By Clint Thompson
Florida Farmer of the Year Jim Alderman was humbled and thrilled to represent Florida at this year’s Sunbelt Ag Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year luncheon on Tuesday in Moultrie, Georgia.
While Alderman did not win the award – it was presented to Georgia farmer Kent Hamilton – he expressed gratitude for being able to represent Florida alongside other farmers from across the Southeast.
“It was a real honor to meet all of the other men up for farmer of the year in the Southeast. I was just thrilled to death that I was selected and hope I represent the state of Florida the best I can,” Alderman said.
Farmers from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia were represented.
Alderman and his son, Jim Jr., farm more than 1,200 acres in Palm and Martin counties. Included are organic vegetables like vine ripe tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, grape tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers, eggplant and cabbage. Conventional production includes herbs, cilantro and dill. They also farm 214 head of cattle.
Alderman highlighted the qualities that have made him successful for so many years.
“Hard work, take all the adversity and learn from it,” Alderman said. “Don’t back up, and keep going forward. Every step has got to be going forward. Don’t back up. You’re going to run into some really tough times, and you’ve got to figure out a way to solve those problems and go onto the next problem. They’re going to hit you constantly.”