Front Porch Issue 130

South Arkansas sees opportunity and potential pitfalls in brine

Lithium Powered

Front Porch

My View From the Front Porch

Dan Wright

Serving Farmers, Serving You

Jarrod Yates

Cover Story: Lithium Powered

South Arkansas sees opportunity and potential pitfalls in brine

A View From the Counties

Back to His Roots

Getting to know Dr. John Anderson

Pigeon’s Pro table Propagation

Siloam Springs Nursery Starts with Seeds

Taste Arkansas

Creamy Carmel Flan

Begin with Gratitude

Dana Stewart

Delta Child

Talya Tate Boerner

MY VIEW FROM THE FRONT PORCH wi Dan Wright

ArFB PRESIDENT

My first words to our membership after being elected on Dec. 1 as president of Arkansas Farm Bureau were simple: “Well, here we are.” I understand those modest words don’t carry the same weight as Neil Armstrong’s “One small-step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” or the eloquence of Abraham Lincoln’s “Four score and seven years ago...” comments. My words carried a deep sense of opportunity and excitement and I hope you see that in me throughout my tenure.

What I lack as a speaker, I hopefully make up for with my passion for Arkansas agriculture. That passion started at an early age on my family’s small farm outside of Lubbock, Texas. It was there I learned to drive a tractor at 8 years old and plow fields at 9. It was there I learned the meaning of hard work. My parents were hard working and are responsible for the traits I now possess. I got my ambition for community service and a love for people from my mother, who dedicated her life to her community. She retired after 30 years of teaching history in the Waldron Public School system.

My dad grew up in the Great Depression and didn’t believe in many luxuries, like a front loader for the tractor. He had two boys to load cow manure: why did he need a loader? It was his guidance and drive that showed me the meaning of hard work and dedication to the job. We grew corn and milo to feed the cattle. I was absorbed by the miracle of one seed and all that it could accomplish. Later in high school, l had a summer job with a research station for Coker Seeds, where that wonder and interest grew even further. It was my intention to go to Texas Tech University and pursue an agronomy degree and work in the research sector of agriculture. But as sometimes happens, life gets in the way. My dad was originally from Logan County and had been wanting to move back to Arkansas. During my senior year of high school, we sold the farm in Texas and moved to a small farm in Scott County, just outside of Waldron. My parents used every penny they had to move. So, when it was time for me to go to college, money was in short supply in the Wright home. So, I adapted.

I knew I wanted my life’s pursuit to somehow be

involved with agriculture, and I thought the ability to work on my own equipment would be an advantage. My dad couldn’t buy new equipment, so I would maintain and repair our machinery on the farm. I decided to enroll at Rich Mountain Vo-Tech in Mena and pursue a degree in Diesel Mechanics. It has been extremely valuable to me over the past 35 years in agriculture.

I met the love of my life, Belinda, one night in January of 1982. That would change my life for the better. We were married six months later and have never looked back. We began our life in the Fort Smith area while I worked for a Caterpillar dealership. After a few years we moved back to Waldron, always looking for a way to break into agriculture. Along the way God blessed us with two great kids. Dusty, our oldest, and his wife, Misty, live in Delaware with their children Sydney, Molly, Jackie, and Miles. Our daughter Megan and her husband Clay live in Hector along with their children, Reece, and Brooke. I am so proud of our children and the great families they have built.

We began to change the shape of our farm in 1990 with the addition of two broiler houses. I had joined my dad in his business as a siding installer and for several years sold and installed siding throughout the area in addition to the broiler houses. When we added four more broiler houses to our farm 15 years ago, we became full-time contract poultry growers. We were never ones to sit around and do nothing. Belinda and I rode for a few years in the Waldron Quadrille, a precision drill team doing square dancing on horseback. We also enjoyed barrel racing, team roping and my favorite hobby, golf.

On Sept. 11, 2001, my life took another turn and not because of what you may think, although that tragic day changed our country and all our lives. But, for me, that was the day I insured my farm and became a Farm Bureau member. Little did I know where that membership would lead me.

continues on pg. 20

Front Porch

Official membership publication of Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation mailed to almost 190,000 member-families.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Included in membership dues

A RKANSAS FARM BUREAU OFFICERS:

President • Dan Wright, Waldron

Vice President • Mike Freeze, Little Rock

Secretary/Treasurer • Terry Dabbs, Stuttgart

Executive Vice President • Jarrod Yates, Benton

DIRECTORS:

Magen Allen, Bismarck

Jon Carroll, Moro

Terry Dabbs, Stuttgart

Brad Doyle, Weiner

Jack Evans, Lonoke

Sherry Felts, Joiner

Chase Groves, Garland City

Jason Henson, Mount Judea

Terry Laster, Strong

Caleb Plyler, Hope

Bob Shofner, Centerton

Dana Stewart, Judsonia

Joe Thrash, Houston

EX OFFICIO

Nita Cooper, Everton

Brad Peacock, Bald Knob

Kerry Stiles, Marianna

Stewart Warner, West Memphis

Executive Editor • Steve Eddington

Contributing Writers • Shaylee Wallace Barber, Chad Hooten

ADVERTISING

Contact Chad Hooten at Arkansas Farm Bureau for advertising rates chad.hooten@arfb.com (501) 228-1274

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10720 Kanis Rd., Little Rock, AR 72211

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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Rhonda Whitley at rhonda.whitley@arfb.com

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Please provide membership number Issue #130

Publisher assumes no responsibility for any errors or omissions. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

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SERVING FARMERS, SERVING YOU wi Jarrod Yates

ArFB EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

Our new Arkansas Farm Bureau President Dan Wright pumped his fist in celebration on a big stage Jan. 22 in Salt Lake City. I was proud and applauded in an auditorium packed with thousands from around the country.

