Southeast Alabama Agriculture Overview

Produce
   Interest has been growing for the past 10 years for the production of fruits and vegetables on a small scale in the district; however, these crops have not been popular among the majority of producers primarily due to the intense manual labor required to harvest these crops.

   Inset: Geneva County tomatoes have an excellent reputation throughout the South.

   Farmers are accustomed to using mechanical methods of harvesting crops and fruits and vegetables require hand labor to successfully harvest at peak times to insure maximum yields.

   Some commercial watermelons and cucumbers along with peas are grown in Houston County. Geneva County grows a high-quality tomato that has a widespread reputation in the Southeast for its taste and texture. A small-scale vegetable and fruit processing plant is needed in order for this segment of the agricultural crop industry to grow in the district.

   Fruit, pecans and vegetables accounted for $10.2 million in 1996 cash receipts districtwide. Geneva County led with $2.6 million followed by Covington, $2.0 million, Henry, $1.95 million and Barbour $1.1 million. Covington County ranked third in the state in pecan production in 1996 at one million pounds.

   Other field crops are grown commercially in the district, but not on as large a scale as peanuts and cotton due to low market prices. Among these crops is corn, which is grown primarily either as a feed for livestock or as a rotational crop for peanuts. Geneva County is the largest district corn producer with 1996 production of 730,000 bushels ranking ninth statewide. This compares to Jackson County, which led the state with 2.7 million bushels. Houston County followed closely by Geneva County. Corn produced cash receipts of $5.4 million among the district counties in 1996.