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.