Front Porch Magazine - Spring 2019

SPRING 2019

Why soybeans matter to Arkansas and the world Also: Rural Road Trip

Deli Delicious Recipes

Porch Front

6 CONTENT Farm Bureau Matters

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Helping Farmers, Helping You

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The Miracle Bean

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Randy Veach

Warren Carter

Keith Sutton

Rural Road Stories

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Member Services Update

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Taste Arkansas

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Delta Child

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Keith Sutton

Autumn Wood

Rob Anderson and Ken Moore

Talya Tate Boerner

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Cover design by Bryan Pistole

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Farm Bureau Matters

by Randy Veach | President, Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation

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here is a basketful of issues facing our farmers and ranchers, issues that reach far beyond the boundaries of our farms and will likely be resolved by people we never meet.

Allow me to share some of the timeliest topics, and Farm Bureau’s involvement on those issues on behalf of our members and the state’s largest industry.

Trade USMCA – With Mexico and Canada as our largest trading partners for U.S. farm products, the United States, Mexico and Canada Agreement (USMCA) needs to be finalized by Congress. This is the first Free Trade Agreement (FTA) for the U.S. that includes measures that address cooperation, information sharing, and other trade rules related to biotechnology and gene editing. There are also provisions that enhance science-based standards for the safety and quality of imported ag products.

TPP – After expressing distrust with the Trans Pacific Partnership, and officially withdrawing the U.S. from this agreement, the Trump Administration is now reevaluating and pursuing a course of bilateral trade agreements with many of the countries involved in the original TPP. The American Farm Bureau estimated that under TPP annual net farm income would have increased by $4.4 billion, driven by an increase of direct U.S. agricultural exports. It is estimated that increased marketing opportunities for U.S. farmers and ranchers would have added more than 40,100 jobs to the U.S. economy.

U.S-E.U. Negotiations – The United States and the European Union are beginning negotiations toward a trade agreement. This would expand the world’s largest commercial relationship with $1 trillion of trade in goods and services annually and $3.7 trillion in two-way direct investment. U.S. agriculture is poised for growth in the European market. Last year, U.S. farmers and ranchers exported just under $13 billion to the EU, while the EU in turn exported $25 billion worth of agricultural products to our country. Farm Bureau supports leveling the playing field for U.S. agriculture in the European market and removing trade barriers.

Regulatory reform New Clean Water Rule – Clean water matters to all of us.

For years, AFBF and others in agriculture have been calling for clean water and clear rules, because we know it’s possible to have both. We support the new rule being considered by EPA. Endangered Species Act – The ESA should not be reauthorized in its current form. The current federal ESA must be amended and updated to accommodate the needs of both endangered and threatened species and humans with complete respect for private property rights within the framework of

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ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU • SPRING 2019

the United States Constitution. The human need for food, fiber, shelter and energy should be the first priority. Endangered and threatened species protection can be more effectively achieved by providing incentives to private landowners and public land users rather than by imposing land-use restrictions or penalties.

Immigration reform Agriculture Labor Reform – Farm Bureau supports legislative reform that provides access to a legal and stable agricultural workforce in the short- and long-term. Farm work is challenging, often seasonal and transitory, and with fewer and fewer Americans growing up on the farm, it’s increasingly difficult to find American workers attracted to these kinds of jobs. Farm labor can’t all be replaced by machines either. There are certain farm jobs, like tending livestock and pruning or picking fresh produce, that require a human touch. Workers from other countries have provided crucial support to American agriculture. Congress needs to pass responsible immigration reform that addresses agriculture’s current experienced workforce and creates a new flexible guest-worker program.

Instability in the agricultural workforce places domestic food production at risk. Increasing immigration enforcement without also reforming our worker visa program could cost America $60 billion in agricultural production because many have lost their farms because they couldn’t get workers.

Rural infrastructure – Our deteriorating infrastructure threatens U.S. agriculture’s position as a world leader and negatively impacts the ability of rural Americans to do their jobs. We have huge challenges in rural America with inadequate roads and bridges hindering daily travel and the transport of our products to market. These issues are compounded when you look at our navigable waterways, which need to be dredged, a process that will also help drainage for our cities and towns.

Broadband – Rural broadband is essential to modern agriculture, farmers and ranchers, and the quality of life for rural Americans. In fact, it’s necessary to move the businesses and the citizens of our state into the modern age and keep our state competitive. Farm Bureau supports using the Universal Service Fund to expand broadband deployment to rural areas.

We also support using a combination of tax incentives, grants and/or regulation to increase the use of broadband access in rural areas.

Please know that Farm Bureau will continue to serve as your voice on these, and other, issues facing America’s farmers and ranchers and all the citizens of Arkansas.

