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Farm to School: Building local partnerships

School Nutrition visits Nine Twenty Company to explore locally sourced meat options and strengthen ties with alumni-owned agribusiness
As part of Bulloch County Schools’ continued goal to serve more locally-sourced food in our cafeterias, our School Nutrition Services team recently toured the Nine Twenty Company’s area ranching, meat processing, distribution, and retail sales operations.

Led by School Nutrition Director Desiree Yaeger, the staff met with owner/operators Jarrod and Becca Creasy, who are passionate about raising and producing high-quality beef, pork, and lamb at their ranches in Bulloch, Candler, and Jenkins counties. Jarrod, a proud graduate of Southeast Bulloch High School, is the son of Noel Creasy and Tammy Creasy, who serves as the secretary for Southeast Bulloch's high school counselors.
 
Jarrod and Becca both grew up in ag families, and they credit some of their leadership and livestock knowledge to their time in FFA, FBLA, FCCLA and 4-H. “People don’t realize how much these programs teach students,” Jarrod said. “It’s one of the first questions that we ask potential new hires. We want to know if they’ve been involved with these student organizations.” The company is a supporter of Portal Middle High School’s and Southeast Bulloch’s ag education programs.
Group photographs of Nine Twenty Company staff and Bulloch County School Nutrition staff

Pictured above: Jarrod and Becca Creasy (Center) with Bulloch County School Nutrition staff at the Nine Twenty Company’s new facility on Gray Street in Millen, Georgia, adjacent to Fries Frozen Produce, a 70-year-old business the company purchased and is preserving. Taylor Carey (far left) is the director of processing for the new facility. Her three children attend Bulloch County Schools.

 

School Nutrition at Nine Twenty Company's Candler County Ranch

Jarrod Creasy (left) shares about his company's origins and philosophy with Bulloch County School Nutrition staff during a visit to one of the company's three ranches.

 

Jarrod is a graduate of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton. His wife Becca, who is from Florida, is the daughter of ag teachers, and her grandfather, now retired, was the director of one of the largest beef and citrus operations in the country. She has a master’s degree in Education from North Carolina State University, a Master of Business Administration from Valdosta State University, and her undergraduate degree is in agricultural economics from the University of Florida. Becca says that their company, which is named for their wedding anniversary (9/20), has a sense of purpose. "We always wanted to have livestock because we were raised around it." They are now raising their eight-year-old daughter, Finley, the same way.
Becca Creasy and Desiree Yaeger

Becca Creasy (right), an owner/operator of Nine Twenty Company, speaks with Desiree Yaeger, director of School Nutrition for Bulloch County Schools.

 

Nine Twenty Company has grown from its first ranch across from Nevils Elementary School in Bulloch County to 32 employees. It supplies quality meat under its Nine Twenty Company and State Fare brands to farmers markets, restaurants, food banks, and 12 public school districts. It now owns Fries Frozen Foods, a more than 70-year-old business in Millen, which Jarrod and Becca are preserving, and they have opened a state-of-the-art processing, distribution, and retail facility adjacent to it. They are also set to open a new retail storefront in Savannah later this month. Their model of supporting small producers and investing in animal genetics, care, handling, and food quality makes them a valuable partner in our district's school nutrition mission.

“By building relationships with our local farmers, we gain a deeper understanding of the hard work and dedication that goes into providing the high-quality products they offer,” said Desiree Yaeger. “When we see firsthand the passion and effort it takes to build a dream and bring a vision to life, it strengthens our own commitment to the work we do. We all share in this journey, from farm to plate. The connections we make with our farmers and the dedication we put into our work allow us to truly own the responsibility of providing healthy, delicious meals to our students.”
 

We’re proud to explore local partnerships with farmers like these who align with our mission to serve nutritious, responsibly sourced meals to our students. Other farmers whom the school district partners with for food supplies are Mack Family Farms, Franklin's Farm, and Hunter Cattle Company of Bulloch County and Tom Wirht and Laura Potts-Wirht of Glennville's Sweet Georgia Fuyu Persimmons. "Our main goal is to achieve a diverse portfolio of local farmers with whom we can work," said Yaeger. 
Jarrod Creasy with Bulloch County School Nutrition staff

Jarrod Creasy, an owner/operator of Nine Twenty Company, speaks with Bulloch County School Nutrition staff inside the company's new processing, storage, distribution, and retail facility in Millen, Georgia.