12 minute read
Alfa Insurance Protects Small Businesses
ProtectingAn Artistic Legacy
By Brooke Foster
Crafting pottery from hand-dug Alabama clay is an art. Alfa Insurance agents use a similar eye for detail to create policies for artisans and entrepreneurs, including Brown’s Pottery & Sons in Hamilton.
Owner Sandra Brown said good service goes a long way in business. That’s why she insured the nationally renowned family pottery business (founded by her late husband, Jerry) with Alfa in 2019.
“Jerry and I always had Alfa Insurance,” said Sandra, who carries on her husband’s pottery-crafting legacy with son Jeff Wilburn. “Several years ago, we had a new roof put on our house because of hail damage from a storm. The customer service we received from our local agent and claims adjuster at Alfa was just awesome, so when our agent, Matt Brasher, asked about moving our business insurance over to Alfa, it just made sense.”
Brasher said he’s known the Brown family as long as he can remember.
“Growing up in Hamilton, everyone knew about the famous pottery shop based right here in our small town,” he said.
Alfa’s business owner policies offer coverage for property, liability, automobiles, workers compensation and commercial umbrella protection. With local agents and adjusters serving every Alabama county, Alfa caters to small businesses. Among the company’s clients are barber shops, restaurants, retail stores, photographers, plumbers, landscapers and even churches.
“Alfa makes it easy for us to do business with them,” Sandra said. “Not only did we receive a great rate for our small business, but we’ve also received exceptional customer service every time we walk in the local office just up the road. If I need anything, I can call Matt, and he’ll get everything taken care of in a timely manner. It’s hard to find that kind of service in other insurance companies nowadays. That’s what makes Alfa different.”
Alfa’s Senior Vice President of P&C & Life Operations Rex Seabrook said protecting small businesses is part of Alfa’s heritage.
“We know how important these businesses are in our communities, and it’s our job to help keep them protected,” Seabrook said. “Matt Brasher is a great example of how our agents work to go above and beyond to make sure our customers get the best rates possible. Alfa agents, claims adjusters
Left: Alfa Insurance writes policies for small businesses, including barbers, retail stores, photographers, landscapers, churches and other entrepreneurs, such as Brown’s Pottery and Sons in Hamilton, owned by Sandra Brown. Above: Jeff Wilburn fashions pottery from hand-dug Alabama clay. Alfa uses that same attention to detail when crafting policies for members.
Above left: The late Jerry Brown was a ninth-generation potter who specialized in face jugs, decorative jugs sculpted to resemble a human or character’s face. Above right: From left are Brown’s Pottery and Sons owner Sandra Brown, potter Jeff Wilburn and Alfa Insurance Agent Matt Brasher.
and customer sales representatives want to see their hometown, its businesses and community members flourish.”
Jerry opened his pottery business in 1982 after nearly 20 years working as a logger in the northwest Alabama woods. He converted a small hay shed into a shop, bought an electric kiln, ordered a pottery wheel and tapped into skills learned from his father, Horace.
The ninth-generation potter specialized in face jugs (decorative jugs sculpted to resemble a human or character’s face) and experimented with glazing and painting techniques.
“Jerry had a chicken pen behind the shop,” Sandra said. “Something got into the pen one night, and chicken feathers were all over the place. Jerry picked the feathers up, brought them to the shop and started dipping them in cobalt. He dabbed the feathers on the pottery, and we’ve done it ever since.”
His unique art earned numerous awards, such as the Alabama Folk Heritage Award. He was also named a National Heritage Fellow for the National Endowment for the Arts. The pottery shop quickly became a top destination for tourists, including social media cooking sensation Brenda Gantt of Andalusia, who uses Brown’s Pottery and Sons bowls when making biscuit dough. Brasher said it’s been an honor to serve the Brown family through the years.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to protect their business,” Brasher said. “Whether filing a claim, making a payment or updating a policy, our customers are going to receive the personalized service they deserve. That’s the Alfa difference.”
Learn more about the Browns at JerryBrownPottery.com.
For information about Alfa business insurance or to find a local agent, visit AlfaInsurance.com.
Peanut Allergy Progress
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, introducing peanut-containing foods in the first year reduces the risk an infant will develop a food allergy to peanuts.
Through the National Peanut Board, America’s peanut farmers have allocated more than $35 million to food allergy research, outreach and education.
Visit PreventPeanutAllergies.com to learn more.
