In late July, the Commodity Commission Ex-Officio Committee met to make appointments to the Georgia Cotton Commission Board of Directors.  GCC Vice Chairman Matt Coley, a cotton and peanut farmer from Vienna, and director Steven Meeks, a cotton, peanut, tobacco, and timber producer from Screven, were both reappointed to another three-year term on the Commission’s board of directors.

Matt Coley and his father operate Coley Farms.  The Coleys also operate Coley Gin & Fertilizer, a cotton gin and peanut buying point that has been operating since 1945.  Matt has degrees from the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences.  He spent time in Washington as a staffer for Senator Saxby Chambliss and was instrumental in developing the 2008 Farm Bill.  Coley holds leadership positions in many cotton organizations, including serving as a producer delegate to the National Cotton Council of America, director of Southern Cotton Growers, and Georgia State Chairman of the American Cotton Producers. Coley has served on the Georgia Cotton Commission board since 2012 and as Vice Chairman since 2017.  He was a member of the Leadership Georgia class of 2016 and serves as a member of the boards of his community hospital and a local school.  Matt and his wife have two daughters and are members of Cordele First Church.

Coley stated, “As a 4th-generation cotton producer, one of my top priorities is to make sure that the next generation can continue producing cotton in the future.  The work of the Georgia Cotton Commission helps ensure this by maximizing the $1/bale investment from Georgia cotton producers for research, education and promotion.  It is an honor to represent fellow farmers by directing Commission investments that will help ensure the future of this industry and our local communities alike.”

Steven Meeks operates Nine Run Farms and serves as operations manager for FMR Burch Farms.  After graduating from the University of Georgia College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, Meeks worked for Congressman then Senator Saxby Chambliss as well as the US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and was a key staff member during the drafting, passage, and implementation of two farm bills.  Over the years, Meeks has been an active leader of many cotton and other agricultural industry boards and has served as a member of the Commission’s board since 2012.  He is a graduate of the Leadership Georgia class of 2012 and is a former trustee of that organization.  Meeks has served the people of Appling, Bacon, Pierce, and Wayne Counties as a State Representative since 2018.  In the General Assembly, he is a member of the Agriculture & Consumer Affairs; Appropriations; Budget & Fiscal Affairs Oversight; Creative Arts & Entertainment; Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications; Game, Fish & Parks; and Small Business Development Committees.  He also serves as the Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Economic Development. Meeks and his wife, Joy Burch-Meeks, have one son, John William, and are members of Emmanuel Baptist Church.

Regarding his reappointment, Meeks said, “I am honored to have been reappointed to the Georgia Cotton Commission Board of Directors.  I look forward to working with the other members of the Commission board to focus on programming that will enhance the sustainability and viability of cotton production in Georgia now and in the years to come.”

The Georgia Cotton Commission is a producer-funded organization located in Perry, Georgia. The Commission began in 1965. Georgia cotton producers pay an assessment enabling the Commission to invest in programs of research, promotion, and education on behalf of all cotton producers of Georgia. For more information about this and other topics please call 478-988-4235 or visit us on the web atwww.georgiacottoncommission.org.