2022

  • Rutland Farm is a Southern family traditional farm that remains family owned and operated. It was started in 1916 by Charlie Rutland with only 36 acres, and today it has grown to over more that 2100 acres! They started out as simple shed serving the locals and visitors. Rutland farm broke grown in 2011 with…

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  • Premium Peanut was founded in 2014 and currently operates the largest shelling facility in the world in Douglas, GA. It is a cooperative which consists of more than 200 grower-owners and has over eleven buying points. They are designed with the purposes to integrate the peanut production process, stabilize the market for growers in the…

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  • Pike Creek Turf Farms is a family farm located in Adel, Georgia. The Allen family includes Jimmy & Quay Allen, Jaimie & Lynne Allen, and Dake & Kim Allen Boling. Starting out with just 100 acres in 1989, Pike Creek Turf was able to expand to roughly 2,000 acres in 2006. In 2006, Pike Creek…

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  • A&M Farms

    A&M Farms is a Vidalia Onion farm found in “the heart of Vidalia Onion growing country.” They are located in Lyons, Georgia about three hours south of Athens. A&M also has additional farmland in Toombs County, Georgia. The farm was established in the late 1980’s and originally named M&T Farms. In December of 2020, Aries…

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  • Before our spring break study tour, the class was assigned different stops we would be making to research and present. My designated stop was Lewis Taylor Farms in Tifton, GA. Lewis Taylor started farming in the 1930s as a transplant producer; however, the farm was purchased by Ed Walker and Bill Brim in 1985. Throughout…

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  • Mercier Orchards is located in Blue Ridge, Georgia and has a current range of about three hundred acres of land. Now onto its fourth generation, the orchards have been in operation for over seventy-five years. This family-owned orchard was founded in 1943 by Bill and Adele Mercier. When the orchard first began, it started with…

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  • Pre-Trip Post In Dahlonega, Georgia, to the east of the Three Sisters Mountain, we’ll find the Three Sisters Vineyard. The Three Sisters Vineyard is the first family vineyard and winery in Lumpkin County. The 184 acre farm was purchased by Doug and Sharon Paul in 1995, with their first harvest in August of 2000 and…

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  • Cleveland Tree Farm is based out of Fort Valley, Georgia. Cleveland Tree Farm is a nursery that grows evergreen shrubs and different species of trees. Cleveland only sells in wholesale. This means they only sell in large quantities. They are well known throughout the Eastern United States. Cleveland was founded in 1983 by David and…

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  • My stop is R&G farms in Dublin, Georgia. R&G is a small hydroponics farm specializing in lettuce, kale, and herbs. They have 2 greenhouses on their 10-acre property producing all of the crops that they sell. All crops grown at R&G farms are harvested and taken to market with their roots to ensure freshness and…

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  • Soil3 is a humus compost that is made, and this company is a division of Patten Seed Company that was established in 2011. Their motto and what they try to achieve through their compost is, “The Natural Way to Build Good Soil Structure.” They say their compost grows stronger, healthier plants all while reducing the…

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