No stopping Georgia: Good weather, strong demand keep farmers, packers busy

Agriculture is a big factor in the economy of Georgia. In 2020, it contributed $69.4 billion in output to the state’s $1.1 trillion economy. Vegetables contributed 10.1% of that; and fruit and nuts 6.0%, according to the Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development at the University of Georgia in Athens.

On the vegetable side, sweet corn contributes the most to the economy (14.0%), followed by watermelons (12.8%), onions (10.8%), bell peppers (10.8%) and cucumbers 6.4%). 

And while Georgia may be known for its peaches, it’s blueberries that provide the most dollars to the state's $2.2 billion fruit economy. The tiny berries make up 42.4% of the whole, followed by pecans (41.5%), peaches (38.5%), grapes (8.7%) and blackberries (3.7%).

With scores of farms — almost 42,500 — and a lot of farmland (almost 10 million acres), Georgia’s produce grows year-round, though with a dip in the hottest months of July and August.

Nickey Gregory Co. in Forest Park, Ga., is a fresh produce distributor that delivers overnight to 11 southeastern states, much of those deliveries being Georgia-grown products. “The proximity of the growing region from our warehouse enables us to pick up product daily and keep fresher product on hand for our customers,” said Andrew Scott, vice president of business development and marketing.

Overall, he points out, “peaches are still a very popular item here in Georgia, but mainstays such as cucumbers, bell peppers, squash, eggplant, cabbage and greens (kale, collards, turnips, mustards) drive the Georgia crops.” And for blueberries, which have a fairly short growing window in south Georgia, he says “the volume and quality is very strong.”

Farming it out

Baker Farms in Norman Park, Ga., is primarily a leafy greens producer. Collards are the biggest crop, followed by kale, but other products include cilantro, beets and Swiss chard.

The farm grows year-round, though in July and August sources product from North Carolina, Ohio and Michigan, as it’s too hot to grow in Georgia. Other months are more temperate. 

“We’re fortunate to be located in southwest Georgia — close enough to the Gulf that we get some summer showers but through the winter, we can grow because of the warmth from the Gulf of Mexico. This is a great location for leafy greens,” said Heath Wetherington, director of operations for the farms, which grow about 5,000 acres of produce over the course of the year.

And this year is shaping up well, with better weather than last year, he added. 

At G&R Farms in Glennville, Ga., this year’s good weather has improved the quality of its sweet onions – Vidalias and Peruvian sweet. “The dry harvest weather has helped keep everything high quality as we grade the onions,” said Cliff Reiner, research and development manager. “We have seen 15% to 20% increase in yields on a couple of fields.”

The season has also been good at Shuman Farms, which grows, packs and ships Vidalia onions in Reidsville, Ga., as well as in Texas, Mexico and Peru. The company is one of the largest Vidalia shippers and harvests 2,350 of the 10,000 acres harvested by the industry. 

“Our storage is full and we expect good availability throughout the rest of the spring and summer," said John Shuman, president and CEO. “Yields and sizing are good. We are currently experiencing very nice quality and have seen overall good quality despite a few challenges early on, due to weather and rain events.”

Bland Farms, Glennville, Ga., also grows a lot of onions, primarily Vidalia, Peru sweet onions and Mexican sweet onions, though Vidalia are the most popular “by far,” said CEO Troy Bland, who added that this year’s harvest has gone well.

The company also produces sweet potatoes. “Our sweet potato program has tremendous growth potential through our Sand Candy partnership. This partnership will allow us to provide customers with a consistent and secure supply of sweet potatoes because of our diversified growing areas in North Carolina and Georgia,” he explained.

Southwest shipping

Nickey Gregory’s business model is heavily toward the foodservice and wholesale sectors, but Scott points out that Georgia-grown products ship across the U.S. during the months of May and June, and closer to home, local Atlanta retailers “do a good job of promoting Georgia-grown products in their stores.”

The company also preps produce in its own processing division, Family Fresh Foods. 

“Chefs and kitchen help are looking for more ways to reduce labor and shrink,” Scott said. “Fresh-cut produce items make this very convenient and safe.”

Shuman ships to retailers across the U.S., while Baker’s produce ships across the country to retail and wholesale accounts and to Canada, though most of it stays on the East Coast, said the company. 

Much of Baker’s business is bagged greens, which the company started about a decade ago, “and saw a major increase in [its] retail business,” Wetherington said. “We decided to make the investment and it’s paid off well. It helps with some of the skyrocketing costs we’re facing.”

And those costs are coming from every angle — packaging, fertilizers, labor, input costs, he said, but the expense of equipment and safety protocols required for bagging have certainly paid off.

The challenges Bland Farms faces right now are similar. “Supply chain issues continue to affect our business,” Bland says. “Rising costs, along with availability of goods, are an outcome of supply and demand. These include labor, plastic and cardboard just to name a few.”

Nickey Gregory Company is also feeling the challenges, which range from labor in the fields and packinghouses to logistics, transportation and drivers. Also problematic, said Scott, are “increased costs for labor, fertilizers, seed, tractors, power and fuel to name a few.”

While weather is always a worry for G&R farms, the supply chain and freight effects are a huge concern right now. “We’re finding we must over-order supplies and order them earlier in order to provide consistency to our customers,” Reiner explained. “This is not unique to us, and the entire food supply chain is starting to try and preplan to address issues related to inputs and logistics to not impact consumer supplies of sweet onions.”

Challenges abound, but Georgia produce is remaining strong for now.