MOULTRIE — Bart Davis was named the Moultrie-Colquitt County Chamber of Commerce’s 2021 Agribusiness Person of the Year during this year’s annual community awards banquet on Tuesday, Oct. 4.

Davis began his farming career managing the operation, Davis Family Farms, that his late parents established in 1982 when he was just 18 years old.

His nomination was submitted by Judd Lasseter, the CEO of Lasseter Tractor Company, and with a supporting personal letter from Chip Blalock, the executive director of the Sunbelt Ag Expo.

Lasseter and Davis have been business partners for 10 out of the 40 years they’ve known each other.

“Mr. Davis is a true advocate for agriculture. He exemplifies this through his day-to-day operations on the farm, community involvement in agricultural organizations and his commitment to passing along the importance of being a steward of the land to future generations,” Lasseter wrote in his personal nomination letter.

Davis is currently the chairman of the Georgia Cotton Commission and the Georgia Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation.

He serves as a board member of the Southern Cotton Growers and as a member of the National Cotton Council and the Colquitt County Farm Service Agency. His roles and participation in the various organizations allows him a platform to educate and inform policy makers.

The nomination letter states, “He and his family have hosted several events over the last few years at their farm in Doerun in hopes that this type of interaction will offer a tangible perspective to those who have the ability to directly craft policy that impacts production agriculture.”

Davis now operates the farm with the help of his wife, Paula, and their children sons Trey and Jedd, daughter Lakyn and her husband Taylor Buckner, who all play key roles on the farm, according to Blalock.

He wrote, “Bart is an excellent steward of the land and his second-generation family farm is one of the most efficient and productive in the county.”

Davis and his wife were active members in 4-H and Future Farmers of America during their adolescent years. He showed livestock and competed in the organization’s events and their children followed their path.

“Today, even though Bart and Paula’s children are now adults, he still is a major advocate and supporter of these programs by giving his time and financial support to see that other younger people have the same opportunity that he and his family enjoyed,” the nomination letter said.

Davis and his family were recently awarded the Quail Forever and Pheasant Forever’s 2021 Precision Farmer of the Year award sponsored by John Deere.

The operation earned the award after using precision agriculture to manage their farm for the last 15 years.

“This award is of particular note because it highlights the Davis Family’s use of technology to understand and manage on an acre by acre basis as well as focusing on improving the surrounding environment to support and foster local wildlife,” the letter states.

Blalock said Davis is deserving of the Agribusiness Person of the Year honor due to his selfless service to agriculture and his community.

“He does what he does out of an earnest passion and love. His benevolent gift of his time annually is proof that he is a true public servant for this industry,” the letter concluded.

Davis Family Farms is located at 7861 Thigpen Trail in Doerun.