Coffee County Farm Bureau Young Farmer Chairman Walt Pridgen is serving as chairman of the 2022 Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee.
This is the third and year of Pridgen’s term on the committee. Pridgen owns four poultry houses and helps manage 12 others owned by his family. He grows hay and corn for feed and raises cattle as a part of a collaborative farm with his father, Jeffrey.
Walt is president of South Georgia Cattlemen, speaks to other organizations to promote agriculture and volunteers as a judge for area FFA events. He serves on the board of the Seven Rivers Resource Development Council. Pridgen has a bachelor’s degree in diversified agriculture from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
On the committee, Pridgen represents the GFB 10th District, which includes Farm Bureaus in Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brantley, Camden, Charlton, Clinch, Coffee, Cook, Echols, Glynn, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Pierce and Ware counties.
The committee oversees GFB’s young farmer and rancher activities, including the GFB Young Farmers & Ranchers Leadership Conference on Jekyll Island in July, the GFB YF&R Discussion Meet, Achievement Award and Excellence in Agriculture competitive events, the Picture Georgia in Agriculture Photo Contest and the Harvest for All Campaign.
The GFB Young Farmers & Ranchers program is designed to provide leadership development, educational and social opportunities for farmers between the ages of 18 and 35.