Arena Acres owner, Samantha Lineberger is a fourth generation farmer who is working hard to keep her family’s land in Perry, Ga. viable with changing times. She opens her farm to everyone, allowing them to pick their own flowers and learn about agriculture firsthand. Listen along as you explore the photos.
In middle and high school, she competed in a floral design and floriculture competition in FFA. “I fell in love with the design aspect of flowers, so that’s kind of where the passion started,” she says. (Taleen Hanna)
“It was obvious that everybody was excited about it, and I think that was kind of the turning point,” she says. Lineberger quit her full-time job and began devoting all of her time to Arena Acres. (Taleen Hanna)
Lineberger gives customers a cup and some clippers, along with some advice:
“Whatever fits in the cup you get to keep; if you keep the stems longer, more fits in the cup and it transfers to a vase better.” (Taleen Hanna)
“It’s very important to educate all generations on agriculture: where their food comes from, where their flowers come from. A lot of people think that it just comes from the grocery store, but in reality it comes from a farm,” Lineberger says. (Taleen Hanna)
With that comes the responsibility of keeping the land viable for future generations.
“I work hard to make this possible, to keep it in our family and to hopefully one day pass it down to my kids or nieces and nephews, whoever wants to take it over– but to be able to turn over something that they can make into their own.” (Taleen Hanna)
