Southern Valley Spring 2015 Update

REAL PEOPLE. REAL SERVICE. REAL QUALITY.

• Southern Valley was formed in 1987 by a 6th generation farming family. To this day it is still comprised of many family members and is female-owned and family-operated.

• The facilities and offices that began at 7,500 square feet have now grown to over 250,000 square feet.

• The company began as a small farming operation of 100 acres and has now grown to over 5,000 acres, domestic and international, shipping an estimated 5,000,000 packages annually.

• Southern Valley provides product from four growing regions year-round.

Company History


Growing Regions & Seasons


• Norman Park, GA

• Spring Season: May 1st – July 5th

• Fall Season: September 1st – November 20th

• Yucatan, Mexico

• Winter Season: November 20th – May 5th

• Florida

• Winter Season: January 1st – May 1st

• Pikeville, Tennessee

• Summer Season: June 25th – November 1st

Products for each RegionNorman Park,

GeorgiaYucatan, Mexico Florida Pikeville, Tennessee

Pole-Grown Cucumbers

Pole-Grown Cucumbers

Bell Pepper Pole-Grown Cucumbers

Bell Peppers Bell Peppers Green Beans Bell Peppers

Eggplant Eggplant Eggplant

Zucchini Zucchini Zucchini

Yellow Squash Yellow Squash Yellow Squash

Green Beans Green Beans Green Beans

Hard Squash Hard Squash Hard Squash

Cabbage Pickles Cabbage

Variety Pepper Variety Pepper

Pickles Pickles

Sweet Corn Tomatoes

Greens


Food Safety

• Southern Valley is a Primus Labs GFS third-party audited farm and facility.

• Southern Valley is subject to unannounced 2nd party audits throughout the year.

• Southern Valley was a forerunner in the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI)by becoming GS1 and GTIN compliant in Q3 of 2009.

• Southern Valley packages all product COOL compliant.• Security measures enabled Southern Valley to become a

certified C-TPAT importer in 2005.


http://www.primuslabs.com/

Sustainability Efforts


Plasticulture• The plastic helps warm up the soil for earlier plantings, helps keep moisture in the

soil, and also keeps the product up off the ground and cleaner. • We are able to get 4-6 crops per laying of plastic, which is 2-3 times the industry

standard and are currently working with manufacturers to develop a plastic that can last for more than 6 crops.

• The longevity in our plastic usage allows us to decrease our fumigation frequency by 30-60%, but comes at a higher labor cost to us because weeds must then be controlled manually.

Water Conservation• Since 1992, we have used drip tape irrigation on all of our crops, in all locations.• Drip tape irrigation results in an approximate 20% increased efficiency in water

usage.• When we combine drip tape with the plastic, we get an even greater efficiency as

the plastic helps to keep the soil and root base moist.• Laser leveling and GPS are also used to help conserve water and minimize run off.



Soil Health• We put probiotics and digestive matter back into the soil to increase the microbial life

in the soil. • A conservative estimate of 7% of our total production costs goes into improving the

balance of microbial life in our soil.• Through the use of drip tape and field zones, we are able to provide individualized

treatment and fertilization methods throughout our fields. This decreases the amount of inputs used since they can be delivered directly to the root base through the drip tape and easily altered based on each zone’s needs.

Pest and Disease Management• Integrated Pest Management uses beneficial insects to naturally control plant pests.• Fields are scouted twice a week minimum for potential pests or disease problems. • There is no blanket approach – zones are treated individually.• Crop rotation naturally suppresses the cycle of insects and diseases in the soil.• We strive to support the natural health of both the plant and the soil. This means high

microbial content in the soil, IPM strategies over chemical usage, and individualized treatment per zone when treatment becomes necessary.



Other Efforts to Increase Sustainability• Traditional DX cooling systems were changed to high-humidity forced-air

systems, which results in 50% less energy consumption as well as increases the shelf life of the produce.

• Initiated our own calcium mining, which allows us to get more calcium and decrease our fertilizer usage by 25% in addition to increasing water retention.

• Irrigation wells converted from diesel to electric, which decreases our dependence on petroleum fuels.

• Green energy management systems have been installed, which decreases our electrical usage annually by 15%.

• Changed to Toyota’s Tier-4 Ultra Low Emissions Fork Lifts.

The Southern Valley Advantage• Southern Valley is a year-round grower/shipper.• Southern Valley is the only year-round grower in the U.S. of Pole-

Grown Cucumbers.• Southern Valley is industry-focused, specializing in tailored

packaging and product specifications that suit the needs of the individual customer.

• Southern Valley owns the land from which it grows, harvests, packages, sales and distributes its products. Southern Valley is the direct source. There are no third-parties or outside sales groups involved.

• Due to the unique qualities of Southern Valley we are able to respond to customer needs with an unmatched service level.


Spring Pepper Plants In The GreenhouseWe start all of our plants by seed in our greenhouses and transplant almost all of our plants by hand. Transplanting everything by hand out of the greenhouse gives us a better jump start in the field.


Spring 2015 SeasonAs always, one third of our crop land was covered with new plastic this winter. We will get at least 4 seasons out of this plastic.


Young Pole-Grown CucumbersOnce seeded in our greenhouses, our produce is then transplanted to the field where it grows on plastic. The plastic decreases our need for chemical inputs, helps us conserve water used in conjunction with drip tape irrigation, as well as warms the soil for early planting.


Pole-Grown CucumbersWe will start harvesting our Georgia cucumbers around May 15th. All of the cucumbers grown at Southern Valley year-round are Pole-Grown.


Mature Pole-Grown Cucumber FieldOnce the cucumber vines reach the top of the trellis netting, they are generally between 6 and 7 feet high. Shown standing in the field is Southern Valley President, Kent Hamilton.


Georgia Spring PepperAll of our pepper is on new plastic this year. Everything should now be in the ground and we plan to start harvesting pepper around May 25th.


Georgia Spring CabbageWe will start our green and red cabbage crop around April 25th. We will have regular volume fill 14 ct all the way up to 20 ct green cabbage. We will also have our 12, 16 and 18 ct wrapped cabbage available.


Georgia Spring EggplantOur Georgia spring eggplant crop looks great. We will start eggplant around June 1st. We will have eggplant from our farm in Yucatan, Mexico right up until we start in Georgia.


Georgia Spring SquashWe will start squash around May 1st . We are in year two of our new squash packing system and are excited about the changes it has made.


Georgia Spring CornWe will have yellow, white and bi-color corn again this spring. With the addition of a state of the art hydro cooler last year, we are able to get the field heat out of the corn faster and more efficiently. This leads to better quality at the store level. We will start corn around June 20th.


Georgia Spring Variety PepperWe will be growing jalapenos, cubanelle, anaheim, hungarian wax, finger hots, long hots, poblano, cherry hots, and serrano. We should start all of our specialty items around June 5th.


Georgia Spring Hard SquashWe will have acorn, butternut and spaghetti again this spring. We should start by June 1st in Georgia. We will have hard squash coming from our farm in Yucatan until the Georgia crop starts.


Georgia Spring PicklesWe will start our Georgia pickles around May 10th.


Georgia Spring Green BeansWe will start our Georgia green beans around May 10th.
