[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 18958]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          PATTEN SEED COMPANY

 Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, it is with great pride that 
today I honor the past and recent success of a great agribusiness in my 
home State of Georgia, Patten Seed Company. Patten Seed Company was 
recently named the 2006 Agribusiness of the Year by South Georgia 
Business magazine for its continued success in the agribusiness 
community.
  The lasting success of Patten Seed Company was also recognized when 
the company received the Cox Century Award. Representatives of the Cox 
Family Enterprise Center at the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw 
State University present the Cox Century Award to Georgia businesses 
based on their commitments to business and family, contributions to 
their industry and community, multigenerational family involvement, and 
innovative business practices and strategies.
  The history of the Patten Seed Company dates back to 1893 when R.L. 
Patten and his brother W.F. Patten opened a general store in Lakeland, 
GA. After much success with the general store, Lawson Patten, R.L's 
son, began to operate a seed cleaning business out of one of his 
father's warehouses in 1947. In 1954, Patten Seed Company was 
incorporated and over the last 52 years has become a household name in 
the turfgrass, sod, and seed industry.
  Patten Seed Company's expansive operation covers 25 facilities across 
four States and has over 15,000 acres of grass seed and sod farm land 
in the Southeast. Sod from Patten Seed Company can be found in many 
places, from small South Georgia lawns to the Atlantis Resort in the 
Bahamas.
  I am sincerely proud of the recognition that has been accorded to 
Patten Seed Company. Lakeland, GA, where Patten Seed Company 
originated, is not too far from my hometown of Moultrie. I see signs 
for one of Patten Seed Company's subsidiaries, SuperSod, whenever I 
drive north or south on Interstate 75.
  The success of agribusinesses like Patten Seed Company, which 
operates not only in Georgia but throughout the Southeast, is 
newsworthy. I thank my colleagues for giving me the opportunity to 
recognize this great agribusiness.

                          ____________________