Front Porch Magazine | Q1 2022 Issue by Arkansas Farm Bureau

QUARTERLY

Venesian Inn’s Fried Chicken

You Deserve More. You Deserve a Promise. For over 70 years Farm Bureau® Insurance’s commitment to our customers has never wavered. In that time, local agents and adjusters have served communities all over Arkansas with home and auto insurance, and more. We believe that your family is part of our family. And protecting families has always been our pledge. Talk with your local agent to learn more about the Farm Bureau Promise.

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ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU • QUARTERLY

10 CONTENT

Farm Bureau Matters Rich Hillman

Membership Matters Warren Carter

3 7

The History of Poultry Production in Arkansas

Rural Road Stories

Taste Arkansas

Member Services Update

Keith Sutton

Jason Brown

Autumn Wood

Delta Child

Talya Tate Boerner

Cover design by Bryan Pistole

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ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU • QUARTERLY

FARM BUREAU MATTERS

with Rich Hillman

ARFB PRESIDENT

n this column we always try and talk about issues and challenges on the farm or ranch across our state. This column will certainly include agriculture and the rural areas of Arkansas, but it actually impacts everyone across this great state. Things in our nation have become complicated, as everyone can agree. We find ourselves dealing with polarized politics and a worldwide pandemic on top of the stresses of everyday life. We are encountering some of the biggest challenges our society has seen in decades. I’m pointing out the obvious, no doubt. I bring this up to highlight an important part of our society and an essential part of our cities and our rural communities: the men and women of law enforcement. Our local police forces, our sheriff ’s departments, and state police (really anyone in today’s law enforcement) have become more important than ever. We could talk about the ‘why’ for days, but the fact that we are where we are is so important to discuss right now. The border crisis has gotten exceedingly worse. Agriculture in our southern states has been disrupted with guest-worker challenges, and those issues will continue for a while and will be a negative in the long run for consumers and in your local grocery store. Closer to home, our state’s law men and women continue to do their job in a time that’s quite challenging. They continue to serve and protect in the face of so much uncertainty and danger. Like most of us, I am guilty of taking for granted the fact that the roads I drive on will be patrolled, the town I live in to be secure, and that our families and friends will be safe. Not to mention, all our farms and businesses being constantly protected. This issue is, admittedly, very personal to me because of my life-long friendship with Sgt. Chuck Lewis, who works for the Arkansas State Police. He has put himself in harm’s way on many occasions. And I know he brings a servant’s heart to his work protecting each of you, your families, and your property. I have included in this column, in fact, a picture with me and Sgt. Lewis. I am proud to call him a friend and believe in the importance of his work. Front Porch

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We should all pause in appreciation of those men and women who are on duty every day for us. Think about their families who worry about them and their safety every time they go on duty. In Arkansas we are as diverse as we have ever been. In fact, I like to say that Arkansas has it all. The economics of our small, great state varies as much as it does in topography. From the beauty of the Ozarks to the sprawling Grand Prairie, our state offers a broad set of landscapes. We have row-crop production in the east, while timber and livestock production are prominent on the west side of our state. From the proud universities dotted all over the state to our strong world-class businesses that have defined success in the biggest way, we have so many reasons to be proud of the state we all call home. All of these great institutions operate in an atmosphere of law and order. Yes, absolutely we have problems. We have our share of crime, which you can read about every day in the newspaper and on social media. But can you imagine what it would be like if we didn’t have these brave men and women of law enforcement on duty for us seven days a week, 365 days a year? We often say that the farmers and ranchers get overlooked in the jobs they do to raise the food and fiber that we all are so dependent on three times a day. I echo that thought for you today. But we must say thanks to our law enforcement officers, emergency workers, volunteer firefighters, game and fish game wardens, and others who work to make our state safe. Thanks for keeping our children safe in schools. What you do for our state is immeasurable and our gratitude cannot be overstated. In these uncertain times across our nation, with societal challenges, political struggles and pandemic stresses, our law enforcement continues to do its job. We will continue to depend on these unsung heroes to go about their jobs quietly and diligently so we can do ours. Every time we raise our hands over our hearts to say the pledge of allegiance, I think of our service men and women who have given their lives for all of us to enjoy the freedoms we have. And lately I have included in my thoughts and prayers the men and women of law enforcement who daily put their lives on the line for me and my family. A big, big THANK YOU to all of you from the farmers and ranchers across Arkansas who depend on you every day. • 3

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HELPING FARMERS, HELPING YOU

