Quitman FFA member Jentri Jackson has turned a family tradition of fruit gardening into a successful business of her own. 

Jackson was inspired by her great-grandmother’s cultivation of blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries, leading her to pursue a Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE) in fruit production. 



“My SAE consists of growing and harvesting blackberries, blueberries, and peaches with an emphasis on blackberries,” said Jackson. “I currently have approximately 30 blackberry plants, three blueberry bushes, and two peach trees.”

Using a small plot of land on her parent's property, Jackson was able to successfully harvest a good crop this past year.

“I started a small business with my produce selling mostly blackberries,” said Jackson. “I advertise on social media and am able to sell all of the berries I harvest except for the less desirable ones that I keep and make into jelly and cobblers”.



While she may not plan to turn her project into a career, Jackson is developing skills that she can apply in her everyday life. This includes real-world experience in production agriculture and business management such as sales and marketing.



“My SAE has given me the opportunity to understand and learn the processes of planting, growing, harvesting crops and business techniques,” said Jackson. 

In addition to following in her great-grandmother's footsteps, the success of Jackson’s project 
was recognized as the 2018 Texas FFA proficiency winner in Fruit Production.