Special to the Herald

ATLANTA — The Senate Study Committee on the Preservation of Georgia’s Farmlands, chaired by Sen. Billy Hickman (R–Statesboro), will hold its first meeting July 30 beginning at 10 a.m. The meeting is open to the public and will be held at the Continuing Education Building at Georgia Southern University, 10449 US Hwy. 301, Statesboro. The meeting will be livestreamed on the General Assembly website: bit.ly/3LteDZT.

During the first meeting, the committee will hear from numerous guest speakers, including Dr. Kyle Marrero, President of Georgia Southern University, Katherine Moore, President of Georgia Conservancy, Inc., Dr. Asli Aslan, Director of Georgia Southern Institute for Water and Health, Heidi Jeffers, Director of Georgia Grown Innovation Center, Bill Worthington, Agribusiness Teacher at Ogeechee Technical College and Tyler Harper, Commissioner of Georgia Department of Agriculture. The committee is tasked with studying the conditions, needs, issues, and problems related to the preservation of Georgia’s farmlands and recommending any action or legislation.

Sen. Billy Hickman serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Higher Education. He represents the 4th Senate District which includes Bulloch, Candler, Effingham, Evans, and a small portion of Chatham County. He may be reached at 404-463-1371 or via email at billy.hickman@senate.ga.gov