3 | Jason Cornman: How Food Safety Audits, Family Legacy and Hurricanes Shape Florida Farms

Ryan Armstrong and Jason Cornman go deep on what it really takes to get food from field to fork in Florida and beyond. Childhood memories meet hard-earned industry experience as they trade stories about multi-generational farming legacies, navigating wild hurricane seasons, and why those humble bags of potato chips on supermarket shelves are more complicated than you’d ever imagine.

The conversation pulls back the curtain on agricultural procurement, logistics and the irreplaceable human relationships that anchor the food supply chain.

Highlights from the Conversation:

• Jason shares his winding journey from suburban Tallahassee kid to a key player in agricultural procurement, production, and food safety — plus his passion project tending 50 beehives.
• The logistical madness of moving millions of pounds of potatoes, why crop procurement means more than just numbers, and how “bird-dogging” in the field translates to quality corn on your backyard grill.
• Ryan and Jason discuss the hidden complexities and immense value of relationship-building with growers, harvesters and field crews — that one phone call could mean the difference between ruined potatoes and a perfect chip harvest.
• Hurricane stories only a Floridian could tell: from washed-out fields and snapped timber to how disaster response builds resilience for both the land and its people.
• The nitty-gritty of the H-2A seasonal worker program, busting the myth of the “invisible workforce,” and why respect and gratitude for farm laborers is due.
• The Southern way of football, family and tailgating: how agriculture and fall Saturdays intersect, weaving farmers and rural economies into the very fabric of community.

Thought-Provoking Quotes:

"If it wasn't for H-2A, we'd definitely have issues getting from ground to the back of Publix or wherever it's going." — Jason Cornman

“The best part of my job was going and visiting the growers, checking on our contracts. You build rapport… It's just a balance. You know, production changes on the plant side. They may not need a load — but now there's just this floating load. There's forty-thousand pounds of potatoes out there, and the plant doesn't necessarily think about that.” — Jason Cornman

“You grow up around ag, and it’s just normal. You don’t realize other people don’t really have that. The more generational it gets, it’s in your blood — you can’t not do it.” — Ryan Armstrong

Jason Cornman:
Email: jason@cornmanag.com
Instagram: @cornmanag

Resources:

• Florida Farm List
• Georgia Grown
• Fresh from Florida
• Community Cannery Locations
• Florida Young Farmer and Rancher Resources
• Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers

Questions or guest ideas?
Email farmstrongpodcast@gmail.com

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