Delta Ag Journal The Farm Lifestyle Magazine of the Mississippi Delta
FARM EAT PLACES
AGRITOURISM First Generation Farmers
Brian Braswell Delta & Texas Farming
Waylon Greer A New Generation Ag Pilot
Volume 1 • Number 2 • APRIL 2018
Mechanic Ag Researcher Meteorologist CEO CFO
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April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 1
2 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
Contents
features 32 Farm eaT plaCes Elevating the “lunch break”
36 real Time WeaTher Network benefits growers
40 agriTourism
A growing industry in the region
46 Young Farmers & ranChers
40
pursuing a dream & embracing hard work
10 Through The Years
58 Brian BrasWell
Downtown Shelby, circa 1885
12 Farmer Q & a
14 exTension agenT spoTlighT
50 FirsT generaTion Farmers
departments
Frank Greenlee, Jr.
Mississippi Farm Bureau annual event recognizes young leaders in the industry
Farming in the Delta & Texas
12
66 WaYlon greer
A new generation ag pilot
Drew Wilson
18 ag Business spoTlighT Chicot irrigation: bringing water to farmers
22 Farm headQuarTers Silent Shade planting Company
28 Farm Families
on the cover 18
Delta Ag Journal The Farm Lifestyle Magazine of the Mississippi Delta
John Seely, Buford lake planting Company & Arant Farms
72 hisTorY
FARM EAT PLACES
Savory delights
78 ouT & aBouT
Hayden Bills, photo by Austin Britt, April 2018. Hayden is one of our First Generation Farmers featured on page 50.
AGRITOURISM
Hopson Commissary, Clarksdale
76 reCipes
Volume 1 • Number 2 • APRIL 2018
First Generation Farmers
28
Brian Braswell Delta & Texas Farming
Waylon Greer A New Generation Ag Pilot
photos from Delta ag events April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 3
Scott Coopwood, PUBLISHER
DeltaAg Journal Publisher: J. Scott Coopwood Editors: Kristy Kitchings, Pam Parker Graphic Designer: Cailee Conrad WRITERS Becky Gillette, Mike Lee, Aimee Robinette, Angela Rogalski, Greta Sharp, Mark H. Stowers
Welcome to the second edition of the Delta Ag Journal Response from the first edition of the Delta Ag Journal, published this past January, was far greater than we had expected. A special thank you to those who called and emailed us with their congratulations and comments. We appreciate it more than you’ll ever know. For those receiving the Delta Ag Journal for the first time, this is a new magazine specifically tailored for our Mississippi Delta farmers and ag community. Our goal is to celebrate and cover the lifestyles of Delta farmers and their families. The Delta Ag Journal is published quarterly by Coopwood Publishing Group based in Cleveland. We also own and publish Delta Magazine (15 years old) and Delta Business Journal (20 years old). The reach of Delta Ag Journal is significant. This edition was mailed to 5,100 farmers, ag related businesses and to a special list of “Decision Makers” we put together consisting of elected officials as well as policy makers in Washington, D.C., and business leaders located in our area and around the state. Additionally, we shipped boxes to 65 distribution points around the Delta that range from tractor dealerships, parts stores, fuel distributers, and chemical-seed-fertilizer businesses which makes a total of 6,000 copies distributed of this edition Our circulation more than covers the agricultural world of the Mississippi Delta! In this second edition, we present a variety of stories we hope you will enjoy. Our cover story features an article about several first time farmers. We hope more young people will enter this profession as the Delta’s economy is completely based on agriculture. Encouraging young people to farm is vital for the Delta to move forward. As we prepare for the next edition of the Delta Ag Journal that will be published in July, we invite you to give us your story ideas and other suggestions as that will help with the next edition. The comments we received from our debut edition allowed us to tweak and expand the articles in this second edition. Send your ideas to me at scott@coopwood.net or call our office at 662-843-2700. While we do have a Facebook page, in the coming weeks we’ll provide the details concerning our additional social media platforms that will also be associated with this magazine. We hope you enjoy this second edition of the Delta Ag Journal!
