Voting delegates at the Georgia Farm Bureau 72nd Annual Convention re-elected Zippy Duvall of Greene County as president of the state’s largest general farm organization. Duvall, who ran unopposed, begins the first year of his third two-year term.

A Farm Bureau member since 1977, Duvall and his wife, Bonnie, raise broilers, hay and cattle on their farm in Greshamville. Duvall currently serves on the Greene County Farm Bureau Board of Directors and has held numerous leadership positions in the county Farm Bureau including president and vice-president.

In 1982, he was named Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmer of the Year and went on to be named the American Farm Bureau Young Farmer of the Year. In 1985, the Duvalls served as chairmen of the GFB Young Farmer Committee, and in 1987, Duvall was named chairman of the American Farm Bureau Young Farmer Committee. Duvall was elected to the Georgia Farm Bureau Board of Directors in 2002 as a 4th District director.

In addition to serving as president of the Georgia Farm Bureau Federation and its affiliate companies, he is a member of the board of directors of the American Farm Bureau Federation and of the Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company. His 30 years of community and public service also include graduating from the Georgia Agri-Leaders Program and serving as chairman of the Greene County Board of Commissioners. He is a member of Gov. Perdue’s Agricultural Advisory Committee and the Georgia Association of County Commissioners and was recently appointed to the Georgia Development Authority.

The Duvalls have four children: Vince and wife, Erin, and granddaughter Ava Madison, who live in Acworth; Corrie, who is working on her doctorate degree and lives in northern Virginia with her husband, Jared; Zeb, who is at the University of Georgia and Zellie, who is a sophomore at Auburn University. The Duvalls are members of New Hope Baptist Church where Zippy serves as a deacon.

In other elections, voting delegates selected their state board of directors and officers for 2011. Gerald Long of Decatur County was re-elected to his second, three-year term as South Georgia vice-president. He was first elected to the position in 2006 for a one-year term. GFB voting delegates also designated Long as the organization’s first vice-president. Long represents 53 counties in South Georgia as GFB south Georgia vice-president.

Member since 1973

A Farm Bureau member since 1973, Long began serving on the Georgia Farm Bureau Board of Directors in 1999 as a 9th District director. He was first elected as GFB South Georgia vice president in 2006 and re-elected in 2007. He currently serves on the Decatur County Farm Bureau Board of Directors as secretary/treasurer. He is a past president and vice-president of the Decatur County Farm Bureau.

Long and his family raise cattle and grow peanuts, vegetables, corn, cotton, hay, small grains and timber on their farm near Bainbridge. Gerald and his wife, Janice, have three adult children: Justin, Jared and Jeanie. The Longs are members of the First Baptist Church of Bainbridge, where Gerald serves as a deacon.

In addition to his Farm Bureau leadership, Long serves on the Flint River Water Planning & Policy Center Board of Directors and is a member of the Bainbridge FFA Advisory Board. He represents Georgia Farm Bureau on the Georgia Beef Board and serves as treasurer of the board. He is a member of the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association and serves on the board of the Decatur County Cattlemen’s Association. He was a founding board member of both the Georgia Peanut Producers and the Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association. He is also an active member of the Decatur County Chapter of the Georgia Young Farmers.

Bernard Sims of Catoosa County begins the third year of the three-year term as GFB north Georgia vice-president to which he was elected in 2008. Robert Fountain Jr., of Emanuel County begins the second year of his three-year term as GFB Middle Georgia vice president to which he was elected in 2009.

The following were re-elected unopposed to serve two-year terms on the Georgia Farm Bureau Board of Directors: Henry J. West of Gordon County, 1st District; Randy Ruff of Elbert County, 2nd District; Nora Goodman of Paulding County, 3rd District; William Hutchins of Barrow County, 4th District; Jim Ham of Monroe County, 5th District; James Emory Tate of Jeff Davis County, 6th District; Ben Boyd of Screven County, 7th District; Don Wood of Wilcox County, 8th District; Lucius Adkins Jr., of Baker County, 9th District and Daniel Johnson, of Pierce County, 10th District.

GFB board members beginning the second year of the two-year term they were elected to in 2009 are: J. Louis Hunt of Walker County, 1st District; Bobby Gunter of Lumpkin County, 2nd District; George Chambers of Carroll County, 3rd District; Marvin Ruark of Morgan County, 4th District; Ralph Adamson of Lamar County, 5th District; James Malone of Laurens County, 6th District; Gennis Folsom of Tattnall County, 7th District; Phil Redding of Clay County, 8th District; Paul Shirah of Mitchell County, 9th District and David Lee of Bacon County, 10th District.

Wesley Hall of Forsyth County was named chairman of the Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmer Committee. Donna Powell of Grady County was named chairman of the Georgia Farm Bureau Women’s Committee. Both will serve a one-year term as committee chairmen and will sit on the Georgia Farm Bureau board of Directors.

Delegates also voted on policy that will direct the organization’s stance on legislative issues pertaining to agriculture in the upcoming year.

Founded in 1937, Georgia Farm Bureau is the state’s largest general farm organization. The organization has 158 county offices. Its volunteer members actively participate in local, district and state activities that promote agriculture awareness to their non-farming neighbors. GFB also has 20 commodity advisory committees that give the organization input on issues pertinent to the major commodities grown in Georgia.

Additional information concerning the annual meeting of the Georgia Farm Bureau can be found at http://www.gfb.org/.