God bless you and your families. God bless our farmers and ranchers. And may God bless the United States of America.

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Porch Front

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

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Included in membership dues ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU OFFICERS:

President • Randy Veach, Manila Vice President • Rich Hillman, Carlisle Secretary/Treasurer • Joe Christian, Jonesboro Executive Vice President • Warren Carter, Little Rock DIRECTORS:

Jon Carroll, Moro Terry Dabbs, Stuttgart Sherry Felts, Joiner Mike Freeze, Little Rock Bruce Jackson, Lockesburg Tom Jones, Pottsville Terry Laster, Strong Jeremy Miller, Huntsville Gene Pharr, Lincoln Caleb Plyler, Hope Rusty Smith, Des Arc Joe Thrash, Houston Dan Wright, Waldron EX OFFICIO

Magen Allen, Bismarck Donna Bemis, Little Rock Adam Cloninger, Keo Dustin Cowell, Deer Executive Editor • Steve Eddington Editor • Rob Anderson Contributing Writers • Ken Moore, Gregg Patterson, Maddison Stewart, Keith Sutton ADVERTISING

Contact David Brown at Publishing Concepts for advertising rates dbrown@pcipublishing.com (501) 221-9986 Fax (501) 225-3735 Front Porch (USPS 019-879) is published quarterly by the Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation 10720 Kanis Rd., Little Rock, AR 72211 Periodicals Postage paid at Little Rock, AR POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Rhonda Whitley at rhonda.whitley@arfb.com Front Porch • P.O. Box 31 • Little Rock, AR 72203 Please provide membership number Issue #111 Publisher assumes no responsibility for any errors or omissions. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

The Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation reserves the right to accept or reject all advertising requests.

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ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU • SPRING 2019

Helping Farmers, Helping You

by Warren Carter | Executive Vice President, Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation

Just Keep Growing

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n this issue of “Front Porch,” we highlight one of the state’s biggest and most important crops: Soybeans. Despite a year of trade turmoil and weather woes that put extreme stress on their business budgets and families, soybean farmers are back in the fields this spring, planting and preparing for another year.

That’s just what farmers do.

Spring is here, offering another chance for dedicated row-crop growers to get back in the fields they love and return to the work that means so much to them and to our state, our country and the world. Their work continues, in good circumstances and bad, just as ranchers, poultry and swine growers continue their work no matter what the season or the current market prices may be. It’s in their blood – in some cases, literally, as they continue to work the land their families have owned for generations.

Resilience is defined by MerriamWebster as “an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change,” and that certainly applies to farmers (though some may object to the “easily” part). In physical terms, Merriam’s defines resilience as “the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after damage caused by compressive stress,” and though this technically refers to the properties of rubber and other elastic material, it could also be appropriate for describing farmers.

Farms and farming operations are squeezed economically by low prices and international trade battles that impact demand. Too much or too little rain and unexpected temperature swings can add even more crushing strain. During the late fall and throughout the winter months, farmers feel this pressure as they decide what and how much to grow in the coming year and how much they should or can invest in new equipment or land. When spring arrives, the farmers work to return their land – their livelihood – to its original and

familiar shape. They prepare their acres and plant their seeds. They watch the weather and the markets. They work hard and pray and they hope this year the pressure isn’t quite as strong as last; the weight easier to bear.

That’s just what farmers do.

Unfortunately, bouncing back is not guaranteed, particularly after years and years – season after season – of stress. Studies have shown farm income has declined by almost 50 percent since 2013 and the USDA forecast net farm income of $69.4 billion this year, which would be the third year of net income below $70 billion since 2015. Meanwhile, production expenses are expected to rise again and government payments are projected to decline. All of this has led to stress and mental health issues for farmers, with the number of calls to the Farm Aid crisis line doubling from 2017 to 2018.

Still, in spite of these challenges, the work continues.

According to dealer reports, farm equipment sales remained generally strong in 2018, USDA data shows Arkansas rice production was higher in 2018 than any of the three previous years, and recent prospective planting reports predict an increase in cotton and corn acres in the state. The demand for food and food products will only rise in the coming years as the world’s population continues to grow and agriculture remains firmly entrenched as the top industry in Arkansas.

If you drive almost anywhere in the state right now, you’ll see the work happening in fields and pastures.

Those are our determined farmers illustrating resilience, pushing back against immense pressure and returning to form in order to meet the needs of their families and of ours.

That’s just what farmers do and have always done.

And it’s why we do what we do to support them and to share their stories and struggles.

Farms and farming operations are squeezed economically by low prices and international trade battles that impact demand.

