Georgia’s Jan Jones

Meet Jan Jones, Georgia Peanut Grower

Peanut farming wasn’t always the plan for millennial and Georgia peanut farmer, Jan Jones. After graduating from Mercer University with an English degree and teaching for one year, she realized she’d be happier farming. Since 2013, Jan has joined her father on their 1,000-acre farm in Climax, Georgia.

Peanut farming began in early 1900s for the Jones family after Harvey Lewis Jones, Jan’s great-grandfather, started farming peanuts on their family farm in the early 1900s. In the 1930s, the family no longer farmed peanuts primarily for livestock feed but for peanut butter as demand grew.

Today, as a fifth-generation peanut farmer, Jan’s favorite thing about peanut farming is the continuity.

“I love the idea that even though our equipment and technologies have drastically changed, I’m still growing crops that have been frown on my farm for generations,” she says. “There’s a legacy aspect to agriculture and I’m proud to be a part of growing that legacy and making it better.”