In a recent research project, The Progressive Farmer ranked Oconee County, Georgia, No. 2 on a list of "Best Places to Live in Rural America." The study ranked counties based on health care, education, climate, pollution index, crime index, and tax burden....
Frederick Leo Bateman of Mitchell County, Georgia, says that he started planting pine trees as a small boy alongside his father, Leo Bateman, who was in the timber business. In 1955, because of his love for the land, trees, horses, wildlife, and everything outdoors, Frederick began a farming operation with his father. They grew peanuts, cotton, tobacco, and, of course, pine trees. Some...
