September/October 2023 - 6

GROWER PROFILE
Managing risk
Healthy soil, tech help Southern Valley
survive tight times
BY DOUG OHLEMEIER
ASSISTANT EDITOR
V
aluing soil health and containing costs,
accompanied by hard work and family involvement
help Southern Valley Fruit & Vegetable thrive.
Southern Valley, Norman Park, Georgia, grows and
packs a variety of vegetables, including bell peppers,
sweet corn and yellow and zucchini squash, its biggest
items. The southern Georgia company's operations west
of Interstate 75 includes cabbage, cucumbers, eggplant
and green beans, as well as acorn, butternut and
spaghetti hard squash and hot peppers.
Through a partnership with Henderson Farms,
Southern Valley grows vegetables in the heat of summer
in eastern Tennessee and during the winter in Mexico's
Yucatan Peninsula.
Southern Valley grows on 5,000 acres. To counter
rising costs and disappointing returns, it reduced
acreage and is focusing on limiting waste to become
more efficient. While inputs are three times more
expensive than in the recent past, returns are similar
to the late 1980s when the company began, said Austin
Hamilton, director of agriculture.
" You just can't risk that anymore, " Hamilton said. " We are
cutting back on the things we were vulnerable on and are
trying to get away from selling on the wholesale market. "
Labor, which constitutes 45% of Southern Valley's
total costs, increased 14% this year, which is on par for
hikes in the cost of fertilizer, chemicals and seed.
6 | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2023
Southern Valley's Kent
Hamilton, from left, with
Jon and Dug Schwalls.
Prioritizing soil health
and containing costs
are critical in growing
southern vegetables.
Photos by
Doug Ohlemeier.
YOU WANT YOUR SOIL AS HEALTHY
AS IT CAN POSSIBLY BE. TREAT
YOUR SOIL AS SOMETHING THAT'S
VALUABLE, BECAUSE IT IS ONE OF
THE MOST VALUABLE THINGS THAT
YOU CAN OWN OR RENT.
- AUSTIN HAMILTON
Pest war
Major pests and diseases include phytophthora
and pepper weevils on peppers and downy mildew,
anthracnose and whiteflies on cucurbits. Despite a spray
program and other preventive actions, Southern Valley in
the fall of 2022 lost all its cucumbers to whiteflies.
" No matter how hard you try, sometimes you're not just
going to win, " Hamilton said. " It depends on the situation
and is one of those things that we have to figure it out on
our own, and a different or better way of doing it. "
Hamilton shared that the battle helped prepare for
future infestations and employ different methods of
insect control.

September/October 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September/October 2023

Editor's Letter
Grower Profile: Managing risk
GLVPN Veg Connection: Powdery mildew
Biologicals: Set to explode
Soil & Plant Health: Biotic vs. abiotic
Food Safety: Food safety check
Great Lakes EXPO News: Emerging technology
Farm Market & Agritourism: Can you support another employee?
Ag Labor Review: The backbone of America
Classifieds
Advertiser Index
September/October 2023 - 1
September/October 2023 - 2
September/October 2023 - 3
September/October 2023 - Editor's Letter
September/October 2023 - 5
September/October 2023 - Grower Profile: Managing risk
September/October 2023 - 7
September/October 2023 - GLVPN Veg Connection: Powdery mildew
September/October 2023 - 9
September/October 2023 - Biologicals: Set to explode
September/October 2023 - 11
September/October 2023 - 12
September/October 2023 - 13
September/October 2023 - Soil & Plant Health: Biotic vs. abiotic
September/October 2023 - 15
September/October 2023 - 16
September/October 2023 - 17
September/October 2023 - Food Safety: Food safety check
September/October 2023 - 19
September/October 2023 - Great Lakes EXPO News: Emerging technology
September/October 2023 - 21
September/October 2023 - Farm Market & Agritourism: Can you support another employee?
September/October 2023 - 23
September/October 2023 - Ag Labor Review: The backbone of America
September/October 2023 - 25
September/October 2023 - Classifieds
September/October 2023 - Advertiser Index
September/October 2023 - 28
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