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Soybeans originated in China where they have been an important food crop for thousands of years. The first crop in the U.S. was planted in Georgia in 1765, but soybeans weren’t widely grown here until the mid 1850s.

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BEAN The Miracle

How Soybeans Grew into a Staple of Arkansas Agriculture

By Keith Sutton

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t would be difficult to overstate the importance of soybeans to Arkansas’ economy. According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, Natural State farmers grew soybeans on 3.24 million acres in 2018.

That’s almost one-tenth of the state’s total land area.

That makes soybeans Arkansas’s largest row crop, accounting for more acres than rice, corn, sorghum and wheat combined. Last year’s production, in 41 of the state’s 75 counties, amounted to 165.24 million bushels worth approximately $1.5 billion.

Soybeans originated in China where they have been grown as a food crop for thousands of years. But, if a modern-day soybean farmer were handed an ancient soybean plant, he or she probably wouldn’t recognize it.

The robust stand-up varieties we grow today bear little resemblance to the looping vines with narrow purple leaves and little purple flowers cultivated centuries ago.

Even the seeds differed from today’s versions. They were round and hard, but unlike modern tan-colored seeds, they were black to dark brown in color.

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Jacob Hartz Sr. of Stuttgart envisioned the use of soybeans as a rotation crop in the nitrogen-depleted cotton and rice fields of Arkansas. His efforts helped lead to the growth of a soybean industry that today is a $1.5 billion cash crop in the state, where more than 3 million acres are grown annually.

Doug Hartz shows a photograph of his grandfather, Jacob Hartz Sr., who planted the first soybean crop in Arkansas in 1925.

Photo courtesy of Ark. Agriculture Hall of Fame

Photo by Keith Sutton

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American Odyssey

Many historians credit Benjamin Franklin with introducing soybeans to America, but that recognition actually should go to Samuel Bowen, a sea captain for the East India Company. He brought soybeans to Georgia, where they were first planted in 1765. Soy sauce was the primary soy product back then, and not the oil and meal that would later be used to make such things as margarine, shortening, animal food, plastics and paint.

Farmers in other states were raising soybeans decades before Arkansas, thanks in part to Dr. Benjamin Franklin

Edwards, an Illinois physician. While visiting San Francisco, Edwards examined some men rescued from a sinking Japanese junk and received soybeans as a gift from them. Upon his return home to Alton, he gave the seeds to a friend, John Lea, who planted them in his garden in the summer of 1851.

The seeds Lea harvested found their way to gardeners in Iowa and to Andrew Ernst, a well-known horticulturist in Cincinnati. Ernst planted the soybeans, gathered the seeds and sent samples to the New York State Agricultural Society, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and the U.S. Commissioner of Patents.

Those organizations sent soybean seeds to dozens of farmers throughout the U.S. In the following two years, testimonials about the potential value of soybeans as a forage plant appeared in newspapers, agricultural journals and letters written to the commissioner of patents. Soon more farmers began to grow soybeans, and the range of the crop spread considerably. In the entire United States, 50,000 acres were planted in 1917, but by 1924, that number had grown to 2.5 million acres. Until the next year, however, Arkansas was not among the soybean-producing states.

Beginnings in Arkansas

That changed when Jacob Hartz Sr. and A.R. Thorell, owners of the newly formed Hartz-Thorell Supply Co. in Stuttgart, bought a few bushels of Laredo soybeans from a producer in Illinois.

The Laredo variety was used chiefly for the production of hay, but Hartz and Thorell knew that the soybeans would be of even greater value to Arkansas rice farmers. The farmers could use them to replenish nitrogen in the soil that was lost when rice was grown. Hartz planted the first seeds in 1925, producing Arkansas’ first soybean crop.

In a 1980 interview published in the Stuttgart Daily Leader, Marion Hartz, son of Jacob Hartz Sr., said, “Those first beans were given in amounts of one-half and one bushel to various farmers around the area for use on land which had been in rice for a number of years. Some of it was allowed to grow to maturity, some was cut for hay, and some was plowed under for use as a green manure crop. The following year, they saw definite yield increases in their rice.”

Thereafter, Hartz and Thorell became what one reporter called “soybean evangelists.” Hartz founded Jacob Hartz Seed Co., a division of

By the 1970s, when this harvest photo was shot, Arkansas farmers were growing between 4 and 5 million acres of soybeans in the state, up from 2.5 million acres in 1960 and 646,000 acres in 1950.

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Hartz-Thorell Supply Co., in 1925 and began what his sons sometimes referred to as “Pop’s preaching of the soybean gospel.” He worked closely with Heartsill Banks, assistant director of the University of Arkansas Rice Branch Experiment Station near Stuttgart, traveling throughout the Delta promoting the benefits of soybeans.