We had just learned Arkansas Farm Bureau earned its first Pinnacle Award, recognizing excellence in implementation of outstanding member programs and membership at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) 105th Convention.

It was a great day! Dan summed it up like this; “I’m really excited about getting this award, but it goes to teamwork. Arkansas Farm Bureau and our county offices worked together to allow us to reach this position. I couldn’t be more excited about this award.”

I echo Dan’s thoughts. Farm Bureau starts with our counties and last year they made it their mission to grow their membership. An incredible 70 of our 76 county offices (we have two offices in Logan County) reached or exceeded their membership quota. Those folks and the teamwork of our staff at the state office made this happen. I’m proud of them.

We also received Awards of Excellence, recognizing outstanding achievements, in four program areas: Advocacy, Coalitions & Partnerships, Engagement & Outreach and Leadership & Business Development.

The annual AFBF Convention affords Arkansas Farm Bureau members opportunities to engage with other farmers and ranchers from across the nation. We discuss important national policy topics impacting our ability to farm. Close to 150 members from across Arkansas attended this important gathering.

I’m proud of our members who traveled to Salt Lake City. They represented our organization with expert knowledge and integrity. Our voice at the national convention had a positive impact on the AFBF national policy positions.

I also want to recognize our impressive Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee members who represented us well in competitions at Salt Lake City. First-year farmer Nicole Erbach from Casa (Perry County) sounded like a veteran, advancing to the Sweet 16 of the national Discussion Meet competition. Brooklyn and Chris Heiser, cattle farmers in Lamar (Johnson County), performed well in the Excellence in Ag competition while Rachel and John Michael Bearden of Friendship (Hot Spring County) were our state’s Achievement Award representatives. Arkansas Farm Bureau couldn’t be more proud of their dedicated efforts in these competitions.

Our president was heard several times at the national convention saying “we’re in a new era.” Erbach, the Heisers, the Beardens and other Farm Bureau members across our great state encourage me that our future is bright. Our team at the Arkansas Farm Bureau is committed to that. •

This is the final issue of Front Porch that we will produce in partnership with Publishing Concepts, Inc. (PCI), a relationship that has lasted almost 25 years. During that time, PCI has helped sponsor one of our Young Farmer & Rancher competitions and been a frequent participant in the Jr. Livestock Auction at the Arkansas State Fair.

To maintain a business partnership for that length of time confirms that we share a common voice and vision for communicating the mission of Farm Bureau. We thank PCI for its work on our behalf.

We are excited to move Front Porch forward with a new publishing partner, so be on the lookout for a new look from your favorite magazine.

South Arkansas sees opportunity and potential pitfalls in brine thium Powered

South Arkansas is moving at breakneck speed toward becoming the world capital of lithium production. e question is whether “breakneck speed” is outrunning reality.

e Smackover brine elds of south Arkansas could well be on the cusp of a lithium bonanza to rival the oil boom that put communities like El Dorado and Magnolia on the American energy map during the Great Depression and World War II.

In those days, Arkansas oil elds fueled cars and Arkansas lithium would, too. Lithium goes into the rechargeable batteries that power electronic devices,

power tools and electric vehicles. Most of the lithium production now is in far- ung parts of the world, with Australia, Chile, China, Argentina and Brazil the ve largest producers. e opportunity for a domestic source of lithium – a potential game-changing natural resource –has put an energy bullseye on south Arkansas.

Columbia and Lafayette counties are planning mobile homes and subdivisions to house an in ux of construction workers building billion-dollar lithium extraction plants and installing well and pipeline infrastructure. Area schools and colleges are developing training for permanent jobs in the lithium industry.

“I can’t say with certainty what the economic impact of lithium in Arkansas will be, but if we step back and look at a fairly recent energy boom, like the Bakken oil and pipeline boom [2006 to 2015] in North Dakota, those areas exploded,” said Farm Bureau Economist John McMinn. Indirect and value-added impacts fed the surge, he said.

“If things go as expected, a lot of people will come in with construction, they’re going to rent and buy houses, stay in hotels and have a positive impact on communities, spending money at restaurants, stores, barber shops and doctors’ o ces,” McMinn said.

Over the next 10 years, if the industry builds as expected, “there’s going to be a lot of people arriving and a lot of money being spent in the surrounding communities that have been steadily losing population for decades,” he said.

e topic is intriguing enough that the Arkansas Lithium Innovation Summit, a two-day bonanza on the topic, drew participation from Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders, U.S. Sen. John Boozman, Congressman Bruce Westerman and a robust collection of economic development o cials, state agencies, consultants and industry advisors.

Adobe Stock

MAJOR PLAYERS, SOME DOUBTS

Bromine producers like Lanxess and Albemarle –already major employers in the area – plan to leverage their well and pipeline infrastructure to join the lithium market and Standard Lithium is testing new extraction technologies and even producing test amounts of lithium chloride in El Dorado.

Several partnerships, including America’s largest energy company, ExxonMobil, have already invested hundreds of millions of dollars to get into a new domestic energy industry. Landowners in the region are consulting lawyers and waiting for the state to set a lithium royalty that will determine the value of local mineral rights.

It’s a giddy vision, but there are challenges, engineers and oil eld veterans warn.

Dave Gibbs, president and CEO of Mission Creek Resources, urges caution. Some of the best geological and engineering minds in the world are working on brine lithium, “but nobody has gured out yet how to extract lithium from well eld brine on a commercial-size basis.”

