GFB DONATES $20,000 TO GEORGIA FOOD BANK ASSOCIATION

For the third straight year, the Georgia Farm Bureau Harvest For All campaign solicited cash donations, and the state’s 158 county Farm Bureau chapters combined to contribute $20,000, which was presented to Georgia Food Bank Association (GFBA) Executive Director Danah Craft during Georgia Farm Bureau’s 75th Annual Convention on Jekyll Island.

The GFBA uses donated dollars to purchase high-protein, low-cost foods like chicken and peanut butter and to offset the costs of various outreach programs like mobile pantries, Manna drops and backpack programs. Because the GFBA uses bulk purchasing, they can turn $1 into more than $7 worth of food. The GFB Young Farmer Committee coordinated the campaign.

“We are so grateful to Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmers for this donation,” Craft said. “These funds could not have come at a better time. Donations like this are critical because food banks often need to purchase protein to supplement the donated food that comes through food drives and other product donations.”

Craft noted that demand for food assistance has grown by 15 percent this year, and one in six Georgians need food assistance.

GFB’s donation will have a statewide impact. The Georgia Food Bank Association distributes the funds to America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia in Savannah, the Atlanta Community Food Bank, Feeding the Valley in Columbus, the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia in Athens, Golden Harvest in Augusta, the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank in Macon and Second Harvest of South Georgia in Valdosta.

Past Harvest for All campaigns have solicited direct donations of food. Since 2004, GFB has coordinated eight Harvest For All campaigns through which GFB members across the state donated about 49,000 pounds of staple food items and more than $80,000 in cash donations distributed to the food banks located throughout Georgia affiliated with Feeding America.

The Center on Hunger and Poverty defines food insecurity as occurring “whenever the availability of nutritionally adequate and safe food, or the ability to acquire acceptable food in socially acceptable ways is limited or uncertain.” The Center defines hunger as “the uneasy or painful sensation caused by a recurrent or involuntary lack of food that is a potential, although not necessary, consequence of food insecurity.”

“Sadly hunger is a significant problem for many of our fellow Georgians,” said 2012 Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmer Committee Chairman Jake Carter. “The Harvest For All campaign is our way of reaching out to those in our communities struggling to feed their families.”

December 12, 2012 www.gfb.org Vol. 30 No. 50

Leadership Alert page 2 of 6 ESTATE PLANNING BEST WAY TO MITIGATE RISING TAX

Unless Congress acts before Jan. 1, 2013, the federal estate tax exemption is set to drop from $5.12 million to $1 million while the tax rate is set to rise from 35 percent to 55 percent for estates valued over the exemption amount. This is why farmers and small business owners should meet with an estate tax planner to devise a strategy for passing their estate to the next generation, attorney Will Thompson said when presenting an estate tax planning workshop at the 75th Annual Georgia Farm Bureau Convention on Dec. 3.

“My encouragement to you is don’t wait on Congress to come together and do something,” said Thompson, an associate with the Macon firm James, Bates, Brannan & Groover LLP. “Hit it head on by taking the time to meet with an estate tax planner to make sure your spouse and family are taken care of. There are several planning techniques to help mitigate estate taxes to make sure the younger generation benefits from your hard work.”

Having a current, properly drafted will is the first step to addressing estate taxes, Thompson said.

“Don’t let your will grow old. It should speak to your wishes and lifestyle right now, not five or ten years ago. A properly drafted will allows you to set aside assets to provide for your surviving spouse for her lifetime and choose who receives those assets after the surviving spouse’s death,” Thompson said.

Thompson said wills are a good avenue for allocating farm or business assets to children who work in the family business while providing other assets to children who don’t.

“A properly drafted will allows you to avoid or minimize family confusion and disagreements,” Thompson said. “There’s nothing like money to make a family get frustrated with one another.”

Thompson explained that one arrives at the gross value of an estate by first appraising everything in the deceased’s name at time of death. The gross estate generally includes one’s home, land, equipment, vehicles, everything in a limited liability company, if the deceased owned the LLC, cash, insurance not in an insurance trust, nice jewelry, etc.

Liabilities are subtracted from the gross value of the estate to get the net estate value. The deceased’s federal estate tax exemption is subtracted from the net estate value to arrive at the taxable value of the estate. If the deceased disbursed taxable gifts while living to family members above the annual exclusion amount of $13,000 (set to rise to $14,000 in 2013), such as property or cash, the amount of these gifts will be deducted from the estate tax exemption.

“After you subtract the federal tax exemption from the net estate, any amount greater than zero will be taxed at the applicable estate tax rate at that time and the federal estate tax is due in nine months,” Thompson explained.

An analysis compiled by the American Farm Bureau using USDA data shows 664 Georgia farms would be subject to some level of federal estate tax at the current $5.125 million exemption. If the exemption level drops to $1 million, 7,469 Georgia farms would be affected.

