On June 28, the Georgia Cotton Commission elected Bart Davis of Colquitt County as chairman and Matt Coley of Dooly County as vice-chairman.

Davis, who was first appointed to the board in 2012, succeeds Mike Lucas of Bleckley County who has served on the GCC board since 2003 and as the commission chairman since 2013. Coley, also appointed to the board in 2012, succeeds Lee Cromley of Bulloch County who has served as a board member since 2011 and as vice-chairman since 2014.

Davis operates Davis Farms and grows cotton, peanut, corn, hay and cattle with his wife, daughter and two sons. Davis is a longtime supporter of FFA and holds a State FFA Degree as well as being named Georgia Star Farmer.

Davis has also been named Farmer of the Year at the annual Peanut Festival in Sylvester, Ga. He is a delegate to the National Cotton Council, a director for Southern Cotton Growers, and is an alternate director for Cotton Incorporated.

Coley is the fourth generation to operate Coley Farms, a cotton and peanut farm, and Coley Gin & Fertilizer, a cotton gin and peanut buying point in Vienna, Ga. After college, Coley served on the staff of Senator Saxby Chambliss, who was chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

Coley is a board member for the National Peanut Buying Points Association and is a director for the American Cotton Producers of the National Cotton Council. Coley was a member of the Leadership Georgia Class of 2016.

At its June 28 meeting, the Georgia Cotton Commission approved its budget for fiscal year 2018 that started July 1. Along with supporting cotton industry organizations such as the National Cotton Council and Southern Cotton Growers, the FY18 budget includes $645,000 for cotton research. These research projects cover all aspects of cotton production, including cotton breeding, variety testing, weed science, entomology, pathology, and engineering.

The commission’s research program also includes a grant for continued support of the University of Georgia Cotton Team’s Extension activities.