Engineering Experiment Station Georgia Institute of Technology
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Project D-106 A Frozen Food Plant for the Pavo, Georgia Area A Feasibility Study Prepared for The Georgia Department of Commerce Scott Candler, Secretar y J. R. Peterson Project Director Engineering Experiment Station Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, Georgia Project D-106 A Frozen Food Plant for the Pavo, Georgia Area A Feasibility Study Prepared for The Georgia Department of Commerce Scott Candler, Secretary J. R. Peterson Project Director Industrial Development Branch ENGINEERING EXPERIMENT STATION Georgia Institute of Technology September, 1957 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Map of Georgia Showing Vegetable Growing Area around Pavo Map of the Pavo Vegetable Growing Area iii Acknowledgments iv Summary 1 Prospects for the Pavo Area 3 Contract Farming 3 Yield, Varieties and Grades 7 Plant. Location. 9 Labor 10 Climate 11. Markets 13 Prospects for the Frozen Food Industry 15 Institutional Markets 18 Irradiated Foods 20 Frozen Vegetables in the Southeast 22 Frozen Food Economics 22 Quality and Product Acceptance 27 Conclusion 28 ▪ ▪ itTigi-- 7-7 CATi/OSA 11-71ILTIIRAYT PANNI;------7- UNION 77- TOWNS —._,r -— I '`.., L . _, ,-) L , r,i" 11 ,5 WALKER ! ,•••-: ‘5 GILMER \-- - • ( e., ._, Cl."•< ..1 L.,/ WHITFIELD c 'I, ..___ i WHITE .3 MAP OF GEORGIA ----, G"' ( \ ',..-....•-•-■ .-, ., ? r -I ,HA•ERsHAm SHOWING VEGETABLE GROWING i i, / r ' ( e, %-.1 I ....•/ LUMPK IN 1 ______, /STEPHENS AREA AROUND PAVO. -------- ;, GORDON "1.-.4 , HATTOOGA , 1, t.. "'0 •••) / r I PICK ENS ., L \ -....... ,-_r HAL L \ ./."---15... , - -. •-/ I F RANKLIN ft , DAWSON % (...,Y BANKS : HART -/- ----t-,-- - - -- -r--- - i_. - - ,••••' FLOYD ,,,- - - 4 ; BARTOW ■ '''. / 1 CHEROKEE 1 - FORSYTH --'•p \ 1... 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CLAY , I• 5 ) 1 mi 5 1 ,...'s L _,!, L______,_J-k. I \,,, i I I 1 IRWIN 7.____F --- d- COFFEE ; BACON -...., ..) . '''N / MC INTOSH ___r-.....L_ _ I 5 5 c -L. .41 rr ..\. ALHOUN 1 DOUCHE L7 , N r.I ../ 't •-,_ J !--, k.: - .'. 1, ,1/4. %I 1 , 3_, ....1---, '. EARLY .17. j :-, . '.r -'- B-E -12-R I -E' "N ?, ' -Ir j 1 WAR E '-'_.,.4, __ ri P IERCE -----r - BAKER---""L------------1 r ) t _ _ _ ( s ATKINSON \ -----I 1/4.---- •-_- -------__ > GLYNN"- I / '') RANTL EY (1' ...r- -\.. r....... "B 1 sr'. MITCHELL -- ) 00LOUITT-L- —1-1- , , ....-I- k \ . 1 s cook\-- S) ..., •,,.. r MILLER .-/ MOULTRIE , ) , I ) _,_ --, I I -"'' 'ts'? __:) ; CLINCH \ ,..7,-. --___?. , / e' I /11'. r LANIER I • If -----r, —/ CAMDEN j I _ \ I __ iEMIIW)LirFiDECATUR 1 ---GRAr 1 -- -I .4 •--- 1 P , iT:,m ie - 7tooKs \-- Low... , 1 MAR LION r.. 1 1 1 \-.. L r: c S 7 ',-, I \ '\ I I , PAVO ...,_, I i r 1 I > ---( 1-- --, .1 .f ECHOES . -"I L-- - _ 4 4 \ 1 THOMASVILLE .._.___ _ _ i I --- --- --1--- -----__J_________ ___,__I QUITMAN I __I...J.1_ MOULTRIE TO PAVO FROM: Pop. 11,639 Barney 15 mi. Barwick 4 mi. Berlin 121 mi. THE PAVO VEGETABLE GROWING AREA Boston 13 mi. Coolidge 9 mi. Dixie 12 mi. Merrillville 8 mi, Morven 15 mi. Moultrie 16 mi. BERLIN Quitman 18 mi. Pop. 309 17 mi. Thomasville Okapi/ 0 COOLIDGE Pop. 764 BARNEY• Pop. 157 PAVO Pop. 806 MORVEN O Pop. 474 MERRILLVILLE Pop. 109 • C) BARWICK Pop. 436 THOMASVILLE Pop. 17,224 (Est.) BOSTON Pop. 1,035 DIXIE Pop. 261 QUITMAN Pop. 4,769 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Much of this report is based upon information obtained directly from people in the frozen foods industry and from individuals who have been spending a great deal of time working on some phase of the raising or pro- cessing of vegetables. Without