A V OICE IN THE WILDERNESS
Arkansan Clay Newcomb digs deeply into rural America with his "Bear Grease" podcast
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CARRY THE TORCH FOR CONSERVATION
PRESCRIBED FIRE is used by conservation professionals to increase valuable wildlife habitat and promote growth of native vegetation.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission partners with the Department of Agriculture to provide training to landowners on the benefits of using prescribed fire on their property and how to use prescribed burns to establish high-quality habitat for a variety of wildlife species.
To find upcoming workshops and learn more about the benefits of fire, visit agfc.com/ prescribedfire or scan the code below.
agfc.com/prescribedfire
FRONT PORCH
5 / My View From the Front Porch
Dan Wright
7 / Serving Farmers, Serving You Jarrod Yates
8 / Cover Story: A Voice in the Wilderness
Arkansan Clay Newcomb gains following telling stories of rural America
18 / Agricultural Hall Adds Six
Since 1987, 192 people have been inducted for ag industry contributions
22 / A Day in the Life of an Electrical Lineman
Those in the profession say it's more than a career – it's a calling
27 / A View From the Counties
Outreach and education across Arkansas
30 / Taste Arkansas Strawberry bread & honey butter
33 / Delta Child
Talya Tate Boerner
MY VIEW FROM THE FRONT PORCH
By DAN WRIGHT ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU PRESIDENT
As I write this article, the winds are howling, temperature is dropping and the first arctic blast of the year is barreling toward us. I have spent the better part of 40 years as a livestock and poultry producer and can say emphatically that winter is my least favorite season. My wife often hears me mumble, “I hate winter.”
The best part of winter, to me, is when it turns into spring.
But for many folks, winter’s beauty is undeniable. Snow-covered landscapes and crisp, cold air can be a winter delight. But for livestock producers, that winter delight is replaced by challenges. The season doubles the workload. From breaking ice on frozen water tanks or ponds to working in subzero temperatures to save a newborn calf, winter can be relentless and test your grit.
Yet this also is a season for reflection. The longer nights give us time to ponder the past year and plan for the future. This past December marked the end of my first year as president of Arkansas Farm Bureau. I’m deeply honored to have been reelected for a second term during our 90th annual convention. Leading this organization is truly humbling. Looking back on 2024 reminds me of the milestones we’ve reached together.
Two of the most significant accomplishments are the creation of a political action committee (AgPAC) and the launch of Farm Bureau Health Plans of Arkansas. Both initiatives addressed needs that had been identified by our members. The AgPAC will, and has already, helped us support legislators who champion agriculture. The health benefits program provides much-needed relief to self-employed members struggling to maintain health coverage due to rising costs.
Last year also marked the return of the Officers and Leaders Conference to Jonesboro for the first time in more than 20 years. The city — including Mayor Harold Copenhaver and Todd Shields, Arkansas State University’s chancellor — welcomed our members with open arms. Being in Jonesboro gave our attendees a chance to see a different landscape and row crop commodities grown in the area. We look forward to future conferences in this vibrant agricultural community.
Weather posed significant challenges last spring. The Memorial Day tornadoes in northwest Arkansas caused devastation not seen there in several years. Jarrod Yates, Arkansas Farm Bureau’s executive vice president, and I visited the affected areas to witness the damage firsthand and to lend a helping hand. Staff delivered bottled water and emergency supplies to the Farm Bureau offices of Benton and Madison counties. Amid the shattered dreams and tangled timber, we saw the true spirit of rural Arkansas. We saw neighbors helping neighbors, and heard the hum of chainsaws and skid steers as roads and fence lines were cleared. In tough times, rural communities band together like no other.
One of the most persistent challenges has been the absence of an updated federal farm bill. Although it was extended in 2023
and 2024, the critical safety nets within it remain outdated. The trigger prices for the programs used by farmers were implemented in 2018 and those no longer reflect today’s economic realities. Over the past five years, interest rates and consumer prices have skyrocketed while commodity prices have dropped significantly. This combination has created a recipe for disaster, with many farmers finding the cost of growing their crops is more than they will earn. Obviously, this is not sustainable agriculture.
In response, Arkansas Farm Bureau joined forces with other state Farm Bureaus to push for emergency assistance. While economic aid was approved in late December, it is only a temporary fix. Much work remains to ensure a comprehensive, updated farm bill that meets the needs of Arkansas (and American) agriculture.
We ended the year on a high note with the annual convention. One of the highlights was the Arkansas Farm Bureau Foundation fundraiser. After a wonderful dinner, attendees were treated to a performance by Lonestar, a country music band from Nashville, Tenn. I want to take a moment and thank our staff, led by Yates, for their hard work. A convention has many moving parts, but our team consistently gets the job done.
We look forward to Arkansas’s 95th General Assembly and are committed to working with our legislators to protect agriculture and uphold our policies. Together, we’ll tackle the challenges and opportunities ahead, ensuring a bright future for agriculture. May God richly bless your families and may God bless the Farm Bureau family.
FRONT PORCH
Official membership publication of Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation mailed to more than 180,000 member families.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Included in membership dues
ARKANSAS 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
Brad Doyle, Weiner
Jack Evans, Carlisle
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
Mark Williams, Lavaca
EX OFFICIO
Nita Cooper, Everton
Sara Beth Johnson, Hickory Plains
Justin Story, Cauthron
Stewart Warner, West Memphis
Executive Editor / Steve Eddington
Contributing Writers / Dwain Hebda, Chad Hooten, Matthew Magdefrau, Tayla Tate Boerner
ADVERTISING
Contact Chad Hooten at Arkansas Farm Bureau for advertising rates chad.hooten@arfb.com (501) 228-1274
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WBy JARROD W. YATES
ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
hen Arkansas, through its elected congressional delegation, speaks in the 119th Congress, others will no doubt be listening. Arkansas Farm Bureau, as an agricultural advocacy organization keenly connected to political impacts, is excited for what this means for our country, and all Arkansans should be as well.