Alabama agriculture and forestry organizations are launching Down to Earth: Agriculture Sustains Alabama — a yearlong campaign promoting conservation techniques farmers and landowners practice across the state.
Through farmer-led discussion, Down to Earth will show sustainability isn’t just a buzzword gaining momentum as regulations trickle down from Washington, D.C.
It’s a mindset farmers have implemented for years while fueling their farms, families and communities.
“No one is more invested in sustaining the environment, the economy and our communities than farmers,” said Alabama Farmers Federation President Jimmy Parnell, a Chilton County farmer. “We are proud to partner with other agriculture and forestry organizations through Down to Earth in educating students and adults about how farmers work to provide safe and abundant food and fiber for generations to come.”
Down to Earth will cover six topics through March 2023 — carbon emissions, animal and plant efficiency, data and technology, conserving natural resources, smart land use and sustaining for the future. The goal is to reach at least 1 million consumers with Down to Earth messages centered on sustainability.
A team of farmer-spokespeople representing various commodities, counties and backgrounds will spread the Down to Earth message via personal social media channels, interviews with media and features in partner publications such as Neighbors magazine. Additionally, Simply Southern TV will feature Ask a Farmer segments focused on each topic.
Down to Earth partners include the Alabama Agribusiness Council, Alabama Association of RC&D Councils, Alabama Cattlemen’s Association (ACA), Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries, Alabama Farmers Federation, Alabama Forestry Commission, Alabama Poultry & Egg Association (APEA) and Sweet Grown Alabama. Additional funding is provided by a growing slate of sponsors.
“As farmers and ranchers, we have an incredible story to tell,” said ACA’s Kayla Greer, who co-chairs the Down to Earth planning committee with APEA’s Caleb Hicks. “Our goal is to amplify that message, and that is exactly what Down to Earth is designed to do.”
The Down to Earth campaign includes a fact-packed website at DowntoEarthAL.com, social media advertisements, events and bimonthly press releases. FFA groups, 4-H clubs and civic organizations will help share Down to Earth’s sustainability message. Down to Earth was also Alabama Farm-City’s 2021 theme. Winning posters, essays and multimedia presentations will be honored during the Alabama Farm-City Awards Luncheon in Birmingham April 7.
Down to Earth: Agriculture Sustains Alabama debuts March 31 during a kickoff event from 4-6:30 p.m. at the Pike Road Agriculture, Recreation and Performing Arts Center. The event features family friendly farm-related activities and displays, food and media competitions.
Interact with Down to Earth on social media by searching @DowntoEarthAL.
&THEN NOW: By Marlee Moore Farmers Face Challenging Ag Economy
Ed White said the current struggling ag economy doesn’t compare to the 1980s farm crisis. Low commodity prices, ballooning inflation and high interest rates were hallmarks of those tough years. Skyrocketing interest rates, ballooning inflation and the worst crop of his life strapped Ed White in 1980.
“I cashed in my retirement so my kids could eat and go to school,” said White, 85, who taught before farming full time.
Decades later, farmers again face rising inflation, coupled with supply chain issues. Farmers report fertilizer and crop protection prices have doubled, tripled or even quadrupled — when available.
White farms with his son, Jason, and grandson, Ryan Rippey. The three generations continually adjust management techniques to survive shifting expenses.
“Yes, input prices are higher,” White said. “But peanut and cotton prices are higher, too. We’re not making any more than we made with lower prices, but we can still cash flow it. There’s no comparison to the ‘80s. Nowadays, the interest is cheap, and money is still available.”
Easy money policy emerged in the ‘70s. Commodity prices boomed, and farmland values ballooned, he recalled.
Pop!
In some parts of the U.S., farmland values fell by half in the early 1980s. Alabama wasn’t hit to that level but still saw declining land values. Commodity prices plummeted, too.
Hundreds of miles separate White from Perry County farmer Jim Brady. White’s native Henry County is in Alabama’s Wiregrass, while Brady farms in the Black Belt Region. Both long-time leaders in the Alabama Farmers Federation survived the last farm crisis through shrewd investments and grit.
“The cost of everything was going
Jim Brady’s wise investments helped his family farm survive the 1980s farm crisis. Today, the Bradys raise catfish, cattle and timber in Perry County while battling another challenging ag economy.
up,” Brady said. “What we were selling was either stagnant or going down. We were caught in the vice.”
