TIFTON — Tift County Farm Bureau President Gary Walker is serving as chairman of the Georgia Farm Bureau Equine Committee for 2018, according to a press releason

The 10-member committee is made up of Georgia horse owners, breeders, trainers and boarders. The committee met this spring and will meet again in August to develop GFB’s policy regarding issues that affect the state’s equine industry, which produced more than $256 million in sales in 2016, according to the University of Georgia Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development.

GFB will finalize its 2019 policy during its annual convention in December.

Walker raises horses and boards horses for other owners, as well as growing hay, peanuts and cotton. He and his wife Rhonda live in Ty Ty.

Founded in 1937, Georgia Farm Bureau is the state’s largest general farm organization and has 158 county offices. Its volunteer members actively participate in local, state and national activities that promote agriculture awareness to their non-farming neighbors.

GFB offers its members a wide variety of benefits, including insurance, but enrollment in any of the member benefits is optional and not a requirement for membership.