Four winners were announced Tuesday at the 2023 Hall County Agribusiness Awards at Jaemor Farms on Cornelia Highway in Alto.
The event was held by the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce, Hall County Farm Bureau and the University of Georgia Extension to recognize individuals and businesses in agriculture within the community.
Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent Garrett Hibbs with the UGA Extension for Hall County said in his opening remarks that Hall County is “still number one in jobs related to agriculture with over 17,000.”
This year’s winners in each category are as follows:
- Friend of Agriculture - Dianne Westmoreland, administrative officer with USDA Farm Service Agency for Georgia.
- Farmer of the Year - Chris and Paige Little, owners of Circle L Farms, a family-owned cow farm in Lula.
- AgriBusiness of the Year - Georgia Poultry Federation.
- Agriculture Hall of Fame - William McKinney
McKinney was a resident of Hall County who was involved in the building of the first gas-powered plow.
“Think about the impact that that's made on agriculture. You know, moving forward to what we have today is really just a precursor of the tractors and implements that we use today. And so we really wanted to honor him with the Hall of Fame Award this year,” Hibbs said.
According to Hibbs, no living relatives of McKinney in the community could be found. Any relatives are being asked to contact the UGA Hall County Extension office.