“Dad would talk about the practical aspects while Mr. Banks would discuss the technical side. People called them the Soybean Twins,” Marion Hartz said.

Continued Expansion

Cotton was the dominant crop in Arkansas when Hartz planted his first soybean crop. But as the 1930s unfolded, farmers hit with floods, droughts, the Great Depression and other calamities experimented with other crops to improve profit margins. By 1940, they were planting 176,000 soybean acres annually, and when World War II erupted a year later, the soybean continued its steady progression to becoming the state’s most important crop. Soybean oil became more popular during the war when other vegetable oil sources from Asia and the Pacific were shut down as the war raged.

Hartz-Thorell grew with the expansion of soybeans in Arkansas. In 1927, the company ran the only seed cleaner in the state and custom combined the crop for local farmers in return for a cash fee. In 1936, it built its first seed-processing plant, the most modern of its kind in the mid-south. There were storage bins at the plant, too, so farmers had a place for their seeds.

In 1942, Hartz and Thorell divided their history-making company, Thorell keeping the equipment business while Hartz took the seed division. As president of Hartz Seed Co., Jake never stopped promoting soybeans and expanding markets for the crop.

Thanks in large part to his efforts, soybean acreage reached 1.16 million by 1956, exceeding the total of the state’s foremost crop, cotton, which stood at 1.42 million acres. That same year, the value of the soybean crop surpassed that of rice for the first time – $58.4 million for soybeans, versus $56.8 million for rice.

During the 1960s, soybeans became even more popular because they required fewer herbicides and pesticides than corn, rice or other crops. Mechanization during this time helped curb labor shortages and improve soybean yields and popularity as well.

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Family Remembrances

Doug Hartz, son of Marion and grandson of Jake Sr., runs Hartz Farm Management Inc. in Stuttgart and has carried on the family’s soybean legacy. Not only is he a farmer, but he is an active member of the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board, Arkansas Soybean Association and the American Soybean Association. He remembers helping plant beans on the family farm in the 1960s.

“We would take the hoppers off the tool bar of our planter, then each of us would sit on the tool bar holding a manila envelope that held exactly 100 seeds,” he says. “As the planter moved slowly along the row, we dribbled the seeds one at a time into a funnel that dropped the seeds in the furrow, hoping to time it perfectly so when the tractor stopped moving on that row, the seeds were gone.

Needless to say, it was a slow way to plant—much different from the way things are done today.”

Doug Hartz said he is occasionally awed by the results of his grandfather’s efforts to make soybeans an important crop in Arkansas.

“When I drive across the state now and see soybeans everywhere, that’s pretty amazing,” he says. “It’s awesome knowing my grandfather and other family members had such a big hand in starting the soybean boom here — really awesome. Soybeans helped grow the poultry industry in our state, too, by providing a ready source of meal for making chicken and turkey feed. And in the same way, it benefited the swine and cattle industries here, too. As the middle class continues growing in countries around the world, the demand for protein will continue growing, and I believe soybeans are going to play a large role in that as well. Given soybean's past, there’s no telling what the future holds.”

A Farmer’s Perspective: Derek Haigwood, Newport

By Rob Anderson

Derek Haigwood and his wife, Shannon, won the Arkansas Farm Bureau’s 2015 Young Farmers & Ranchers (YF&R) Achievement Award.

The Haigwoods are a fourth-generation row-crop farm family and grow soybeans, rice, corn and cotton on more than 3,000 acres near Newport. Derek has served as Jackson County Farm Bureau president, vice president and secretary and currently serves as a United Soybean Board director and chairman of the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC).

Tell me about you and your family’s connection to soybeans – a little personal history about your farm and farming history.

“Growing up, soybeans were always a major part of our operation. In fact, the majority of our acres have always been soybeans. I grew up seeing my grandfather and father farm and I was out there driving a tractor as soon as I was old enough.

“Agriculture in general is such a great life and a great way to be raised. It helps you develop grit. You fight mother nature and prices and there’s no reset.

You get up in the morning and go do the best job you can and, in the meantime, you take care of the most precious asset – the land. When I think of farming, I think of soybeans because that’s what people want to buy and we have the infrastructure for it. It’s the real staple in our operation.”

Why are soybeans so important to Arkansas? The U.S.?

“Really, it’s about the versatility and the demand. In Arkansas, you can

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grow a huge variety of soybeans. We are able to produce this crop relatively easily and sustainably and we have the infrastructure here to ship it all over the world at great rates. As chair of U.S. Soybean Export Council, I have traveled all around the world and met customers face-to-face, so I know first-hand how much our soy is in-demand and how there’s a preference for U.S. soy. We grow the best in the world. Scientific data backs this up and we promote that. There’s such a big demand that 60 percent of our soybeans are now exported.