While our congressional representation is small, all six members of the state’s congressional delegation will serve as chairs of major committees or subcommittees. This brings an unprecedented level of influence from those elected to represent our wonderful, small state.
AD SERVING FARMERS, SERVING YOU
For context, California has 55 members in its delegation, and Texas has 38. New York and Florida each have 29.
Having spent considerable time as a congressional staffer in Washington, D.C., I know the immense impact the chairs have on the work of those committees.
Sen. John Boozman will lead the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, just the second Arkansan to have that authority. Having Boozman in that role while a farm bill is being constructed will bring a deep agricultural perspective to this important piece of legislation, which funds federal feeding programs, commodity support, rural development, foreign trade, conservation and agricultural research. Boozman is a steady voice, highly trusted by congressional colleagues, that will be helpful for such an important committee assignment. Boozman also sits on the Committee on Appropriations, Committee on Environment and Public Works, Committee on Rules and Administration and Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
Sen. Tom Cotton will serve as chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, while Rep. Rick Crawford will serve as chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence. With unsettling conflict around the world, the significance of these roles can’t be overlooked. These new assignments place them among the Gang of Eight, a set of leaders within the U.S. Congress who are briefed on classified intelligence matters by the executive branch. With these new leadership roles for Cotton and Crawford, Arkansans make up 25 percent of the Gang of Eight.
Cotton is also Senate GOP conference chair and ranks No. 3 in the party’s leadership. Additionally, he serves on the Committee on Armed Services, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the Joint Economic Committee.
In addition to his role on the House Select Committee on Intelligence, Crawford serves on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the House
Committee on Agriculture, which will be critical for Arkansas agriculture as we work to pass a new and updated farm bill.
Rep. Bruce Westerman, a former state FFA president, remains in his role as chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources. The panel covers issues such as forestry, fisheries and wildlife, interstate compacts, water supply, interior and Native American affairs, federal parklands, mineral and mining resources, and oil and pipeline projects. Important issues will be considered by this committee and having someone with Westerman’s insight as an engineer and forester should give each of us confidence.
Rep. French Hill has been selected to lead the House Financial Services Committee, a committee that has broad jurisdiction over the nation’s banking system, credit cards, interest rates and cryptocurrency. A banker by trade, Hill brings experience to the everyday impacts of commerce.
Rep. Steve Womack serves on the powerful House Committee on Appropriations, where he is the chairman of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee. Womack also sits on the Defense and Financial Services and General Government subcommittees. He also serves on the West Point Board of Visitors and was elected as the board’s chairman in 2017.
The roles filled by members of the Arkansas delegation mean Arkansas is punching well above its weight in terms of political influence in Washington. Godspeed, gentlemen.
Cover story
A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS
‘Bear Grease’ podcaster Clay Newcomb keeps it real
By DWAIN HEBDA / Photos Courtesy of MEATEATER & JUSTIN ROTTON
There may be bigger man caves than Clay Newcomb’s but it’d be hard to find many better than the one he calls his office, in a deep valley near West Fork. That is where the creator and host of the popular “Bear Grease” podcast has his own little den of utter manliness, crammed with everything a guy with a hankering for the outdoors might ever need.
Some of the menagerie are the tools of his trade – books on various manly subjects and his recording gear, for starters. The rest is an amalgam of items harvested, inherited and found.
The space is small, cluttered and haphazardly kept. An altogether fitting representation of Newcomb’s endlessly curious mind that has led to him sharing his compelling voice on “Bear Grease,” a celebration of fundamental things often overlooked by modern society. Newcomb has garnered a loyal following by celebrating the values, traditions and stories of rural America and the wilderness that surrounds those communities.
Clay Newcomb has learned that authenticity is key to audience development for his podcast "Bear Grease."
A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS
“The threads of ‘Bear Grease’ are always rural America,” he said. “There’s usually some element of hunting, but the podcast is not about hunting. Basically anything that I’m interested in that has rural culture, outdoors, science and nature, I can turn into a ‘Bear Grease’ podcast. It’s stories about rural people, it’s about outlaws and turkey poachers and people telling their stories.
“I’m really on a journey of learning something and then taking someone else on that journey. We actually say it right in our tagline: ‘Bear Grease’ is about things relevant but forgotten.”
His journey, deeply rooted in his upbringing, reflects a profound love for the land and a commitment to preserving the heritage of rural life. Newcomb, who grew up in Mena, can trace his family’s Arkansas roots back to the 1820s. His father, Gary, spent his working years as a banker and delighted in the living folklore that walked through his door every day. Invariably, he would bring home highlighted conversations with his kids.
“[Dad] dressed in a suit and tie every day to go to work, and when he would come home and tell me stories from his world, he wouldn’t tell me stories about insurance agents or dentists or doctors or lawyers,” Newcomb said. “He told me stories about the people who would come in to borrow $400 so that they could go catfishing for a month.
“One of his customers would kill a big buck and he’d come home and get me and be like, ‘Clay, we’re going to see Dale today. He killed a big buck,’ and we’d go out to his house and it would be some person in rural Polk County. Dad treated them like kings; he really did. And I was just fascinated.”
NO ‘NORMAL’ JOBS
NEWCOMB GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL with no clear picture of what he was going to do with his life, except to shuffle off to college in the hopes of figuring it out. He landed at the University of Arkansas, where he majored in environmental soil and water science, graduating in 2005. To this day, he can’t pinpoint exactly why he chose that major.
“It ended up coming back to help me, because it had quite a bit of biology and science to it, which I do use in my storytelling today,” he said, “but I’ve never used that degree a day in my life.”
