Ken Corbett Farms Knows How To Provide Customers With High-Quality Produce

[blackoutgallery id=”57084″]

Ken Corbett has continued what his father, Louis Corbett, and his uncle, Mack Corbett, started 41 years ago: the production of bell peppers. In fact, Louis and Mack Corbett were the first farmers to grow bell pepper and eggplant for commercial production in the Lake Park, GA, area.

According to Ken, some of the biggest changes he’s noticed in the industry since the Corbett brothers started the operation in 1972 are that there are fewer farms — a lot fewer farms. In the ‘70s there were about 75 farmers in South Georgia and now there are about 10, he says.

Advertisement

In spite of the dwindling number of operations, the upside is that technology has grown by leaps and bounds over the years. “When my father first started, it was with a one-row tractor and a plow toting sprinklers for irrigation,” recalls Ken. “Today we have automatic irrigation systems with precision placement of fertilizer and chemicals, and the tractors today drive themselves with GPS.”

A State-Of-The Art Packing Facility

Top Articles
Have a Plan For Climate Change? Why Fruit Growers Need To Act Now
The Corbetts’ 60,000 square-foot packing facility runs two lines: one for bell pepper and one for cucumber, squash, and eggplant. Photo credit: Rosemary Gordon

The Corbetts’ 60,000 square-foot packing facility runs two lines: one for bell pepper and one for cucumber, squash, and eggplant.
Photo credit: Rosemary Gordon

Some of that technological advancement spilled over to the packing house. The Corbetts had a 60,000-square-foot state-of-the-art packing facility constructed about two years ago to not only stay on top of the Food Safety Modernization Act but to be ahead of the law. To ensure accuracy and quality, they are using the latest grading and sizing equipment.

“We decided that if we are in this business, we have to be premier in supplying top-quality product,” explains Ken.

“All of our packaging is done in a controlled environment,” he adds. So once the vegetables enter the packing shed, they remain there until they are boxed and placed on trucks. According to Ken, this highlights the fact that the farm is doing everything possible to minimize food safety risks.

The packing shed features two packing lines: one dedicated to bell pepper, as it is the farm’s largest crop, and the other for cucumber, squash, and eggplant. The produce is conveyed through an opening in a wall of the enclosed building and immediately emersed in sanitized rinse water.

Justin, Ken, and Jared Corbett (L-R) have implemented the latest technology in the field and the packing house to produce high-quality vegetables in the safest environment possible. Photo credit: Rosemary Gordon

Justin, Ken, and Jared Corbett (L-R) have implemented the latest technology in the field and the packing house to produce high-quality vegetables in the safest environment possible.
Photo credit: Rosemary Gordon

For peppers, in particular, the next step is to determine grade and size using a precision photo imaging sizer. Three photos are taken of each pepper and parameters are set up based on dimension, weight, and color. Based on those three criteria, the machine directs the peppers into the correct packing station, says Ken.

Once packed into a box, the produce is conveyed to a forced-air cooler to obtain maximum shelf life. After it is cooled sufficiently, it is placed on customers’ trucks and taken to the distribution point.

How long does it take from the time the produce enters the facility until it is ready for distribution? According to Ken, the entire process takes about an hour. Once the vegetables enter the shed they are sanitized and packed within 20 minutes and then housed in the forced-air cooler for about 45 minutes.

Ken says the farm only packs its own produce so customers know that Corbett Farms has been in control of every aspect of production — from planting to packing — and can vouch for the quality of the produce.

The Future Is Now

As the next generation is in place with Ken’s children, Justin, Jared, and Jessica, who are already key components of the operation, Ken says he hopes the farm will continue beyond his children and that his grandchildren will take the reins someday. Justin has a young daughter, and Jessica is expecting in the summer.

“I hope my grandchildren will carry on the legacy,” Ken concludes. “For me that is what it is all about: passing on a good life for generations.”

 

Ken Corbett Farms LLC At A Glance

Owners: Ken and Kim Corbett are joined by their sons, Justin and Jared, as well as their daughter Jessica Bolesta.
Location: Lake Park, GA
Crops Grown: bell pepper, eggplant, squash, zucchini, and cucumbers. The operation consists of about 1,700 acres, rotating field corn with vegetables. The farm has two seasons each year, growing about 500 acres each season for 1,000 acres of vegetables annually. About 500 of those acres are bell pepper.
Customers: retailers and wholesalers

 

The Next Generation
Ken Corbett doesn’t have to worry about succession planning. He knows who will lead his farm in the future: his sons, Justin, 26, who is the farm manager; Jared, 21, who is
in charge of the packing shed; and Jessica Bolesta, 25, who has taken the reins of the family’s agritainment business, Raisin’ Cane.

“With precision farming, precision grading, and all of the new technology in seed and fertilizer application practices, it’s a lot of technology and [my sons] are light years ahead of my generation operating the equipment,” he says.

Justin, who has a degree in agriculture science, understands what it takes to make a profit and how to control input costs, says Ken. Jared, he explains, has a command of the equipment in the packing shed, as he received formal training in commercial electrical systems.

“I see them continually growing the operation,” he says of his sons. “They know that quality will keep us there. They know what the balance is between quality and input costs.”

Ken expects acreage to grow over time, too, as they are bringing in new customers. As the farm’s main customers are wholesalers and retailers, the Corbetts continue to look for new avenues to sell their produce.

In fact, Jessica’s husband, Eric Bolesta, has taken the farm to a new level via promotion. Ken says the farm now advertises in produce journals as well as at trade shows, looking to drum up new business.

Capitalize On Agritainment

The Corbett family wasn’t content to simply grow, pack, and ship bell pepper, eggplant, squash, zucchini, and cucumbers. In fact, it was Ken and Kim Corbett’s daughter, Jessica, who saw a need for an agritainment operation, and so Raisin’ Cane was started in the fall of 2013.

Located near Valdosta, GA, Raisin’ Cane features a corn maze, farm animals, hay rides, a playground, and a produce market and bakery. The Corbetts have already entertained numerous school field trips in the short time the operation has been open.

The plan is to have the market and bakery open year-round and field trips will be scheduled throughout the school year, by appointment.

According to Ken, so far, the operation has far exceeded the family’s expectations. “A generation ago, pretty much everyone had a grandfather running a farm so they were exposed to agriculture. That is not the case anymore,” he explains. “It is a life we take for granted — living on the farm— until you see someone who has never been to a farm come and enjoy it.”

For more information on Raisin’ Cane, go to Raisincanevaldosta.com.

0