Ag News

County Farm Bureau Presidents Morrison and Zipperer die

Long-time county Farm Bureau Presidents Jimmy Morrison and Ed Zipperer have died.

“We were saddened to learn that Jimmy Morrison and Ed Zipperer have passed,” said Georgia Farm Bureau President Tom McCall. “We are truly grateful to both for their decades of service to farming and to Farm Bureau. Jimmy and Ed will certainly be missed.”

Morrison served on the Banks County Farm Bureau Board of Directors since 1992 and as president from 2016 to 2024. He had stepped down prior to his death on Oct. 26 at the age of 85.

Morrison was a lifelong resident of the Hollingsworth Community and following high school, he served in the Army Reserves. He retired from Atlanta Gas Light Company after 36 years of dedicated service. He was a member of Harmony Baptist Church, and was active in his local community.

Morrison served two terms as a Banks County Commissioner and served on the Banks County Planning Commission. A true farmer at heart, Jimmy found his greatest joy on his farm, especially spending time on the tractor. His love for the land was evident in every season, and he took pride in the work that connected him so deeply to his roots.

Zipperer served as Chatham County Farm Bureau (CCFB) president over multiple stints from the late 1970s until Oct. 24, 2024, when he died at the age of 93. His mother, Hattie Helmey Zipperer, was a founding member of the CCFB and served as county president and then secretary.

Zipperer grew up farming. His family grew vegetables and shipped them by rail. They grew Irish potatoes, collards, cabbage, watermelon, sugar cane, sweet corn and had more than 250 pecan trees. Zipperer later focused the farm on soybeans, hay, and rye and raised beef cattle.

In 1996, Ed donated 22 acres of the farm to the Chatham County School System and sold 44 more acres to create the Forrester and Hattie Helmey Zipperer Complex that houses Southwest Elementary and Middle Schools.

He earned a degree in agricultural engineering from the University of Georgia in 1954. He served in the Georgia Senate from 1967 to 1975. Ed served on the Coastal Georgia Soil & Water Conservation District and Coastal Georgia RC&D Council for over 40 years.

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