“Soybeans are primarily used for animal feed – feed for aquaculture, pork, poultry, and so on. But, there are an unbelievable amount of uses for soybeans – soybean oil for renewable energy purposes, heating oil, ink, plastics, crayons, and even foam for seats and chairs.”

What are the biggest issues facing soybean farmers right now?

“Low prices are always an issue.

Every generation has to deal with them at some point, though. We want trade with China. They are the largest importer of our soybeans by far – around 90 million metric tons per year.”

Beyond hearing about the demand, what else have you learned in your leadership role within the soybean industry?

“That the future is bright for soybeans. We have focused a lot of effort and time on developing new markets – you look at India and Southeast Asia as a whole. Huge population increases

Derek Haigwood are expected in that region. They love pork and poultry throughout Southeast Asia, and poultry consumption in India continues to grow, so there will be a bigger need for feed.

“Coming back to farm after I travel, what I focus on is producing the most consistent and sustainable crop year in and year out and meeting that growing need. “ What is something most people don’t know about soybean farming?

“How unbelievably sustainable U.S. soybean farming is – we grow more soy on less land, with less water and fewer chemicals than ever … We’ve reduced greenhouse gas emissions and our carbon footprint is shrinking.

We’re taking marginal ground out of production and we’re making the best, most productive land even better and more fertile. “

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The Science of Soybean Success

A Q & A with Dr. Leandro Mozzoni

As associate professor of soybean breeding at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Dr. Leandro Mozzoni is considered one of the state’s leading experts on this valuable crop. We asked if he would answer a few questions about soybeans and share some of his insights.

Why do soybeans work so well in Arkansas?

“Soybean is a crop that responds to photoperiod and temperature. Short days and warmer temperatures advance the plants towards flowering at a faster pace. In the Arkansas Delta, the average last-frost date occurs in early April, resulting in over 200 freeze-free days per year. This is a competitive advantage over the Midwest for it allows farmers to plant earlier in the year to ensure the crop reaches reproductive stages (full bloom) around the summer solstice (June 21st) for maximum yield potential.

“Additionally, soybean responds very well to supplemental irrigation. Irrigated production fields in Arkansas on a normal year average 10 to 20 bushels per acre more than those without irrigation.

With nearly 85 percent of soybean acres under irrigation, this is another competitive advantage of Arkansas’ soybean production.”

Why have soybeans become such a major crop?

“From my personal perspective, the reason soybean is such a major crop is because it is very forgiving in terms of management.

Although it requires very precise agronomy to reach record yields, farmers were able to incorporate soybean as a rotation crop in their farms without having to adjust the management of their most important crop, whether it was rice or cotton. In addition, soybean has very low operating expenses. In fact, according to the University of Arkansas 2019 crop budgets, soybean operating expenses are about half of that of cotton, corn and rice. This is important for a crop to enter into a farm’s rotation, especially in operations with difficult access to financing.

“In addition, soybeans typically have good returns to expenses, about half of rice but twice those of cotton or corn. Finally, the deployment of Roundup-Ready soybean varieties significantly simplified the agronomic landscape of soybean production in the late 1990s. Therefore, as a crop that can be managed easily with low total expenses and typically good returns, soybeans have been a very attractive crop for farmers.

“Soybeans may be a crop that tolerates reduction in seeding rates and fertilizer inputs, but, on the flip side, soybeans are also very responsive to intensive management. Results from the University of Arkansas Soybean Research Verification Program show that fields enrolled in the program have a 60.8 bushels per acre five-year running average (2014-2018), compared to the state average of 49.8 bushels per acre for the same period. In addition, the Arkansas Soybean Association sponsors the Grow for the Green soybean yield contest, and, since 2013, there have been 18 Arkansas soybean producers who reached or exceeded the 100 bushels per-acre-yield goal. This high response to management makes for a crop that can

switch from a small player in a farm rotation to the main source of income for the farm enterprise.”

What do you think the future may hold for this crop?

“We will continue to see yield enhancements due to genetics and agronomy, as has been the case over the soybean production history. I believe that in the next series of years, there will be a further expansion Dr. Leandro Mozzoni at the of use of biologicals, precision University of Arkansas in agriculture tools and nextFayetteville is regarded as generation fertilizers, including one of the state’s leading those involving micronutrients, organic acids and sugars. The experts on soybeans. challenge, from the agronomic perspective, is and will continue to be understanding how each of those components truly supports their claims of enhancing the performance or health of either the crop, the soil or the agricultural enterprise.