Married in 2000 and the father of four, Newcomb had mouths to feed. On the advice of his father, he endeavored to always work for himself, a goal that led him to form his own landscaping company.
“It was basically a means to a lifestyle that I wanted to live,” he said. “I did it so that I wouldn’t have a boss and so that
I could raise my family and, as I always used to say, when the white oak leaves turned maroon in the fall, I could be hunting. I just didn’t want the constraints of a normal job.”
The landscaping gig lasted for eight years during which time another opportunity presented itself. In 2013, Newcomb bought the niche Bear Hunting magazine, for which he wrote extensively and got his first taste of podcasting, producing content of a how-to nature. Eight years into that, the phone rang with outdoors media juggernaut MeatEater on the other end.
“MeatEater is a multimedia company for hunting and conservation,” Newcomb said. “They have a big YouTube channel; they have a publishing arm (and) a suite of podcasts. They have a show on Netflix.
“When I got a call from them, totally out of the blue, and they said, ‘Hey, would you be interested in working for MeatEater?’ — to me that was like playing Division II basketball and the Lakers call,” Newcomb said. “It was a lifechanging moment.”
DISCOVERING THE HOOK
THE TRANSITION from discussing hunting and tracking techniques to a broader platform of topics took a little adjustment. Newcomb credits MeatEater founder Steve Rinella for helping him find his stride.
“Being a good storyteller is a craft where you don’t start off being really proficient at it,” he said. “I think you have to get better at finding where the story is. Steve has been a big influence.
“He told me, ‘Clay, whatever you do, you have to be passionate about it. You can’t fake passion’.”
Rinella has other, more pointed commentary, which isn’t as poetic but proved to be equally instructive in Newcomb’s early development.
“I WOULD NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS INTRODUCE MYSELF AS A PODCASTER. I AM A HUNTER AT HEART, I REALLY AM. AND ALL THE PEOPLE I LOVE AND RESPECT, AND MOST OF THE PEOPLE THE SHOW TALKS ABOUT, ARE HUNTERS ON SOME LEVEL.”
— CLAY NEWCOMB, HOST OF THE “BEAR GREASE” PODCAST
Top photo: On one of his four trips to Alaska in 2024, Newcomb killed this bear with his bow after using a wetsuit to swim in close. This hunt can be watched on the MeatEater YouTube channel. Inset: Newcomb in front of a glacier in Alaska.
A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS
“Steve called me one time, early on, and said, ‘Your Daniel Boone podcast sucks. You buried the hook.’ I didn’t even know what that meant,” Newcomb said. “He said, ‘You talked eight minutes before you even told us anything of what Daniel Boone did and who he was. People would’ve had to listen for eight minutes before they had any clue of where you were going and what you were doing.’”
The sharp advice caused Newcomb to reengineer his podcasts.
“In today’s world, with as much media as we have and as many options as people have, man, you gotta hook ’em. They’ll turn it off in a minute if it’s not interesting,” he said.
Newcomb ditched the academic delivery he thought would play well and just spoke on what he saw as the most interesting and salient points. He also learned to trust his instincts on subject matter, understanding that enthusiasm is contagious to the listener. If he talked about things he found compelling, it would come through in his delivery and often intrigue the listener to listen to the end.
With that, Newcomb’s subject matters exploded. His many exploits include podcasts on Osceola, the great Seminole warrior, modern-day Arkansas outlaws, the backstory of Plott hounds and gas station taxidermy specimens. The show is consistently ranked No. 2 in iTunes’ Wilderness podcast category.
The show notes say he goes “deep with hunters, biologists, anthropologists and hillbillies” to tell “stories that reveal the incredible value of life lived close to the land.” While the name of the show sounds like an episode, it isn’t; but a jar of actual bear grease has found its place in his office’s hall of curiosities.
“The cool thing about working for MeatEater is that all I have to do is wake up and think about this podcast,” he said. “I credit the company for allowing me to do it and giving me the freedom to test things out. All they ever told me was ‘Go make this thing the absolute best that you can make it.’ That’s a real gift, you know? I run with that as much as I can.”
TRUST AND AUTHENTICITY
ALONG THE WAY, Newcomb has amassed more behindthe-scenes stories than could be produced, experiences that served to hone his craft dealing with subjects and subject matter. On a series about the history of the Buffalo River and the way some landowners were treated to wrest them from their land, for example, showed him what people would talk about and what would get him the cold shoulder. Private property rights, he quickly learned, are something that families take very seriously.
“That whole [Newton County/Buffalo River topics] was probably one of the hardest episodes I ever did for getting people to talk,” he said. “These people had such history there and some of them were still really embittered over the government taking land. I came over there and was like, ‘Hey, I’m on your side,’ but they didn’t know that. A lot of people had told ’em that before.
Clay Newcomb’s man cave doubles as his recording studio, where he shares “Bear Grease” stories with an international audience.
A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS
“It goes back to if you really want to interview people, you’ve really gotta respect people, you have to gain their trust.”
While some of Newcomb’s favorite episodes have been rooted in Arkansas, the Natural State actually makes up a small percentage of the stories he shares with his audience and his family at home.
“I think I’m a lot like my dad in that way; I come home and tell [the kids] stories about people,” he said. “That actually has been the way a couple of series started. I’m thinking of one in particular I was telling them about, and my daughter, River, was like, ‘Dad, that’s a ‘Bear Grease’ (episode).’ I was like, ‘You know what, I think you’re right’.”
The show also spawned an addendum podcast, “Bear Grease: Render,” in which Newcomb brings topics to a roundtable of a few friends, including his dad. Such organic patter, paired with Newcomb’s undeniable authenticity, has gained him a sizable audience, particularly after podcaster extraordinaire Joe Rogan talked about “Bear Grease” on his show. As a result, he is often surprised at the level of recognition and acclaim he gets at events promoted by MeatEater, which he finds gratifying but also something he holds as a bit of a cautionary tale.
