Midway farm temporarily shut down during peak season amid permit, licensing dispute with Liberty County

MIDWAY, Ga. (WTOC) - Hundreds of plants are growing at Jones Creek Farm and Nursery, but no one is allowed to buy them.

The Midway farm has been temporarily shut down in the middle of spring planting season after Liberty County cited owner Stephanie Jones for a series of code enforcement violations. Jones says some of those violations are protected under Georgia state law. The county disagrees. And until the dispute is resolved, the farm stays closed.

“I’ve been growing these plants, started most of them from seed in January and February,” Jones said. “I’ve been babying and nurturing these plants for months, and now all of a sudden I cannot sell them.”

What led to the shutdown

Jones said she received a certified letter and screenshots of her property from Liberty County code enforcement about three weeks ago listing the violations.

The county is requiring building permits for structures on the property and a retail business license for the farm’s on-site sales — requirements Jones argues she should be exempt from as a working farm.

Jones Creek Farm is a certified Georgia Grown small business, a state recognition program administered by the Georgia Department of Agriculture that identifies and promotes agricultural producers, manufacturers and retailers operating in Georgia.

Jones said she believes state law and the county’s own ordinances protect working farms from some of the requirements being imposed. Liberty County has not clarified in writing to WTOC which specific ordinances apply.

“My problem with all of these ordinances is that it’s too broad and too vague in scope,” Jones said.

“It’s really hard to follow ordinances when it’s not clearly defined. If you build it, they’re going to permit it. That’s a little broad.”

County responds

WTOC reached out to Liberty County Code Enforcement and was redirected to County Administrator Joseph Mosely, who responded by voicemail.

Mosely said the farm received complaints about operating retail sales without proper zoning and that the family also faces Department of Agriculture rules regarding specific sales.

Community rallies, GoFundMe hits goal

Jones started a GoFundMe campaign to cover the fees associated with the dispute, including roughly $200 per building permit and $350 for a retail license, and to retain an attorney if the dispute escalates.

The campaign hit its $3,000 goal, with hundreds of community members also voicing support on social media.

Jones said the financial support helps, but the bigger concern is time.

“It would really detriment my business by being closed for a long period of time,” she said.

“It would be almost like having to start over. I know that I have some really loyal customers and they will come back... but that momentum of building a small business is really important, and I will lose some of that.”

What’s at stake

Jones bought the property in August 2017 and spent years clearing land and building the farm from the ground up. She began welcoming customers on-site around 2022.

The farm stand carries Jones’ own products — including plants, goat milk soap and eggs — as well as goods from roughly 28 local Georgia vendors, including cottage food producers, artisans and other Georgia Grown members.

Jones said the county has allowed her to conditionally reopen to sell her own products while the dispute is being resolved, but obtaining a retail license for vendor sales could take 45 to 60 days and require multiple hearings before the Liberty County Board of Commissioners.

“They say I cannot open, I cannot operate without a business license,” Jones said.

“Understandable. But they won’t issue it until I fix some of these other things. So that’s kind of where we’re at right now.”

What’s next

WTOC is working to obtain a clearer response from Liberty County and has reached out to independent legal experts to clarify where state and local law stand on agricultural exemptions and farm licensing requirements.

Jones said she hopes to reopen as soon as possible.

“People are planting their gardens now,” she said. “Every day matters.”