Grovetown, GA |
Senator Lee Anderson has spent his entire life farming the same ground where he was raised — and that connection to the land is a defining part of who he is. But for Anderson, that was never where his sense of purpose ended. His background in agriculture laid the foundation for a life of public service, and for four decades, that’s exactly what he’s been doing.
“It goes back to my mother and my father and how they raised me. I love helping people. I love helping a true need, and I love helping a community move forward in the right direction,” said Anderson, who represents Georgia Senate District 24.
While farming has brought Anderson no shortage of personal reward, he also knows firsthand the difficulties that come with it — and those realities stay front and center in his work under the Gold Dome.
“Everything is at an all-time low in terms of what we receive, and everything is at an all-time high in terms of expenses. Usually, one commodity would bring more to help offset the others that aren’t bringing a good price. But right now, everything is at an all-time low — and that’s what we’re trying to help address in Atlanta any way we can,” Anderson said.
For Anderson, fighting for agriculture in the legislature means more than casting votes. A significant part of the work involves educating colleagues who may have little familiarity with the industry — and he sees that as one of the most important things a farmer-lawmaker can do.
“We have to educate people in our profession, just the same way lawyers have to explain legal details to us, or doctors help us understand the medical field,” Anderson said. “We — the farmers — have to explain to our coworkers what’s really important. And what’s really important is that we provide the food and fiber for people. We put the food on the table, the shirt on your back, and the shoes you wear.”
That work of education and advocacy isn’t something Anderson does alone. He says organizations like Georgia Farm Bureau are among the most valuable tools at his disposal when navigating the legislative process.
“They help us educate the rest of the delegation. They give us a lot of information and details that we can present in agriculture committee meetings — and it helps with the budget process as well,” Anderson said. “Farm Bureau is just an awesome organization. I’ve been in it since I was probably seventeen years old, and over the years it’s been great.”
For Senator Anderson, the farm and the statehouse have always been connected — two expressions of the same commitment to community, hard work, and looking out for the people who feed the rest of the world.