GFB News Magazine

GFB elects 2025 Board of Directors

by Jennifer Whittaker

Posted on March 6, 2025 12:30 AM

Pictured from right, Georgia Farm Bureau President Tom McCall, GFB 1st Vice President & South Georgia Vice President Daniel Johnson, North Georgia Vice President Bernard Sims and Middle Georgia Vice President Ralph Caldwell will lead the state’s largest general farm organization in 2025. / Photo by Jennifer Whittaker

Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) voting delegates elected the organization’s 2025 board of directors during the 2024 GFB Convention in December. Tom McCall was re-elected for a third, two-year term. He was first elected in 2020. McCall and his wife, Jane, grow a variety of grain crops, sweet corn, hay and straw along with beef cattle, hogs and sheep on their Elbert County farm.

GFB South Georgia Vice President Daniel Johnson of Pierce County was redesignated as the organization’s 1st vice president from among GFB’s three regional vice presidents, a position he has held since 2021. He was first elected as South Georgia VP in 2016. Johnson and his wife, Patricia, grow tobacco, corn, cotton and peanuts.

GFB members in the organization’s Middle Georgia region re-elected Ralph Caldwell of Heard County to a second, three-year term as GFB Middle Georgia vice president. Caldwell was first elected in 2021. Caldwell and his wife, Kim, raise poultry and cattle and grow corn and soybeans.

Bernard Sims of Catoosa County begins the second year of his sixth, three-year term as the GFB North Georgia vice president. Sims was first elected in 2008. He and his wife, Janet, grow turf grass, small grains and hay, and raise cattle.

GFB 3rd District voting delegates elected Chad Carlton of Polk County to a two-year term on the GFB Board of Directors to represent the district’s 14 counties in the Metro Atlanta area. Carlton and his wife, Julie, produce dairy, eggs and meat (beef, pork, chicken, lamb and turkey) sold directly to consumers. He replaces Nora Goodman who died in January 2024.

GFB 3rd District Director Chad Carlton/ Photo by Jennifer Whittaker

Carlton has served on the Polk County Farm Bureau Board of Directors for about 15 years. He previously served a five-year term as county vice president and multiple years as the Young Farmer chairman. He served on the GFB Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee in 2005-2006, chairing the committee in 2006. 

He won the 2007 GFB YF&R Discussion Meet and advanced to the final four round in the 2008 American Farm Bureau (AFB) Discussion Meet. The Carltons won the 2011 GFB YF&R Achievement Award in recognition of their farm and leadership activities and were one of four finalists for the 2012 AFB Achievement Award.

The Carltons have two daughters – Jersey and Wren, and one son, Atticus. The family attends Calvary Baptist Church where Carlton teaches Sunday School.

Carlton earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science and an MBA from Berry College. He is a member of Rockmart Masonic Lodge #97.

The following were reelected without opposition to serve two-year terms on the Georgia Farm Bureau Board of Directors: Wesley Hall of Forsyth County, 1st District; Russ Moon of Madison County, 2nd District; Skeetter McCorkle of McDuffie County, 4th District; Matt Bottoms of Pike 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 of Baker County, 9th District; and Lamar Vickers of Berrien County, 10th District.          

GFB directors beginning the second year of the two-year terms they were elected to in 2023 are: Bill Bryan of Chattooga County, 1st District; Gilbert Barrett of Habersham County, 2nd District; Brad Marks of Newton County, 3rd District; Russ Wilburn of Barrow County, 4th District; Leighton Cooley of Crawford County, 5th District; James Malone of Laurens County, 6th District; Gary Bell of Evans County, 7th District; Scotty Raines of Turner County, 8th District; Paul Shirah of Mitchell County, 9th District and David Lee of Bacon County, 10th District.

Allie Andrews of Lamar County was named chairman of the GFB Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee. Julie Hardy of Thomas County was selected to chair the GFB Women’s Leadership Committee. Each will serve a one-year term as committee chairmen and will sit on the GFB Board of Directors.

Appointed officers of the GFB Board of Directors include General Counsel Duke Groover, Chief Financial Officer & Corporate Treasurer Rachel Mosely, Chief Administrative Officer Jeffrey Harvey and Corporate Secretary & Senior Counsel Jeanna Fennell.