Proud to be a Georgia Farmer: Trey Jones

WEBSTER COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) - Georgia farmers are proud of the work they do and the service they provide to the world. But they also have a lot of pride in their heritage. The history that has led to their operation.

While also mindful of the future, and the changes they are embracing. WALB News 10′s Jim Wallace talks with Trey Jones of Webster County about why he is Proud to be a Georgia Farmer.

In Webster County, the Jones family has a great tradition. Jones is the eighth generation of his family to farm this exact same property. And he says he hopes that tradition will carry on.

“Yes sir, makes me feel good. Everything you have worked for all year, and finally get to see it come out of the ground,” he said.

WALB visited Jones during the harvest of his peanut crop. He has 1,100 acres ranging across four counties, so it’s a big operation. Long hours into the night. But Jones says this work is all he has ever wanted to do.

Jones said, “It makes you proud you are feeding your family. Your community, and the rest of the world. You are putting clothes on their back. I don’t know how it can get more rewarding than that. Knowing you are helping provide for other people.”

Jones grew up on this farm, knowing the life in agriculture.

“Ever since I was a kid that’s all I wanted to do,” he said.

As he harvests his peanuts, he says no other profession could replace the feeling he has seeing his crop.

Jones said, “It’s not as rewarding as getting to go out here. And plant it, tend to it, and get to see what you got at the end.”

And Jones does an outstanding job at what he does. In 2022 he produced the state’s highest yield of peanuts per acre for his size farm. Jones said the latest research, equipment and technology gains have made an unbelievable improvement in peanut farming. And he says if you don’t keep up, you could be left behind.

“We try to do a lot of trials on own farm. Different varieties, different chemicals side by side. And yield tests to see if we are gonig the right direction or which direction we might should start going, if we are not going the right direction,” Jones said.

And one direction you see Trey Jones and many other Georgia farmers taking is diversification. Trying new crops in addition to peanuts and row crops. Jones has planted 32 and a half acres of citrus trees.

“We thought this would be a good opportunity. It’s been a hard, hard row to hoe, but we’ve almost got them established and going like we want them to,” Jones said.

“Never considered doing anything else. Just been what you were raised to do. It’s in your blood. That’s what you do,” he said.

“When people say my land, you say 8th generation, yes,” Wallace said. “That to you I know means something others might not be able to understand.” Jones said “You don’t want to be the one who messes it up. When I get to where I am going upstairs, I don’t want them to look at me, and say dang, we had that going for 7 generations and you are the one who messed it up.I got a lot of big shoes to fill to keep it going, and keep it in the family.”

And that next generation being raised on the farm is 5-year-old son Brock.

“He loves to go to school and tell he picked cotton today, or he picked peanuts today. Or he plowed up peanuts. He really likes to pull,” Jones said.

Jones from Webster County is harvesting more than just another crop of peanuts. That is why he is proud to be a Georgia farmer.

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