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says Wetherington. “We have peaches and pecans all the way down to the dry vegeta- bles, squash and peppers, and then the leafy greens. There’s just a large array of commod- ities that are grown in Georgia.”
CONSISTENT QUALITY
The favorable growing conditions help produce quality products. “Georgia has really good land that is ideal for vegetables,” says Calvert Cullen, president of Cheriton,
VA-based Northampton Growers Produce Sales, Inc., which grows and ships Southern vegetables, sweet corn and leafy greens throughout the East Coast. “The state has good soil types. The soil and the climate really help produce great vegetables.”
Agriculture is Georgia’s oldest and largest industry. Ag-related businesses are respon- sible for employing 1 in 7 Georgians, notes Jordan Carter, director of sales and marketing for Leger & Son, Inc. From Cordele, GA, Leger
PHOTO COURTESY OF GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
that has great soil and a great climate,” says Wetherington. “We are kind of in the crossfire of some good moisture that comes across. This is one of the best places for an extended season of growing greens.”
Georgia and fresh are nearly synonymous. “When people think of Georgia Grown, they think of a fresh product,” says Bob Stafford, manager of the Vidalia, GA-based Vidalia Onion Committee. “The reputation continues to increase in buyers’ and shoppers’ minds.”
The variety of soil is crucial. “When you really think about it, terrain has a lot to do with what growers are able to grow,” says Bolesta. “Our sandy soils and heavy clay favors growing numerous items. The corn guys love the clay. The vegetable growers love the sand while the peach and apple growers in the northern part of the state enjoy the weather that’s typically cooler than in the South. It all helps Georgia’s produc- tion.”
Georgia Grown items go well together. “We encourage retailers to merchandise Georgia Grown products together and create a destination for their customers,” says John Shuman, president and chief executive of Shuman Farms, Inc., Reidsville, GA. “Geor- gia’s diverse, rich soil grows a variety of produce, and customers have learned to seek out the Georgia Grown logo on signage and products in stores. That’s why Shuman Farms makes sure that the Georgia Grown logo is on all of our RealSweet Vidalia packaging.”
Produce is grown throughout the state. “Geographically, Georgia is pretty unique,”
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GEORGIA GROWN PRODUCE