“Another critical challenge for the crop will be managing in a responsible manner the unintended consequences of farming, whether they are nonpoint-source fertilizer movement, off-target movement of herbicides or water utilization in the irrigation of farmland. The U.S. population is heavily urban, has become more detached from farming and is increasingly concerned with environmental issues. There is also an increased demand for food with high perceived quality or for products that are environmentally friendly. All these will be areas our agricultural industry will continue to face at even deeper extents than what we currently experience. Organic food production has been expanding at an incredible pace, with sales of certified organic goods doubling in five years ($7.6 billion vs. $3.5 billion in 2015 and 2011, respectively). In the latest NASS report, the top three organic commodities are milk, eggs and broiler chickens, operations that utilize significant amounts of soybeans for food.

Even though the overall market may be small, with only $78 million in sales of organic soybeans, the demand is building at a significant pace, and if our state is not ready to offer supply, then the industry will turn to other (world) regions for their specialtycropped agricultural products.”

According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, Arkansas farmers grew soybeans on 3.24 million acres in 2018, which is almost a tenth of the state’s total land area.

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SOUTHERN TENANT FARMERS MUSEUM Story and photos by Keith Sutton

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n July 11, 1934, 11 white and seven African American farmers met at Fairview School near the Poinsett County community of Tyronza and formed the Southern Tenant Farmers Union. This diverse group of people gathered with a common goal in mind — to reform the sharecropping and tenant-farming systems of the time, which had left many farm families homeless, hungry and unemployed.

Exhibits in the museum depict the history of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union, including numerous historical photographs like this one showing sharecroppers at a 1937 union meeting in St. Francis County.

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The Southern Tenant Farmers Museum in Tyronza tells the story of a racially integrated union that made its mark during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

The Great Depression, drought and nickel cotton had ravaged Delta agriculture in the early 1930s, so much so that federal officials considered radical intervention necessary. This prompted passage of the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) of 1933, which helped support cotton prices by reducing cotton production. Government support checks were paid to landowners to offset the loss of income, and the landowners were expected to share those payments with tenants. Many did not, however, and abuse was widespread.

The AAA program reduced cotton acreage in the Delta by one-third to one-half. Therefore, the need for tenants was reduced as well. Many were evicted or simply told they were ineligible for support payments. Local arbitration of AAA payment disputes was left to county committees, usually controlled by landowners. Thus tenants could not get help from the committees, pushing them to unionize in an effort to stop the exploitation.

The union’s huge success could not have been foreseen then, but within a few years, it was active in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas. It later spread into other southeastern states and to California, sometimes affiliating with larger national labor federations. Membership peaked at 35,000 in 1938, and the union continued operating into the 1960s.

The union’s founding was a pivotal moment in the history of Arkansas and the nation. It was one of few unions in the 1930s that was open to all races, and both women and men served in leadership positions. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas states, “Perhaps the most enduring legacy of (the union) was its pre-Civil Rights Era example of the effectiveness of racial integration to achieve common goals …

This combination of evangelism, practicality and purpose would provide an operational example for later civil rights and women’s movements, setting the stage for the next half of twentieth-century American life.”

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The Lion gas station building owned by STFU founder Clay East is now part of the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum in Tyronza. The older photograph, shot in 1934, shows (left to right) the Tyronza mayor, Mercedes East and East’s wife Maxine.

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In its early years, the Southern Tenant Farmers Union conducted much of its business in Tyronza’s Mitchell-East Building, which served as a dry-cleaning business for H. L. Mitchell and a gas station for Clay East, two of the union’s principal founders. Today those buildings are part of the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum, which is operated as an educational facility of Arkansas State University. The museum opened in 2006 after the Tyronza community approached ASU for assistance in saving the rapidly deteriorating building and using it to tell the story of the tenant-farming movement.

The building facade has been restored to its 1930s appearance, while the interior includes exhibition space, a gift shop and a classroom. Visitors can see photographs and artifacts that trace the history of the labor movement and tenant farming in the South. Stories are told through oral history excerpts, art and interactive exhibits featuring union songs, poems and interviews with former leaders. The museum also includes the historic Tyronza Bank building.

“What makes the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum so significant is that we’re not only preserving the place where the Southern Tenant Farmers Union first organized and its legacy, but the overall memory of sharecropping and tenant farming in the Delta,” said interim assistant director Aimie Michelle Taylor. “For many northeast Arkansas families, including my own, this is part of their story of survival and all that they had to overcome during one of the most difficult periods of our state’s history. You can grow up hearing the stories of ‘the cotton-picking days,’ but when you really understand the full context of how the tenant-farming system affected all the families that were involved with it, you appreciate the struggles and sacrifices of those who came before you so much more.”