Landowners are obviously interested in the revenue they might realize, but the state won’t set a royalty rate until late April at the earliest. “ e reason royalties haven’t been gured out yet is that nobody truly knows yet what it will cost to extract the lithium,” said Gibbs, who spends considerable time at Mission Creek’s operations center in Magnolia.

e Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission, which sets royalties for brine rights owners, tabled the matter at a Dec. 6 hearing and granted Lanxess and Standard’s Arkansas subsidiary a continuance on lithium royalties “until the April 23 hearing in El Dorado,” according to Lawrence Bengal, the commission’s director.

e price of lithium will depend on supply and demand, and whether lithium remains the hottest

Robert M. Reynolds, an engineer and drilling consultant with Shuler Driller Co., Inc., of El Dorado, talks about the Smackover Formation. Without the Smackover Formation, there would be no lithium mining opportunity in South Arkansas.

element in battery-making. If science can make lithium production easier, the price will fall, Gibbs said. And if battery-makers turn to other sources – sodium-ion, for example – the boom might be muted.

“ e key word is potential,” said Robert Reynolds, president of Shuler Drilling Co. of El Dorado. “How big this could be is way too early to know. I think it depends on the price of lithium, or speci cally lithium carbonate, the compound used to make batteries. How big would an oil boom be, or a cotton boom? It depends on prices. at’s one unpredictable part. Another unpredictable part is technological. is will require a technological breakthrough. Extracting lithium chloride from a stream of water moving at a rate of 3,000 gallons per minute will be a real technological challenge.”

DIFFERENCES OF SCALE

Gibbs is proud of the role he played in helping Standard Lithium set up its test extraction plant in El Dorado, where the company has been producing small batches of lithium chloride for three years. It uses the existing infrastructure of Lanxess to feed its process, stripping lithium out of the brine – an oil drilling byproduct – that has already been stripped of bromine.

But Gibbs put Standard’s accomplishment in mathematical context.

“In round numbers Standard Lithium is processing 1,700 barrels of

Karen E. Segrave | KES Photo

water a day through their experimental plant,” he said. “A commercial-size plant will need to be at least 100,000 barrels, or 50 times what they’re processing right now.” Proving the science is one thing, but scaling up operations to a plant that is 50 to 100 times bigger will be “a pretty damn big leap,” Gibbs said.

For every brine well drilled to bring water to the surface, another will be required to pump the “tail brine” back underground a er it’s stripped of minerals. e infrastructure challenge will be immense.

But Gibbs said Standard, with its Lanxess partnership and cash and technology infusions from Koch Industries, the nation’s second largest privately held company, will undoubtedly “work the problem.” So will Exxon Mobil scientists and engineers.

Standard has announced plans to build a $365 million commercial plant at the Lanxess South facility in El Dorado and a much larger $1.3 billion extraction facility on 118 acres in Lafayette County south of Lewisville.

Standard has authorized a feasibility study and frontend engineering design for what it calls its South West Arkansas Project, which the company hopes will be the rst commercial-scale direct lithium extraction project in the Smackover geological formation. Early studies suggest

it could yield 35,000 tons per year of battery-quality lithium hydroxide.

ExxonMobil is involved through subsidiaries with an Evergreen Brine Unit in Lafayette and Columbia counties.

e Oil and Gas Commission authorized the 6,138-acre unit unanimously in September, making it the rst newly established brine unit in the state in nearly 28 years. Last year, ExxonMobil reportedly paid more than $100 million for brine leases in Columbia and Lafayette counties.

“Certainly, ExxonMobil has the resources to get to the point of nding out whether or not you can do it,” said Reynolds, of Shuler Drilling. Before the late 1960s, he said, “nobody ever set foot on the moon; a lot of people thought it could be done and they made it happen. But you could not have predicted that success.”

COMMUNITIES PREPARE

Lafayette County Judge Valarie Clark and Columbia County Judge Doug Fields are certainly pulling for success.

“Once these companies start construction, there will be a large in ux of people,” said Clark, who said test wells are being drilled now. “People in our community have started trying to put in RV parks for these people.

Foundation Problems?

We only have one hotel in the county and it was recently purchased and they’re completely redoing it.”

She said a community meeting with Standard Lithium in December suggested that construction of its Lafayette County plant “would start maybe in 2025 and nish at the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027.”

A core sample from the Smackover Formation dating back roughly 175 million years, which is in the middle Jurassic period. The dark stained areas are from crude oil that once occupied the rock.

Clark expects the county’s tax co ers and local pocketbooks to feel lithium’s e ects, but how much will be unknown until royalties and extraction costs are computed. e Association of Arkansas Counties in Little Rock is crunching likely severance tax numbers, but estimates remain speculative.

Fields noted that lithium activity has been moving westward from Columbia County to Lafayette County, but Columbia County has over 22,000 residents, a signi cant student population at Southern Arkansas University and hundreds of businesses and amenities.

“We’ve been focusing a lot on economic development and what we’re going to bring in,” the county judge said.

“We have some subdivisions that are being designed and worked on now in anticipation of permanent employees and we have a lot of mobile home parks that have been going in for the past year.”

Magnolia Mayor Parnell Vann expects the lithium elds on the horizon to be 10-15 miles west of the city of 11,500. “Magnolia is out to capture the families that will move in to work in those elds,” he said. “Does that mean we need another grocery store, or more dry cleaners? Do we need more restaurants, tire shops or truck repair shops? If you push 1,000 to 1,500 new people into a community, you’ve got to be ready and have the goods and services to go with that.”

ADVICE FOR LANDOWNERS

With a little professional help from the family attorney or an oil and gas title professional, landowners can easily nd out from county records whether they retain any brine mineral rights, which are o en severed from surface land ownership, according to Reynolds. Many south Arkansas properties’ brine rights were bought or leased when the bromine industry developed, Gibbs and Reynolds said.

All authorities urged interested landowners to consult a quali ed lawyer before entering into any contract.

“For a landowner potentially talking to people about selling their land or leasing their mineral rights to these larger companies, there’s a few things they need to have in the back of their minds” regardless of dollar gures, said McMinn, the Farm Bureau economist. “Whether it’s an attorney or expert on lithium or mineral rights, the landowners need to have somebody like that in their circle.”

