James Howard
In the flatlands of South Georgia, honey flows rich and golden. One man takes his heritage of farming and blends it with another. Jason Deloach of Valdosta, GA grew up loving the country and farming. His grandfather was big into the pecan industry and the love of farming grabbed Jason.
He became a cattleman raising beef. He lobbied hard in politics for the beef industry. He planted clover and other vegetation for his cattle. He and his son were working and watching and found no honey bees were coming to the clover. He and Mack, his son, watched and decided that hives would be a good project.
Jason is a man who values time with his son, and they’ve worked projects together as dad and son to build a strong relationship. They bought a hive in 2017 and worked it. Soon they bought another hive. They enjoyed this venture and found that a program in Virginia for cattleman was adding a bee program as another aspect of livestock for agriculture. They went to this program and learned points of strategy to incorporate into their business.
As time passed by, their number of hives grew. Jason inherited a building that his grandfather owned that he used for his pecan business. He and Mack decided that cattle and bees could be run side by side as a business to incorporate more honey production in the area. They worked the hives and grew as father and son while working together. They enjoyed learning things about the business and caring for the hives together. They had worked with hogs, gardens and other projects.
They extracted the honey in the pecan warehouse and bottled and boxed it. They sold to their friends and other people who’d heard of their venture. Jason worked up a new concept in his mind of having a bee shop, with a deli on the side. He wanted to bring that model to the area. He’d had a retail shop downtown and desired to bring agritourism to downtown Valdosta.
They have a garden in the back with flowers, and they have pollinators onsite at the shop. His love for the community and people keeps Jason searching for ways to beautify the downtown area. Many communities have abandoned the heart of the city in the past, but Jason desires to build it up again.
He came up with the concept of having breakfast with bacon, eggs, grits and of course, biscuits with honey on Friday and Saturday mornings for a good price. This has been a great time for him and his son, as it draws people in, and they are able to see bees in their natural habitat of pollinating.
They have the hives in areas of flatland swamp, with plants such as clover, San sumac, citrus trees, blackberries and other berries. These bring heavy harvest times and they have plenty to process and bottle.
One thing people need to realize is that local honey is the best, for it has local pollen that helps seasonal allergies for that area. I find honey in grocery stores from South America, India and other countries mixed. That doesn’t help people with local allergies. Make sure to read the label!
As A. I. Root was a man of faith who left a legacy in Bee Culture Magazine, Jason desires to leave a legacy of faith to his children. The whole point of his venturing out was to have something that could connect him and his son together and in this regard, he believes that working the bees and the cattle is a tremendous step forward in this plan.
There are many reports coming forth that a food shortage and famine are coming. Jason knows that his honey is a nutritious commodity.
Here are a few of the good things honey can do for the body:
Honey has a few nutrients, but is loaded with rich antioxidants, phenolic acids and flavonoids. These help keep the free radicals that cause many health issues down. Because of the health benefits, many unscrupulous people mix sugar syrup with it in other countries and try to pass it off in the U.S.A. This is another reason to get to know your honey provider as they are providing you with a rich source of food.
Jason knows that integrity in business is what keeps customers happy, and a happy customer will bring return business and tell others of their positive experience. So, all in all, Jason DeLoach and his son Mack are growing together as father and son while producing a product for the sweet tooth.