Should you visit the museum, be sure to take a few minutes to view the historic newsreel footage from “The March of

Southern Tenant Farm Museum administrative assistant Cathy Hunt posed for this photograph in the Tyronza educational facility. The museum’s many exhibits tell the story of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union and the important role it played in Arkansas and U.S. history.

Time,” a popular series shown in movie theaters in the 1930s.

This powerful story – eight minutes long – brought the union broad national attention. It explains in simple, unforgettable terms the importance of the union.

Located at 117 S. Main St. in Tyronza, the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. General admission is $5 per person, or $3 for students, groups and seniors 65 and older. ASU students can enter free with ID. For more information, phone 870-487-2909 or visit stfm.astate.edu.

Although the Agricultural Adjustment Act was passed to improve the plight of farm workers, for many it meant losing their jobs, facing eviction and looking for new work to feed their families.

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MEMBER SERVICES UPDATE

Member Rewards MastercardÂŽ

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n this column, I often showcase the numerous product, automobile and travel savings that you gain access to through Farm Bureau membership, and it’s about time I highlighted the excellent financial services offered through the nationally recognized Farm Bureau Bank. When you become a Farm Bureau member, you not only gain access to the secure deposit and business services offered by Farm Bureau Bank, but also great products like vehicle and equipment loans and the Farm Bureau Rewards MasterCard.

With its points-based system, the Farm Bureau Rewards MasterCard can turn everyday expenses into everyday savings.

See all the benefits of this card below, and then think about how it could pay off when you use it to book your big summer vacation!

by Autumn Wood

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For Arkansas Farm Bureau Members Riser Harness 2000 E. Race Ave. Searcy, AR 72143 501-268-2486 www.riserharnessford.com Trotter Ford Lincoln 3801 Bobo Road Pine Bluff, AR 72422 888-443-7921 www.trotterford.com Tried, True, Trotter

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Arkansas Agriculture

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ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU • SPRING 2019

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e D t s Ta ansas k r A

amon and Jana Helton of Saline County raise grass-fed beef, forested hogs and pastured broilers on their farm in rural Saline County.

They've also opened the Olde Crow General Store nearby, at the intersections of Highways 5 and 9. There, they sell some of the meat that they’ve raised, along with other fresh, local items and, most importantly, some very tasty deli sandwiches and pies.

By Rob Anderson and Ken Moore Photos by Maddison Stone

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For Damon, the Olde Crow is about connecting his farm to his community. After launching as a true “general store” offering a variety of merchandise, he began to shift to food and local food products based on feedback from his customers.

“We started focusing on what our customers really liked about the store and what they really liked was the fact that what they had the opportunity to buy was local and fresh,” says Helton. “It’s the whole ‘know your farmer, know your food’ concept, which is our ethos on our farm.”

The Olde Crow’s shelves are stocked with a variety of Arkansas products, including honey from Lake in the Willows Apiary, Geri’s Jams and Jellies, Fennel and Fire spices, Momma’s Salsa and a selection of pickled products from Me and McGee Market The Rubicon is the most popular sandwich offered at Old Crow. This spin on a traditional Reuben sandwich was created by Barbara Huchingson, Olde Crow’s cook and official “keeper of recipes.”

“I made the Rubicon because I had a customer come in and ask for a Reuben and it wasn’t on the menu. He was very persistent and I started throwing stuff together and didn’t have any Thousand Island dressing.

I put a sauce together in a bowl and had Damon taste it and he liked it and that became the signature ‘secret’ sauce for the Rubicon.

“We named it the Rubicon because the township here is the Rubicon Township. There is a Masonic Lodge known as the Rubicon Lodge, so it’s our local specialty sandwich.”

Huchingson is particularly proud of the sandwich, because of its taste and the fresh ingredients.

“It’s a huge sandwich and features one of our best meats. The pastrami is amazing,” says Huchingson. “We use a preservative free meat. It’s a healthy sandwich and you get a lot of meat on it. It’s big enough that a lot of customers share it.”

Huchingson is also responsible for making the store’s popular homemade pies. A favorite of hers and of Olde Crow customers is the Coconut Cream Pie. “As far as meringue pies, the Coconut Cream is our best seller,” she says. “It’s Grandma’s recipe. It’s made just like she did, with all fresh ingredients, nothing from boxes or packages, it’s just a good, fresh oldfashioned recipe.

“I use all of my grandma’s recipes for the pies I bake here at the store.

They’re all in my memory, I don’t have them written down. I gave them to Damon to save in his phone and that’s the only copy we have.”

