Rooted in impact: GFA's Quarterly Newsletter

Meet our new executive Director; Andrew Schmidt

The Georgia Foundation for Agriculture has named Andrew Schmidt as its new executive director. He started July 20.

Schmidt has more than 20 years experience in nonprofit leadership, fundraising, marketing and communications.

“We were fortunate to have several qualified candidates apply for the position, said GFB President Tom McCall, chairman of the GFA Board of Directors. “Andrew stood out from the field with his experience, leadership and passion for the foundation’s mission.”

Schmidt worked the last two years as senior director of development at WABE in Atlanta. Prior to that, he was an assistant vice president at the University of North Florida, where he focused on alumni engagement and communications strategy. Before that he was the vice president and senior director for Boys & Girls Clubs of Nassau County in Florida, senior director of development and marketing for Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida and director of communications at Georgia State University.

“I’m honored to join the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture team. Education has always been at the heart of my career, and that’s exactly what drew me to GFA: the chance to advance programs like SEED, GROW, and HARVEST that put agricultural education directly into the hands of Georgia’s students and communities while also supporting and strengthening our farmers,” Schmidt said. “Agriculture has been part of my story too. I started college as a forestry major and interned with Georgia-Pacific before my path shifted toward nonprofit leadership. I have close friends in Alapaha, who farm tobacco, peanuts, and other crops, so I’ve seen firsthand how much this industry means to the people who work it. I’m excited to help GFA grow that story.”

Schmidt is a certified fundraising executive. He earned master’s degrees in business administration and professional writing and a bachelor’s degree in political science, all from Kennesaw State University. He is a member of the Midtown Atlanta Rotary Club and regularly fosters dogs through the Atlanta Humane Society’s shelter-to-service program, which trains shelter dogs for service work.

Schmidt succeeds Lily Rolader, who left the GFA April 1.

Survey Seeks Input from Georgia Farmers on Economic Challenges

The Georgia Foundation for Agriculture (GFA), Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB), and the University of Georgia College of Public Health, have partnered to launch the Georgia Farm Profitability Survey, a statewide effort to better understand the economic challenges facing Georgia farmers.

The survey is designed to collect Georgia-specific data directly from farmers to better understand the factors affecting profitability and identify opportunities to strengthen agriculture statewide. Findings will help inform future communications, grassroots engagement, and policy discussions while providing credible, research-backed data to support advocacy efforts on behalf of Georgia agriculture.

"We know Georgia farmers are facing significant challenges, and we want to hear directly from them," said Georgia Farm Bureau President Tom McCall. "This survey will help us better understand the issues affecting profitability so we can focus our efforts where they will make the greatest impact for Georgia’s farm families."

The anonymous survey will be open to all Georgia farmers from July 1 through July 31, 2026. It takes about 10 minutes to complete. Visit https://gfb.ag/survey to take the survey.

The project is funded by the GFA. Research oversight and analysis are being led collaboratively by Dr. Christina Proctor, researcher with the University of Georgia College of Public Health, and Dr. Stephanie Basey, founder of The Hive Research Collective and a research consultant working with the GFA. GFB is coordinating statewide promotion and survey distribution with support from agricultural industry partners to encourage participation from farmers across Georgia.

Following the survey period, the data will be analyzed, and GFA and GFB will jointly develop a report highlighting key results. The results will help inform future agricultural initiatives, communication efforts, and advocacy priorities, including the ongoing Strong Farms Strong Georgia campaign. Visit www.gfb.org/strong-farms-strong-georgia-initiative  to learn more about the campaign and to access resources farmers and agribusinesses can use to educate consumers.

Each year the GFB Board of Directors identifies priority issues affecting Georgia agriculture for the organization to focus its advocacy efforts on. As farm economics continued to worsen in 2025, the GFB Board identified the sustainability of the family farm as the organization's top priority for 2026. Farm profitability has decreased in recent years as producers navigate rising production costs, fluctuating commodity markets, labor challenges, weather-related losses and other economic pressures.

Georgia farmers are encouraged to participate to ensure the survey reflects the experiences and perspectives of agriculture across the state.

For questions about the survey, please contact info@gafoundationag.org.