Peterson's agricultural and agribusiness
management experience include dairy operations, meat production
and packing, fruit and vegetable consultation, as well as
the production and marketing of various cereal, oilseed
and fiber crops in the U.S. and overseas.
Before co-organizing SPG in1978, Peterson
was a partner in a 5,000 acre family owned farming operation
in southern Georgia. The farm specialized in the production
of soybeans, corn, wheat, peanuts, pecans, and cattle, and
was noted for modern farming methods and high yields.
He has also had experience as a Research
and Development Scientist and in Corporate Management with
Gold Kist, Inc. a large agricultural cooperative operating
in the southern United States.
Peterson is a native of the State of Maryland
and grew up on a farm in Macon County, Georgia. He is a
graduate, magna cum laude, of the College of Agriculture
of the University of Georgia and a graduate of Abraham Baldwin
Agricultural College.