Moultrie, GA |

For State Senator Sam Watson, agriculture isn’t just a policy focus—it’s a way of life. A former vegetable farmer, Watson has long been embedded in Georgia’s farming community through organizations like FFA and Georgia Farm Bureau. His experience in the industry is exactly what drove him to seek public office.

“We had been involved back in, I guess it was, 2012. There’s some immigration legislation, 2011, 2012. Obviously, being in the vegetable business, it impacted our industry tremendously,” said Watson. “We kind of realized that there wasn’t a lot of folks involved in this industry at the Capitol.”

Now serving under the Gold Dome, Watson is one of only a handful of full-time farmers in the Georgia legislature. It’s a perspective he says is invaluable—especially when it comes to educating his fellow lawmakers about agriculture.

“To be a part-time legislator, you have to know a lot about a lot of different things,” Watson explained. “Coming from the farm, that’s one of the things that we offer—we do know a lot about a lot of different things, because we have to deal with a lot of different things. When you start telling people about it, they get really interested and want to ask more questions.”

Watson says many misunderstandings about agriculture in politics aren’t malicious—they’re born from a lack of exposure. And that’s why a large part of his role is simply education.

“Sometimes people think that they don’t like us, but really it’s just they don’t know,” he said. “They haven’t been involved in it like we have, or they don’t live in areas where what you see behind us happens every day.”

Supporting Watson and other lawmakers behind the scenes are agricultural lobbyists, such as those with Georgia Farm Bureau. Watson says their help is vital to keeping lawmakers informed and legislation moving in the right direction.

“I can’t be everywhere, and I can’t understand everything fully… and that’s kind of where we depend on the lobbyists and the folks like Adam,” said Watson. “They’ve got the time to go through that and make sure we understand it fully or be where we can’t be because we’re in another committee meeting or in caucus.”

With the demands of the session and the complexity of agricultural policy, Watson believes it’s a team effort to ensure Georgia’s number one industry continues to thrive.

By: John Holcomb