11/26/2025
Schley Louis "Big Louie" Perry, Jr.
Schley Louis “Big Louie” Perry, Jr. passed away on November 26, 2025 after a well-lived life of 86 years. He was born on Pineywoods Farms on March 10, 1939, and had lived and worked on the farm continually, except for the years he was away at college. His beloved Pineywoods Farms, established 1830, is located in Colquitt County and is a Centennial Farm and the oldest continually owned business in the county. Louie Perry is the 5th generation to own and work the land and his children and grandchildren (6th and 7th generation) are a part of the farm as well. His greatest obsession was this farm and all the family history that accompanied it.
Big Louie was passionate about agriculture from his earliest days. He joined Georgia Farm Bureau when he was 13 years old and has maintained continual membership since. He served on the Colquitt County Farm Bureau Board of Directors. He was an active FFA member and spent his youth learning and preparing to become a farmer and improve the land he would inherit. He studied Agriculture at ABAC and graduated with an Associate’s degree in 1959. He then went on to the University of Georgia where he studied Agribusiness.
In 1962 he returned to Pineywoods Farms where his father retired and turned over the operations of the farm to him. Louie diligently applied the knowledge he had learned in college and modernized the farming practices and grew the acreage, productivity, and profitability of the farm. He began to improve practices, varieties and conduct on-farm research trials in partnership with the University of Georgia Extension. Louie was seen as a leader in the farming community and was often at the forefront of new practices and discoveries. He was one of the earliest to install center pivot irrigation and, in fact, UGA tested the first variable rate irrigation on Pineywoods Farms. In Louie’s early years, the farm grew to***co, peanuts, cotton, and forages. In addition, corn and small grains were used in his beef cattle operation. Livestock on the farm included purebred Polled Herford cattle, commercial cattle, and a farrow to finish swine operation. During the 70’s the swine were transitioned out and in the early 80’s, Louie was one of the first producers to begin breeding Limousin Cattle, a French breed. This transitioned the cattle operation into a purebred Limousin seedstock operation utilizing embryo transfer and marketing cattle nationwide. In addition, the farm maintained a strong commercial cattle herd and marketed Limousin bulls and females. During the 80’s and 90’s, Louie and his children traveled the country showing their Limousin cattle -- learning from their peers, building lifelong friends, and learning about agriculture all over the US.
During his long agricultural career, Louie realized that agriculture needed strong advocates and engaged leaders. He began locally and expanded his commodity service statewide, nationally, and even internationally. He has always believed that citizens have the responsibility and obligation to give back to their community, industry, and society in general. He has modeled that active citizenship and engagement for over 50 years. He believed strongly in participating in industry and commodity organizations and served in countless roles locally, statewide, and nationally to represent the broad and diverse aspects of agriculture. His foresight and investment of time, talent and energy in these causes has resulted in producer driven check-off programs, state and federal funding, policy changes, legislation, enhanced international markets and increased consumer understanding of agriculture. He firmly believed strong leaders should also be engaged and involved in guiding and stewarding the interests of agriculture. In addition, he has recruited and mentored younger producers and talent to encourage the succession of leadership in these organizations and across the spectrum of agriculture. Louie believed that the overall value of being engaged in his industry was valuable and he modeled this philosophy for decades.
Big Louie’s Leadership Roles:
Georgia Cotton Commission – Board member for 30 years; Chair 2000 – 2012Southern Southeastern Cotton Growers – Board Member and PresidentNational Cotton Council – Director; Producer Delegate and Board AdvisorCotton, Inc. – Chairman 2006; Director and Chair of the Textile Research CommitteeGeorgia Limousin Association – Director and PresidentSoutheastern Limousin Breeders’ Association – Director and PresidentNorth American Limousin Foundation – Board MemberColquitt County Cattlemen’s Association – Charter Member and past Vice PresidentGeorgia Cattlemen’s Association – Regional Vice President and State Board of Directors; President; Bull Test Committee; Foundation BoardNational Cattlemen’s Beef Association – Committee member and memberGeorgia Farm Bureau - Member since 1952Colquitt County Farm Bureau - member and current Board of DirectorsGeorgia Peanut Task ForceBeing an advocate for Georgia agriculture means being involved in policy matters and politics at all levels of government. He has advocated for agricultural issues on the local, state, and national level and has made countless trips to Atlanta and Washington to visit with policy makers, testify in front of committees and explain agricultural issues to elected officials and staffers alike. He has hosted numerous farm tours on his farm in Moultrie and spent hours building relationships and investing in the industry. He has served on numerous ag advisory boards for elected officials including Saxby Chambliss, Sanford Bishop, Johnny Isakson, Jimmy Carter, Sonny Perdue, Roy Barnes and more.
