Dirt on Daniel
Daniel Parson is in his twelfth season of organic growing. He started in 1998 at Wildflower Organics in Dawsonville, GA, where he worked four years. Next, he managed the Clemson University student organic farm for two years and operated Gaia Gardens in Decatur, GA for five years. With his family’s move to Clinton, SC in 2009(?), Daniel started Parson Produce, a new venture featuring a CSA and market garden. Although it was a new concept for this small town, it turns out that Daniel is nearly as good at growing a business as he is at growing plants, and Parson Produce is now in its 4th season.
Daniel has two degrees from Clemson, a BS in Biological Sciences, and an MS in Plant and Environmental Science, focusing on cover crops and organic systems. He has presented on various organic topics to many state and regional groups, including Southern SAWG and Georgia Organics. In 2009, Daniel won the Georgia Organics Land Steward of the Year Award and was listed on Mother Nature Network’s 40 Farmers under 40.
Daniel is available for speaking engagements. His previous audiences include the following:
- Georgia Organics
- Carolina Farm Stewardship Association
- Community Food Security Coalition
- Team Agriculture Georgia
- Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group
Daniel is also available for consulting. Consultations usually include a site visit and may cover any topics from budgets to crop rotation planning. If you are thinking about getting into growing organic vegetables or cut flowers, please contact Daniel for more information about services, fees, and scheduling.
parsonorganics@me.com or 404.452.4321
Daniels' dirt on the www:
Daniel Parson chosen as one of 40 farmers under 40 years old by Mother Nature Network
Parson Wins 2009 Georgia Land Steward Award -- Georgia Organics awarded its annual Land Stewardship Award, which was created by the Georgia Land Stewardship Association, now Georgia Organics, to honor an individual or individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to the tenets of organic agriculture – soil fertility, biodiversity, on-farm recycling, and water quality – and also the larger community through leadership, education, and outreach.
The 2009 Land Stewardship Award was presented to Daniel Parson for his influential leadership and work with emerging farmers, 12 years of organic growing, and an incredibly popular mushroom workshop. Parson is a former Georgia Organics board member, and has worked with dozens of groups, promoting the health and environmental advantages of organics farming, including Team Agriculture Georgia, the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, North Georgia Technical College, and the African American Family Farmers Foundation. Read related article.
