Our Farm Family of the Week: Jeff Pittman Family

By Carly Barnes

Born and raised in Jackson County, Jeff Pittman is a fourth generation farmer who is making a big difference in the agriculture industry.

Jeff Pittman began farming for his father after graduating from Malone High School in 1989. He bought out his father’s interest in the then 700-acre farm in 1997, and has increased the total acreage over the past ten years to include over 5,000 acres. This size increase was required due to the deterioration of the net profit margin per acre over the years.

Their farm includes acreage from the edge of Houston County, the east half of Jackson County, and Calhoun County. Pittman irrigates about half of his acreage, and produces traditional row crops such as peanuts, cotton, corn, soybean, oats, and grain sorghum, and also has beef cows on coastal grass. He is one of seven owners of Malone Peanut Company and is a stockholder in Sowega Cotton Gin in Bainbridge, Georgia.

According to Pittman, “Production used to be key in the ag industry, now we have to manage high inputs, rollercoaster markets, and comply with programs set in front of us to operate under.” He says that farming is a high risk business, and with inputs at a record high, it is the most challenging it has ever been. He gives credit to new technologies or allowing producers to farm extensive amounts of land with a very minimal workforce. He also recognizes the importance of having a strong faith and frequent prayer if a person hopes to succeed in farming.
Pittman stays involved with local and state commodity organizations in order to be an advocate for the agriculture industry. He has served as the Florida Farm Bureau Federation District 2 State Director for the past two years, Florida Peanut Producers Association board member and Secretary Treasurer, County Farm Service Agency Committee Chairman, Florida Peanut and Cotton Advisory Committee member, Sowega Cotton Gin Board Director, and Director for the Jackson County Cattlemen Association. Pittman was also a member of the American Farm Bureau National Advisory Cotton Committee in 2006 and 2007, an experience that helped him to understand agriculture on the national level. Pittman says, “We support agriculture—it’s our livelihood.”

Jeff and his wife, Ginger, have three children, Jeffery, Mary Katherine, and Wilton. The family is a member of the Lovedale Baptist Church.