Proud to be a Farmer: Jarrod Mallard

BULLOCH COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - A fourth-generation farmer in Bulloch County tells us he prefers the challenges of farming to the stability of an outside job.

Jarrod Mallard looks at these peanuts differently now than when he helped his family on the farm as a kid.

“I was always wanting to leave and go fishing or hunting and Daddy wouldn’t let me off until it was dark,” Mallard said.

After college, he worked for an agribusiness company in town for more than a decade, but still helped farm on the side. He’s come back here full time as the family farm has grown to 1,800 acres of peanuts, cotton, and cattle. He says the challenge is staying afloat as costs go up.

“We’re raising good crops and getting a good price for them, but now and going into next year, everything’s costing twice as much.”

He says these peanuts survived a range of weather, from a week of showers, to hot dry spells. He’s hopeful they can get them out of the ground before rain showers halt the harvest.

“Until you get it in the trailer. That’s the best feeling, when you see that trailer headed to Brooklet.”

Despite the challenges, he’s thankful he can be part of a family tradition of working the land.

“I guess it’s being your own boss. You get up and get to work. You’re not punching a time clock or anything.”

That feeling of independence makes Jarrod Mallard and his family Proud to Be a Farmer.

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