For a copy of Thompson’s presentation email wthompson@jamesbatesllp.com or call 478-742-4280.

Leadership Alert page 3 of 6 GPC NOMINATION MEETINGS TO BE HELD DEC. 18-19

Nomination meetings to fill three positions on the Georgia Peanut Commission Board of Directors will be held Dec. 18 in Tifton and Dec. 19 in Cochran and Oglethorpe. The Georgia Farm Bureau Federation will conduct the meetings as peanut producers nominate peers to represent the commission's Districts 2, 4 and 5 which expire May 2013. The Georgia peanut production area is divided into five districts based on acreage distribution and geographical location with one board member representing each district. Each nominee must produce peanuts and live within the district for which he is nominated.

The District 2 nomination meeting will be held Dec. 18 at 1 p.m. at the Tift County Farm Bureau Office in Tifton. Armond Morris of Irwin County is the incumbent in the district. Counties in District 2 include: Atkinson, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brooks, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Echols, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Thomas, Tift, Turner and Worth.

The District 4 nomination meeting will be held at the Bleckley County Farm Bureau office in Cochran, Dec. 19 at 2 p.m. Rodney Dawson of Pulaski County is the District 4 incumbent. Counties in District 4 include: Bleckley, Crisp, Dodge, Dooly, Houston, Laurens, Pulaski, Telfair, Twiggs, Wheeler, Wilcox and Wilkinson.

The District 5 nomination meeting will be held at the Macon County Extension Office in Oglethorpe Dec. 19 at 10 a.m. Donald Chase of Macon County is the District 5 incumbent. Counties in District 5 include: Chattahoochee, Clay, Lee, Macon, Marion, Peach, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor, Terrell, and Webster.

Any peanut producer may be nominated or make nominations at the meeting for the peanut district in which he lives. Incumbents are eligible for renomination. If more than one person is nominated, an election will be conducted by mail ballot. The Commission's enabling legislation states that a person must receive a majority of the votes cast for a position in order to be elected to the board.

If only one person qualifies for the position, no election is required and the nominated person automatically becomes a member of the Georgia Peanut Commission Board. Commission members serve three-year terms. JOHN BULLOCH RESIGNS FROM GEORGIA SENATE

Georgia Sen. John Bulloch (R-11th District), who chaired the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee, resigned on Dec. 6. Bulloch represented Colquitt, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller, Seminole and parts of Mitchell and Thomas counties. He served as vice chairman of the Natural Resources and Environment Committee and sat on the committees for appropriations and rules committees. Prior to his stint in the legislature, he served as chairman of the Thomas County board of Commissioners for 14 years.

“Senator Bulloch has been a strong advocate for Georgia farmers and agribusiness during the time he spent as a state legislator. Legislation he supported also benefitted Georgia consumers by improving food safety,” Georgia Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall said. “I was saddened to hear of his resignation because he

was a true friend to Farm Bureau and Georgia's farmers. On behalf of Georgia Farm Bureau we wish him the best and thank him for his service.”

A special election will be held Jan. 8 to fill Bulloch’s seat.

Leadership Alert page 4 of 6 CORRECTION - In the Dec. 5 issue of Leadership Alert, Marilynn Hopkins’ name was misspelled. We apologize for the error. GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF AG ACCEPTING GATE SIGNUPS The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) is accepting applications for the Georgia Agriculture Tax Exemption (GATE) certificate, which Georgia farmers must have to receive sales tax exemptions on farm input materials effective Jan. 1, 2013. Applications may be completed online at http://www.agr.georgia.gov or downloaded and mailed to the GDA. Application forms for mailing are available at most county Farm Bureau offices. There is a $20 fee to process applications online and a $25 fee for mailed applications that may be paid with Visa, MasterCard or a personal check made payable to the GDA. Visit the website or call 1-855-327-6829 for more information. UPCOMING SURVEY TO BE CONTUCTED BY NASS Below is an upcoming survey to be taken by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service Georgia office, and the dates they are to begin. Call the Georgia NASS office at 800-253-4419 with any questions or comments. Through Dec. 14 December Agricultural Survey Data collection for the December Survey began with a mail-out on Nov. 21 and be followed with a call between Nov. 29 and Dec.14. Results will be published in the Annual Crop Production report on Jan. 11, 2013. COMMERCIAL MEAT GOAT MEETING Dec. 18 Macon Farmers Market 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Macon This free event will address strategies for development of a Georgia commercial meat goat market and the federal and state certification requirements for meat processing. There will also be a review of technical assistance and funding offered by USDA Rural Development. For information or to register contact Bryan Zulko at Bryan.Zulko@ga.usda.gov or Deborah Callahan at Deborah.Callahan@ga.usda.gov or 706-546-2162. GEORGIA GROWN EXECUTIVE CHEF PROGRAM SEEKS APPLICANTS Georgia Grown and the Georgia Restaurant Association are seeking applicants for the Georgia Grown Executive Chef Program, which promotes the Department’s Georgia Grown campaign statewide. The program offers participating chefs a mark of honor and distinction, while increasing awareness for both restaurateurs and consumers about which local Georgia products are available for the cooking season. The application process runs through Jan. 11, 2013. Visit http://www.garestaurants.org/GeorgiaGrown to apply. The selected chefs will be announced at the Taste of Georgia Legislative Reception on Feb. 19, 2013.