McMinn also advises landowners to consider the entire life of any agreement. “Let’s say that in 20, 30 or 40 years, if a mining operation dries up and the company moves on, who’s responsible for all that equipment and infrastructure? Who’s responsible for moving that out, and who’s responsible for putting the land back into the condition it was in before they even broke ground?”

e opportunity for south Arkansas could be a gamechanger for the region which, aside from timber, poultry farms and the defense plants in Camden, has missed out on the explosive growth that have been generated in Northwest Arkansas and to a lesser extent in Northeast Arkansas. e real question – with no clear answer in early 2024 – is whether the bullseye on the region will be a boon or will it turn out to be a short-lived opportunity. •

Karen E. Segrave | KES Photo

LANDOWNERS, WE NEED YOUR HELP

At the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, our mission is to protect and enhance our state’s natural wonders. However, our state is vast, and only 10% of it is public land that we can manage. This is why our partnerships with landowners are key to conservation and wildlife management in Arkansas.

If you’re a landowner, we offer numerous programs to help you get the most out of your land’s unique resources, including ways to:

• Benefit migrating waterfowl

• Provide additional cover and food on your forestland

• Improve your streams

• Provide fishing opportunities for the public

• Control feral hogs (pictured below) and invasive plant species

With your help, we can keep The Natural State, natural. In addition, we want to reward you for your efforts with a payment of up to $10,000. Apply now at AGFC.com/Habitat.

Van Buren County Farm Bureau (VBCFB) Women’s Leadership Committee donated a barn bookcase and books to the Van Buren County Library in honor of Cindy Wilson. Cindy recently retired from being the Chairwoman of the VBCFB Women’s Leadership Committee. They stocked the bookcase with Farm Bureau fact- lled agricultural books and will continue donating the Farm Bureau Book of the Year annually to the county library. Pictured left to right: VBCFB member service representative Kara Tyer, past VBCFB Women’s Leadership Committee Chair Cindy Wilson, county library director Deb Meyer, VBCFB member service representative Melanie Fosko and VBCFB Women’s Leadership Committee chair Becky Wood.

The Baxter County Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee sponsored a feminine hygiene drive during the 2024 Farm Bureau Week Celebration. Items were donated by community members and distributed to three local shelters in Baxter County. Pictured left to right: Maddie Grinder, Jackie Alman, Hannah Walker (County Chair), Kaitlyn Blevins and LeeAnn Blevins.

Van Buren County Farm Bureau hosted a competition with the Christian Training Center (CTC) in Clinton to see which class could collect the most food for a food drive. Van Buren County Farm Bureau brought its trailer and the students helped stock the trailer. All food items were donated to Van

County food banks and food pantries.

Donna Fricks (right), Little River County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee member, and Little River County Extension SNAP Educator Paula Jewell prepared pitas for the Foreman Senior Center.

Mike Crow (right), Don Rainbolt (center), Chris Reade and Cory Treadwell (left), cooked and served hot dogs with all the trimmings for the 4-H shing derby, courtesy of Searcy County Farm Bureau.

Buren

Jack Norton (left) of Lincoln was recognized for his 30 years of service as a trustee of the Romeo E. Short Memorial Scholarship Foundation. Kenneth May of Rose Bud, chairman of the Foundation, presented the award. Norton spent more than 60 years on the Washington County Farm Bureau board of directors. He served from 1985-95 as a state board member in addition to his time on the Short Foundation. Established in 1955, the Romeo E. Short Scholarship Foundation funds scholarships within the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas. Short served as the second president of Arkansas Farm Bureau (1936-48), and served as vice president of the American Farm Bureau. He served as Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for USDA in 1953.

Spring County Farm Bureau sponsored the Arkansas Barrel Racing Association (ABRA). At their annual awards in February, Hot Spring County ABRA members (many of them ArFB members) brought home 5 Champion titles, 6

Champion titles, and several division placings.

County Women’s Leadership Committee member Jackie Reed Gri n (right) dropped o the American Farm Bureau Federation book of the year “My Grandpa, My Tree and Me” to Southside Elementary in Siloam Springs. She presented the book to Krissi Beeks (left), Southside’s librarian. They also gifted the book “Full of Beans” to the school as well.

The Columbia County Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee donated 10 new car seats to Hannah Pregnancy Resource Center in Magnolia. The center provides free and con dential services for expected pregnancies, assisting mothers in need.

Benton

Hot

Reserve

Searcy County Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee worked with local nursing homes throughout the year. Every spring they take owers, pots, soil, vegetables plants, bird feeders, seed and bouquets of owers to plant and enjoy with residents, such as the one pictured.

BACK TO HiS ROOTS

Getting to Know Dr. John Anderson

Story by Shaylee Wallace Barber

Dr. John Anderson is well known in Arkansas agriculture and the Farm Bureau sphere. An Arkansas native, Anderson has more than 20 years of experience as an agricultural economist working in both industry and academics, from Mississippi to Washington D.C. and beyond, all leading him back to his home state. Anderson assumed his new role on Jan. 2 as senior associate vice president of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and director of the Cooperative Extension Service. We sat down with Anderson to get to know him and his new role a little better.

Tell us about your connection to agriculture and your family.

“I grew up in Timbo, which is a small community in Stone County. If you don’t know where Timbo is, it’s close to Fox. And if you don’t know where Fox is, it’s around Mountain View. I joke with people that I grew up on a standard-issue Ozarks farm. We had 80 cows and two chicken houses. And that’s really about the truth. I mean, back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, we had cattle and we had chicken houses. We did a lot of custom hay work. My dad was a very hard-working guy. He was a hustler. And so, just about everything we did had a connection to agriculture. We did custom hay, we did Bermuda grass sprigging and we had a small fertilizer business where we spread commercial fertilizer and lime. I remember us having eld days on our farm with Extension and having variety trials with County Extension on our farm.