with Warren Carter ARFB EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

Membership Matters

ou may not realize this, but if you receive this magazine, you are a champion. In fact, all of Arkansas Farm Bureau’s members are champions. This isn’t about athletic accomplishments (though some of you may, in fact, be sports stars). It’s about being a champion for rural Arkansas, for important causes, for hard-working farm families and for youth and the future leaders of our state. Membership in Arkansas Farm Bureau supports all of these things and more. In February, we marked our annual “Farm Bureau Week” – a week set aside to promote the value of membership in Arkansas Farm Bureau – by turning the focus on the people and the programs your $40 membership dues support. While we certainly don’t want you to forget the travel, food, vehicle and equipment savings and many other benefits you receive when you join Farm Bureau, we felt it was important to highlight the meaning behind the membership. If you follow Arkansas Farm Bureau on social media, you know what I’m referring to and you saw some powerful personal statements and stories from those who’ve benefitted from the support of Arkansas Farm Bureau and its members. For example, you might have seen a video of Dr. Olivia Anderson describing how in high school she found a passion for practicing medicine thanks to the Farm Bureau Foundation-supported Medical Applications of Science for Health, or M*A*S*H, program, and now serves as a pharmacist in White County. Or maybe you learned about Arkansas FFA President Josie Kelly of Mountain Home, who told us how critical the support provided by Arkansas Farm Bureau is to the Arkansas FFA officer team and how it allows them to better serve their nearly 16,000 members. We also shared the stories of Laykyn Rainbolt of Marshall and Noralee Townsend of Rose Bud, two University of Arkansas students who have received

scholarships through Arkansas Farm Bureau, and we showed how Arkansas Farm Bureau and the Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation support efforts to feed the hungry in communities around the state and help communities devastated by natural disasters. Each of these stories was made possible by Farm Bureau member champions and each shows how Farm Bureau memberships have a ripple effect throughout Arkansas. Youth and scholarship programs produce leaders who stay in the state and return to their hometowns to build lives, careers and families. Disaster relief and charitable programs help communities survive and thrive in the face of tremendous challenges. Still, there’s more to the membership story. On top of these important programs, Arkansas Farm Bureau members help support those who work daily to put food on our tables. First and foremost, Arkansas Farm Bureau is an organization dedicated to agriculture, which happens to be the state’s largest industry. Farmers and ranchers across our state face unique and sometimes overwhelming challenges, from the unpredictability of weather and international markets to government regulations and the tremendous cost of modern agricultural equipment. Arkansas Farm Bureau works to help farmers help themselves through the ups and downs and past these intimidating obstacles, and we couldn’t do it without the support of our members. More challenges lie ahead for agriculture and our state as a whole, and that’s why we need more member champions. Whether it’s rural access to healthcare or reliable highspeed connectivity, we know we have important issues to address, and, unfortunately, we know there will be weather emergencies and disasters in the future. We need more young leaders, stronger rural communities and a thriving agriculture industry to build a brighter future for Arkansas and you can help ensure we succeed. •

More challenges lie ahead for agriculture and our state as a whole, and that’s why we need more member champions.

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A History of Poultry Production in Arkansas

by Keith Sutton

s the largest industry in Arkansas, it is no surprise agriculture contributes more than $19 billion to the state economy every year. What might be surprising is that poultry is the largest sector of Arkansas agriculture.

More than 1 billion domestic chickens are raised in Arkansas each year. That’s billion with a B — an astounding number when you consider there were hardly any chickens in Arkansas at the beginning of the 20th century. Fast forward to today and those 1 billion birds make Arkansas the No. 3 producer of broilers (chickens raised for meat) in the nation. The state also produces about 31 million turkeys annually, ranking No. 2 in turkeys raised and No. 4 in turkey meat production. The Natural State is no slouch when it comes to eggs either. Arkansas is ranked No. 4 in the nation in egg production value, supplying about 3.8 billion eggs annually. More than 6,500 farms in the state produce some type of poultry. Benton is the No. 1 poultry-producing county, followed by Washington, Madison, Carroll, Yell, Hempstead, Howard, Sevier and Logan. But how did Arkansas go from producing almost no poultry at all in the late 1800s and early 1900s to being one of the world’s leading producers? Here’s the history. 10

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From Apples to Chickens

When people started settling Arkansas, they quickly learned that poor soils in the mountains of northern and western Arkansas weren’t good for growing cotton, rice and many other crops. Consequently, nineteenth-century farmers in northwestern counties had to make their living from more suitable crops such as timber and fruit. From around 1880 to 1920, the apple industry boomed in that part of the state, with newly built railroads providing access to markets as far away as Maine and Saskatchewan. By 1910, the number of apple trees in Benton and Washington counties alone had grown from a few thousand to a combined total of two million — more than any other counties in the United States. As a result, the commercial apple industry became the largest employer in northwest Arkansas. Supporting industries quickly grew, too, including apple drying, juice and cider making, packing sheds and ice-making plants. Unfortunately, the apple boom didn’t last long. From a record crop of over 5 million bushels in 1919, production declined steadily to less than 2 million bushels in 1935 to crops of less than 250,000 bushels by the 1960s. Farmers attributed their poor harvests to the spread of diseases coupled with drought, wind and extreme heat or cold. But environmental factors such as these weren’t to blame as much as the aging of orchards, use of poor fruit varieties, mixed varieties in shipments to markets and general problems associated with the crop. continued on page 12>>

Chickens going to market in a G.A. Stroud Produce truck, Cave Springs, circa 1930. Photo courtesy of the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History/Erline Littrell & Pat Simpson Collection (S-87-11-2) Front Porch

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<<continued from page 11

Even as the apple industry continued growing, farmers were looking for other ways to put their land and skills to work. Most families already kept a few hens to supply eggs for daily use at home. But by the late 1800s, some had begun raising broilers, too, thus supplementing the practice of supplying meat markets with culls or worn-out laying hens. The 1910 agricultural census revealed that the average farm had 80 chickens, and, overall, there were six million chickens in Arkansas.

