Fast Marketing of Local Produce

'Fast-Food' System Helps Growers

The South Georgia Farmers’ Co-op harvests and delivers produce within 24 hours to Atlanta markets, bringing customers fresher food and farmers greater profits. Photo by Freddie Payton

A group of south Georgia vegetable producers, descendants of generations of African-American family farmers, knows how to grow the finest southern peas, beans, watermelons and greens. Marketing such regional staples was another matter at the area’s only farm auction. To widen their marketing options, the farmers established the South Georgia Vegetable Producers Cooperative and began selling directly to retail outlets. With a SARE grant, the co-op and project partners designed a production and marketing system that allows them to deliver a truck-load of high quality, field-graded vegetables to Atlanta within 24 hours of harvest. They pick and grade by day, then drive seven hours overnight to stock store shelves within 24 hours. The farmers receive a premium price, while customers get fresher food free of the post-harvest chemicals often used to retard decay on long deliveries. The farmers also are learning to stagger their plantings and raise more kinds of vegetables, such as exotic eggplant and bok choy, to meet customer needs. (LS97-87)

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