Every year, a delegation of Georgia Farm Bureau county presidents travels to our nation’s capital to meet with lawmakers.

It’s an opportunity for the agriculture community to have its voice heard on issues that affect the state's largest industry.

As any good farmer will tell you, leaving the spring fieldwork and planting is not an easy pill to swallow.

But for the Farm Bureau leaders who travel to Washington, D.C. each year, it is not a vacation, but a business trip.

“When you understand the power that is here and the history that is here, then you realize and make that connectionthat your trip has really become valuable. You’re a part of the process of having your voice heard and the democratic process. And it becomes very real to you. And they may get to see some sites, but they come to work. And they come as volunteers to talk for our agricultural community,” said Zippy Duvall, president of the Georgia Farm Bureau.

“This is kind of the icing on the cake. You know, we go to Atlanta and we deal with our state reps., but when you come up here, this is where all the money comes from. This is where all the money goes. If you don’t come up here and try to state your case, plead your case, however we say it, in the big world of government, they’ll forget you real quick,” said Ross McQueen, the Henry County Farm Bureau president.

Which certainly brings up a valid question, given all the issues a U.S. Congressman faces on a daily basis, are the voices of American farmers really being heard or are these face-to-face meetings just another formality?

Georgia Farm Bureau leaders said their voices are being heard.

“Absolutely, if I didn’t think this is worthwhile, I could be home on a tractor. We could be planting right now. But I feel like this is important enough for all the farmers to get off the tractor, come to Washington, and make our voices heard. Because I feel like they would rather talk to their constituents, somebody that’s actually in the field with dirt under their fingernails, because we know what the problems are and we can convey those problems,” said Ben Boyd, who represents the 7th District on the GFB Board of Directors.

One case in point is funding for the reconstruction of the Southeastern Poultry Research Lab in Athens. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has requested $155 million and considers it the No. 1 priority of all USDA facilities.

But time and time again, the money the USDA has requested never gets appropriated.

With many of the facilities outdated, some by 50 years or more, the Georgia Farm Bureau is urging Congress to support their request.

Without the proper funding to make improvements, the Georgia poultry industry could be looking at a major catastrophe.

“Talking about AI, the bird flu, you know, it could be devastating to our area, with poultry. You know, because poultry accounts for almost half of the ag income in the state of Georgia. So in the wrong area, it could devastate and it could devastate banks, of course, farmers. All the integrators, in our area we have six or seven integrators. You start having to eradicate some of those parent flocks, it could cripple the industry. So it’s very important that we get those laboratories up to date because they need to be doing research to stay in front of the disease,” said Russ Moon, president of the Madison County Farm Bureau.

“We appreciate what the farmers of Georgia do. We know agriculture is the main business of our state,” said Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.).

The final day of the trip was highlighted by appearances from both Georgia senators and Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Krysta Harden, who was born and raised in Camilla, Ga.

Her parting message to Farm Bureau leaders was patience.

“We started laying as much groundwork as we could over the fall, leading into the winter so we would be ready. But let me remind you Congress took over 130 weeks to do the farm bill. We’ve had it seven. To do this right, and that’s the first thing we want to do, is make sure it will work for you at home. I think that’s why the Secretary asked me to help lead the process is because I am a farm girl. I’m a phone call away from a farmer, who is my daddy and does not mind calling me when we do something wrong. And that I would understand and know how important and valuable it is to make sure that good policy here translates into workable, flexible-as-it-can be policies for you,” said Harden.