SOUTHEAST REGIONAL FRUIT & VEGETABLE CONFERENCE Jan. 10-13, 2013 International Trade and Convention Center Savannah This annual conference features 12 different crop-specific workshops plus workshops on business operations and food safety. Attendees will also have the chance to receive legislative updates from Washington and Atlanta. For more information or to register, visit http://www.seregionalconference.com.

Leadership Alert page 5 of 6 2013 GEORGIA DAIRY CONFERENCE Jan. 14-16, 2013 Savannah Riverfront Marriott Savannah This annual conference is designed to provide dairy producers with significant and practical take-home information on topics ranging from economic factors affecting feed prices, lowering somatic cell counts, promotion and agritourism and much more. The conference also features board of directors meetings for the Agricultural Commodity Commission for Milk, Georgia Milk Producers Inc., and the Georgia Dairy Youth Foundation. Registration is free for Georgia dairymen. Fees for out-of-state dairymen are $100 per farm for all three days or $50 per farm for two days or less. The Savannah Riverfront Marriott is offering special room and parking rates for those who make reservations before Dec. 13. The hotel may be reached at 912-233-7722 or 800-284-0398. Mention Georgia Milk Producers to receive the discounted rate. Reservations may also be made online at www.marriott.com, with group reservation cote gdcgdca. For more information, contact Farrah Newberry at 706-310-0020 or gamilkproducers@gmail.com. BEEKEEPING SHORT COURSE Jan. 19, 2013 Atlanta Botanical Garden Day Hall 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Atlanta This one-day course will provide everything beginning beekeepers need to know to get started in urban beekeeping. Topics including the life cycle of the honeybee, bee biology, varroa mites, honey harvest and more. The $95 registration fee includes admission to the Atlanta Botanical Garden, a light breakfast, lunch, parking, supplies and presentations. For more information, visit http://www.metroatlantabeekeepers.org/shortcourse.htm. 2012 SOYBEAN/SMALL GRAIN EXPO Jan. 24, 2013 Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter Perry The Expo will provide soybean and small grain producers with up-to-date marketing projections and the newest production techniques. The event will also feature presentations from UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences professors on kudzu bug control, soybean breeding and the world outlook for southern commodities and others. Pesticide credits are available. For more information, contact the Georgia/Florida Soybean Association at 706-542-3793. 2013 AG FORECAST MEETINGS Jan. 25 Ga. Center for Continuing Education Athens Jan. 28 ECO Center Rome Jan. 29 Georgia Farm Bureau Macon Jan. 30 UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center Tifton Jan. 31 Decatur Co. Livestock Complex Bainbridge Feb. 1 Toombs Co. Agri-Center Lyons UGA economists will give the 2013 ag economic outlook and guest speakers will discuss international trade and how the global economy impacts local businesses. Check-in for all sessions, except Tifton, begins at 9:30 a.m. Seminars run from 10 a.m. to noon followed by lunch. The Tifton event is a breakfast that runs from 7:30 a.m to 10 a.m. Cost is $30 per person or $200 for a table sponsorship, which includes eight seats. Advance registration is required by January 23. For more information or to register, visit http://www.georgiaagforecast.com call 706-583-0347 or email carlam@uga.edu. These meetings are a UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences program endowed by Georgia Farm Bureau and supported by the Georgia Dept. of Agriculture and Georgia Agribusiness Council.

Leadership Alert page 6 of 6 FLAVOR OF GEORGIA FOOD PRODUCT CONTEST The UGA Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development sponsors this annual contest, designed to help Georgia-based food entrepreneurs showcase their products. Contestants may submit as many products as they like. The categories are: barbecue and hot sauces; jams, jellies and sauces; confections; meat products; dairy products and snack foods. Registration is open and runs through Feb. 8, 2013. Finalists will be invited to take part in a final judging on March 11, 2013 and a public tasting on March 12 at Ag Awareness Day in Georgia event, when the winners will also be announced. For more information about the contest, including registration information, visit http://www.flavorofgeorgia.caes.uga.ed or call 706-583-0347.