By Brian Sherman

Fresh from the farm, fruit and vegetables are available year-round in South Carolina, and the state’s Department of Agriculture and its public and private partners have put together a long-running program that makes it as easy as possible for consumers to identify, find, and purchase home-grown and locally-produced products.

Launched in 2007 under the direction of Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers, the Certified SC program has continued to prosper with now more than 2,000 members, according to Ansley Turnblad, Certified SC Branding Coordinator with the South Carolina Department of Agriculture.

“We’re gaining new members every year,” Turnblad said. “The program is working. We’ve done several research projects. Farmers think it’s working. People are still joining, and growers and packaging houses are using the logo on their packaging.”

Turnblad, who has been with the Certified SC program since its inception, said the Department of Agriculture carried out extensive research concerning South Carolina produce and found that most people didn’t know which products were being grown and produced locally. That has changed dramatically in the past 16 years. The Department gets the word out to Palmetto State residents through television and print ads, social media, meetings and trade shows, “all the traditional and nontraditional advertising outlets,” Turnblad said.

“We have a strong public relations team that actively reaches out to folks to write about the program,” Turnblad added. “We encourage farmers to spread the word. We’re in constant communication with retailers across the state, encouraging them to buy local products, and we encourage chefs to use more South Carolina ingredients on their menus.”

The program’s public relations message changes periodically, Turnblad said. It’s been “Ask for Certified SC,” “A Matter of Taste” and “Come Get Your Love” in the past, with a new slogan scheduled to be released and spread throughout South Carolina in May.

“We try to change our message and make it fresh and new every couple of years,” Turnblad said, adding that the organization has continued to evolve, especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, she said Certified SC has seen an increase in its egg-producing members in the past three years.

In addition to its consumer-oriented public relations campaigns, the Department of Agriculture stays in constant contact with retailers across the state, providing signage and channel strips – point-of-purchase signs that line the front of grocery store shelves and provide product information and communicate simple, straightforward messaging. The message in this case is that you should purchase produce and other products that are grown or manufactured in South Carolina.

The cooperative effort among producers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, and the Department of Agriculture is aimed at convincing consumers to specifically ask for – and buy whenever possible – products that originate in the Palmetto State, including vegetables, fruit, pork, beef, chicken, seafood, dairy products, ornamentals, and specialty products such as barbecue sauce and honey.

Turnblad said signature crops grown in South Carolina—“the big ones”—are collard greens, watermelons and other melons, blueberries, peaches, tomatoes and sweet corn. She added that more than 200 different varieties of produce are grown in the state at one time or another during the year. You can find out what’s available each month by visiting the Certified South Carolina website at www.certifiedsc.com.

For example, even in January, typically the coldest month of the year, you can buy any of the 19 South Carolina-grown plants and vegetables, from basil to turnips, alphabetically speaking. Fresh onions, beets, rutabagas and mushrooms also are available. Meanwhile, in May, there are 43 options ranging from arugula to zucchini, and your local grocery store will also likely be featuring blueberries, kale, leeks, radishes, strawberries and peaches, among other home-grown items. Later in the year, in October, you can look forward to 45 different varieties, from apples to watermelons, and you’ll also be able to purchase SC-grown peppers, sweet potatoes, peas, microgreens and cucumbers – and more.

“You can see who sells South Carolina produce and products,” Turnblad said. “There’s a list of grocery stores and roadside markets on our website.”

A visit to the website also will give you the opportunity to check out by county the more than 2,000 members of Certified SC. Two-thirds of them are farmers, ranchers and fishermen, according to Turnblad, but the roster also includes companies that market a variety of items such as cocktail sauce, crab dip, salt, honey, custom-made wood projects, gourmet apple butter, grits, flour and cornbread mix. The membership list even includes a company that grows live microalgae that’s used to enrich soil.

Membership in Certified SC is free, but Turnblad pointed out that those who apply to become part of the program are carefully vetted to make certain they are growing or producing high-quality products.

“A dairy supplier, for example, must have an SCDHEC license. Depending on what they are producing, it must be in compliance with the agency that oversees them,” Turnblad said. “Items must be manufactured in an approved facility that follows Food and Drug Administration standards and guidelines. We don’t let everybody in.”

She added, however, that in many cases, the Certified SC staff will help businesses that fail to qualify eventually attain membership.

“We try to help them meet the standards we require,” she said. “Sometimes that can take weeks or months. Sometimes folks aren’t aware of what they have to do to sell some products. It’s not their fault. It’s an educational process.”

Though the Certified SC program has changed with the times since it was established, its main purpose has remained rock solid: to encourage people to eat more South Carolina produce and to keep as much money as possible in the state, rather than spending it on vegetables, fruit and other products imported from other states and countries. According to the Certified SC website: “The Certified SC brand and label help consumers easily identify goods that are grown and harvested or raised right here in the Palmetto State. Buying local not only means people are taking home fresher, tastier foods, it also means they are supporting our state’s farmers.”

Turnblad gave much of the credit for the success of the program to Weathers, who has served as commissioner of agriculture since 2004.

“Certified SC would not have been a success without his leadership and commitment to this program,” she commented. “He really believes in the program. It’s a great thing for South Carolina agriculture

Home Grown: SCDA Encourages Consumers to Buy Local