Senate Ag Committee members L-R: Sens. Bill Heath, Ellis Black, John Wilkinson, Larry Walker III, Greg Kirk and Tyler Harper.
ATLANTA, Ga. – Sen. John Wilkinson (R – Toccoa) and Rep. Tom McCall (R – Elberton) co-hosted the Joint Agriculture Chairman Ag Issues Summit in Perry on Tuesday, August 9.
Committee members from the Georgia Senate and House of Representatives, several agency commissioners and other stakeholders were present.
“I’m extremely proud of the crowd we had at the summit this year,” said Sen. Wilkinson. “Thank you to all that attended and participated, especially the event sponsors. Agriculture is an important foundation to Georgia’s growing economy, and events such as this support growth and promote the significance of the industry.”
The Ag Issues Summit is an educational and open dialogue event for legislators, agency members and other stakeholders. During the summit, important issues are discussed and ideas for next steps are presented. This summit included an overview of the Georgia Ag Tax Exemption (GATE) Program. The Georgia Department of Agriculture and Georgia Department of Revenue presented their actions and efforts to enforce the program. An update was given on Georgia water resources. Georgia’s growing economy was reviewed and discussed. The Honorable Austin Scott, United States House of Representatives (R-8th), gave an update on federal agriculture issues affecting Georgia and its economy.
