Agriculture is Georgia’s number one industry and on Thursday, December 9, the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners, Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce and the Lowndes County Extension Office held a local farmer appreciation breakfast and presented the 2021 Farmer of the Year awards, recognizing a large and small farmer from Lowndes or Echols counties.  Jared and Justin Corbett with Corbett Brothers Farms was named Large Farmer of the Year while Aaron Horne with Horne Legacy Farms was named Small Farmer of the Year.

Following in their father’s footsteps, Justin and Jared Corbett took over Ken Corbett Farms in the beginning of 2019 and is now known as Corbett Brothers Farms. They specialize in growing a multitude of crops including, bell pepper squash, and cucumbers. Corbett Brothers Farms also opened the first U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Certified citrus packing facility in the State of Georgia. They also grow a trademarked brand of citrus located in many grocery stores known as Besties.

Aaron Horne and Horne Legacy Farms is a family owned and operated blueberry farm located in Valdosta, Georgia. This small family farm operation provides blueberries to local distributors and holds an annual “u-pick” event that helps give the local community a fun agriculture centric experience.

“Lowndes and Echols Counties have a rich tradition of being large farming communities and providing an abundant supply of food and fiber to not only our community and state but all around the world,” said Bill Slaughter, Lowndes County Board of Commission Chairman. “The Lowndes County Board of Commissioners are proud to recognize our farmers and show appreciation to them”.

The agriculture industry represents more than $337 million in annual farm gate value within Lowndes and Echols counties. 

46 nominations were received for Large and Small Farmer of the Year, with some farmers receiving multiple nominations. Georgia Department of Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black was in attendance and the keynote speaker for the breakfast.  

“This event would not have been made possible without the support from our partners including, Lowndes County Board of Commissioners, CJB Applied Technologies, Georgia Grown, and Lowndes County Extension Office. We are grateful to have partnered with entities who share the same strong appreciation for our local agricultural community,” said a Chamber representative.

Both the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners and Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce plan to make this an annual event to be held in November.

For more information on the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners, visit: www.lowndescounty.com. For more information on the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce, visit: www.valdostachamber.com.