Pictured from right, Georgia Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall presents the 2015 GFB Commodity Award to Dr. John McKissick who was joined by his wife, Nancy, mother, Frances, and sister Jane Carter for the award presentation. The award was presented at the Georgia Farm Bureau Commodity Conference on Aug. 13 at the University of Georgia in Athens.

Dr. John McKissick, a professor emeritus of agricultural economics at the University of Georgia College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, received the 2015 Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) Commodity Award recently during the GFB Commodity Conference at the University of Georgia in Athens.

The award, one of GFB’s highest honors, is given annually to honor an individual who has supported and promoted Georgia agriculture. 

“Dr. McKissick’s contributions to Georgia agriculture continue to have lasting effects. The economic reports Dr. McKissick wrote during his almost 40-year career have provided valuable information to farmers and business leaders across Georgia that have helped them manage their risk in volatile markets,” GFB President Zippy Duvall said. “It’s a privilege to present him with the Georgia Farm Bureau Commodity Award. We always give it to a member of the agriculture community who has made a lasting impact on Georgia agriculture.” 

McKissick, an Athens resident, retired from UGA in 2010. He began his career at UGA in 1976 as a livestock and grain economist on the Tifton Campus.

He later transferred to the Athens campus where he split his time between research and Extension. In 1999, McKissick was named the Extension Coordinator for the CAES Agricultural Economics Department and in 2000 was named director of the Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development (CAED), positions he held until his retirement.

He is a part-time Extension Livestock Economist with the UGA CAES. McKissick and his wife Nancy have two children and two grandchildren. The McKissicks are members of Watkinsville First United Methodist Church.