Southern state officials gathered in Atlanta for the “Growing Prosperity: Agriculture, Technology, and the Future of Farming” Policy Masterclass. Twenty officials from 11 CSG South states –Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia – participated in the event.
Over two days, participants learned about recent developments in agriculture, technology, and relevant state and federal legislation. Briefings covered the current state of agriculture, farm labor shortages, food insecurity, agricultural trade, and the struggle of small rural farmers. Attendees visited the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Agricultural Technology Research Program to see new devices and techniques being developed to enhance agricultural methods and participated in roundtable discussions to hear from their colleagues about agricultural issues in Southern states.
Experts from the Georgia Institute of Technology, American Farm Bureau Federation, West Virginia Department of Agriculture, Georgia Department of Agriculture, Georgia Center of Innovation, and AppHarvest shared their knowledge and insights with attendees through presentations and interactive briefings. Participants also met with Chancellor of the University System of Georgia Sonny Perdue to learn about his time as a state Senator (1991-2002), Governor of Georgia (2003-2011) and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (2017-2021).
The Masterclass was hosted by CSG South and moderated by Senator Tyler Harper of Georgia, chair of the CSG South Agriculture and Rural Development Committee. By interacting with subject matter experts and colleagues from other Southern states, participants increased their knowledge of agriculture, farm labor shortages, agricultural technology, and policies related to these issues.
Participants
- Representative Harlan Breaux, Arkansas
- Mr. Nicholas Cole, Louisiana
- Representative John Corbett, Georgia
- Representative Robert Dickey, Georgia
- Representative Vincent Dixie, Tennessee
- Representative Jim Grego, Oklahoma
- Senator Tyler Harper, Georgia
- Delegate Riley Keaton, West Virginia
- Commissioner Kent Leonhardt, West Virginia
- Representative Roger Lynch, Arkansas
- Senator Tyler McCaughn, Mississippi
- Representative Russell Ott, South Carolina
- Representative Phillip Pratt, Kentucky
- Representative Randall Shedd, Alabama
- Senator Benjamin Suber, Mississippi
- Senator Larry Walker, Georgia
- Representative Kenneth Walker, Mississippi
- Senator Robin Webb, Kentucky
- Representative David Wilkerson, Georgia
- Representative Christine Hunschofsky, Florida