Arkansas Roots

Springdale native Millard Berry was one of the first Arkansans to start raising chickens on an extensive scale. In 1893, he purchased an incubator that would accommodate 200 eggs or chicks — probably the first here. Four years later, he was a founding member of the Arkansas Poultry Association, which helped kickstart the poultry industry in the state. Stephen Strausberg in his 1994 book “From Hills and Hollers: The Rise of the Poultry Industry in Arkansas,” says the creation of the modern poultry industry in Arkansas started in 1908 when W.S. Jacobs, an assistant agriculturalist at the University of Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station in Fayetteville, began a demonstration project with a hen yard, brooder house and incubators to show proper methods of poultry husbandry. “Jacobs estimated that a chicken house could be built for an expenditure of $12 to $15,” wrote Strausberg. “In order to have a commercially viable flock, he emphasized the importance of selecting high-quality fowls such as Plymouth Rocks or Wyandottes.” Jacobs also stressed proper location of chicken houses and advised that starting a successful commercial operation required a minimum of 200 birds and an incubator. But even as the state’s farmers became better educated about poultry, raising chickens remained a supplemental economic activity for most and not a prime source of income. By the time the Great Depression hit in 1929, however, the nascent poultry industry had really started taking off.

The 1920s Through 1960s

In 1927, a severe drought devastated northwest Arkansas’ apple industry, prompting more farmers to begin raising chickens. Shelby Ford of Springdale, known locally as “The Chicken Banker,” extended credit to people who needed capital to purchase chicks and feed. Another important figure was Jeff Brown, also of Springdale. A pioneer in the field of chicken feed, he started the Springdale Hatchery in 1929 and became one of the first to raise chickens on a large scale. He later developed additional hatcheries in the area. Herman Greathouse of 12

Shipping poultry to New York from Burt Snow Produce, Carroll County, 1910s. Photo courtesy of the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History/Carroll County Heritage Society Collection

Ozark Poultry and Egg, Fayetteville, late 1910s. Photo courtesy of the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History/Ann Sugg Collection (S-93-18-16) Washington County followed suit. He built 19 chicken houses and was shipping more than 8,000 broilers per year by 1938. From 1935 to 1940, Arkansas witnessed a 500 percent increase in the number of chicken producers. The industry got an additional boost during World War II, as poultry escaped government rationing. Beef, pork, lamb, veal and other meats were available in limited amounts each week, but families could eat all the chicken and turkey they wanted. As poultry businesses took off, others saw opportunities in trucking, feed mills, equipment supply and hatcheries. By 1930, Charles George, a commercial hauler who made frequent trips from northwest Arkansas to St. Louis, started a hatchery to supply eggs to neighboring producers. Willis Shaw of Elm Springs (Washington and Benton counties) formed a trucking business (now Willis Shaw Logistics) in 1938 that brought broilers to markets in the Midwest. Shaw, along with J.B. Hunt of Lowell (Benton County), would become a leader in the commercial trucking business. Indeed, the rise of Arkansas’ trucking firms coincided with, and reinforced, the developing poultry industry. continued on page 14>> Front Porch

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One-of-a-Kind Poultry Science Center

The Center of Excellence for Poultry Science opened at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville in 1995 with a goal of developing comprehensive programs in research, teaching and extension dedicated to improving the lives of Arkansans associated with all components of the poultry industry. The center is manned by a staff of fulltime poultry science faculty members, USDA/ARS Poultry Research Group faculty members, graduate assistants, adjunct faculty and poultry science departmental staff. The Department of Poultry Science and the research group are housed in the John W. Tyson Building, a 112,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art laboratory and office complex on the UA campus. Additional facilities include an FDA-licensed feed mill; a 10,000-square-foot processing plant used for teaching processing techniques and for ongoing food safety research projects; the 12,000-squarefoot John Kirkpatrick Skeeles Poultry Health Laboratory, which holds the highest bio-safety rating in the country; a poultry research farm facility that includes a hatchery, genetics unit, pullet-rearing facility, battery brooder, caged layer house, broiler breeder houses and turkey houses; four full-sized broiler houses equipped with computerized environmental control and data collection systems capable of commercial-type production research; and a broiler breeder research facility that includes two full-size broiler breeder houses, a pullet-rearing facility and a quality assurance building with offices, classroom and egg-holding capacity.

Chickens of Tomorrow

In the Spring/Summer 2004 issue of “Arkansas Land & Life” magazine, Howell Medders wrote about one of the most celebrated events in 1951 at the University of Arkansas. The national Chicken of Tomorrow contest featured 45 contestants from 25 states vying for the coveted first-place award. Each contestant, the winner of a state contest, shipped 720 eggs to an Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station hatchery, for a total of 32,400 eggs. Chicks were hatched, and each flock was evaluated for a 12-week grow-out. “Some 30,000 people attended festivities that included a rodeo, street dance, barbecue, queen’s coronation and a three-mile parade,” wrote Medders. “The awards ceremony at Razorback Stadium drew 8,000 to see United States Vice President Alben Barkley present the first-place trophy and $5,000 to Charles Vantress of Live Oak, Calif., for his Cornish-New Hampshire crossbred entry.” Chicken of Tomorrow contests from 1946 to 1951 helped spawn many broiler breeding companies.