Honors and Awards:
Georgia Cotton Commission Inaugural Trustees Award – 2023ABAC Family Legacy Award – 2022Centennial Family Farm Award – 2020J. Lamar Branch Leadership in Agriculture Award – 2020Colquitt County Farmer of the Year AwardMaster Farmer AwardBig Louie lived a life of service. Soon after he began farming, Louie ran for Colquitt County Commission with a slogan of “Young, Able and Willing to Serve.” He was elected and served on the local County Commission for 19 years. Throughout his service as commissioner, he strongly represented the people of his district and the concerns of the agricultural community.
Always in service, Big Louie agreed to serve on the Colquitt Regional Medical Center’s Foundation Board of Directors. Here he learned a lot about the ever-changing field of health care, was an engaged and active board member and served until he reached the maximum age of 65.
Education is another area that Louie has been passionate about and has invested his time, resources, and talents there. He was an active member of the Pineland School Board of Directors for over 15 years and served in many roles on this board, including Chairman. He participated in hiring school administration, supporting the sports teams, attended countless functions and even donated beef to the school lunchroom!
Louie has been a staunch supporter of both Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College as well as the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He has endowed scholarships at both institutions and continues to support the institutions that are training the next generation of farmers and agriculturalists.
At UGA, Louie served on the Dean’s Advisory Council and was a part of the group that convinced then President Mike Adams to review the admissions procedures for students wanting to study in the College of Agriculture in hopes of getting more rural “farm” kids into the College of Agriculture. This effort was successful and resulted in the designation of 200 student spots that were given further review for admission. Louie has also been generous with his land and has partnered with UGA Extension Specialists and researchers on countless on-farm research trials to evaluate better practices and varieties to improve the efficiency and profitability of ag production.
In 2007, Louie created the Pineywoods Farms Scholarship to honor the family farm and his father Schley Perry. This fund is designated to fund scholarships for students in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences that want to study to be a part of the ag industry. To date, the fund has grown to be able to support three to four student scholarships annually and over 20 students have benefitted from this effort.
Louie has also been active on the Moultrie-Colquitt County Chamber of Commerce and served on the agriculture committee as well contributed to the economic development efforts. He was a Kiwanis Club member and a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Moultrie.
He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Rebecca Clark Perry as well as his children Laura Perry Johnson (Scott), Schley Louis (Louie) Perry III (Lisa) and Jonathan Johnson Perry (Jackie). He was the proud grandfather to Bill and Libba Johnson, Jack and Alex Perry and Zach and Alli Perry. He was preceded in death by his parents Schley Louis and Lois Perry and his daughter Amanda Chapman Perry. As an avid student of history and genealogy, he was blessed with a large and extended circle of family and friends.
A memorial service will be held on Monday, December 1, 2025, at 2 PM at Baker Funeral Home with Reverend Dr. Hugh Ward officiating.
A public visitation will be held from 12 -2 PM before the service.
His ashes will be spread on his beloved Pineywoods Farms. Memorial gifts can be made to the Pineywoods Farm Scholarship at the University of Georgia (Payable to the UGA Foundation, designate for the Pineywoods Farm Scholarship and mail to UGA CAES Office of Development Relations, Four Towers, Athens, GA 30602) or to the Georgia 4-H Foundation to support the Veterinary Science Project in memory of Amanda Perry (Designate for the Vet Science Project and mail to Georgia 4-H Foundation, Hoke Smith Annex, UGA Campus, Athens, GA 30602).
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