HB493: HB493 State symbols; pineywoods cattle as official Georgia heritage cattle breed; designate

25 LC 62 0092 House Bill 493 By: Representatives Howard of the 71st, Huddleston of the 72nd, Ridley of the 6th, Mathis of the 133rd, Ford of the 170th, and others A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Article 3 of Chapter 3 of Title 50 of the Official Cod e of Georgia Annotated,1 relating to other state symbols, so as to designate pineywoods cattle as the official Georgia2 heritage cattle breed; to provide for legislative findings and declarations; to provide for3 related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:5 SECTION 1.6 The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:7 (1) Pineywoods cattle have been in Georgia and the Southeast since the 1500s and were8 a staple part of everyday work life and a key component to the economic landscape of9 what would become this state;10 (2) Pineywoods cattle herds were raised by not only European s ettlers but also by the11 Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Chocktaw, and Chickasaw;12 (3) Over time, pineywoods cattle became adapted to the Southeast, resulting in the breed13 becoming heat tolerant, resilient, resistant to parasites and d iseases, and able to be14 productive on marginal foliage;15 H. B. 493 - 1 - 25 LC 62 0092 (4) Pineywoods cattle were extremely self sufficient, living l argely independent of16 cattlemen and being driven to a new area only by necessity;17 (5) The breed was used for pulling timber from forests, plowin g fields, and hauling18 goods to market in addition to beef and dairy production;19 (6) Beginning in the 1950s, larger breeds became favored for t he purpose of gaining20 weight on grain, and survival characteristics and disease resistance were bred out of the21 larger breeds;22 (7) Only a few families continue to keep purebred pineywoods cattle herds, creating a23 few distinct strains. The Georgia strains include Holt, Purvis, Albany, and Popple;24 (8) The Livestock Conservancy currently lists the breed and related strains as threatened,25 with fewer than 1,000 annual registrations in the United States;26 (9) Pineywoods cattle are being utilized in holistic grazing initiatives to recover native27 species due the breed's adaptability to the climate and challen ging terrain of the28 Southeast; and29 (10) Establishing pineywoods cattle as the official Georgia he ritage cattle breed is30 necessary to fully recognize the importance of the breed and its contributions to Georgia31 history.32 SECTION 2.33 Article 3 of Chapter 3 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to other34 state symbols, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:35 "50-3-94.36 Pineywoods cattle are designated as the official Georgia heritage cattle breed."37 SECTION 3.38 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.39 H. B. 493 - 2 -