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<<continued from page 12

Chicken farm in Springdale, 1940s. Photo courtesy of the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History/Gene H. Thompson Collection (S-96-56-28)

Inspecting eggs housed in an incubator at Tyson’s Feed and Hatchery, Springdale, June 1961. Photo courtesy of the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History (S-94-179-118) Across the state in Independence County, Batesville also was home to trucking firms that developed as a direct result of the poultry industry. One of these was owned by J.K. Southerland who hauled his and his neighbors’ birds to markets in Memphis. His growing business stimulated local economies as he established feed mills, chicken houses, hatcheries and processing plants in Batesville, Melbourne, Mountain View and Clinton from 1935 until 1969. He became a major force in the creation of the contract poultry industry, working with growers to guarantee them a year-round income that was not tied to seasonal market swings and fluctuations. Through vertical integration (the strategy of owning or controlling all aspects of a business in-house), he was able to trim costs and manage the supply chain, which not only increased the price per pound of chicken that growers received, but also decreased the cost per pound required to raise

Arkansas Broiler Hatchery float in the National Chickenof-Tomorrow Contest parade, Fayetteville, June 15, 1951. Photo courtesy of the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History/ J. Dickson Black Collection (S-92-142-15)

Processing line at Springdale Farms, Springdale, 1958. Guy Loyd, photographer. Photo courtesy of the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History/June Loyd Collection (S-2009-31-165) a chicken to maturity and reduced the time necessary to grow them off. Trucker John Tyson, who settled in Springdale in 1931, also was instrumental in this process. He began his business with a single truck, driving from his home in Missouri to northwest Arkansas to buy produce. By 1936, he was hauling broilers to Kansas City and Chicago. Soon after this, he started raising his own chickens and shipping them himself. This enabled him to quickly emerge as a leader in the state’s rapidly growing poultry industry. During the late 1940s, major food producers such as Armour, Swift and Campbell’s Soup also began locating poultry-processing plants in northwest Arkansas. By continued on page 16>>

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Turkeys in Arkansas

Turkeys didn’t become an important commodity in Arkansas until the 1950s and later. Prior to that time, most turkeys roamed about the farm with little care. They were fed only occasionally and pretty much forgotten until it was time to prepare one for the holiday dinner table. They were only on the menu in larger hotels and restaurants. In 1934, the United States Research Center in Beltsville, Md., purchased the original breeding stock to develop a small, white, broad-breasted turkey that would be preferred by consumers. Shortly after that, Dr. J.N. Thompson of Pottsville (Pope County) began what would be a lifelong project to produce a better meat bird. His Thompson Broadwhite Turkey, introduced in 1953, grew quicker and showed better feed conversion, making it a favorite of growers. But it would still be several years before production ramped up in Arkansas. In his 1994 book, “From Hills and Hollers: The Rise of the Poultry Industry in Arkansas,” Stephen Strausberg said Harold Dodgen of Ozark was considered the father of the Arkansas turkey industry. “Dodgen established the Ozark Creamery with his father in 1928,” Strausberg wrote. “In 1947, George Trollope asked Dodgen to process 35 turkeys for the dining cars of the Missouri-Pacific Railroad. In the wake of this successful sale, Dodgen increased production to 750 per day by 1955. In 1957, he built a new processing plant and increased to 2,500 head per day.” Another early grower was Monroe Schwarzlose in Kingsland who established his own plant in 1957, processing 700-800 turkeys a day for the Little Rock market. Fox DeLux Foods in Springdale, Maplecrest Hatchery in Hot Springs and Swanson Hatchery in Fayetteville also were involved in the nascent turkey business here. It was Berryville that became known as the Turkey Capital of Arkansas, though. By 1955, the Carroll County community had numerous turkey farms and was home to the state’s largest turkey hatchery and the Ocoma Processing Co., which employed over 400 people. Turkeys were a $3.5 million business there. Today, Cargill, Inc. in Springdale is the largest turkeyprocessing facility in the state. The 360,000-squarefoot facility employs 1,100 and produces approximately 300 million pounds of finished goods per year. They process 50,000 birds each day that are supplied by 150 independent growers. George’s Poultry Industry turkey farm near Springdale, 1960s. Photo courtesy of the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History/ LeAnn Ritter Underwood Collection (S-2012-31-77)

