity commissions in our state, all of which are administered by the Department for a nominal fee of less than 5 percent of the dollars collected. 

If the state beef checkoff assessment of up to $1 per head passes, it could in essence triple the amount of money that could be spent in our state to support the beef industry with funds for promotion or advertising, vital research or education of our consumers and health professionals about the value of beef in a healthy diet. 

With a 10 million-plus population, we only generate three cents per Georgian through the national Checkoff. According to a study at the University of Florida, researchers found that for every $1 invested in the national Checkoff, cattlemen receive a $5.50 return. I don’t know of anything else that even comes close to that.

Cattleman John Callaway is the chairman of the Georgia Cattle Industry Investment Study Group and Georgia Farm Bureau’s Beef Commodity Board. To register for the Agricultural Commodity Commission for Beef referendum ballot, visit www.agr.georgia.gov or write to the Department at: Georgia Department of Agriculture, Marketing Division, Room 324, 19 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Southwest, Atlanta, GA 30334. Written requests for ballots should include your name, phone number and the phrase “I request a ballot for the ACC Beef referendum.”

Georgia Food Bank Association to Host 2014 Wild Hog Supper

Agriculturalists, lawmakers and legislators are getting ready for the 52nd Wild Hog Supper, an annual event that kicks off the state legislative session each January. The 2014 event will be hosted by the Georgia Food Bank Association.

The Georgia Food Bank Association invites all to attend and celebrate the start of the session by raising funds to benefit food banks throughout Georgia. Patrons are asked to bring one non-perishable food item to the supper to benefit the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Suggestions of such items include peanut butter, canned tuna, canned beans, canned soups, stews, pastas, 100 percent fruit juice, canned fruits, vegetables, macaroni and cheese dinners, whole grains and boxed low-sugar cereals.

Keynote guests at the 2014 supper include Honorary Host Committee Gov. Nathan Deal, Commissioner of Agriculture Gary W. Black, Senate Ag Chairman John Wilkinson, House Ag Chairman Tom McCall and the seven regional food bank executive directors.

Ticket prices are listed below. Tickets ordered by Dec. 31 will be mailed. Tickets ordered after that date will be held at Will Call or alternate pickup can be arranged by calling Lila Hawks at 404-419-1738. Please note group discounts will only be offered through Dec. 31. Click here to purchase!

Single ticket: $20
10-ticket bundle: $180 (10 percent discount)
50-ticket bundle: $850 (15 percent discount)
100-ticket bundle: $1,600 (20 percent discount

If you go ...
What: 52nd Annual Wild Hog Supper
When: Sunday, Jan. 12, 2014, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Georgia Railroad Depot, Atlanta
Contact: 404-419-1738