High sustained inflation reigned. Items that cost $1 in 1972 cost about $2.32 a decade later.
“Mentally, you tighten your belt so tight your belt buckle is touching your backbone,” White said.
Smart farm management and carefully cultivated relationships with lenders meant White and Brady’s interest rates never topped the mid-teens, while some contemporaries’ rates reached 20% or higher.
Today, interest is around 5%.
“I don’t think we’re in a crisis,” White said. “I think prices are ridiculous, but I don’t feel the pressure. You can’t imagine waking up every morning wondering if you’ll survive that day financially.”
Diversification helps. White’s family raises poultry, cattle, cotton, corn and peanuts, while the Bradys have catfish, cattle and timber.
“You have to have another enterprise,” Brady said. “If you have one that bogs down or becomes unprofitable, you need another enterprise that can take up some of the slack.”
Investments Brady made during the successful ‘70s — constructing a state-ofthe-art milking parlor, adding acreage and building grain bins — paid off when times were tight.
The next decade, Brady saw farmers mortgage their homes to purchase cattle. When prices dropped, some farmers lost their land — and homes.
“We can offset expenses through the appreciation of land value,” Brady said. “But as a farmer, who wants to sell a farm just to break even?”
Brady farms near Marion with his son Brad. The American dream fuels their love of farming, but tightening or nonexistent profit margins take a toll.
“At the end of the year, there may not be money left for improvement,” said Brad, 55. “When you do that, you’re just treading water.”
Federation President Jimmy Parnell is hearing similar stories during county Farmers Federation meetings. Some retirement-age farmers are selling out while others are investing farm equity into the upcoming crop.
Younger generations didn’t feel the effects of, or learn from, the last farm crisis. It’s concerning, Parnell said.
“In the ‘70s, things were amazing in agriculture,” Parnell said. “People said cattle were never going to be cheap again. Then the bottom fell out. It looks like what I remember in the late ‘70s. Are we headed in that direction?”
Auburn University Emeritus Professor Patricia Duffy said it’s too early to predict whether a period of sustained inflation is budding or if farmers are experiencing pandemic-related spikes and stresses.
“We saw fairly high inflation last year, and we may see it again this year; beyond that, I’m not sure there are good predictions yet,” said Duffy, who began studying the ag economy in 1980. “We are seeing a confluence of demand pull (easy money policy plus economic stimulus) and cost-push (caused by supply chain problems). What I don’t know is how long it will last.”
Debt-to-asset ratios are lower than in the ‘70s, which protects against economic downturns. That and other risk-management strategies help farmers survive economic shifts.
“Like any other business, farming benefits from good record keeping, sound financial analysis and good forward planning,” Duffy said. “What is different about farming, compared to many other businesses, is the high level of risk exposure, even in ‘normal’ periods of time.”
While input costs are increasing, commodity prices aren’t in a major decline. That’s encouraging, White said.
“I lived through the late ‘70s and ‘80s,” he said. “I know what hard times are in farming. We’re not there yet.”
Moody Sponsored By Alabama Ag Credit Green
Enjoy this excerpt from an Alabama AgCast with Alabama Farmers Federation Creative Technical Director Mike Moody and Wildlife Division Director William Green.
Mike Moody: What is Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)?
William Green: In deer, it’s a contagious neurological disorder. It is not a virus or bacteria. It’s a prion, a misshapen protein. Symptoms range from drastic weight loss to lack of coordination, drooling and loss of fear of humans. It’s been confirmed in a harvested deer in northwest Alabama in Lauderdale County.
MM: Can it affect humans?
WG: Currently, there is no evidence to show that it can be transmitted from deer to humans.
MM: What do hunters need to keep in mind?
WG: If you see a sick deer, report it to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR). Lauderdale and Colbert counties are in the CWD Management Zone. During the hunting season, ADCNR requested hunter-harvested samples to test the deer. They removed bag limits for day and season harvest (in those counties) to collect more data.
MM: Anything else the general public needs to know about CWD?
WG: The main thing to remember is it’s going to be OK. I encourage hunters to remain confident in your ability to harvest deer and consume venison. Several states have had CWD for decades — Wisconsin, Colorado, Arkansas — and the hunting industry is still strong, and folks can still enjoy the meat.
For more information on CWD, visit OutdoorAlabama.com.
Catch the entire interview on the Alabama AgCast. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or visit AlfaFarmers.org/agcast. New episodes available on Wednesdays.
