Volunteer. Collaborate. Get active. Gilbert Barrett, president and chief executive officer of the White County Farmers Exchange, president of the Habersham County Farm Bureau and poultry and cattle farmer, believes farmers must be engaged in their communities to succeed. 

“As Georgia grows more urban, fewer people recognize the importance of agriculture to our state,” Barrett said.  “Not many people realize that agriculture contributes $312 million to Habersham County’s economy.  We need to educate and influence legislators to support farmers.”

As head of the Farm Bureau, Barrett is working with leaders of the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club and other local groups to put on an Agriculture Day for the 600 fourth graders in Habersham County.  The day will officially kick off the county fair on September 10.

“Activities like these put agriculture on the forefront,” Barrett continued.  “They require lots of collaboration and support.  We have 70 to 75 volunteers working on Ag Day.”

Staying relevant to today’s farmers
The White County Farm Exchange was founded in 1928.  More than 80 years later, after many other locally owned ag co-ops closed, the Exchange remains a thriving, growing operation.  According to Barrett, annual sales average around $3.5 million and it is the largest independent Southern States dealer in Georgia and Alabama.

Its success is due largely to efforts to diversify and stay relevant to farmers.  The Exchange maintains a strong customer service orientation – making farm calls to help evaluate problems, identify possible solutions and set up protocols.

“We also offer equipment for daily rental, which can be more economical than buying an expensive piece of equipment that isn’t used on a daily basis,” Barrett said.

From the farmer’s perspective
Barrett brings a valuable farmer’s perspective to his role at the Farm Bureau and Farmers Exchange.  He runs a grandparent poultry operation and commercial cattle operation.  He also grows hay and other feeds to sustain the livestock.

From his farmer perspective, Barrett believes one of the biggest issues facing agriculture today is the potential for a cap-and-trade system to be enacted to address global warming.

“As a poultry farmer, electricity is a big input and anything that could potentially raise energy costs like cap-and-trade is a big concern,” Barrett said.

Regulations at all levels including state and local can sometimes inadvertently hinder farming operations.  Barrett cites his inability to obtain a local permit to build a stack house to compost litter on his poultry farm.  Until local farmers surfaced the issue and encouraged the county commissioner to change the ordinance, local regulations prohibited the construction of an accessory structure that had more square footage than the house itself.

“That’s why it’s so important for regulators to understand the agriculture industry – what’s involved and what it takes to be successful,” Barrett said.  “Farmers are in the best position to educate people and they have the most at stake.”

Barrett also cited the emergence of new technologies as a major factor in agriculture today and in the future.   “It would be much harder to produce the quality bird we do without monitoring systems to maintain temperature and humidity in the poultry houses.  Now I spray with weather radar pulled up on my cell phone,” Barrett said.

With the advent of more environmental regulations, farmers are being called on to lower emissions from their operations.  According to Barrett, the University of Georgia is actively working on more advanced emission-control devices.

For more information on White County Farm Exchange, call 706-865-2831.  In addition, a new website will soon be available at whitecountyfarmerscoopexchange.com.  For more information on the Habersham County Farm Bureau, visit habershamcountyfarmbureau.org

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