“I never expected for people to respond to it the way they did. It’s been kind of a surprise in my life, really,” he said. “At the same time, I think the biggest challenge with anybody that has success is to maintain the original authenticity that they had through the whole thing, which is hard, you know. When people start telling you how good you are, it screws you up, it really does.
“I mean, the fact people like it and that I’m doing something that people enjoy, I get affirmation from that and it’s fantastic. I love that. But I also know that it’ll kill you if you start believing in it too much.”
AMERICAN BACKWOODSMAN
LOOKING AROUND Newcomb’s home, one sees a dream that has come true. Just outside the door of his stand-alone office, his two beloved mules graze and beyond that, a well-used deer target stands sentry, ready for archery practice. Tiny handprints from yesteryear, each with a child’s name under them, dimple the poured concrete steps yonder.
He’s also working on a book project with Penguin Random House on the American black bear, due out in 2026, a project for which he is deeply excited. At 45 years old, he’s got a lot more stories in him and the energy and curiosity for telling them, curating the cultural touchpoints he considers too important not to preserve.
“I would never in a million years introduce myself as a podcaster. I think that’s ridiculous,” he said. “I am a hunter at heart, I really am, and all the people I love and respect and most of the people the show talks about are hunters on some level. We have these deep tentacles into America, going back to Native Americans, going back to frontiersmen.
“The way I think about things and a core motivation for what I do is seeing that society is quickly moving away from a certain way of life. There’s got to be a place in our culture for rural America. And when I hone that down to a finer point, I would say America’s got to leave a place for what we used to call ourselves, what Daniel Boone called himself, a backwoodsman. To me, if you’re gonna tell a story about America, golly, it better have a backwoodsman in it or it’s not true.”
Clay Newcomb stands outside the barn on his property.
A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS
STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART ANOTHER PODCAST TALE
Arkansan develops ‘This Country Life’ podcast after mentorship by Clay Newcomb
By DWAIN HEBDA
Photos Courtesy of MEATEATER
Arkansas native Brent Reaves remembers the moment he understood how universal humanity is, an epiphany he experienced after hearing from a fan of his “This Country Life” podcast.
“I’ll never forget it,” Reaves said. “The guy said, ‘I want to tell you how much I enjoy your podcast and how relatable it is to me, even though I’ve never hunted, never fished, never done anything outdoors. When your dad was taking you hunting and fishing, my dad was taking me to see the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Your show is so good at describing those relationships.’
“At the time, to receive a message from someone like that who was listening to me talk about growing up in Arkansas, it might as well have come from SkyLab, but it was exactly right. What our show is about is the relationships we have in life.”
Reaves has been a student of the human nature for far longer than he’s been producing a podcast. A farm kid from Warren, he spent 32 years in law enforcement — serving time as a deputy sheriff, working for the State Capitol Police, with undercover narcotics, as a SWAT team leader and as an Arkansas tobacco agent — where he got an up-close-and-personal view of the good, bad and ugly in people.
For his life’s encore, he started producing content for MeatEater and, notably, sitting in on Clay Newcomb’s “Bear Grease: Render” podcast, to which he credits for preparing him for “This Country Life.”
“The first time I ever heard of a podcast, my son, who
was probably 12 at the time, said, ‘Dad, you should listen to Joe Rogan’s podcast.’ And I’m like, ‘What’s a podcast?’”
Reaves said. “Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would be doing something like that.”
“This Country Life” takes listeners through life in Arkansas as seen and lived by Reaves.
“It’s not a how-to hunt and fish show, although there is some of that stuff in there,” he said. “It’s more about the roots of me growing up, the experiences I’ve had as a human being, interacting with others and the lessons that I’ve learned from it.
“It’s just observations that I’ve made from my experiences with people in the outdoors and really anywhere.”
Reaves said what he enjoys most about the venture is reaching the hearts of people through common sentiment and experiences.
“People are starving for this kind of content, I think. We always put something out there without any profanity or anything like that,” he said. “I’ve got messages from people who say they save the content up for family travels and they will listen to it in the car as they’re riding down the road.
“I’ve heard from a family up in the Northeast somewhere who sits down Friday night at supper and listens to my podcast and they talk about what each of them liked and they’re sharing back and forth while they’re sitting at the table.
“When I think about how they’re sitting there looking at one another and talking to another and not staring at a cell phone screen, I get emotional about it. It’s pretty cool.”
“IT'S MORE ABOUT THE ROOTS OF ME GROWING UP, THE EXPERIENCES I'VE HAD AS A HUMAN BEING, INTERACTING WITH OTHER HUMANS AND THE LESSONS THAT I'VE LEARNED FROM IT.”
— BRENT REAVES
Brent Reaves (left), after being a protagonist in Clay Newcomb’s “Bear Grease” podcast, has spun off his own, “This Country Life.” Reaves grew up in Warren and had a lengthy career in law enforcement before entering the world of podcasting. Reaves and Newcomb are shown after a successful squirrel hunt with Newcomb’s feist dogs in the Arkansas Delta.
Hall of FAME
ARKANSAS AGRICULTURE HALL OF FAME TO ADD SIX
Since 1987, 192 people have been inducted for ag industry contributions
By CHAD HOOTEN & STEVE EDDINGTON
Six inductees will be added to the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame, recognizing industrychanging work in aquaculture, forestry, rice, poultry and cattle, as well as the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
The class will be formally inducted into the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame on March 28 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.
The six inductees that make up Class XXXVII are:
• AUBREY BLACKMON , of Houston, a founding member of Perry County Cattlemen’s Association in 1970 and recipient of the Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association lifetime service achievement award in 2012.
