What to expect from our upcoming spring season in Georgia.

1. REAL PEOPLE. REAL SERVICE. REAL QUALITY.

2. •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
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3. Growing Regions & Seasons
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• 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

4. Products for each Region
Norman Park,
Georgia
Yucatan, 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
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5. 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.
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6. Sustainability Efforts
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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.

7. Sustainability Efforts
REAL PEOPLE. REAL SERVICE. REAL QUALITY.
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.

8. Sustainability Efforts
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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.

9. 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.
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10. Spring Pepper Plants In The Greenhouse
We 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.
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11. Spring 2015 Season
As 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.
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12. Young Pole-Grown Cucumbers
Once 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.
REAL PEOPLE. REAL SERVICE. REAL QUALITY.

13. Pole-Grown Cucumbers
We will start harvesting our Georgia cucumbers around May 15th. All of
the cucumbers grown at Southern Valley year-round are Pole-Grown.
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14. Mature Pole-Grown Cucumber Field
Once 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.
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15. Georgia Spring Pepper
All 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.
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16. Georgia Spring Cabbage
We 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.
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17. Georgia Spring Eggplant
Our 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.
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18. Georgia Spring Squash
We 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.
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19. Georgia Spring Corn
We 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.
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20. Georgia Spring Variety Pepper
We 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.
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21. Georgia Spring Hard Squash
We 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.
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22. Georgia Spring Pickles
We will start our Georgia pickles around May 10th.
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23. Georgia Spring Green Beans
We will start our Georgia green beans around May 10th.
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