ABOUT ME

Steven Davis, 35, said the grocery stores are instrumental in keeping his business running.
“I can’t say enough how much I appreciate the grocery stores doing business with the local man and buying local produce,” he said.
Davis is the third generation of his family to work on farms. He and his father own about 800 acres of farm land.
Last fall, Davis decided to lease the packing station, then called R.G. Thomas Farms.
The business was dwindling, so the owner decided to retire and lease the land to Davis.
Since Davis took over the farm, business has rebounded. In fact, he said the workers are having a hard time keeping up with orders on certain vegetables, including peas.
Davis employs about 30 people for the packing process, but all of the employees are seasonal, so the number varies.
“I’m used to working on the fields and in the dirt,” Davis said, “so having secretaries and all these people on the payroll is all new to me.”
Janet Foster, who visited the farm as a child, stopped by to pick up watermelons for children at her church.
“The kids said they wanted some fruit, so it’s really nice to have this farm right here to get some fresh watermelon for them,” she said.
Foster said she noticed how busy the packing station seemed to be.
“I used to come here with my parents, but I haven’t been back for a while,” she said. “This is just amazing, and it’s just great for the community.”
Despite the business’ success, factors such as diesel prices and weather are constantly looming over the company, Davis said.
“It’s a tough business. I’ll tell you that,” he said. “The diesel prices and the drought are just killing me.”
Lewis Walker, who has worked at the site for 30 years, said hard work is the only thing keeping the business afloat.
“We’ve had a lot of good times here,” he said, “but we’ve had even more hard-working times.” Walker said a passion for farming is also essential for success.
“If you don’t love being a farmer, you don’t need to be in the business,” he said. “I can’t overemphasize the need for passion.”
Farming is challenging, especially for a small company, but Davis said he sticks with it because he loves the business so much.
“It’s in my blood,” he said. “There’s nothing else I want to do. I don’t want to be a fireman, and I don’t want to be an electrician.
So I guess this is what I’m supposed to be doing.”
But one of the hardest parts of farming is not being paid a fair amount for the crops and dealing with the piles of food that are
not sold, Davis said.
“I’ve got piles of money out right now, but I’m not getting much in,” he said. “People think because farmers own a lot of land,
we have a lot of money, but that’s just not the case.”
Davis said he works with thin margins, and his financial situation worries him.

LACROSSE - People looking for locally grown food should look no further than LaCrosse, which is home to one of the largest vegetable distribution centers in the area.
Steven Davis Farms, located on state Route 121 about 16 miles north of Gainesville, sells vegetables from about 20 local farmers.
Hundreds of people visit the farm each week, which sells everything from corn and green beans to squash and cucumbers. The company also sells about six types of peas. Most of the vegetables packed at the distribution center are sent to other states and Canada, but the company also supplies companies such as Hitchcock’s, Ward’s and Nettles Sausage.

“This business is very, very risky,” he said. “We are going into dry years, and it’s hard to succeed unless you are a big corporation. We definitely earn what we get in this business.”
If the farm continues to grow and make a profit, Davis has several plans to expand the operation into a more visitor-friendly environment.
One of the biggest projects he wants to begin is a farmers market. Davis said he wants to set up booths and tables for local farmers to gather and sell their crops directly to the public.
Although farming is sometimes challenging and disheartening, Davis said he thinks it is possible for local farmers to survive among big corporations.
“If you do quality, and you do consistency in a southern location such as this, I think the small man can succeed at farming,” he said, “and that’s what I aim to do.”