Building on the foundation set by his father in Effingham County, Shiloh Farms owner Bruce Redmond has expanded his operation through innovation and dedication, earning him the honor of 2024 Georgia Farmer of the Year, presented at the 2024 Georgia Ag Forecast in Tifton, Georgia, on Jan. 26.
Nominated by Blake Carter, the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources agent for Effingham County, Redmond assumed full ownership and operation of Shiloh Farms in 2018 after the passing of his father, Larry Redmond, combining his operations with his family’s holdings. Today, Bruce Redmond farms 2,800 acres of rented and owned farmland, including both dryland and irrigated acres of peanuts and cotton.
In the late 1990s, Shiloh Farms began producing certified Tifton 9 bahia grass seed, which was cooperatively bred by the UGA Coastal Plain Experiment Station and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service. Since then, Shiloh Farms has become the largest producer of certified bahia grass seed in the Southeast. In 2005, the Georgia Seed Development Commission chose Shiloh Farms to produce the first large-scale ‘TifQuik’ foundation seed plot in Georgia. Currently, Shiloh Farms is one of the three certified ‘TifQuik’ growers in the world, with nearly 600 acres in seed production, producing 40-50 tons of bahia grass seed per year.
“Thank you all for this incredible honor. Farming is all I’ve ever known; it’s all I’ve ever done. Everything in my life has come from the hard work and long hours that farmers all know too well. I’m blessed beyond measure to have a family that supports me, employees that work hard and resources to keep going,” Redmond said when accepting the award. “Working with Extension agents has been something I grew up watching my dad do with Mr. Bill Tyson. Now I have my own agent, Blake Carter. UGA Extension has given our farm so much. I’m glad it’s around to help farmers like…
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