• CARL BROTHERS , of Stuttgart, who spent 53 years with Riceland Foods, retiring as senior vice president and chief operating officer and whose leadership was instrumental in passage of the 1985 farm bill, also known as the Food Security Act of 1985.
• CHUCK CULVER , of Fayetteville, retired University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture executive who helped secure more than $600 million in public and private funding for agriculture research and extension projects.
• MIKE FREEZE , of Little Rock, co-owner and operator of Keo Fish Farms – America’s largest producer of hybrid striped bass fry and fingerlings – who helped Arkansas become one of the top three states in aquaculture production.
• The late JACK REAPER , of Albion, who was a prisoner of war in a German concentration camp before starting with a 24-acre farm in White County and growing it into a model farm that included poultry, cattle and row crops.
• FRANK WILSON , of Rison, who began planting pine trees with his dad more than 70 years ago and started Wilson Brothers Lumber Co. in 1972, followed by several logging companies and other timber industry enterprises producing more than 100 jobs in rural Cleveland County.
Since the first class in 1987, a total of 192 men and women have been inducted for significant contributions to Arkansas’s largest industry and the economic impact of the industry.
“What an amazing group of farmers and those who help our farmers make agriculture Arkansas’s No. 1 business sector,” said Hall of Fame Chair Debbie Moreland of Roland. “Agriculture is such a critical cultural and economic part of Arkansas. It is what binds so much of our state together.
“These we will induct have made a national impact on rice, soybeans, cattle, cotton, timber, aquaculture and have helped steer the academic and research efforts that underpin Arkansas agriculture.
“I say this often to my friends, and it bears repeating: Agriculture is one of the great success stories of our state. The Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame is pleased to bring recognition to these individuals who have impacted our state’s largest industry in such a positive way.”
The Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame was originated by Paul Harvel, C.R. Sawrie and the Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce in 1987. The program seeks to build public awareness of agriculture, and to honor past and current leaders who have given selflessly to the farm industry, their communities and to economic development in the state.
AUBREY BLACKMON
Aubrey Blackmon grew Blackmon Farms in Houston from one cow and one calf to more than 350 momma cows at its peak while serving the cattle industry at the state and national levels.
Blackmon, whose dad homesteaded in Jessieville, bought land in Perry County in 1968 and began with one cow and a calf, but the cow died, and the family decided to slaughter the calf. Blackmon bounced back, rebuilding his operation with improved pasture and easier-to-maintain cattle. Along with raising cattle, he served the industry in numerous capacities.
With involvement in the Arkansas Cattlemen's Association for over 50 years, Blackmon is referred to as the cattlemen’s “historian.” He was a founding member of Perry County Cattlemen’s Association in 1970 before becoming ACA president in 2005 and earning its Lifetime Service Achievement Award in 2012. Recognizing his unique legacy, in 2023 the ACA renamed the honor the “Aubrey Blackmon Lifetime Service Achievement Award.”
As president of the ACA, Blackmon steered crucial initiatives, including support in 2005 for the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, eliminating sales tax on reproductive livestock equipment and ensuring a safe reopening for cattle trade at the U.S.-Canada border.
Blackmon also served three terms on the Arkansas Beef Council beginning in 2008. He was twice appointed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion Board and served from 2021-23 on the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Federation board.
Blackmon attended high school in Jessieville. He credits most of his knowledge gained from his time on the farm and the highway construction business he entered after high school.
CARL BROTHERS
Carl Brothers’ influence on the U.S. rice industry and other commodities was significant during his 53-year career at Riceland Foods Inc. in Stuttgart.
He worked his way up from the night shift as an electric sorter operator without a college degree in 1965 to Riceland’s administrative offices, where he marketed Arkansas rice around the world. Riceland rose to the world’s largest rice miller and marketer during his tenure. Brothers retired from Riceland in 2018.
In 2009, Brothers was recognized with the USA Rice Federation Lifetime Achievement Award for major accomplishments benefiting the industry.
Arkansas leads America in rice production, and Brothers contributed to the top ranking. The former senior vice president and chief operating officer’s leadership and expertise in the marketing loan programs for rice was instrumental in the 1985 farm bill, also known as the Food Security Act of 1985.
Brothers’ work during Ronald Reagan’s presidency created USDA marketing loans, allowing farmers and cooperatives to place rice into a government loan program and draw the initial loan value while marketing their crops. His work crafting the bill allowed farmers and co-ops, holding the loans, to repay at the lower of the loan value or the current world market price for rice.
The 1964 Little Rock Central graduate chaired the USA Rice Federation from 1996-98 and Rice Miller’s Association in 1988 and 1997. He was also a member of the USDA Policy Advisory and Agriculture Technical Advisory committees.
CHUCK CULVER
Chuck Culver cultivated and facilitated key relationships, establishing legal and administrative infrastructures while obtaining funding via private development and federal advocacy. He helped secure more than $600 million in public and private funding for agriculture research and extension projects during his tenure with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, including federal funding for 25 major research and extension projects for the Division of Agriculture, UA-Fayetteville, UA-Pine Bluff, UA-Monticello and Arkansas State University. Culver also led fundraising efforts for the establishment of 30 agricultural research and extension facilities and centers across Arkansas.
Culver helped champion the major increase of the USDA Agricultural Research Service presence in Arkansas, including construction of the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center laboratory building and the establishment of two national centers: the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center in Little Rock and the National Agricultural Law Center in Fayetteville. Culver also drafted the federal Lower Mississippi Delta Development Act that led to the creation of the Delta Regional Authority.
Culver retired in 2024 after 34 years with the Division of Agriculture, having served as director of external relations and interim vice president of agriculture from 2021-22.