their assistance the study could not have been completed. Grateful acknowledgments are made to Messrs. C, H, Bateman, President, Bateman Frozen Foods Company, Macon, Georgia; Ralph 0. Dulany, President, John H. Dulany & Son, Incorporated, Fruitland, Maryland; W. Do Enzie, Mana- ger, Horticultural Research, Birds Eye Division, General Foods Corporation, Albion, New York; W. H. McKenzie, President, Southern Frozen Foods, incor- porated, Montezuma, Georgia, and W. J. Sheffer, Seabrook Farms Company, Seabrook, New Jersey. Valuable assistance was received from Dr. N. M. Penny and Dr. J. G. Woodroof of the Georgia Experiment. Station, Experiment, Georgia; Roy Green of the Department of Agricultural. Economics, University of Georgia in Athens, and County Agents W. L. Whittle of Thomasville and Rice Campbell, Jeff Daniel and Robert Willis, all of Moultrie. Last but not least the assistance of Walter U. Scott of Pavo is acknowledged. Without his perseverance, the study would not even have been started. Dr. Ernst W. Swanson and Dr, Kenneth C. Wagner read the text and offered many valuable suggestions. The preparation of the manuscript was under the supervision of Mrs. Ann Edwards. SUMMARY The area. within twenty miles of Pavo favors the location of a. food freezing plant- (See maps,) Southern vegetables have been growing phenomenally in popularity and are expected to be among the most popular frozen vegetables in a. few years, Pavo, with its 12-month growing season and a climate and soil. favorable t.o the growing of greens, kale, black-eyed peas okra., squash, and other crops is ideally situated as the center of a. growing area for southern vegetables.. In the United States the volume of the freezing business increased 40 per cent. between. 1953 and 1956 and is expected t7 increase far beyond the capacity of the present plants, Since the market for southern vegetables has been growing even faster, new plants will be needed,. They can be ex- pected to locate where the vegetables are grown. A national. company is nor, likely to move in immediately, however, This is a period of consolidation in the industry, marked by mergers and by the purchase of smaller firms by the larger ones, The small, independent food freezers axe finding it increasingly difficult. to survive, While sales volume has increased every year, there has not been a. corresponding increase in profits, The increased volume has instead been accompanied by an increase in the number of packers ancl consequently sharp competition. The result is a form of "profitless prosperity," One company official stated "All, available information indioates that every major pack- er is operating at a loss during this period," This profitless period should end, however, with the completion readjustment,. As long as the large companies are digesting their acquisitions and reorganizing them to fit the policies of the parem companies they are not going to build many new plants, In about two years, however, the industry should be ready to add new operating units. This wiling period will give the people in the Pavo area the time needed cc learn and to develop those additional requisites necessary to attract a frozen food plant. Pavo's 12-month growing cycle frr the souther; vegetables is one of the most im- portant advantages it cr)uld have Work should beg.i . immediately t.o make the area. even more attractive, A prime requisite is a favorable attitude towards contract farming. A company looking for a.site will take into consideration any history of contract farming in the area, and would naturally favor an area that had already done such farming and had shown an inclination to continue it.