GACD and USDA NRCS hosted NRCS Chief Matthew Lohr for a series of farm visits and events across the state held June 3-4.
GACD Board Members with USDA NRCS Chief Matthew Lohr, State Conservationist Terrance Rudolph, and Southeast Regional Coordinator for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) Bill Bailey.
Lohr was appointed as Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in December 2018. He formerly served as Commissioner of Agriculture in Virginia and is an active farmer producing sweet corn, row crops, poultry and beef cattle.
The team visited several farms across Georgia who showcased various conservation practices. Farms included Walters Farm (Producer Russ Walters, Barnesville, GA), Vaughn Farms (Producer James Vaughn, Forsyth, GA), Sleepy Creek Farm (Producer Phil Ham, Forsyth, GA), Harmony Grove Farm (Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, Commerce, GA), Williams Dairy Farm (Producer Everett Williams, Madison, GA), Duvall Farm (Producer Zippy Duvall, Greensboro, GA) and Metro Atlanta Urban Farm (Producer Bobby Wilson, College Park, GA). Vaughn Farms in Forsyth, GA was also showcased; GACD was able to present Producer James Vaughn with a banner honoring him as the National Association of Conservation District’s 2019 Friend of Conservation for his outstanding contributions to the conservation of our nation’s natural resources.
GACD hosted a leadership breakfast for Chief Lohr and State Conservationist Terrance Rudolph where they discussed recent activities and accomplishments of Georgia’s Conservation Districts.
On organizing the events, GACD President Woody Snell said “We just wanted to share with the chief on a firsthand basis the grassroots efforts of conservation that are being put on the ground all around the state.”