PHOTOGRAPHY Austin Britt, Rory Doyle CIRCULATION Holly Tharp ACCOUNTING MANAGER Emma Jean Thompson ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Kristy Kitchings, Ann Nestler, Wendy Mize POSTMASTER Send all address changes to: Delta Ag Journal P.O. Box 117, Cleveland, MS 38732 ADVERTISING For advertising information, please call (662) 843-2700 Fax (662) 843-0505 Delta Ag Journal accepts no responsibility for unsolicited materials and in general does not return them to sender. Manuscripts and photographs submitted for publication are welcomed by Delta Ag Journal, but no responsibility can be taken for them while in transit or in the office of publication. All editorial and advertising information is taken from sources considered to be authoritative, but the publication cannot guarantee their accuracy. Neither that information nor any opinion expressed on the pages of Delta Ag Journal in any way constitutes a solicitation for the sale or purchase of securities mentioned. No material in the Delta Ag Journal can be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher.
Delta Ag Journal is published by Coopwood Publishing Group, Inc. EDITORIAL AND BUSINESS OFFICE ADDRESSES Mailing Address: Post Office Box 117 Cleveland, Mississippi 38732 Shipping Address: 125 South Court Street Cleveland, Mississippi 38732 Phone (662) 843-2700 Fax (662) 843-0505 E-mail: publisher@deltaagjournal.com
4 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 5
Letters I was excited to receive the new Delta Ag Journal. I receive many ag type publications, but not one that is solely Delta focused like this. It is rewarding to see this publication share the good works on all things related to agriculture taking place right here in our Mississippi Delta. Laura J. Giaccaglia Extension Coordinator, Bolivar County Cleveland I want to thank Delta Ag Journal for featuring my family in the January edition. We have received many compliments on this outstanding write up. I am so proud to see many “small voices” being heard and appreciated by this wonderful company. Thank you again Delta Ag Journal for everything you do and continue to do for Mississippi! Katelyn Bailey Grenada I would like to congratulate the entire staff of the Delta Ag Journal on their first edition published in January. I want to also thank you for the great articles and editorial content you have featured on ag pilots in the Delta. And most of all, thank you for giving Cleveland Air Service the opportunity to advertise in your inaugural edition. People are talking around the water cooler about this great magazine and everyone is already looking forward to see what the April edition will feature. My wife, loves the recipe section and I don't mind being her taste tester, especially when I know the recipes come with products that are grown in and around the Delta. Best wishes on your new publication and keep up the fantastic job you all are doing to support our Delta farmers. Brad Ouzts Cleveland Air Service Cleveland
SEND COMMENTS AND LETTERS TO
publisher@deltaagjournal.com or Delta Ag Journal P.O Box 117 Cleveland, MS 38732 6 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
Letters Being recognized in the first edition of the Delta Ag Journal was very humbling. The views we often find ourselves scurrying past, on a daily basis during farming season, literally took our breath away when the magazine was delivered to us! The words chosen to describe our family… and or Twin Ridge Farms… literally danced through the article, like the crops during a light late summer breeze. This Delta Ag Journal is going to shine a light on a profession that truly takes “loving what you do” to a new level. Having a farm is nothing if you aren’t a “farmer” at heart. This journal and our article shows the author’s love for their assignment. My family’s article, written by Mark Stowers, reminded me of the quote by Romare Bearden… “We look too much to museums. The sun coming up in the morning is enough.” The sunset pictures taken on a windy and crisp fall day captured our crops, grain bins, old worn out wood, and equipment with the light that only comes from a beautiful God given Delta sunset. Their publication gave a true glimpse into our family with dreams of “making it work” farming in today’s world. Starting our farm “from scratch” has meant literally that! Good days and bad days, good years and tears have gotten us this far. I love how the article nailed my husband as being the hard worker-who is always trying to better himself as a farmer. The boys and I chip in and help when we can and pray for Twin Ridge and its family daily. Your article helped shine a light on what our family stands for…hard work, supporting each other, and never forgetting where you came from and what your goals are. Just FYI—Mark Stowers and Rory Doyle—the framed article given to Nat brought tears to a man we are blessed to call “Daddy Nat” on a daily basis. Thanks again for capturing the life of my family in writing and through pictures. We will end with another old saying… .. “Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out”. The best of wishes to such a talented staff at the Delta Ag Journal and to all the farm/ag families in 2018 and years ahead, Robin McKnight Cleveland
April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 7
8 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
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Through the Years
early delta Thomas General Mercantile located in downtown Shelby, circa 1885, owned by J. W. Thomas who moved to the town from Ford, Virginia. This photo is a representation of what many of the early towns looked like in the Delta shortly after the region was cleared and settlers began arriving from across the country. These people settled in the area mainly due to the precious soil which for many, cotton became their king. The only person identified in this photo is the man standing on the wooden sidewalk on the side of the building. His name was Harvey. However, his last name is lost to history.
