Jimmy Myrick, vice president of Edward L. Myrick Produce, has liked what he’s seen so far in 2021, with more of the company opening up and business going strong.

“We are very optimistic for the spring,” he said. “We really haven’t changed much during this time. We didn’t add anything and we didn’t reduce anything; we basically kept the status quo and looked to expand our market a little bit, but that’s the normal strategy for us.”

The Vidalia onion is the official state vegetable of Georgia, and Shuman Farms is a big player in the Vidalia industry. Vidalia onions can only be grown which is made up of a 20-county region in south Georgia. Most of Shuman Farms’ production comes from Toombs and Tattnall counties, in the center of the designated growing region. 

Genuine Georgia Group is well prepared to meet customers’ needs when it comes to peaches because of its relationships with all five of Georgia’s commercial peach farms — Pearson Farm and Lane Southern Orchards in Fort Valley, Taylor Orchards in Reynolds, Dickey Farms in Musella and Fitzgerald Fruit Farms in Woodbury.

Produce in Georgia that display the Georgia Grown label are strong sellers in the state, as consumers know to trust these locally-grown products. 

Duke Lane, one of the partners in the Fort Valley, GA-based Genuine Georgia Group, credits the leadership of the state’s Department of Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black and his team for helping Georgia’s farmers survive and thrive by championing this program.

The 2021 Georgia peach season anticipates a full, consistent, healthy crop due to the lengthy, cold winter the country has been experiencing.  Peach-growing areas of Georgia have logged over 1,000 chill hours, more than 300 hours above the average of 700 hours annually. This year’s cold weather has provided the foundation for uniform blooms in all varieties throughout Georgia peach season, anticipated to kick off in mid-May and last through mid-August.

J.J. Jardina Co., a wholesaler founded in 1935 and currently being run by the third generation, has had a challenging year like everyone else in the industry, but they have found growth in various segments and with specific products.