Born in Greenville, Miss., Culver earned a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University, as well as a Juris Doctor and a master’s in agricultural law from the University of Arkansas. He joined the UADA in 1990. Culver has previously served as counsel for agriculture and rural development for the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and as a legislative assistant for agriculture in the office of U.S. Sen. Dale Bumpers.
Culver serves on the board of directors of AgHeritage FCS and Butterfield Trail Village, a church-established nonprofit life care community in Fayetteville.
MIKE FREEZE
Mike Freeze operates the largest hybrid striped bass hatchery in the world at the Keo Fish Farm, which spawns more than 100 million hybrid striped bass annually and is one of the top three producers of genetically engineered triploid grass carp in the United States.
Freeze successfully campaigned to create a farmerled nonprofit trade association advocating for U.S. aquaculture in 1989. He then served as president of the National Aquaculture Association during its formative years, 1990-92, and again from 2011-16. He still serves on the NAA Board of Directors as a president emeritus and on key committees driving the association’s work. In 2019, the NAA honored Freeze with its highest recognition: the Joseph P. McCraren Distinguished Lifetime Contributions Award.
Freeze has advocated for fish farmers through written testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Agriculture Committee and as Arkansas’s chapter president for the American Fisheries Society. He has served on the Arkansas Farm Bureau board for more than a decade, including the past six years as its vice president.
Born in Pine Bluff, Freeze earned a bachelor’s degree in fisheries and wildlife management at Arkansas Tech University in 1975, while working through college as a fish researcher at Lake Dardanelle. He completed a master’s degree in biology from Murray State University in 1977.
Freeze worked as a fisheries biologist for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and was later appointed by Gov. Mike Huckabee as a commissioner to the AGFC and became the first former employee to serve as chairman of the commission.
In 2004, the Freezes were named the Lonoke County Farm Family of the Year.
JACK REAPER
Jack Reaper was a World War II soldier, who was captured by the Germans and ended his military time as a prisoner of war. He was determined to stay alive and return to White County as a farmer. His agricultural beginnings were humble, even by post-war standards. He started with 24 acres of corn and cotton, which grew under his dedication and stewardship to more than 1,500 acres. It became one of the most diversified and profitable farms in the state.
Reaper made a science out of farming and changed in 1963 from broilers to a commercial laying operation, including a 30-case per hour washer and grader machine. He also contracted with other county farmers to produce eggs that were marketed in Arkansas and the northeastern United States. At its peak, the operation boasted more than 250,000 layers before returning to the broiler business and producing more than 650,000 annually.
The work earned Arkansas Family of the Year honors in 1964. The Arkansas Democrat referred to Reaper’s farm as one of “progress and steady improvement.”
He often said he wanted to “make a good farm better,” and Reaper’s farm became more multifaceted. Beef cattle were added, with more than 400 head of mixed commercial cows. In 1978, Reaper was one of the first farmers in the area to precision-level land and build 60 acres of reservoirs and a tailwater recovery system. From 1982-2012, he operated a 600-head Holstein-replacement heifer operation for dairies.
Born in Hickory Flat in 1925, Reaper graduated from Pleasant Plains High School. He died Dec. 7, 2016, having built a diverse enterprise, finding solutions to farming problems in the Ozark Mountain foothills.
FRANK WILSON
Frank Wilson founded Wilson Brothers Lumber in 1982, along with his brothers Grady and Jewel, and grew it into an industry giant over the next four decades.
Wilson started planting trees before he was 10 years old with his dad in Cleveland County. He cut pulpwood with a bow saw as a teen before earning a McCullough Chainsaw scholarship he used to complete a forestry degree in 1966 at Arkansas A&M (now UA-Monticello). Wilson worked for a wood dealer to International Paper and joined Weyerhaeuser before building a weekend sawmill business in 1972 at Rison. A decade later, the Wilson Brothers Lumber Co. became a full-time family operation offering rural Cleveland County muchneeded jobs over the past 40 years.
Wilson’s entrepreneurial spirit created Tri-W Logging in 1985 and then A&W Logging, River Ridge Equipment, Cleveland County Auto Parts and 5-Star Machine Shop. Wilson Brothers Lumber constructed a new sawmill in 2017, increasing its annual production to 20 million board feet of hardwood railroad ties and lumber. Wilson also owns individually, and as a partner with Frank & Grady LLLP, more than 17,000 acres of timberland in south Arkansas.
He developed a software accounting program, called Timber Tract, in 1999 to assist producers in multiple states, and later the Land Tract and Equipment Tract programs to aid landowners with forest management and financial records.
The Cleveland County Hospital, the Rural Water Users Association and the Bank of Rison benefited from Wilson’s leadership on their boards.
In PHOTOS
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN ELECTRICAL LINEMAN
Safety and family are keys
Photos and Story by MATTHEW
MAGDEFRAU
Spending a day with Brandon Grinde and his team of electrical linemen revealed a universal truth: Passion for your trade is essential.
Grinde is a journeyman foreman for Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc., the statewide association of the state’s electric cooperatives. While transitioning from active military service, Grinde’s nephew persuaded him to become a lineman. He began his journeyman career in Colorado, honing his skills in the challenging granite-filled soils of the Rocky Mountains. Inspired by his wife’s fond childhood memories of Arkansas, Grinde decided to relocate his family to the South a year ago. If there’s one word to describe a day in the life of a lineman, it’s safety. Every day starts with a safety briefing. The foreman meticulously reviews the tasks ahead, outlines how the crew will accomplish them and, most importantly, discusses the precautions needed to ensure everyone’s safety.
Those in the profession say safety is foremost and the work is more a calling than a career. Their day-to-day work is vital to everyday life.
