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Clay Chancey, CGC Agri-Management, Inc.
A fifth-generation Floridian, Clay Chancey grew up helping his “Pa” in the groves and watching his “Mema” manage both the family and the groves. It was those influences that led him in to a career in citrus.
Clay, who along with his wife Kim and their children Cole and Alessa, lives in Bartow recently took time to go ‘In the Grove & On the Record’ with Mutual.
What is your educational background?
I graduated from Florida Southern College in 1992 with a Citrus/Business Degree.
What is your business/grove name?
My Caretaking/Grove service business is CGC Agri-Management, Inc. based out of Wauchula,FL
Please share a little history on your business.
I started CGC in January 1998 managing the family groves and cattle and it grew rapidly into what it is today.
What other jobs/positions have you held?
After graduating from FSC I worked for Jack Berry Groves in Labelle for almost 6 years and learned alot about the industry. I developed relationships and contacts that I still use to this day.
What is your first memory in a grove or the industry?
Helping my “Pa” in our groves as a child.
Who or what were the key influences in your life related to citrus?
My first influences were my grandparents, mainly my “Mema” and how she managed the family and the groves to be successful and grow.
What do you find the most challenging about being in the citrus industry?
The most challenging part of the industry is our current battle with canker and greening and their threat to our industry. With our increased production costs of trying to budget the correct inputs to stay productive in the industry for the long term.
What advice would you give someone thinking about getting in to the citrus industry?
If someone is wanting to get into the industry now they have to be commited to it. It is not as easy as it once was to be successful. However, it is a great industry to be in and can be very rewarding. I cannot see myself doing anything else.
What do you think will change about the industry in the next five years?
In the next 5 years the industry will develop resistant varieties and rootstocks and better strategies to fight the pests and diseases that threaten this great industry.
If you weren’t working in citrus, what would you be doing for a living?
I cannot see myself with in a job not directly involved with the citrus industry.
What do you like to do when not working?
When I am not working I enjoy spending time with my family and kids fishing, boating, hunting, and GATORS football.
Why is it important to be a Mutual member?
With the pressures on the citrus industry from so many angles (labor issues, regulation, urban encroachment, introduction of pests and diseases) we have to have a unified voice at the state and federal levels.
