Shepherding The Next Generation: Faith, Farm Roots Fuel Faulkner President

God. Both jobs are a faith-building experience.” cultivating success in Faulkner’s nearly 3,000 students, encouraging them to grow academically and spiritually.

The fourth of Davis and Margery Henry’s five children, Henry was raised on a dairy in south Montgomery County. When he and wife Cindy were dating, they dreamed of raising their children to experience farming’s fulfilling, yet challenging, moments. Cindy was raised on a cattle farm, too, in Lawrence County, and both families were active in the Alabama Farmers Federation.

After Henry graduated from law school, buying cattle was a priority. Tending the herd, preparing for livestock shows and improving herd genetics was a family affair with their children, Mitchell, Lauren and Ashby. Over time, they built a registered Black Angus herd and had commercial cattle.

“I practiced law to support our farming habit,” Henry said with a smile.

He was officially inaugurated in January 2023. Henry’s son introduced him during the ceremony in Montgomery, citing his father’s servant-leadership.

“There is nothing that he asks you to do that he would not first do himself,” Mitchell said. “He is a humble servant who strives to look after the needs of others before himself. He is the best father figure a child could ever have, and I’m confident he will continue to be an excellent college president.”

Henry said his love for farming has helped him connect with students who come from similar backgrounds, and he uses the opportunity to share with those who didn’t.

By Madelyn Furlong

As Faulkner University’s president, Mitch Henry leans on his upbringing and experiences as a farmer to help him shepherd the next generation of leaders.

“There are many commonalities between farming and being a college president, particularly with Christian education,” Henry said. “Farming requires you to trust in God and rely on your faith. There are a lot of factors we can’t control, and it’s the same with being president. The farmers who enjoy their work are those who realize every good and perfect gift comes from

In 2021, Henry and Cindy planned to retire and pursue ministry full time starting in 2022. Henry stepped back from practicing law and teaching at Auburn University and Faulkner, a Christian university based in Montgomery. They sold most of their herd but kept a handful of registered Black Angus bulls, cared for by Henry’s brother, Garry. They are also invested in stocker cattle at Mitchell’s farm in Lawrence County.

After a prayer-filled season, the Henrys were guided back to Faulkner — full time. In June 2022, Henry stepped into ministry as Faulkner’s ninth president and dedicated himself to

“We never stop learning, and we never stop teaching,” Henry said.

Henry often melds his passion for farming and faith-based education — whether bringing a steer-roping dummy to a campus game night, using agricultural analogies in cabinet meetings and at speaking engagements, or welcoming students and faculty to their farm, Prairie Oak, in Hope Hull.

“For both of us growing up, there was always food and fellowship on the farm,” Cindy said. “There was so much joy in it, and we wanted to follow our parents’ examples. We wanted to share with our friends and family, and now we get to do that with Faulkner.”

By Marlee Moore

After months of elevated egg prices, poultry experts predict consumers will soon shell out fewer dollars per dozen of the popular protein.

Demand will likely decrease following the egg-heavy Easter holiday, said Alabama Farmers Federation Poultry Division Director Colton Christjohn. Meanwhile, flocks are rebounding from an avian influenza outbreak that heavily impacted table egg hens last fall.

“We’re coming off months of holidays where families buy more eggs for baking, breakfast and, now, dyeing,” Christjohn said. “Prices should come down after Easter, but we likely won’t see them back down to where they were.”

Supply And Demand

The average price of a dozen large, Grade A eggs soared from $1.93 in January 2022 to $4.82 in January 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Throughout 2022, the rise was gradual, due to global conflicts affecting input costs, plus strict West Coast farming regulations that impact the country, Christjohn said. An extra-eggcentric winter holiday season pressured production, too.

Simultaneously, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), a virus that is highly contagious in birds, began spreading. HPAI was detected in U.S. wild birds in January 2022, the first finding since 2016. The next month, HPAI was discovered at a turkey farm in Indiana, the first detection in a U.S. commercial flock since 2020.

Flocks in 47 states, including Alabama, have now discovered HPAI, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Alabama findings were isolated through 2022, including a wild duck in Limestone County; vultures in Montgomery County; and a non-commercial, backyard flock in Lawrence County.

To limit HPAI’s spread, farmers amped up biosecurity measures, and flocks on affected farms were depopulated (58.5 million birds as of March 1). Seventy percent of culled birds were laying hens.

“When you lose that many birds, it drives up egg prices,” Christjohn said.

Production Predicament

Poultry has a $15 billion economic impact annually in Alabama, which has more than 2,500 chicken farmers. Most produce broilers, or meat chickens.

Cullman County farmer Lee Haynes is one of a handful of table egg growers in the state and said production across the U.S. should reach normal levels soon — pending no HPAI outbreaks, which have historically hit larger concentrations of table egg and turkey farms.

“In the last few months, egg farms have had better luck, but it takes a while to restock those chickens,” said Haynes, the local Farmers Federation president. “Everyone has planned their restocking rates, but it’s hard when you lose that many at a time.”

Backyard Birds

High in-store egg prices spiked consumer demand for chicks and backyard bird flocks.

“Backyard flocks have taken off the last few years, but this year, it’s really crazy,” Christjohn said. “One store in Dothan gets about 2,000 chicks a week, and they sell out fast. It’s a race to get into the business.”

But raising backyard chickens doesn’t always ease pocketbook pressure, Christjohn said.

“With current feed prices the way they are, you have to eat more than three eggs per day per household to make it worth having a backyard flock,” he said. “It costs me about 16 cents per day per hen to raise my own backyard birds. That doesn’t take into consideration building the coop and other infrastructure and equipment you need to successfully raise chicks and chickens.”