Forsyth County

I am a 6th generation farmer in Forsyth county. I farm with my dad and we grow corn, soybeans, wheat, cattle and operate 4 broiler houses. We also run a trucking company that hauls feed and grain for the poultry industry. I am a county committee member for the Hall county FSA office. I have farmed full time since 1994. My wife Julie and I have been married for almost 25 years and have 3 sons and a daughter-in -law. Our family attends Salem Baptist Church in Forsyth County where I serve as a deacon. I chose to serve as a supervisor for the Upper Chattahoochee River Soil and Water Conservation District so I could give back to an industry that has been so beneficial to my family for generations.

Habersham County

Jimmy, along with his wife Cheryl and daughter Ashley, own and operate J.A.C.K. Farms located in the Upper Chattahoochee River Conservation District in Turnerville, Georgia. The farm was established as a hobby approximately 40 years ago, with the purchase of two commercial beef cows and a borrowed bull. Today, the farming operation has expanded to include approximately 325 registered Angus/commercial cows, standard/mammoth donkeys, Thoroughbred/quarter horses and two loving dogs, Chipper and Chloe. On the farm many District & NRCS conservation practices have been implemented to improve grazing conditions and to reduce erosion in the fields and streams.

Jimmy has been acquainted with horses his entire life. After moving from New York to Georgia, Jimmy and his family were charter members of the Northeast Georgia Polo Association in Hollywood, Georgia. It was during those formative years that his love for equine and livestock was fostered. His love for agriculture was heightened with his involvement as a member in the 4-H and FFA organizations.

Outside of the farming operation, Jimmy volunteers numerous hours promoting agriculture with Habersham County Farm Bureau Board of Directors, Georgia Farm Bureau Equine Commodity Committee, Georgia Equine Commission, Northeast Georgia Cattlemen’s Association, Habersham FFA Alumni Association, Habersham Central Agriculture Advisory Committee, Habersham County Chamber of Commerce and Habersham County Recreation Department Board. Jimmy along with his family aim to educate the community and society about the importance of agriculture and strive to serve as positive role models for others as they strengthen the love of farming in the community and state. Jimmy gives all praise and glory to the Lord for all the many wonderful blessings He has provided to his family and their farming operation.

Habersham County

Virginia, a native of Winston Salem, North Carolina, has a rich history of farming and beekeeping. The family farmed tobacco in Danville, Virginia during the 1950s and 1960s. The next generation continued to farm tobacco and began raising calves. As an adult, and after an accounting career, this third generation beekeeper put her skills to work in the Northeast Mountains of Georgia. She started on a small farm in Blue Ridge, Ga and later settled in Clarkesville, Ga. Her honey production operation includes about 225 colonies of honeybees. Virginia’s company, MtnHoney, encompasses 8 locations across Northeast Georgia. Virginia also grows blueberries and maintains an apple orchard on her farm. Her honey bees and their pollination are essential and beneficial to their fruit production. MtnHoney also raises queen bees for other honeybee operations. Virginia, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), teaches beekeeping and farming in undeveloped countries such as South America and the Caribbean. Virginia is a member of the Farm Bureau Honey Bee Advisory Committee, Georgia Beekeepers Association, The American BeeKeeping Association, and is the United States representative to Apimondia World Beekeeping Federation. She is a lifetime member of 4-H and a member of National Geographic Society who lends her expertise in articles in the National Geographic Magazine. As a member of the Soque Watershed Association, Virginia is dedicated to the conservation of our water resources in Northeast Georgia. Through the Upper Chattahoochee River SWCD, Virginia plans to learn more avenues to support water health with techniques such as water sampling. She will also continue teaching her beekeeping skills in honey production and the importance of Georgia’s pollinators locally, nationally, and internationally.

Lumpkin County

Les Fuller has more than 25 years of farm experience. After marrying into a dedicated farm family, Fuller and his family have learned to effectively use 20 acres in Lumpkin County to raise chickens, cattle, sweet corn, strawberries and a seasonal plant nursery. The main focus of the farm is raising breeder pullets for Mar-Jac Poultry, Inc. and sometimes raising around 50 dairy bottle calves yearly from all over the Southeast. The farm makes use of the stack house secured by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for chicken litter gathered from their chicken houses. Fuller makes use of cover crops during the winter months to assist with erosion that can occur after summer crops are harvested. Exclusion fencing is used to keep the cattle from entering the creek on the property. Fuller is the pastor at Mt. Gilead Baptist Church and also runs a home building business with this brother, providing homes for families in Lumpkin County. Fuller realizes how important it is to take care of the land and resources that God has given us and wants to do his part in taking care of it. He believes that if he doesn't take care of the land, there won’t be anything left to leave to his family and the next generation. He is excited to share his farming knowledge with the citizens of the Upper Chattahoochee River SWCD community and to help care for the natural resources that are entrusted to us.