“When I was at Arkansas State University, I met a young lady named Al who I really, really liked a lot and we ended up getting married. Her family farms in Lonoke County on a fairly large, diversi ed crop operation. So,

At the 2024 Arkansas Grown Conference, Anderson spoke about the importance of collaboration in the local food system. Photo from Arkansas Grown and Arkansas Made.

Anderson’s family includes (from left) Jake, Luke, John, Bryce, Al and Sloan. Photo from Alyssa Ogden Photography.

for the last 30 years of being part of that family, I’ve seen the east Arkansas row-crop side of the ag business. And I have grown to have a great love and appreciation for that. Al and I have four sons, Luke, Jake, Bryce and Sloan, and two daughters-in-law; Emma, who is married to our son Jake, and Craigon, who is married to Bryce.”

Tell us about your professional background and path.

“I almost hate talking about my resume because it sounds like I can’t hold down a job when I start going through it, but I promise you, that’s not the case.

“I started my career in banking, my rst job out of college was as a loan o cer at First National Bank of Eastwood County in Calico Rock. And a er about my seventh repossession, I decided that community banking was not my calling, and that I would go back and get my Ph.D. So, I went to Oklahoma State and got my Ph.D. and really that was the rst time I kind of understood what I could do with an academic career and how I could connect that back to my interest in agricultural production. And it was a good t. And so, I started

looking at Extension jobs when I was nishing my Ph.D., and ended up with a job at the University of Kentucky as the Extension specialist there. I was there for three years and learned a lot. And Kentucky had a really good, and still has a really good, Extension System. But a er three years, I got a call from Mississippi State University, and I jumped at that opportunity and was there for 10 years. Eventually, I was fully promoted as a professor, so I was kind of at that stage in my career where, you know, I’d kind of been promoted as far as I could.

While serving as chief economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation, Anderson was often asked to give legislative updates on issues such as the farm bill, immigration, foreign trade and tax reform deputy.

“ en came that thought of what’s next? It was a good opportunity to go try something else, and I went to Washington D.C., as deputy chief economist with the American Farm Bureau. I did that for six and a half years. I loved the work. I learned so much from that experience. But when my kids started getting out of high school, I

didn’t want to be in the D.C. area.

“I’m an alum of College of the Ozarks, a small Christian liberal arts school in southern Missouri, just across the state line from Boone County there on Highway 65. I’m very familiar with the school and I had the opportunity to go back as chair of the Division of Business Applied and Technical Sciences. Basically, that meant I was a department head for four or ve departments, agriculture being one, business being another. ose are two of the bigger programs at that college. And we were able to completely revamp the curriculum while I was there and expand our major o erings in agriculture and put some additional depth in that program really across all of our subject matter areas. I did that for four years, but I always wanted to get back into a land grant environment. e last four years at the University of Arkansas have been the highlight of my professional life.”

us about your

and your

for the

“I am now the senior associate vice president of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and director of Cooperative Extension Service. I provide administrative leadership and strategic planning and direction for Extension, which is a broad organization, 4-H, family consumer sciences, ag program. I was an Extension Economics Specialist, community and economic development and leadership development. And we’re really a footprint that covers the entire state. We have o ces in all 75 counties and programs in all of those areas in all those counties. Most importantly, we are the connection for state with the resources of the University of Arkansas System.

“And now, looking forward, what I really want is to see those land grant functions really tightened up in terms of

their integration. So that the research and the teaching and the extension all tie together. I want to focus on that common mission. We always use the analogy of the stool, right? You got the three-legged stool and extension, your resident instruction or teaching and your research and your extension or your outreach. ose are the three di erent aspects of the land grant mission. ose have to work together. ose have to be integrated extension that as we were talking about earlier, the information that extension brings back into that university’s got the inform the research program. And in terms of our land-grant mission, that’s really the heart of my vision there, that close integration of all the functions of the University of Arkansas for the bene t of stakeholders in the state. ey’re the people who support us and we never forget that. And I hope the people really understand that.” •

Anderson and Al married in 1993 after meeting at Arkansas State University. Photo from Al Anderson

Two years later my Farm Bureau agency manager, Wayne Bass, asked if I would be interested in becoming a county board member. The rest is history. After some encouragement from my new agency manager Roger Thompson, I was elected president of Scott County Farm Bureau and attended my first Arkansas Farm Bureau convention. It was there I realized the opportunities Farm Bureau could provide those with a deep love for agriculture. Never in my wildest dreams did I allow myself to think that a few years down the road I could hold the office of president.

While I don’t have a lengthy family history with ArFB, I have a passion for its work and mission. When I was a county president, I was encouraged by former ArFB president Randy Veach to follow my heart and deepen my involvement with Farm Bureau. I ran for the district 4 position on our state board in 2013 and won. Six years later I would be elected Secretary/Treasurer, then four years later our membership would give a poultry farmer from Scott County the opportunity to lead the largest agriculture organization in the state.

Arkansas Farm Bureau has a rich history of leadership, from J.F. Thompkins (1935-1936) to our most recent president, Rich Hillman (2019-2023). I am honored to

be this organization’s 12th president. I share many of the same values of this organization, standards of integrity, respect, and honor. It will be my desire and responsibility to protect those values with the help of ArFB’s board of directors. Farm Bureau is a family. No single sector of agriculture is any greater than the other, though each segment plays a role in feeding/clothing our great nation and a good portion of this world.

I was recently returning from Salt Lake City, where the American Farm Bureau held its annual convention. While in the airport waiting on my next flight, a man approached me after noticing my Farm Bureau cap and vest. He asked if I was a farmer. I replied “yes,” and he asked to shake my hand. “Thank you for what you do,” he said. “I know it’s not an easy job.”

