Drew Echols co-owns and operates Jaemor Farms in Hall County, Georgia, a multigenerational family farm with a history spanning over 100 years. In 1981, the construction of I-985 and SR-365 prompted the farm to establish a new market, leading to its rebranding as J.A.E.M.O.R. Farms, named after third-generation owners Jimmy Allen Echols and Valvoreth Morrison Echols, from the original Echols Orchards.
Under Drew’s leadership, Jaemor Farms has significantly grown its peach operations and diversified its offerings to include strawberries, pumpkins, tomatoes, and more, all available at their renowned roadside market. Drew has also led the transition from a traditional operation to an agri-tourism operation featuring you-pick peaches, strawberries, farm tours, and educational opportunities, enhancing public engagement and highlighting the farm's commitment to agricultural education and community involvement.
Learn more about Drew and Jaemor Farms at https://www.jaemorfarms.com/.
1. Tell us about your operation.
Jaemor Farms, previously known as Echols Orchard, has been in operation since 1912. We've been growing peaches since 1912. We moved out on the four-lane with our current Jaemor Farm Market in 1980. So, we've expanded the business several times, changed its footprint, and changed the direction of the farm. We got out of the chicken business and got a bit heavier into peach production. We currently have about 130 acres of peaches, 30 plus varieties. We usually start up here in North Georgia about the last week of May, and we finish up sometime around Labor Day or just a little bit after.
In 2006, we started with our corn maze and expanded to you-pick strawberries. Then, in the past couple of years, you-pick peaches when we've had good crops. That seems to be going very well right now. People want to get out on the farm and pick some fresh fruit. So, it's been a great summer for it, and people are just really enjoying themselves.
2. How has this year's crop been at Jaemor?
It's one of the better crops we've ever had. I would give it an A, maybe a high B, or a low A. It's not as good as we originally thought. There's a little bit of freeze damage out there, and then we were on about a 6, 8-week dry spell of very little rain. But overall, the quality of the fruit is amazing, and the flavor is unbelievable. It's some of the best flavors that I've ever had in my lifetime. We keep getting compliments about the taste of these peaches this year and how good they really are.
3. You guys have been Georgia Grown members since the program's inception. What does Georgia Grown mean to you, and why is it important for consumers to buy Georgia Grown?
Well, there's a point of pride in being a farmer here in Georgia and working with other farmers across the state. You know, whenever we have a short crop, people step up and help us. And likewise, if they have short crops. But again, back to that point of pride, we feel like, as peach growers, we have the best peaches in the country and, I'm sure, a lot of our other produce as well.
Also, having the Department of Agriculture there to help promote us to the public is huge. People want to know where their food comes from. With our retail market having so many customers, you recognize the fact that folks ask the questions, "Where were these grown?" "Where did they come from?" Those types of things. So, it really is on the consumer's mind, and I'm just proud to have a Department of Ag that pushes that program so, so hard.
4. How do you ensure the quality of your peaches?
Well, we're a little bit different. We don't have a packing line; we pick everything, field pack everything, and fill the pack. So, a lot of care goes into the harvest, and then it's a year-round process. I tell people all the time it's a 13-month-a-year process. It never stops.
On the harvest end, one of the biggest deals is that we really put a lot of pressure on our guys to select the best fruit available on the tree at the time. We come back to those areas every other day, so we pick the same trees every other day and make sure they're ripening to perfection.
5. But what advice would you give to somebody trying to get into the peach farming industry in Georgia?
Start out small. That's the best advice. You know, just because a little bit's good don't mean a lot's better. Start out small, get your feet up under you, and it'll work itself out. The volume will work itself out over the course of a few years or a career.
6. How important is the community's support for your business, and what do you guys do to engage with local consumers?
Well, we do a lot of different things. I am very proud to have this market up here on the four-lane and be a staple in Hall County. I love seeing those Hall County and North Georgia tags.
We do a lot of pop-up markets. So, we're at hospitals. We're in 55 and up retirement communities. A lot of times, we take the fruit to the consumer instead of making them have to come up here and shop. So, there's that outreach. There's also field trips on our farm - for the kids to understand where their food comes from. And then also, having the market there on that four-lane, it has become regional and almost. I was helping a family pick some peaches on a Saturday a couple of weeks ago, and they were from Cincinnati, Ohio. So, I am proud to have people from all over and give them a good taste of Georgia Grown peaches.