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<<continued from page 14

1950, 19 plants were in Springdale alone. Chickens were raised and slaughtered locally, packed in ice and then shipped to markets. When the mid-1950s rolled around, poultry had become the state’s second-largest source of agricultural income, trailing only cotton. Leading the way was the Tyson firm, which by the early 1960s was fully integrated, controlling virtually every aspect of production, from hatching eggs to the retail sale of broilers. John Tyson’s son Don, who would eventually lead the firm during its most expansive period, left his college studies in the early 1950s to learn the business firsthand. The company built its first processing plant in 1958, and in 1963, Tyson made an initial public offering of its stock and changed its name to Tyson’s Foods. Later that year, the company made its first major acquisition, buying Garrett Poultry of Rogers. Don was named president in 1966, and under his leadership, Tyson continued buying competing firms and greatly expanded its product line, eventually becoming one of the largest businesses in the world. The history of Arkansas poultry stretches far beyond the state borders. Cobb-Vantress, Inc. is renowned for its innovation in the poultry industry, from their humble beginnings, to planting roots in the Natural State, and launching global facilities, the endeavors of the Cobb family became one of the foundational pieces for the success of Arkansas poultry. The making of the world’s oldest breeding company was no small feat. Cobbs Pedigreed Chicks was formed in Massachusetts in 1916, and by 1935 the business had grown immensely, and 1 million breeders were produced. In 1959 Cobb began efforts to launch worldwide starting in Europe and in 1961 opened a hatchery in Siloam Springs (Benton County.) Between 1961 and 1986 Cobb continued to grow, including acquiring the Vantress breeding lines and forming Arkansas Breeders, which then became a joint venture between Tyson Foods, Inc. and the UpJohn Company. This venture moved the company from Concord, Massachusetts to Siloam Springs and positioned them as an international leader in poultry breeding. Now, fully partnered with Tyson Foods, Inc., with over 100 years of research and development, Cobb-Vantress is still headquartered in Siloam Springs and 16

John Tyson (left) and his son Don Tyson with prize-winning broilers at the Northwest Poultry and Livestock Show, Springdale, 1955. V.D. McRoberts, photographer. Photo courtesy of the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History/Tyson Foods Collection (S-77-80-2)

has more than 20 international endeavors. Its growth has led to Arkansas being a key player in the production and availability of poultry on a global scale.

1970s to the Present

During the 1970s, poultry prices varied greatly due to high domestic production and increased international competition. Even so, the 1980s witnessed persistent growth in Arkansas’ poultry industry, even as the overall industry was undergoing dramatic changes. Major producers continued to consolidate and merge, and as a result, independent poultry farmers found their negotiating power with large firms gradually diminishing. Attempts to increase their leverage by forming associations and co-ops did not develop, and many farmers saw their profit margins, already small, continuing to decline. Between 1980 and 1990, the number of independent poultry farms in Arkansas decreased from 6,000 to 1,200. Front Porch

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AQ Chicken House, Springdale, 1960s. Guy Loyd, photographer. Photo courtesy of the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History/LeAnn Ritter Underwood Collection (S-2012-31-91)

Quality Feed Store and Hatchery, Rogers, mid-1950s. Hubert L. Musteen, photographer. Photo courtesy of the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History/LeAnn Ritter Underwood Collection (S-2012-31-61) All of this expansion led to an increase in labor from outside the state and the country, which stressed infrastructure in some small communities, but also contributed to a steady growth in Arkansas’ poultry industry and the jobs it provided. By the end of the 20th century, poultry production had become an essential component of Arkansas’ economy. Over the years,

poultry became a boon for both Arkansas and the nation, with poultry companies such as Simmons Foods, George’s Inc., OK Foods, Butterball, Cargill and Keith Smith Co., setting up shop in the Natural State. Arkansas poultry has been successful overseas, too — steadily growing into a major part of international commerce. •

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DINNER FROM OUR FARM OR RANCH FOR YOUR

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The Center of Excellence for Poultry Science Serving Arkansans since 1992.

The Department of Poultry Science is helping to meet a global industry need for top quality nutritionists, technicians, managers and marketers. With undergraduate, masters and Ph.D. degree opportunities, poultry science graduates pursue careers in science, research, business, medicine and more. •

Teaching the next generation of poultry professionals. With a nearly 100% job placement rate, poultry science students in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences gain the skills and hands-on experience to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.

•

Conducting critical research to feed a hungry world. Through the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, our researchers conduct comprehensive research programs and achieve discoveries to meet the needs of the poultry industry in Arkansas and beyond.

•

Bringing research-backed recommendations to communities. Through outreach programs, specialists with the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service connect Arkansans and the poultry industry to research-backed production recommendations.

Interested undergraduate students should contact Gary Davis (gddavis@uark.edu) for more information. Potential graduate students can contact Byungwhi Kong (bkong@uark.edu) or Walter Bottje (wbottje@uark.edu).

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www.poultry-science.uark.edu/

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A RIDE ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER LEVEE AND LAKE CHICOT

ou might say it’s the South’s version of the Great Wall of China, but the Mississippi River levee system, which runs through portions of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee, wasn’t built to stave off human invasions. It was designed to protect nearby cities and farmlands from flooding. Together, the 24- to 50-foot-high levees, constructed of compacted soil and clay, stretch more than 3,500 miles. They extend on the west bank from Allenville, Mo. to Venice, La., and on the east bank from Hickman, Kent. to Venice. Building this levee system, the world’s largest, is recognized as one of the most incredible engineering feats in history. And much of it was done with mules. If you’ve never seen this incredible structure, you should. The west-bank levee stretches north to south along Arkansas’ entire eastern border. County road maps can help you find plenty of points where you can access the road on top of the levee and drive for miles, sightseeing as you go. One excellent place to enjoy the views is a 25-mile loop in southeast Arkansas’ Chicot County. You won’t see much of the Mississippi River here, even though this route follows alongside it. Dense

Story and photos by Keith Sutton

Lake Chicot State Park provides a great home base for exploring the natural and historical features along the Mississippi River levee in southeast Arkansas.