FARMER Q&A
Frank, Jr., Leathe, Isabell and John Maxwell
Frank greenlee, Jr.
Greenlee Planting Company, Leland Best Advice to Give Timing is everything. Don’t be late. Don’t second guess your crop consultant.
What Do You Like Best About Farming? I enjoy being outside and seeing what I’ve planted grow into a fruitful crop.
First Job Chopping cotton on my uncle’s farm as a teenager.
What Do You Like Least About Farming? Stress and the risk of it all is the worst part; and Mother Nature not cooperating at times.
Education Deer Creek Academy and attended East Mississippi Communty College until my dad called about some land he found I could farm. Family I am married to Leathe Maxwell Greenlee and we have two children, Isabell (4) and John Maxwell (2). Current Job and Position Owner/partner of Greenlee Planting Company. Describe What You Do in Your Job I do almost everything, from start to finish, year round. As a small farm with only part-time help, I have many responsibilities. How Did You Become Interested in Farming? I was born with a love for farming and I farmed throughout high school. When I was given the opportunity to do it on my own, I jumped at the chance. 12 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
Best Business Decision You Have Ever Made? Letting go of unproductive ground. Worst Business Decision You Have Made? Probably not spraying burn down to save money and not watering on time. Who is Someone Who Made a Difference in Your Life When You Were Growing Up? Dr. James Holloway made the biggest impact on my life when I was growing up. I worked for him after high school and he taught me how important it is to get things done in a timely manner when it comes to farming. What Music Are You Currently Listening To? I listen to a little of everything. Hobbies Bow hunting for deer is my all-time favorite, when my wife let’s me go these days!
April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 13
EXTENSION AGENT
drew Wilson
Double Agent: Serving Quitman and Coahoma County
By Aimee RoBinette
F
Wilson, of the small town of Crowder, has parlayed his life-long connection to agriculture into a rewarding career with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.
or some Deltans, there is a never-ceasing love of agriculture. It may be heading down a highway and being visually treated to row after perfect row of crops or it may be driving a tractor on generational acres.
For Drew Wilson, ag agent for both Quitman and Coahoma counties, it is learning multiple aspects of the farming business in order to help producers get the most out of their yields. Wilson, who received his undergrad in Agricultural Engineering Technology and Business (AETB) from Mississippi 14 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
State University in 2008, grew up on a family row crop and cattle farm in Crowder and has immersed himself in multiple facets of row crop production. “I have been involved in most aspects of row crop production: farm level, corporate side of Ag, and now the government side of Ag,” said Wilson. “After graduation, I went to work for Bayer CropScience as a sales trainee. My responsibilities fell predominantly under assisting our regional managers and their sales staff in two different areas of the Southern Regional office for Bayer. Those regions were Southeast District (Alabama and Georgia) and Atlantic District (South and North Carolina, Southern Virginia). After a few months
in that role, I moved into a sales territory as a Field Sales Representative. My territory was the southern third of Louisiana and a portion of Southeast Texas. “After a couple years with Bayer, I moved back closer to home and went to work for a corn seed company, called AgriGold, as a Territory Manager. In my three years with that company, I covered different territories as we expanded and evolved in the southern market,” he added. “I predominantly worked in Mississippi and southern half of Arkansas. I later came to cover West Tennessee as well. It was a very educational and rewarding experience to work with a growing, research driven company. Something that I wouldn’t realize till a couple years
after leaving, that would show me my true passion and place in Agriculture.” Wilson said after AgriGold, he went to work for Dulaney Seed Company as a Product and Marketing Lead. His role was to help lead and direct the sales staff. “Dulaney was a great place for me to work, but after a couple sale seasons, I realized something was missing. The same drive and passion that I had initially for sales was no longer there. This lead me to some soul searching, it’s during this time that it wasn’t the sales aspect of things that I had been passionate about since starting in corporate agriculture, but rather the Agronomy side of things – the research aspect and helping my customers take their cropping and produc-
Drew with wife Catherine and son Rowen
