EASTMAN, Ga. — Agriculture is woven into the fabric of Central Georgia, and those parcels of land turn out all kinds of things. Over the next few weeks, Suzanne Lawler takes you to some farms in Central Georgia for a series called 'Farms from the Heart.'
Farming is a tough life; with weather concerns and hard work everyday, a young couple can face challenges. For Jason and Amber Beck, work on the farm with two kids, three dogs, and 200 acres is hardly ever done.
"We got about an acre of squash, about an acre of okra, five acres of corn, a few cucumbers peppers, a little of everything," Jason said.
Add in about 25 head of cattle and this could be a 24-7 operation.
"It's a lot of hard work, Amber said. "He does everything but sleep out here, so any free time he has he willingly dedicates that time to this farm."
PHOTOS: Beck Farm in Eastman
"Most every morning I check on the cows, check on the produce, check on all the help we got going on, and then I go and put in eight to ten hours for the state and then come back here and do it all over again," Jason said.
Both Jason and Amber work full-time jobs in addition to tending the land.
"My mom tried to talk me out of farming, and she said not to do it. It hadn't always been easy, that's for sure."
She couldn't talk him out of tilling everyday.
"Well I'm a fourth generation farmer; my daddy, my granddaddy, everybody's always farmed," Jason said. "They mostly row cropped and raised cattle and hogs, and we got out of that. We just wanted to get into the produce, wanted to get into a niche."
But it's more than that; Jason had to grow up quicker than most.
"My dad passed unexpectedly when I was ten, and I helped my grandfather out a lot all during school as much as I could and he kind of showed me the ropes."
Adolph Beck never mandated that Jason work this hard, but family ties run deep here. "I feel like it might be sentimental to him," Amber said."
"He really enjoys it, and it has a lot of meaning to him."
"I hope I'm making them proud," said Jason
No doubt he is, and their both making a lot of people happy when these plants start producing.
"It's very busy; it's constant traffic all day long during the summer from June until August when we're picking. About 90% of our stuff is retail. We own the farm, and then we've got another 10-15 % that we do wholesale."
They've done this routine for 12 years.
One day, they want to turn in the time sheet and farm full-time.