The Levee Road provides an elevated view of bottomland hardwood forests and farmlands bordering the Mississippi River in Chicot County.

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woodlands obscure the view. But in the hour or so it takes to drive completely around, you’ll see many natural and historical features of interest, including great views of 5,300-acre Lake Chicot, the world’s largest oxbow lake, and wonderful vistas of surrounding agricultural lands. The drive begins at Lake Chicot State Park (www.arkansasstateparks.com/parks/lake-chicot-statepark), which can be reached by driving east on AR257 and following the signs from US-65 just north of Lake Village. Nestled in a pecan grove, the 211acre park provides a variety of outdoor recreation opportunities that include fabulous year-round bird watching and superb fishing for crappie, bass, catfish, bream and more. Park facilities include 14 cabins, 122 campsites, a store, a marina, fishing piers, a swimming pool, pavilions, picnic areas and hiking trails. Stop by the visitor center to learn more about interpretive programs and area history. From the visitor center, head north on AR-257. At the stop sign, turn west (left) on AR-144 and drive eight-tenths of a mile. At that point, the road will curve toward the left beside some grain bins at the little community of Luna. A paved road (Luna Landing Road) goes sharply back to the right there. Turn onto it and follow it up onto the raised Levee Road. When you reach the top of the levee, turn right and follow the road to the south and east. As you drive along this first stretch, on the right you’ll have excellent views of area farmlands, and on the left you can see the bottomland hardwood forests bordering the Mississippi River. Borrow ditches and little lakes at the foot of the levee are great places to see all sorts of birds, from wading birds like wood storks, bald eagles and egrets to ducks, cormorants and pelicans. Watch, too, for white-tailed deer, coyotes, foxes, beavers, otters and other wildlife. On the side of the road opposite the river, farmland stretches as far as the eye can see. Soybeans, corn, cotton and rice all are raised here, and there are several ranches along the way with big herds of cattle and horses. After a little more than three miles, the Levee Road will loop back on itself, changing from an eastern path to a southwesterly direction. AR144 splits off to the right here, but you’ll want to stay on top of the levee and continue enjoying the views along Leland Chute, a wooded waterway on the left, and the Delta farms and croplands on the

A drive along the 25-mile loop tour offers great views of beautiful Lake Chicot, the world’s largest oxbow lake.

Observant visitors will see an amazing variety of wildlife on remote portions of the loop tour, including abundant white-tailed deer and, in summer, flocks of big wood storks.

continued on page 22>>

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<< continued from page 21

right. You’ll eventually see a big, red-and-white Corps of Engineers project sign at the foot of the levee on your right, and a road (Sunnyside Road) that takes you down off the levee here. Follow the road, which leads you through the old community of Vaucluse (just a group of farm houses and shops these days) to a unique iron cross and historical marker you’ll see on your right just a little further on. This is the site of Hyner Cemetery. In the late 1800s, Italian immigrants came to the area to work on local plantations. Many died from malaria and other causes and were buried there. Sunnyside Road continues west from the cemetery, providing picturesque views of Whiskey Chute on the right, a cypress-shrouded backwater of Lake Chicot that divides Stuart’s Island from what is known locally as Sunnyside Plantation. From 1835 to 1855, John Murrell and his group of outlaws rode, raided and terrorized people here and elsewhere in the Delta. The marauders were responsible for bank robberies, riverboat piracy, and stealing and reselling slaves. Stuart Island was one of their hideouts. In 1855, a steamboat laden with whiskey was captured by Murrell’s gang and towed to the hideout. While the gang drank and celebrated, a group of local settlers organized and killed them all. The steamboat and the whiskey sank to the bottom of the narrow channel, which resulted in the Whiskey Chute moniker. Continuing west on Sunnyside Road, you’ll soon come to a bridge that crosses Lake Chicot and intersects with AR-144. Turn left on 144 and you’ll soon arrive in the city of Lake Village (www.arkansas.com/lake-village), a great place for a side trip. History buffs will enjoy a visit to nearby Lakeport Plantation (https://lakeport.astate. edu), the only remaining antebellum plantation home located along the Arkansas stretch of the Mississippi River, and a stop at Ditch Bayou Battlefield on AR-257, the site of the largest Civil War battle in Chicot County. Other highlights include a marker at the site where Charles Lindbergh landed in April 1923 after completing history’s first night flight; a Depression-era mural inside the U.S. Post Office; the Arkansas Welcome Center on the lake; and the longest cable-stayed bridge on the Mississippi River, linking Lake Village to Greenville, Miss. Finish your visit with a stop at Rhoda’s Famous Hot Tamales and Pies (714 Saint Mary Street) for some of the best Southern-style cooking in the state. If you go back to bridge across Lake Chicot, and go east on AR-144, the first turn you’ll come to on the left is Yellow Bayou Road. You’ll see a sign marking the turn as the way to the Lake Chicot Pumping Station. continued on page 24>>

Agricultural lands, including several big cattle and horse ranches, stretch for miles along the Mississippi River levee.

An unusual iron cross marks the location of Hyner Cemetery, a burial ground for nineteenth-century Italian immigrants who came to Chicot County to work on the plantations.

An incident involving John Murrell’s gang of outlaws gave Whiskey Chute its unusual name.

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Teach Your Kids to Fish. Share a Hobby for Life.

