Good growing conditions is resulting in fruit and vegetable shipments originating from a number of areas in Georgia.
Baker Farms in Norman Park, GA., focuses primarily on leafy green growing and shipping. 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, because of the heat in Georgia.
Baker’s produce ships across the country to retail and wholesale accounts and to Canada, though most of it stays on the East Coast.
The company reports this year is shaping up well, with better weather than last year.
At G&R Farms in Glennville, GA this year’s good weather has improved the quality of its sweet onions – Vidalias and Peruvian sweet. G&R reports a 15% to 20% increase in yields on a couple of fields.
Shuman Farms of Reidsville, GA grows, packs and ships Vidalia onions in Reidsville, 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. Shuman ships to retailers across the U.S.
The company notes its storages are full and expects good availability throughout the rest of the spring and summer.
Bland Farms, Glennville, GA., also grows a lot of onions, primarily Vidalia, Peru sweet onions and Mexican sweet onions. Bland reports a good harvest this season.
The grower/shipper also produces sweet potatoes in partnership with Sand Candy. This partnership will allow the company to provide customers with a consistent and secure supply of sweet potatoes due to its diversified growing areas in North Carolina and Georgia.
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.