tion practices to a new level of profitability,” Wilson explained. “The MSU Extension Agent role for Quitman County came available during this time of transition, so I explored it. It has been one of the greatest decisions I’ve made in my relatively short career span, as I get to work with a diverse clientele grouping and diverse range of topics—fruits/vegetables, CRP/hardwoods, row crops, etc.” From there, Wilson took over Ag responsibilities for Coahoma County in
mid-April of 2017 after the retirement of long time agent Don Respess. “As most are aware, budget constraints amongst state agencies has been an issue last couple years. Due to these restraints, we’ve had to increase some roles until funds become available to make some new additions in staffing,” Wilson said. “Don used to cover both Quitman and Coahoma counties for Extension, so we knew it was both possible and effective. Also, with my sales background I have faApril 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 15
miliarity with some of the clientele in Coahoma county. “At times it can be hectic covering two counties, mainly during the growing season, but it is also very rewarding,” he said. To add to his already busy life, Wilson decided to further his education and knowledge by entering into the graduate program for Agricultural Extension and Education, of which he is in the beginning phase. That won’t change his love of being an ag agent, which includes duties with MSU Extension, where he is an Agriculture and Natural Resources agent as well as managing 4-H responsibilities. “My favorite part of my job is just being able to lend a hand to the people within my territory. A lot of my job is to help makes theirs easier and hopefully more profitable,” Wilson said. “We help farmers with a wide range of things. During the year, I help facilitate and direct onfarm research plots across multiple crops. The data from these plots helps us to generate a recommendation for varieties based on soil type, farming practices, among others. “I also help with soil sampling by pulling fertility and nematode samples for both row crop and vegetable producers. I also help break down the samples for proper fertility recommendations,” he added. “Currently, one of our biggest pushes, is helping growers with a new water initiative in agriculture. Due to the declining alluvial aquifer in Mississippi, a set of standards has been developed for growers to use to help them reduce water usage without sacrificing both crop needs and the yields. Through a grant, Extension Agents in the Delta Region have been given tools to help farmers transition into the use of these new practices. Ultimately you can say, Extension Agents are a jack of all trades.” As far as Coahoma County is concerned, 2017 crops were pretty good across the board. “In terms of grain production, we saw great yields in soybeans, rice, and corn. This was predominantly due to the milder weather conditions and unseasonable rain events during our growing season last year. One of the major crops in Coahoma County, cotton, did see a hit in terms of yield last season,” Wilson said. “The reason for this is because the conditions that favored better grain produc16 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
tion for us, hurt the cotton crop. Cotton is tropical plant that likes heat and does not tolerate a lot of water. Even though our overall yield numbers as a county will be off for the 2017 production season, in cotton, they will not be off nearly as bad as we expected.” As the county heads into the 2018 season, Wilson said the feeling is cotton numbers will be up to flat in acreage, soybeans will be flat to down, rice will be up to flat, and corn will be down. “There are a lot of challenges being faced in agriculture right now, but most are profitability-related,” Wilson said. “With the continued rise in costs of equipment and inputs, it gets harder for a lot of farmers to stay as profitable as they need to be to keep farming. We also face some new challenges in adoption of new cropping technologies and conservation practices. “The auxin tolerant cropping systems, that were created to help combat herbicide-resistant weeds, have created some issues we are having to learn to work with and manage effectively. These products are useful tools for producers, but ways to use them without harming crops that are not tolerant to auxin chemistries are still being identified,” he added. “Like any new technology, there will be growing pains, but hopefully we will learn to adopt the best practices needed to control these technologies so that they work for us and not against us. As I mentioned, the declining alluvial aquifer in the MS Delta, has driven us to adopt new practices that will help conserve water through reduced water use in irrigation. The new practices are research based and do work to reduce overall water usage, retain yield, and ultimately save producers money by lowering diesel/electric pumping costs.” When he is not visiting farms and researching the best farming practices, Wilson enjoys hunting and fishing and spending time with his Catherine, and their son, Rowen.