Visit our website to find a stocked pond near you!

Get the family hooked on a new tradition. The Family and Community Fishing Program regularly stocks ponds, including many in central Arkansas. Find one near you, and let the quality time begin.

<< continued from page 22

This massive structure, about four miles distant after you make the turn, was built in 1985 to divert silt-laden run-off from Lake Chicot into the Mississippi River. As a result, the once-muddy lake waters cleared tremendously, allowing the restocking of sportfish and the comeback of fishing on a lake once considered all but dead. The pumping station visitor center features the history of the area and the construction. The Levee Road passes right behind the pumping station. Turn right (east) on it and you can finish the loop back to Luna Landing Road. Along the way, you’ll see a series of deep lakes on your left. These are part of Panther Forest Crevasse, formed in 1912 when the levee broke and flooded lands for hundreds of miles around. Today, they provide a wetland home to many species of wildlife, including unusual anhingas, or snakebirds, and a variety of ducks. The scenic loop comes to an end as continue past Panther Forest and reach AR-144 near our starting point at Lake Chicot State Park. You can learn even more about the levee system by joining the park naturalist for one of the regular guided tours. There’s lots of wildlife to be seen, so visitors are encouraged to bring field guides and binoculars. Seating is limited, and reservations are encouraged. There is a small fee. Contact the park at 870-265-5480 for more information. •

Before the Lake Chicot Pumping Plant was built in 1985, the upper part of Lake Chicot was so muddy that fish couldn’t live there. The plant remedied that problem by pumping turbid runoff into the Mississippi River, allowing the lake to clear up.

Visitors will find much to see and explore around Lake Village, including the historic Lakeport Plantation and the beautiful Greenville Bridge across the Mississippi River.

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Contact Susan Brown at 800.561.4686, ext. 108 or email at sbrown@pcipublishing.com for booth space reservations or questions.

TA S T E A R K A N S A S

The Venesian Inn has been in the same family since 1947 and is now managed by Jeff Bowen and his wife, Melissa. 28

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Venesian Inn Fried Chicken W Story by Jason Brown Photos by Matthew Magdefrau

Story & photos by

hat started as a vision for a resort-like destination in the Ozarks continues today as a unique food adventure. Founded 75 years ago in Tontitown, a community built by Italian immigrants, The Venesian Inn serves up a mix of southern and Italian cuisine that has earned an international reputation. The restaurant was opened by Germano Gasparotto in 1947 and sold it to John and Mary Granata just a few years later. The restaurant has been in the family ever since, now managed by great grandson Jeff Bowen and his wife, Melissa. Jeff welcomed Front Porch into the historic kitchen at The Venesian Inn to share the family’s famous fried chicken recipe. Served alongside spaghetti, the fried chicken was made famous decades before Jeff started cooking it. The Venesian Inn was named to the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame in 2018 and continues serving up some of the best fried chicken in the Natural State. Batter Ingredients

• • • • •

1 cup all-purpose flour 2 tbsp Granulated garlic 1 tbsp black pepper 1 tbsp salt 2 cups milk

Begin with a few pieces of bonein chicken, rinsed and patted dry. It’s best to let the chicken come to near room temp before starting the process. Next, mix one cup of flour and all dry ingredients into a bowl. You can add any other ingredients to the flour to season just how you like it. Jeff says the “triple dip” is the secret to The Venesian Inn’s famous fried chicken, so you’ll start by dipping the chicken into the flour mixture, then move on to the milk. Repeat this process two more times.

Bowen preps an order of fried chicken in The Venesian Inn’s historic kitchen. Front Porch

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<< continued from page 29

TA S T E A R K A N S A S

The most famous dish on the menu, spaghetti and fried chicken, served nightly at The Venesian Inn. It’s time for the fryer now, on to the good stuff. The Venesian Inn uses vegetable oil for its fried chicken, and we suggest you do the same. Heat the oil to 300˚ or a little above. Drop the chicken in the oil (away from you, so not to splatter grease) and let it fry. It’s important to give each piece of chicken some space, do not let the pieces touch in the frying pan. Jeff recommends cooking the chicken for 13 – 15 minutes, you’re looking for 185˚ - 195˚ internal temperature if you like your chicken good and crispy. If the chicken gets to 165˚ internal, it’s safe for eating. We prefer ours on the crispy side, like fried chicken was meant to be cooked.

Once your chicken is cooked to your liking, remove from the grease and you’re ready to eat. Serve it up with your favorite side dishes or perhaps a big bowl of spaghetti, just like they do in Tontitown. Enjoy! •

Scan below to watch a video of Jeff Bowen showing you how to make the Venesian Inn fried chicken.

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Congratulations! We would like to congratulate the Top Women’s Leadership Committees for 2021. Thank you for all of your hard work.

Outstanding Women’s Leadership Committee Scott Co. | Category 2

Lee Co. | Category 1

Hempstead Co. | Category 3

Poinsett Co. | Category 4

Craighead Co. | Category 5

For more information on joining a Committee near you, visit www.ArFB.com.