That gentleman was responding to the integrity, honor, and respect that our farmers and ranchers – and Farm Bureau – have built over a long time. That conversation caused me to hold my head a little higher and have a little more pep in my step. I understand the same Farm Bureau that allowed me to have a voice in this great organization will also give you a voice if you’re willing to use it. Here we are. Let’s get to work.

May the blessing of God be on you and your family. •

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Pigeon’s profitable Propagation Siloam Springs Nursery Starts with Seeds

Twenty varities of tomato seeds planted in early February have sprung to life north of Siloam Springs.

It’s just the beginning of a busy season for the Pigeon Family Farms Nursery, where close to 50,000 seeds are annually planted by the family. e seed propagation part of this Benton County business makes it more sustainable.

“We do all of our vegetables from seeds,” says owner Michelle Pigeon. “We have what we call a propagator. It’s actually an old grocery store cooler that we propagate the seeds in. We get them to come up and then move on from there to sale packs, whether it’s to a six pack or a fourinch pot.”

Hundreds of seeds buried in multiple, shallow Tupperware-like trays are shelved in a constant 80-degree box where years ago frozen pizzas and ice cream chilled. e freezer case with four glass doors has been gutted and equipped with small, 1,500-watt heaters and a pan of water for humidity. Sunlight and routine sprinkles of mist do the rest. If the seeds are good quality, tomatoes germinate in three days.

e old freezer opened Pigeon’s pro t margin about a decade ago, upping it approximately 25 percent. What

started as a one-greenhouse operation at home in 2007 blossomed to a full-time gig for Pigeon atop a hill on Highway 43, one mile from the Oklahoma border.

“When we open (in March) every year, we try to have some tomatoes ready for farmers who want to have those rst tomatoes,” Pigeon says. “We always have some other vegetables ready when we open in March, too, but our bigger target is April 15 or early April because most people don’t want to plant until a er the threat of frost.”

Selling plants started as seeds helps the Pigeons provide its patrons with quality products at competitive prices, too. Other out ts are o en shipped plants with stunted growth because of poor soil quality, overcrowding in tight containers, temperature changes and a lack of water, especially during shipping. Pigeon’s plants don’t endure those stresses, so they produce better and longer.

Commercial garden centers can’t o er all the varieties, either, of local nurseries growing plants from seed. More than 30 types of tomatoes and peppers are planted at Pigeon Family Farms, where six-packs generally cost $4.50.

e Pigeons will plant close to 20,000 tomato seeds this spring with two more rounds yet to come. e biggest

Photos and story by Chad Hooten

happens in early March, when thousands of other vegetables are planted, too. e nal round of tomato seeds is planted May.

Tomatoes are the most popular and pro table at the nursery with Big Boy and Better Boy varieties being the top sellers. More than 10,000 peppers are planted early because they are slow to come up but grow well. Eggplants might be the most di cult or “kinda nicky,” Pigeon says. Cucumbers and squash are planted every two weeks but have a short selling window.

BUDDING BUSINESS

Scan the QR code to learn more about Pigeon Family Farms Nursery on the ArFB YouTube page.

(Opposite page) Hundreds of seeds buried in multiple, shallow Tupperwarelike trays are shelved at a constant 80 degrees.

Pigeon started by selling at farmers markets in Siloam Springs and Bentonville for seven years before opening the retail nursery location in 2013. It has been her best business move, she says. Customers she met at those local markets now drive to the nursery along with others as far away as Tulsa (85 miles).

“I never thought we would expand past two (30 x 44 feet) greenhouses here,” Pigeon says. “We just came across another used one and bought it, took it down and put it back up here. It tripled our space.”

ere is enough room for customers, on a rstcome, rst-served basis, to bring their own seeds to the nursery for planting. e experts get them up and ready to plant for patrons.

IT TAKES A FAMILY

Jim Pigeon, Michelle’s husband for 32 years, brings innovation and handyman know-how to the operation. Both own degrees in animal science from Oklahoma

State University. Two of their daughters, Brooke and Megan, were 4-H champions and work at the business, too. eir knowledge of the products allows them to help patrons select items and o er advice on plant care.

“People ask sometimes if are we going to get more of certain item in,” Jim says. “We tell them, ‘well, we don’t get them in, we grow them.’ So, when they’re gone, they’re gone. We try to make sure everything we have here is in good condition.”

Jim still has a full-time job managing an independent chicken broiler operation, runs 100-head of momma cows and two broiler houses of his own, but still nds time to save the nursery money by repairing equipment and creating gadgets to make tasks easier. “He doesn’t really enjoy the plants, or watering, but he is my building and maintenance guy,” Michelle says.

Jim’s latest invention resembles the peg game found on Cracker Barrel restaurant tables. Metal dowels welded to a plate are pressed down on dirt- lled trays, making holes for dropping the seedlings into. It saves hours of time transplanting veggies from the propagation trays to consumer-ready plastic containers in the greenhouse.

Another time-saving contraption evolving in Jim’s mind will help evenly ll hundreds of those six- and 12-pack plastic containers with dirt. It currently takes the girls “hours and hours” to complete the task. “It’s very labor intensive,” Michelle says.

BRING YOUR OWN POT

Annual and perennial owers along with hanging

Michelle Pigeon says the seed propagation part of her Benton County business makes it more sustainable.

baskets are a big part of the business, too. Most are started from plugs, not seeds, but still raised for sale with the Pigeons’ care. Patrons can bring their own pots for the nursery to plant speci c varieties and colors.

“Right around the time Covid hit, we recruited Brooke and started our social media and I think it has been instrumental in growing our business,” Jim says.

“Brooke has been a huge help in kind of managing all that for us, being able to advertise (on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and website) has helped get our name out.”

