Fresh from the farm

Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Chances are, if you spend any measurable time in Monticello, you have met Billy Simmons. A man of many hats, Simmons is well-known in the Monticello and Lamont areas for the many services he provides, including backhoe services, hauling, land clearing, pond digging, driveway and culvert installation, road building, and septic tank services that include new installation, repair, and pumping. He is FDOT certified and is licensed and insured as a septic tank contractor.
But he isn't just your man for maintenance and repair; in addition to his long list of skills and services, Simmons is also a farmer. For the last 30 years, Simmons has been hard at work on his 75- acre farm, and he specializes in a variety of crops, which vary during different times of the year. He comes from a family with a long line of farmers who, through the ages, worked fields of tobacco, vegetables and cotton. Over the years, Simmons slowly gravitated to other crops, and now focuses on corn, peas, okra, greens and watermelon, depending on the season.
While working his fields, Simmons understands and exercises the importance of rotating the fields. Not every field on the property will be utilized during each growing season. After a crop harvest has been completed, Simmons says the field “just waits” to be used again during the next crop season, but that they rotate the fields regularly.
Rotation of farming fields is one of the most effective agricultural control strategies, and yields many benefits for crop and land alike. It involves growing a series of different crops in the same area in sequential seasons, and also allows for recovery time for the area so that the soil does not become drained of nutrients. This helps to prevent weak crops caused by soil depletion, helps to control pest species infestations and also can even help reduce the risk of erosion that is caused by the continued use of limited crop variety.
The latest season on Simmons' farm was watermelon season, and harvest began on the first of June and lasted until the end of June. Approximately 10 acres of land is dedicated each year to the planting, growth and harvest of watermelons on the farm, and Simmons says that this year's watermelon season was a great one, with nothing out of the ordinary to put a damper on the season.
Years of expertise have taught him and his team how to determine when the perfect time to harvest a watermelon is, and it takes a trained eye. When asked the best indicator for a watermelon being ready for harvest, Simmons replied, “It takes some experience. A good indicator is that there's a curr on the stem of the melon, and you want to wait until that turns brown before you gather.”
Browning of the stem that connects the watermelon to the mother plant is a clear indication that the plant is no longer providing nutrients to the fruit, and that the watermelon is either ready or is very close to being ready to be picked. Depending on the variety of melon, it takes anywhere from 70 to 100 days for a seed to reach full maturity and yield fruit. For now, the watermelon fields are empty, patiently awaiting the planting of the next batch of plants. The next season of crops that will be planted, according to Simmons, is going to be collard greens.
Depending on how extensive the season is, Simmons works his land with a modest number of additional farmers to help him. “We don't have that many people working the fields,” says Simmons, “but it all depends on what crops we are working with at the time. It varies; it could be anywhere from two or three people farming in the lighter seasons, or maybe four or five in the busier seasons. We don't usually have many more than four or five, though.”
This power team is responsible for providing high quality produce for Simmons' market store, called Simmons Produce, LLC., which is located in Lamont. The shop has been open for eight years, and is nestled at 6383 E. Capps Hwy. Employees sell seasonal fruits and vegetables, seasonal syrups and jellies, honey, and smoked meats. Customers can also purchase milk and eggs at the store, making it a great one-stop-shopping destination for anyone who wants to bring farm-fresh products to their dinner table.
Although his many skills and services to his community keep him busy, Simmons is dedicated to quality. Hard work, perseverance and honest advice has earned him a highly-respected reputation for many people across the community that he has helped in his various lines of work. When clients call, they can rest assured that they will be getting high value service. Whether it is much-needed septic services, a variety of backhoe services, or fresh from the farm produce, Billy Simmons has you covered.