M E M B E R S E R V I C E S U P D AT E

by Autumn Wood

Travel Discounts

hinking about traveling for spring break or summer vacation? Don’t forget Arkansas Farm Bureau members get great hotel discounts! Before booking your stay, check out Travel Sherlock on our website www.arfb.com. Travel Sherlock has exclusive hotel rates for ARFB members! They have negotiated special rates at over 800,000 hotels worldwide for all Arkansas Farm Bureau members. You now have exclusive access to save up to 30% off the best prices offered by Expedia, Priceline and Hotels.com. We also offer special member discounts at Choice Hotel Group locations across the U.S. and Canada, where you can save up to 20% off per night. Book by calling (800) 258-2847 or

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(800) 258-2847, or book online through our website. You cannot book the discount at the front desk and the offer is subject to availability at participating locations and some blackout dates may apply. Members can also save up to 20% off per night at Wyndham Hotel Group properties, subject to availability at participating locations. Some blackout dates may apply. Advanced reservations are required by calling 1-800-364-6176 or going online to our website to make your reservation. See all of these savings and more under Member Benefits at www.arfb.com. To access discount codes, you will need your membership number and zip code. Enjoy the Savings!

D E LTA C H I L D In Delta Child, author Talya Tate Boerner draws on her Mississippi County childhood to deliver readers back to a simpler time when screen doors slammed, kids tromped cotton, and Momma baked cornbread for supper every night. Boerner, a fourth-generation Arkansas farm girl, has been published in Arkansas Review, Ponder Review, and Writer’s Digest and blogs at Grace Grits and Gardening. She is the author of two books — The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee and Gene, Everywhere — available wherever books are sold.

A Day of Rest

fter Sunday morning church service, we changed out of our good clothes and put on play clothes. Next, we gathered around the kitchen table for a mighty fine meal — Daddy, Momma, my sister, and me. Momma made sure she filled our grumbling stomachs, often with the pot roast she’d left slow-cooking in her black speckled pan while we attended church. Being around all that preaching sure made us ravenous. “What are we doing the rest of the day?” my sister asked as she jabbed a juicy bit of meat with her fork. “Absolutely nothing,” Momma said in her dreamiest voice. Sunday was always a day of rest. That’s what the adults called it anyway. After a busy week, adults were too tired to do anything but rest. Of course, Daddy drove around checking on the farm because as a farmer, he was exempt from rest, but Momma didn’t vacuum or run errands or anything. Even grocery store owners understood resting on Sunday was more important than making a few bucks selling cans of green beans and bags of dog food. After all, resting on the seventh day was in the Holy Bible, right near the beginning of everything. The truth was the last thing kids needed or wanted during the weekend was rest. Rest was for the sick, the old, the tired, my Nana, who took regular afternoon naps because of bad headaches. My sister and I played together on those Sunday afternoons, sometimes reading the books we had checked out from the public library, sometimes playing records and singing aloud in the den. Often we wrote stories and plays then performed them in the dining room to an attentive Barbie audience, all pink smiles and bright blue eyes. If it wasn’t too muddy outside, we walked through the winter fields carrying our radio and singing whatever came on WHBQ. A long, long time ago, I can still remember how the music used to make me smile…

by Talya Tate Boerner

You see, we planned to be famous singers or actors or both (we’d not yet decided), and since practice made perfect (at least in the wretched world of piano lessons), we fine-tuned our talents on those restful Sundays. Were those days restful for Momma? Somehow, I doubt it. Occasionally after Sunday lunch, we visited family who lived nearby on Little River. Those were the best afternoons when aunts and cousins shared remember-when stories like a box of chocolate candy passed around the kitchen table. While coffee perked, we heard tales of a great-grandpa known only from faded snapshots; we learned of third cousins who lived in exotic places like Louisiana. Did baking violate the resting on Sunday rule? I wondered this on more than one occasion but reasoned people needed sustenance no matter the day. And, when it came to the pies and cobblers my Aunt Lavern whipped together and dished out, the entire experience was nothing short of the loaves and fishes miracle as told in the Gospel of John. Later, back home, we ate leftovers for supper and watched Wild Kingdom on television. Sometimes, Momma made one of Daddy’s favorite desserts — chocolate pudding served in individual bowls or fudge made from the recipe on the back of the cocoa canister. Melancholy settled over me as dusk gave way to dark. Soon, the school bell would ring on another Monday morning, and unless significant snow fell during the night, wintertime Mondays were never days of rest, not even for kids. Now, I realize those Sunday afternoons paved the way for Monday morning blessings. After such a soulrevitalizing day, even a fifth grader like me could face anything the Devil tossed my way on a Monday morning bus ride. And those days of rest (and abundance) provided Momma plenty of inspiration to begin her next diet first thing Monday morning. •

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SOLAR ENERGY LEASING If you are a landowner who needs help negotiating land leases with solar energy developers, call Trotter Law Firm.

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In your hometown and across America, Farm Bureau® Mortgage is committed to being the mortgage provider of choice for Arkansas Farm Bureau members. With a dedicated team of Loan Consultant especially for members, you will be guided through the home buying or reﬁnancing process with care and understanding. Proudly serving Farm Bureau members with: • Conventional Loans • USDA Loans • FHA Loans • VA Loans • Jumbo Loans • ...and more!

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Front Porch Magazine | Q1 2022 Issue

Articles inside

Front Porch Magazine | A History of Poultry Production in Arkansas