VIRTUAL CONNECTIONS

PigeonFamilyFarmsNursery.com, Facebook and Instagram are channels consumers use to learn about their plants in stock and upcoming sales. •

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*Farm Bureau Exclusive Cash Reward is exclusively for active Farm Bureau members who are residents of the United States. $500 Exclusive Cash Reward on the purchase or lease of an eligible new 2023/2024/2025 Ford Maverick, Ranger, F-150, Super Duty or F-150 Lightning. This incentive is not

Photos and Story by Shaylee Wallace Barber

Spring is here! What better way to brighten up your kitchen than a light custardy dessert? Try this caramel cheesecake an, a favorite of Arkansas Farm Bureau President Dan Wright.

Creamy Caramel Flan

A baked vanilla custard bathed in caramel sauce r

INGREDIENTS

¾ cup white sugar

½ cup water

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, so ened

5 large eggs

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

• In a small, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, cook sugar and water, stirring constantly, until the sugar is melted and golden caramel color.

• Pour caramel into a 9½-inch pie pan, tilting to coat the bottom and sides. Set aside to cool.

• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated. Mix in condensed and evaporated milk and vanilla until smooth.

• Pour the mixture into the caramel-coated pie pan.

• Place the caramel coated pie pan into a larger pan, place the pan on oven rack. Fill the larger pan with hot water until the water comes halfway up sides of pie pan.

• Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the center is just set. Cool for one hour on a wire rack, then refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

• To unmold, run a knife around the edges of the cake pan and invert on a rimmed serving platter.

Serves 8-10

Begin with Gratitude and Everything Seems Better

Dana Stewart of Judsonia recently completed a two-year commitment to the American Farm Bureau’s Partners in Advocacy Leadership (PAL) program, which is designed to create advocates for agriculture and accelerate personal development for engaged members of the organization. Dana wrote the following in support of “Farm Boots,” a celebration of footwear, fun and life on and o the farm, and produced by Feeding Minds Press, the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture’s publishing venture. Stewart also serves as a member of the Arkansas Farm Bureau board of directors.

Irecently read “On Fire” by John O’Leary, a book that highlights the bene ts that gratitude can have on mental and physical health. A deeper dive on the web reveals how practicing gratitude can improve sleep, mood and even lower the risk for disease. is le such an impression on me that I have been intentionally practicing gratitude. My outlook changes completely when I remember “I get to” rather than “I have to.” It’s pretty incredible how this simple phrase can turn my mood around when things around me seem to be falling apart, and as a mom working on my family’s sixthgeneration cattle farm, it’s not hard to get overwhelmed by the demands of motherhood and farm life. With the stress that farm life brings, practicing gratitude has reminded me that I am fortunate for this life and to make every moment count.

Balancing farm life with family is like orchestrating

a beautiful dance, with each move calculated so that the next move doesn’t cause an unintended collision. My day revolves around feeding my family and feeding 1,200pound cows. I love doing both, and they are my passion. My work on the farm ensures that families across the country continue to enjoy the safest, most a ordable food supply in the world.

On any given day, I’m a nutritionist making sure our herd receives the proper feed it needs. I’m a midwife helping bring new calves or goat kids into the world. I’m a record keeper recording dates and weights. I’m a conservationist carefully taking care of the land that’s been in our family for six generations so that it will be there for the next six. But I’m also a mom, feeding my family nutritious meals, making sure homework is complete and tests are studied for, providing encouragement and hugs to get through a hard day. ese are things I get to do and I’m so thankful for every day of it.

My outlook changes completely when I remember “I get to” rather than “I have to.”

Even so, I am a work in progress. A few days ago, I walked into our mudroom and had one of those moments… the kind of “momma ain’t happy” moments. Our mudroom is a bustling hub, the command center for preparing for the day. So, when I walked in and saw all the shoes and boots strewn everywhere across the oor, I kind of lost it. It’s embarrassing to look back at it now, recalling how quickly I became frustrated. In my own defense, however, I couldn’t even make it to the shelf to grab the pair of boots I needed for the day’s chores. Before I go any further, I think it’s important to explain that this is a real-life farmhouse mudroom. It’s not a spotless, Pinterest-perfect mudroom. Our mudroom is lled

My family is my greatest source of gratitude, my husband Joshua and our children Jewel and Henry.

with boots and shoes for every occasion. ere’s an over owing coat rack with a variety of rain jackets, vests, and coats. You’ll nd shelves with bottles for baby calves and goats, a basket of gloves, cleaning supplies and more. It’s a small room with a big job, which includes keeping the shoes and boots organized to ensure we get out the door quickly.

First, there are the cowboy boots. My trusted, everyday boots with sturdy soles and protection for my feet for most of the jobs on our farm – jobs like feeding our cattle and goats and checking pastures to make sure all of our livestock are healthy. en, there’s Muck boots. ey’re tall, waterproof and warm – a much-needed item when it rains and the days following the rain when the mud remains. Farm chores don’t stop because of the weather, so I love my Muck boots when it rains. I have short, waterproof boots for wet summer jobs. ere are quick slip-on shoes for a run to check on the barn or an occasional phone call to tell me that my daughter’s bottle calf once again found a gate to sneak through.

In addition to registered and commercial cattle, we raise goats. They’re cute and frustrating at the same time! In the past ve years Arkansas’s sheep and goat inventory increased by 44% and 11%, respectively.

My kids are learning to love the work we do, too. Last year, when an unexpected winter storm brought freezing, icy rain, my kids jumped into action to help a calf that was born early and needed to get warm. ey never complained about being cold or the hard work that followed. Instead, they were excited to do what was best for the calf. Likewise, they’ve become my right hand during kidding season when our baby goats are born. ey eagerly volunteer to make sure the new kids are warm and have nursed. When I think about these things, my heart nearly bursts with joy. A messy pile of boots is a small price to pay to be able to share these experiences with my family. In this case, “I have to” looks like a messy mudroom, but “I get to” reminds me of my family’s commitment for over six generations to doing the best we can on our family farm to raise quality livestock, take care of our land and leave all of it better for the next generation.

