Newton County Farm Bureau was recently recognized during the Georgia Farm Bureau 3rd District Annual Meeting for its outstanding member programs. Brent Galloway is the NCFB president.

The NCFB Legislative Committee, co-chaired by Julius Hayes and Charles Berry, received the 3rd District Outstanding Legislative/Policy Development Award. The committee planned and hosted a Legislative Appreciation Dinner, during which NCFB leaders thanked local, state and national elected officials for their support of agriculture.

The NCFB Young Farmer Committee, chaired by B.J. Marks, received the 3rd District Outstanding Young Farmer Committee Award. The committee planned the annual Farm Day in local schools, designed to teach school children about the various types of agriculture. The event involved 79 volunteers and reached 588 students, along with 32 teachers and 78 parents.

NCFB was also recognized with the 2015 Georgia Farm Bureau Membership Quota Award, given to county Farm Bureaus that increased their membership over the previous year. NCFB’s work to increase membership contributed to GFB’s statewide membership growth.

NCFB members Joshua and Ashley Spears received the 3rd District Young Farmer Achievement Award. The Spears, who live in Mansfield, raise cattle and grow hay on a total of 160 acres.

The GFB 3rd District includes 14 county Farm Bureaus in metro Atlanta and West Georgia.

Founded in 1937, Georgia Farm Bureau is the state’s largest general farm organization and has 158 county offices. Its volunteer members actively participate in local, state and national activities that promote agriculture awareness to their non-farming neighbors. GFB also has 20 agricultural commodity advisory committees that give the organization input on issues pertinent to the major crops and livestock grown in Georgia.