By Clint Thompson
Georgia’s Farmer of the Year was announced on Friday at the Georgia Ag Forecast meeting held at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center in Tifton, Georgia.
Pete Gelber, dairy farmer in Macon County, was presented the award during the University of Georgia event. Gelber talked about the huge accomplishment.
“It’s an honor. I’m just humbly accepting it, really for our dairy. I’ve been able to accumulate a lot of good people over the years. My success is through other people,” Gelber said. “People say you’re a self-made man but really it’s your family and your partners and all the people that bring you along that make you able to be successful.”
Gelber, originally from the Bronx in New York, has established himself as a leading dairy farmer in the Southeast. He farms more than 15,000 cows in middle Georgia.
“I’ve always had good business acumen, and I’ve always worked like a donkey, and I’ve also had lots of opportunities afforded me,” Gelber said. “I’ve had good partners, good parents, good brothers and sisters.
“Going forward, I have the younger population; my son. I have a few other partners. These guys keep me on the straight and narrow.”
Looking Ahead
According to information presented at the Ag Forecast meeting, the 2026 dairy outlook faces headwinds that increasing production may be outpacing demand. Potential improvements to supply and demand may occur later in the year.
“I think the Southeast has been a good place to dairy. You have to be a better dairyman than in other places in the country because of the humidity and the heat,” Gelber said. “That said, once you learn how to take care of your cows at a high level, you have the ability to be next to high populations like Miami, Florida and Atlanta, Georgia. That gives us a better price for our milk.”