On a brisk January day, Austin Hamilton outfitted in his typical t-shirt, faded blue jeans, work boots, and seed-company-supplied-cap, stands alongside four John Deere tractors and twenty hardworking employees discussing what takes place during the twenty or so days of laying plastic in our South Georgia fields. It is during these winter months each year that one-third of Southern Valley’s fields are shimmied under straight rows of black plastic in preparation for the coming growing season.
As we enter the week of Thanksgiving, we pause and realize just how much we have to be grateful for. Here are a few things for which we are grateful this year.
1. Family
As a family-owned and operated business, there is no way our farming operation would be in existence without our family. From cousins and uncles to children and grandmothers, we’ve got some of each working here at Southern Valley. We are so grateful for our immediate family and our extended family who work with us – and support us behind the scenes – as well as our work family formed through our employees and co-workers. We love that Read More
If you’ve flipped through a newspaper, turned on the news, or scrolled through your Facebook or Twitter feed recently, you’ve likely heard of the current salmonella outbreak involving cucumbers from Mexico. Rest assured this recent outbreak has not escaped our notice, or the consumer’s notice. We have been asked multiple times over the last few days how this affects us and our cucumber production. The response to those questions isn’t a simple one.
Although we grow cucumbers year-round, our current cucumber production is based out of Georgia and Tennessee. The recent outbreak, of course, stems from Mexico. Yet, starting in November, we will be providing customers with cucumbers out of Read More
I grew up in the same community as Southern Valley, but working here has been an eye-opening experience and I have learned things about the operation I could have never imagined. Here are the 5 things that make Southern Valley different from your typical farming operation.
1. We are female-owned.
Wanda Tyler-Hamilton and her granddaughters Kaylee (left) and Courtney (right) own more than 50% of Southern Valley making it a female-owned company.
Even though we started as a four-man farming operation, as three of the original four members either sold their part or passed away, the remaining ownership defaulted Read More
As we meandered and snaked our way up the mountains passing acres of rolling nothingness, my summer vacations spent in my grandparent’s beloved mountains came back to me and for a brief moment I felt as if I were headed towards another Smoky Mountain vacation. Rest assured, I was not on vacation. We were instead headed up the steep mountain road to the Southern Valley farm in Tennessee.
I had heard many stories about this farm and the people who lived there and spoke using typical Appalachian phrases such as “You’ens” and “Yall’ens” and I was pretty pumped to finally be meeting them. These people, also known as the Henderson Read More
This past Friday marked the end of my seven-week internship with Southern Valley. I am so thankful to have been a part of this wonderful company, even for a short period of time. Not only did I enjoy working with people who have passion for what they do and know how to work hard while still having fun, I learned a lot! I now know the difference between “RPC,” “DC,” and “GTIN,” and can tell you whether a cucumber is a “super” or a “large.” I learned about what it takes to be vertically integrated, including training harvesting crews, washing, grading, and packing produce, maintaining coolers, and working with Read More
One thing I absolutely love about being employed at Southern Valley is the constant creativity and innovation we use in our farming operations. Those in both management and leadership roles are forever thinking outside the box in all aspects of the operation – from growing and harvesting products to fulfilling the demand for workers and their housing. The latest design and development of worker housing in Tennessee is a prime example of this Southern Valley innovation.
As our farm in Tennessee grew and labor needs increased, it quickly became apparent that we were going to have to provide more permanent housing for the workers employed there during the summer months. Read More
At Southern Valley, the folks are extremely friendly and love to talk… but you should never, ever, let your birthdate slip. A birthday at Southern Valley means that you’re subject to the age-old tradition of a dunk in the non-operational squash tank. A spurt of summer birthdays has led to the recent splash of several Southern Valley employees.
July’s “victims” include Jon, Chemo, and Tavares. Some employees simply “grin and bear” their turn, while as you can see in the video below, others truly enjoy it. Of course, no one is forced to participate, but here at Southern Valley most people look forward to this Read More
Have you ever wondered how produce ends up on the shelf of your supermarket? Have you questioned how “fresh” the produce section really is? Many people don’t stop to give it thought, much less realize all the effort it takes to get a single cucumber ready to sell. Southern Valley is a vertically integrated company, which means that we oversee the entire process from seed to shelf, and everything in between.
We grow ’em.
We start with the seed. Varieties are selected, bought, and stored in a cool place until they are ready to be seeded- put into small plastic containers with fertilizer Read More
A couple days ago Katie invited me to go canning with the Hamilton ladies – Mrs. Pam, Courtney, and Kaylee – and, with a vision of the four of us in a small kitchen preserving fresh vegetables like my grandmother did, I readily accepted. I would be helping preserve not only veggies but the long-lost art of canning… or so I thought.
Steamed Tomatoes
Jalapenos
Arriving at the canning plant, I was shocked. Every parking space was full. Colquitt County has the only canning plant for miles and it Read More