Zippy Duvall, president of the largest U.S. farm group, is quarantining at his Georgia farm while recuperating from the coronavirus, said the American Farm Bureau Federation on Wednesday. Duvall is the first leader of a U.S. farm group known to have the virus.
Duvall was tested for the coronavirus after experiencing fever and a cough, symptoms associated with Covid-19. “He tested positive this morning,” said an AFBF spokeswoman. “He is at home in quarantine and, on the bright side, feeling strong and in good spirits.”
For the past two weeks, Duvall has worked from his home on the farm rather than at AFBF headquarters in Washington. He represented the AFBF once during the period, said the group, referring to a June 25 announcement by Gov. Brian Kemp and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue of a rural broadband project in three counties in western Georgia. Perdue and Duvall served school meals in Cartersville later in the day.
“Secretary Perdue is routinely tested for Covid-19,” said a USDA spokesperson, and results have been negative since the June 25 events. “The USDA family wishes Zippy well and a quick recovery.” Perdue, who served two terms as Georgia governor, and Duvall have been friends for years.