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
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
In this version of Around the Farm, we literally took a trip around the farm – not just my typical run through a couple of the fields. Jill, Courtney, and I spent the last week doing food safety refresher trainings in the fields. Wait, let me reword that, Jill and Courtney spent last week doing food safety refresher trainings and I tagged along and asked pesky questions on a few of those training excursions.
So, let me break these refresher trainings down for you. Jill, who is our food safety girl, and Courtney, who handles a variety of administrative tasks in the office, trek out to the crews in the Read More
Sometimes sights around the farm include luscious fields with green vegetables growing. Other times, the sights include people and community.
As I was running this past time, a three man crew was cruising through the cabbage fields with a tractor and trailer doing a little clean up. Awkward Spanglish greetings were exchanged and we each went on our separate ways – they to more clean up, me to more huffing and puffing.
Later, as I was finishing up a less than successful run (Read: I was walking), I was met with a recently-returned-to-his-hometown-doctor driving through the field. I grew up going to high school with this guy. He grew up as Read More
We’re just curious, but did you know….
Did you know we are a fruit and vegetable farm situated right here within your county lines and yet we grow food that is sent all over the United States and Canada?
Did you know we started as a four-man company that purchased one hundred acres, but have now grown into a farming operation that grows, packs, and ships produce in three locations – Georgia, Tennessee, and Yucatan – and employs hundreds of people over the course of a year?
Did you know that from right here in your hometown, we are able to supply fresh produce to some of the most commonly shopped at Read More
I swear it has rained 21 out of the past 18 days since the last post and pictures. Seriously though, it really did rain for a week solid here. The rain was of course the absolute only reason I haven’t been out and about running – and taking pictures – lately. As much as I would like to believe that reasoning, the complete lack of breath I experience while running probably has little to do with me being in awe of the fields and way more to do with me being slightly out of shape.
In actual farm related news, the rain has finally come and gone and the sun Read More