Ag News
Dickey, Walker chairing ag committees in Georgia Legislature
Posted on Feb 03, 2021 at 0:00 AM
Rep. Robert Dickey (R-Musella) has been appointed as chairman of the Georgia House Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Committee and Sen. Larry Walker (R-Perry) is the new chairman of the Georgia Senate Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee.
Dickey, who has represented District 140 in middle Georgia since 2011, is a veteran of the Ag Committee and 2019 Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Georgia Farmer of the Year. He heads the committee previously chaired by new Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) President Tom McCall.
“I am humbled and honored by this appointment to chair the Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee,” Dickey said. “Speaker David Ralston and the Committee on Assignments have given me big shoes to fill following the 16-year chairmanship of Georgia Farm Bureau President Tom McCall. As a fourth-generation farmer, I am fortunate to be able to continue my family’s legacy and be a voice for agriculture and agri-business.”
The House Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Committee was scheduled to hold its first meeting on Feb. 3.
Walker, who has served in the Georgia Senate since 2015, succeeds John Wilkinson, who stepped down after his term ended in 2020. Wilkinson is now president of North Georgia Technical College.
“It is an honor to be given the opportunity to serve Georgia, in both new and current capacities, and I would like to thank Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan for his leadership and the confidence he has placed in me, especially to chair such an important committee,” said Walker. “Having previously served alongside my colleagues as a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I understand how critically important our work is in growing Georgia jobs, especially in rural parts of our state. Agriculture, as we have seen, remains the largest industry in Georgia with an economic impact of $73 billion and an employment rate of roughly one in seven Georgians.”
The Senate Ag Committee held its first meeting on Jan. 28 and heard from newly-installed UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences Dean Nick Place and Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black.
On other key ag-related committees, Sen. Blake Tillery (R-Vidalia) and Rep. Terry England (R-Auburn) continue as chairs of the two appropriations committees. Sen. Tyler Harper (R-Ocilla) and Rep. Lynn Smith (R-Newnan) continue as chairs of the two chambers’ Natural Resources & Environment committees.
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