In PHOTOS: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN ELECTRICAL LINEMAN
Linemen say no two days are alike – each has new challenges and solutions are rarely straightforward. So, a positive attitude is crucial: "My No. 1 rule is no bad attitudes on the job," says Brandon Grinde, a foreman with Arkansas Electric Cooperatives.
THE ETHOS
GRINDE EXPLAINED that linemen live by the code, “I am my brother’s (or sister’s) keeper.” This ethos means the crew always look out for one another. Electricity is inherently dangerous, and there was a time when being a lineman was considered one of the most hazardous jobs in the United States. However, the industry has undergone a purposeful shift toward safety and intentionality, transforming it into a profession that rarely ranks on danger lists.
For Grinde, maintaining a positive attitude is key to success.
“My No. 1 rule is no bad attitudes on the job,” he shared.
Negativity can lead to carelessness, and carelessness is where incidents happen.
Line work is an ever-changing puzzle. No two days are alike, and flexibility is crucial. This constant variety is what drives many in the industry. Each day presents new challenges, and solutions are rarely straightforward.
The foreman typically begins with plans drawn up by an engineer, but these are merely starting points. It’s up to the foreman to interpret the plans and lead the team in executing them. During a morning with Grinde, his team faced its own set of challenges – from performing a hotline swap to navigating road crossings and ensuring offshoot lines were properly set. Efficiency and effectiveness are the hallmarks of a lineman’s work. They’re presented with problems and expected to solve them swiftly and safely.
When thinking of first responders, it’s common to think of law enforcement, medical professionals and firefighters. But linemen are first responders, too – though they are often overlooked. When storms knock out power, linemen are often the first on the scene, sometimes braving the elements before the weather clears. If a car crashes into a power pole, linemen are usually the first to address the situation.
It’s easy to feel frustrated during a power outage and blame the electric company. But behind the scenes, linemen work tirelessly rain or shine — guided by safety and efficiency — to restore power as quickly as possible.
In PHOTOS:
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN
ELECTRICAL LINEMAN
Linemen workers become like family, celebrating successes and providing mentoring — with a lot of laughter during time spent together. Grinde’s (left) work crew includes (l-r) Brayden Matty, Justin “Bird”
THE FAMILY BOND
WHILE WORKING during storm response situations all over the country, fluidity and flexibility become even harder. Grinde and his crew have responded to hurricanes, tornados and everything in between. As a lineman, you always need to be willing to hit the road. Brandon keeps a “two-week bag” in his truck, always ready to go.
Perhaps the most striking truth discovered during time with Grinde’s crew is they are more than a team; they are a family. As he put it, “I’m with these men more hours in a day, a week and a year than my own family. And I love my family.”
Spending so much time together fosters a deep bond. They celebrate each other’s successes, know their families and share a lot of laughs. The older generation takes pride in mentoring younger workers and passing down knowledge and skills.
Being a lineman is more than just a career – it’s a calling. It provides not only financial security for families but also immense satisfaction in the work. The apprenticeship to become a journeyman lineman is a four-year program that takes 8,000-9,000 hours of hands-on training, as well as an extensive book education on math, theory of electricity, electric safety code, rigging techniques, and safe and proper live line techniques.
“I urge young people interested in this work to reach out to their local electric co-op. Linemen love to share their trade with those who are interested,” Brandon shared.
A century ago, rural communities didn’t know the luxury of 24/7 electricity. Today, we can’t imagine life without it. So, the next time you see a crew working on power lines, take a moment to appreciate what they do. It’s not just a job — it’s a necessity.
Shull, Lucas Tanner and Keshawn Blevins.
County Farm Bureau Outreach
VIEW FROM THE COUNTIES
HERE IS A QUICK LOOK at some of the actions undertaken by county Farm Bureaus across Arkansas. Their work promoting agriculture in local communities is at the core of Arkansas Farm Bureau’s mission to 1) advocate the interests of agriculture in the public arena; 2) disseminate information concerning the value and importance of agriculture; and 3) provide products and services that improve the quality of life for its members.
Hempstead County Thanksgiving Meals
The Hempstead County Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee gathered to pack Thanksgiving meal boxes for those in their community.
Benton County Book Barn
The Benton County Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee recently donated 20 equine-focused books to the Pea Ridge Primary School Farm Book Barn. The Book Barn rotates throughout the elementary schools in Benton County, allowing students to learn about agriculture.
Backpack Program Donation
Benton County Farm Bureau recently partnered with Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry to deliver 4,000 meat sticks to be used in backpack programs at local schools.
Woodruff County Grilling
Woodruff County Farm Bureau Agency Manager Wes Fairchild and agent John Hanna recently fired up the grill to prepare a pregame meal for McCrory's girls and boys basketball teams.
Pictured with Fairchild and Hanna are members of the McCrory’s girls basketball team.
Monroe County Donation
One thousand snack sticks were delivered to Monroe County Farm Bureau to assist with programs in the Brinkley and Clarendon school districts. The donation was made possible through the Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry Snack Stick Program. Present for the donation are Jana Carroll, Monroe County Women’s Leadership Committee; Ronnie Ritter, AHFH; and Leann Wilkison, Monroe County WLC.
Newton County Dairy Cow
Newton County Farm Bureau recently brought the dairy cow simulator to the Touch-a-Truck Day at the Deer/Mount Judea School District. The event provided an opportunity for students to experience and learn about dairy farming in a fun, interactive way. Local farmers also brought their equipment, allowing students to explore tractors and other farming tools. The learning experience not only educated students about the equipment but also deepened their understanding of agriculture.
Independence County Book Donation
Helen Williams delivered copies of “My Grandpa, My Tree, and Me” to six local elementary schools on behalf of Independence County Farm Bureau Women's Leadership Committee. “My Grandpa, My Tree, and Me” was the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture’s “Book of the Year” in 2024.