The Rubicon

Huchingson says: “We start with a craft marble rye, shaved all natural pastrami, organic kraut, Swiss cheese, and our own house made sauce featuring a Düsseldorf mustard, mayonnaise, chow-chow (a pickled relish), and spices. Then its grilled to a perfect, melty, mouthwatering delight. We serve with a garlic dill spear and chips.”

Most of the meat used on sandwiches at Olde Crow comes from Helton’s farm and is available to purchase at the store, along with select other ingredients.

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Barbara Huchingson

Old Fashioned Coconut Pie Huchingson makes the pie from scratch, using her “grandma's secret recipe.” The key, she explains, is using “all fresh, natural ingredients, starting with “farm fresh eggs, whole milk, real butter, organic flour, raw sugar, vanilla, and coconut.” The pie is then baked it in a hand-rolled, homemade pie crust, which follows a basic, “old-fashioned flour, lard and ice water recipe.” A store-bought pie crust can be substituted when making the pie at home.

Continued on page 30>>

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<<Continued from page 29

Pie Filling: 2 cups of milk ¾ cup sugar ½ cup flour 1 tsp vanilla 3 handfuls shredded coconut ½ stick of butter (softened) 4 eggs

Directions:

Pour into crust bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Merengue: 4 eggs whites ¼ cup sugar

Directions:

Whip with mix to desired consistency

To learn more about the Heltons and their farm and store, visit http://bit.ly/OldeCrowStory or http://bit.ly/HeltonStory.

For more on the Olde Crow General Store, visit https://www.facebook.com/oldecrowgeneralstore/.

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DELTA CHILD 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," "Deep South Magazine," and "Delta Crossroads." Her award-winning debut novel, "The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee," is also set in northeast Arkansas. Follow her blog "Grace Grits and Gardening" (www.gracegritsgarden.com) for more tales of Arkansas farming, gardening, and comfort food.

by Talya Tate Boerner

TALYA E R E H WAS

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ach time I return home to the farm, I drive around the schoolhouse — just to see it, to make sure the building still stands. Cottonwood trees that once provided modest circles of shade during recess, now weave a lush canopy over the abandoned grounds. Spikes of nutsedge grow through cracks in the broken sidewalks.

Keep Out. Certainly, the posted sign isn’t meant for me? I am a child of this place. In a blink, I can recall the school floorplan, the library and science class, the way the girl’s bathroom always smelled faintly of mildew and Clorox. When the bell rang to signal a change of class, students flooded the hallway, locker doors rattled open and slammed shut as books were swapped. Messages, scribbled on notebook paper during study hall, were secreted into palms and tucked into jean pockets, out of the view of teachers.

Everyone knew teachers had eyes in the backs of their heads.

I park my car in front of the new gym, also vacant and condemned. A heavy padlock secures the door as though safekeeping memories inside — the waxed-shiny court, the scoreboard with its deafening buzzer, salty popcorn scooped into red and white paper bags and sold for a quarter. Until the building is bulldozed or collapses to the earth, it will be known as the new gym (to distinguish it from the old gym, unused since 1960 or so).

Something I know for sure: even decades later, when no trace of the building remains, folks will say this is where the new gym was, because that’s how life works in a small town.

Five miles away, my childhood home sits off the highway surrounded by farmland that has been in our family for generations. I lived there until I graduated from high school in

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1980. Don’t dare mention 1980 to a local farmer unless you have time to hear about the worst drought year in recent Arkansas delta history. Yes, as my school days wound to an end, Daddy’s cotton and soybeans burned in the fields beneath a relentless sun.

I left for college, relieved to see Keiser fade in my rearview mirror.

Now, the windows of my earliest alma mater are covered in plywood, except for a single pane near the main door of the elementary building. As I walk across the playground toward that window, I imagine my smaller, younger footprints embedded beneath the shin-high weeds, like seeds lying dormant. No monkey bars. No swings or seesaws. I stand at the spot of the third-grade slide, also gone. On a hot afternoon, we slid down fast, unconcerned about the metal scorching our bare legs.

I reach the window, swipe a circle through grime and pollen, and peer inside. Small, wooden desks form haphazard rows.

Bright party hats lay strewn on the floor, pink and cone-shaped, the sort bought in packages of eight at the Dollar Store. They look so out of place scattered there, the only spot of color in a drab and vacant world. Spanning the wall, a blackboard reveals the ghostly pattern of cursive handwriting, long ago erased yet with chalk marks still slightly visible. Peeling paint hangs from the ceiling like crepe paper streamers.

For some time, I stand and stare, shocked in the face of such deterioration and change. My younger self considers wedging the window open, climbing inside, and scribbling my name across the board with the stub of white chalk waiting in the tray.

Talya was here.

Class of 1980.

Or something like that.

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