12 S G M A G A Z I N E | FA L L 2 0 1 7 B U S I N E S S + C U LT U R E 13 Dee Ritter, Little River Produce As soon as the summer heat arrives, farmers’ markets and roadside produce stands start popping up throughout Georgia. Fresh from the farm fruits and vegetables are in abundance. It wouldn’t be summer if we didn’t have easy access to blueberries, peaches, watermelon, sweet corn, cucumbers, and much more. B U S I N E S S + C U LT U R E 13 With the Peach State’s vegetable production and processing industry representing $2.5 billion in economic impact and creating more than 15,000 jobs, there are enough summer crops for Georgians to enjoy and share. According to the 2015 Farm Gate Value report, Colquitt County continues to hold the No. 1 spot with $175 million in total vegetable farm gate value. Located on the Georgia-Florida border, Echols County is No. 2 with $169 million in total vegetable farm gate value. Lowndes County, which serves as a regional dining and shopping hub for Echols and surrounding counties, benefits from being in the center of the state’s vegetable production region.  “With an abundance of vegetables grown in our surrounding counties, this not only provides families with fresh produce but is also a benefit to our local restaurants,” said Meghan Barwick, marketing and research manager for the Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority. “Many restaurants in South Georgia promote a farm-to-table menu and are buying from local farms.” Barwick also stated that Lowndes County contributes to the state’s strong agricultural industry. “A lot of people don’t realize the economic importance of agriculture in Lowndes County,” Barwick said. “We generate $82 million in annual farm gate value and provide 6,500 agricultural jobs here in Lowndes County. With just the production of bell peppers and cucumbers we generate $18 million in annual farm gate value.” 12 S G M A G A Z I N E | FA L L 2 0 1 7 B U S I N E S S + C U LT U R E 13 B U S I N E S S + C U LT U R E 13 Born and raised in Echols County, Dee Ritter, a third-generation farmer, starts his day early and goes until midnight or longer during peak production months. Ritter said farming has become big business and it’s getting harder for small farms to remain profitable. “There are a lot of issues that the average person doesn’t understand about farming,” he said. “There are high production costs with everything from labor to purchasing fertilizer.” Ritter’s parents, Devane and Mary Lou Ritter, started farming on 20 acres in Echols County decades ago, and now the family farm has expanded to 1,200 acres of bell peppers, specialty peppers, cucumbers, green zucchini squash, yellow squash, eggplants, and sweet potatoes. “We harvest twice a year,” Ritter said, “starting with spring season from April to July and then back again in September until Thanksgiving.” With 250 seasonal workers and 25 to 30 full-time employees, Ritter is not only managing the farming side of the business but also the packaging and distribution. In 2002, Ritter established Little River Produce to handle the packaging and shipping side of the business. “We are not just feeding Georgia but the country,” Ritter said. “During the months when we are shipping vegetables, there are hundreds of trucks going on I-75 that are feeding people all the way to New York and Boston.” David Corbett has been farming all his life, and today he continues running the family farm with his wife Violet, son Meghan Barwick Marketing and Research Manager Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority