By Clint Thompson
One of the top vegetable farmers in the Southeast is not immune to the inflationary costs impacting growers these days. In fact, Georgia farmer Kent Hamilton said his input costs have spiked every year since COVID.
“We’ve got hit hard from every angle. And to be honest with you, ’21, ’22, and ’23, our business lost money, all three of those years,” Hamilton said. “Part of that was due to, we didn’t realize how much our costs had gone up. And I’m ashamed to say that, but to be honest with you, I think that’s the way most farmers are. We’re busy out there working, trying to produce a crop and maybe not paying as close attention to the numbers as what we really need to be.”
Hamilton serves as chief executive officer of Southern Valley Fruit and Vegetable, Inc. It is based in Norman Park, Georgia. His family operates a company that cultivates more than 8,500 acres across Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. It grows green beans, cabbage, trellis cucumbers, peppers, squash, sweet corn, trellis pickles and even eggplant.
Dark Cloud
But input costs remain a dark cloud over the specialty crop industry.
“Absolutely, fertilizers have gone up substantially. Chemicals have gone up just substantially. Plastic and drip tape have steadily gone up. Seed has steadily gone up in every area. I don’t know anything that hasn’t gone up,” Hamilton said. “Gas and diesel prices are a big deal. Vehicles have gone up. Farm equipment have gone up tremendously. I mean, everything that we do, everything we touch has rapidly gone up.”
A potential remedy would be if the war in Iran would end soon. That would help on multiple fronts, believes Hamilton.
“If we can get the war over with to where the world oil price comes down, then I think that’s going to help, not only on fuel, but on everything else, like plastic and drip tape stuff that’s tied to petroleum. I think it’ll help,” Hamilton said. “I don’t think it’ll ever come back down to what it was. I think prices are, for the most part, I really think they’re here to stay, other than a slight decrease along the way.”
Hamilton was the 2025 Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year.