All of these boots and shoes play such an important role in making sure I can do my job with the right tools. Imagine my mudroom with all of these shoes times 4. at’s because my husband and two children also need these shoes to be on the farm with me. As I stood overwhelmed in my mudroom with dirty boots and shoes spilling over in a mess, I became frustrated about the mess instead of appreciating the reason for this mess. All of those boots and shoes are there because I get to work with my family doing something that I really love.

That my children get to grow up – and learn from working – on our family’s sixthgeneration farm is humbling and gratifying.

As winter turns to spring, I hope you can remember the things you get to do rather than focus on what you have to do. e next time you are frustrated with something, I challenge you to stop for a moment and think about what makes the situation a privilege. Practicing gratitude has helped me transform mundane moments into cherished memories. e next time I reach for my boots, I’ll remember to be thankful for how the chaos and stress of carefully balancing farm and family life are a small price to pay for doing something that brings me such joy and ful llment with the people that I love. •

Better Banking, Better Mortgage Rates

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Through a partnership with Farm Bureau Bank®, Farm Bureau Mortgage was established to provide a superior mortgage experience for Arkansas Farm Bureau members that is transparent and stress-free. Whether you are a rst-time or repeat homebuyer or simply want to re nance, their team will be with you every step of the way, making

this process as easy as possible. Our members deserve home nancing that’s simple, streamlined and stress-free. Get started today on your purchase or re nance through our mortgage application at www. farmbureau.mortgage.

Need help nding a home loan? They are the mortgage company for you. Farm Bureau Mortgage has the right tools and expert advice to help guide you through the process. Just visit www.farmbureau. mortgage or call (877) 388-5354.

You can expect to nd a wide spectrum of home loan products, competitive rates and excellent customer service, from pre-qualication to closing. We want you to know that when you choose Farm Bureau Mortgage as your lending partner, you will always remain a top priority as they work diligently to make your homeownership goals a reality.

by Autumn Wood

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CelebrateNursing

St. Louis or Bust!

Miss Darby promised if we raised enough money to cover the costs, she would take us in the spring to Six Flags over Mid-America. It would be an o cial school trip for the 8th and 9th grade home economics girls, a year-end reward for having survived weeks of sewing aprons and cooking casseroles. In her class, we were learning how to be our best future selves, and such a trip would provide valuable bonding time. e whole idea of it astounds me today. e 70s were a di erent time, when seat belts were considered a terrible nuisance and secondhand smoke wasn’t yet a thing. Still, the approval process must have involved incredible red tape. Miss Darby was young (compared to most adults), spirited and relatively new to the school; perhaps all those things worked to her advantage. e thing I remember most was working to make it happen.

All year, we held fundraisers of one sort or another. e most memorable was a Rock-a- on held in front of Keiser Supply. is, too, must have taken expert nagling. Town o cials and the owner of the grocery store had to be agreeable. en, there was the small matter of convincing our parents to haul the family rocking chair or La-Z-Boy into town and situate it on the sidewalk where it would stay all night

Oh, we were a persuasive bunch. Having known each other since Head Start (or before), we could accomplish most anything, especially if missing school was part of the deal. Plus, it was St. Louis, the home of the Cardinals. ere was an arch! We were steadfast in our dream.

For weeks leading up to the exciting Rock-a- on weekend, we secured sponsors — parents, grandparents, farmers out in the elds, businessmen in town, teachers, other students, anyone with a nickel to spare. Our sponsors, in turn, pledged money — either a monetary donation for every hour spent rocking or a at payment for the entire event. Nickels, dimes, and found sidewalk pennies. Loose change from between the sofa cushions. No pledge was too small, but we didn’t accept IOUs. Long before Miss Darby took charge of home economics, we understood the value of money. We also understood the importance of community. Small-town people always

showed up for a good cause.

By Talya Tate Boerner

Today, such an event would be live-streamed and retained for posterity across the school’s social media sites. Alas, I only have my memory and a few fading photographs to remember the greatness.

e Rock-a- on began on Friday a ernoon at 4 p.m., just a er school was dismissed for the weekend. Our mothers delivered supper to us that night: sandwiches wrapped in wax paper, potato chips and Coca-Cola in glass bottles. e grocery store donated Chunky Bars and Charms Blow Pops (which dyed our lips pink for the duration). For much of the night, a parade of high school guys drove by in their trucks, honking and waving (and probably making sure we were earning the money they’d pledged). Later, when the stars came out and the town fell asleep, we continued rocking.

e night turned cold. We pulled knit hats low on our ears and bundled beneath afghans made by our grandmothers and great-aunts. Someone played Lady Marmalade on a cassette player; we sang along with it repeatedly, assigning meaning to French words we didn’t know.

Saturday morning, a reporter from e Osceola Times came to take our picture for the newspaper. He brought a huge box of fresh glazed donuts, somehow understanding that rocking all night was hungry business.

e anticipation of an event is o en better than the real thing but not that time. A er all the planning and rocking, the much-anticipated morning of our departure arrived. Lisa Brister scribbled St. Louis or Bust! across the dusty back bus window, and we were o . From the instant we le the school parking lot to the moment of our return, the trip exceeded our expectations. at’s how I remember it, anyway.

As a class, we never conquered the ‘home’ part of Miss Darby’s home economics class — our potholder seams were crooked, and our tuna pu s tasted absolutely horrible — but we mastered the art of the Rock-a- on. Our strong ‘economic’ skills took us all the way to St. Louis and back. •

Talya Tate Boerner, a fourth-generation Arkansas farm girl, has been published in Arkansas Review, Ponder Review, and Writer’s Digest. She blogs at Grace Grits and Gardening and is the author of three novels — The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee, Gene, Everywhere, and Bernice Runs Away