Lee County Book Donation
The Lee County Farm Bureau Women's Leadership Committee, represented by Chair Kerry Stiles, recently passed out "Reddy the Farm Truck" books to children at Lee Academy.
SPRING TREAT
Taste Arkansas
Strawberry bread & honey butter recipe
NOTHING SAYS SPRING MORE THAN FRESH ARKANSAS STRAWBERRIES. If you’ve been a fan of the (rather short) strawberry season in Arkansas, then you know how quickly it flies by. With that in mind, don’t miss the chance to enjoy Arkansas strawberries at their finest. Whether you typically pair them with shortcake, add them on top of your ice cream or just enjoy them as a stand-alone treat, these recipes are sure to be your bread and butter for spring.
This bread combines the dense warmth of a homemade loaf with sweet strawberries. Pair it with our strawberry honey butter for breakfast or enjoy it as its own savory-sweet treat.
Strawberry honey butter
INGREDIENTS
• 10-12 medium strawberries
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup salted butter (room temperature)
INSTRUCTIONS
• Puree strawberries in a food processor or blender. You will need 1/2 cup of strawberry puree.
• With a hand blender, mix in honey and lemon juice.
• Whip strawberry mixture with room temperature butter.
• Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
Strawberry quick bread
INGREDIENTS
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup 2% milk
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups diced strawberries
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
INSTRUCTIONS
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a bowl, mix together sugar, milk, oil, egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine 2 cups of flour, baking powder and salt.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently stir until combined.
• In a small bowl toss the diced strawberries and two tablespoons of flour to coat the strawberries. Fold the floured strawberries gently into the batter. This will help prevent all the strawberries from sinking to the bottom of the pan.
• Pour batter into a greased 9-by-5-inch bread pan and bake at 350 F for 50-55 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center of the bread should come out clean.
• Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove the bread to a wire rack to cool completely.
The homemade loaf is known for dense warmth paired with the sweet strawberries.
DELTA CHILD
WE WORSHIPPED THE SUN
By TALYA TATE BOERNER
If I could rewind the clock on my 62 years, I would take better care of my skin, beginning at a much younger age.
Oh, we were sun worshippers, alright — my sister, cousin and I. And we weren’t the only ones. Many girls of my generation, especially those raised in the sultry South, spent countless hours baking beneath the blazing sun. We laid on plastic lounge chairs in the backyard, listened to WHBQ on the radio and devoured Teen Magazine. Our dedication to the sun was absolute, second only to Jesus. Magazines of the day reinforced our gospel belief in the power of a golden tan.
I’m not kidding when I say we lived by primitive tanning commandments: 1) we used Coppertone lotion or Hawaiian Tropic oil (SPF 4) primarily for the intoxicating scent; 2) the stiller we lay, the more quickly the sun’s magical rays would work; 3) flipping over every 30 minutes ensured an even glow (think rotisserie chicken); and 4) a tan body was thinner and more fit.
Yes, while the fields spread around our house and the redwinged blackbirds cawed at one another, we surrendered to the sun.
Today, this horrifies me. Now, I buy SPF 50 in bulk.
But back then, SPF barely existed. It certainly wasn’t encouraged. We read nothing about skin cancer or aging within the glossy pages of Teen Magazine. Sure, an uncle or two sometimes had bad spots removed from their forearms or foreheads, but we couldn’t or wouldn't connect the dots. After all, they were old farmers. We would never be old, and we certainly wouldn’t be farmers! Either scenario was impossible to imagine, particularly while wrapped in youthful invincibility and sporting a new polka dot bikini from Sears.
Our sun addiction was real.
One brisk, sunny morning while the farmers were still dreaming of planting soybeans, my sister, cousin and I set out to start our summer tans right then and there. We had spent the previous night at my cousin’s house, and the day’s bright sunshine only emphasized our blindingly pale winter skin. We donned our bathing suits (evidently, we traveled to sleepovers
with them), popped fresh batteries into my cousin’s cassette player, and grabbed towels from the bathroom.
Aunt Lavern intercepted us in the kitchen: “Where do you girls think you’re going? You’ll freeze your fannies off.”
“But it’s so sunny outside,” we whined in unison.
“Call Time and Temperature and see just how cold it is,” she said, laughing incredulously and continuing to wash the lunch dishes.
First National Bank time, 11:50 a.m. Downtown temperature, 47 degrees.
We deflated slightly but felt in our bones that the sun’s warmth would intensify once we fully committed to the idea.
Finally, after some masterful pestering, we struck a deal with Aunt Lavern: If the temperature reached 50 degrees, we could give it a go. “But you’ll freeze,” she repeated with a chuckle.
Over and over, we dialed Time and Temperature. … Downtown temperature, 48 degrees.
Eventually, 49.
Finally, after tying up the phone for at least an hour, the temperature reached 50 degrees!
We raced out the back door and spread Aunt Lavern’s patchwork quilt near the swing set where the house partially blocked the biting wind. With The Partridge Family queued up on the cassette player and visions of tan legs stretching long and lean, we committed ourselves to an early summer –very early. Easter was still a month away.
Two hours later, we returned inside with wind-burned skin but declared the afternoon an incredible success. Not only did we fail to understand the importance of SPF (or the real difference between tan and pink), but we didn’t respect the power wielded by a fierce wind whipping across a bare field.
Maya Angelou said, “When you know better, you do better.” This certainly rings true for our sun worshipping days.
All these years later, sunny, false-spring days tug at a nostalgic place deeply rooted inside me. I still wouldn’t trade my warm memory from that afternoon for anything, but I would top it off with an application of serious sunscreen and a good hat.
Talya Tate Boerner, a fourth-generation Arkansas farm girl, has been published in Arkansas Review, Ponder Review and Writer’s Digest.