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AG BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
CHICOT IRRIGATION Bringing water to Delta farmers for over sixty years
By AnGeLA RoGALski
18 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
Cory Rowe, Don Barger and Mark Barger
I
rrigation is essential to farmers to supplement any deficits in rainfall that might occur, so irrigation systems and the companies that install them are a vital part of agriculture and of a farmer’s livelihood. Chicot Irrigation, a family-owned company, was founded in Lake Village, Arkansas in 1954, and today has offices in Wilmot, Ark., Delhi, La., Hollandale, Miss., Greenwood, Miss., with its headquarters located in Lake Village. Hubbard Stephens is vice president of Mississippi operations and has been with Chicot Irrigation since 2005. Stephens said the company’s level of experience extends to all facets of irrigation. “We’ve been in business since 1954 and we mainly concentrate on agricultural irrigation throughout the Delta,” Stephens said, “Whether that’s Valley Center Pivot irrigation systems or anything to do with further irrigation: pumps, wells, underground pipes and service.” The history of the company began in 1954 with the original owner. But in the early 1960s, a young man by the name of James O. McDonald went to work for them, learning everything he could about the irrigation business. In 1973, McDonald wanted
to purchase the company from the original owners and they agreed. At that point, it was strictly a drilling company which specialized in domestic and cattle wells and many other smaller projects. As larger scale irrigation for production agriculture became more prevalent throughout the Delta during the late 1970s, Chicot Irrigation began focusing on growing its business to meet the demands for water that the agriculture and aquaculture industries needed. McDonald brought family members into the business, his daughter and son-in-law, Beverly and Glen Rowe, and Mile McDonald and Rick Rowe. Purchasing its first large reverse circulation drilling rig in 1979, Chicot began operation as a full service irrigation company across Southeast Arkansas, Northeast Louisiana, and the Mississippi Delta. In the early 1980s, droughts increased the need for irrigation and the business grew exponentially. Since then, Chicot has become the go-to for complete, full service irrigation needs. The company has a full service machine shop, does underground pipeline installation, center pivot sales and service, custom fabricated re-lift pumping systems, and has a large inventory of irrigation parts and accessories. April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 19
Above, installation of an underground irrigation pipeline. Right, there’s nothing more valuable to a farmer than maximizing efficiency and reducing cost. Chicot Irrigation partners with Precision King Technology to provide soil moisture management, rice water level management and weather stations allowing you to recieve monitoring reports direct to your smart phone, tablet or computer.
20 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
Today, Glen and Beverly Rowe’s son Cory is president of Chicot Irrigation. He has led the company’s business growth to include four locations throughout the Mississippi River Delta in three states. Many of the employees that work for Chicot have over 20 years of experience. Chicot’s services are compatible with most any irrigation practices farmers utilize, from row fall, flood, or center pivot irrigation. “We drill irrigation wells, pumps and service; we install underground irrigation pipelines, just anything to do with any flood irrigation here in the Delta,” Stephens said. As with any other business, technology keeps irrigation moving forward, especially as water conservation and preserving the area’s natural resources becomes more and more important. And conservation and technology are two things that Chicot believes in, knowing that reducing costs for farmers and augmenting efficiency is vital. “Technology in the irrigation business is changing rapidly,” Stephens said, “especially with the more concerted effort on water conservation, trying to protect our water resources here in the Delta. There are several new technology advancements that have come on in the last five to ten years. But it’s still changing every day.” As for adding more service areas, Stephens said that for now there are no plans to expand the company into any other locations. “You never know what might happen, but at this time we have no further expansion plans.” Stephens said that customer service and continued innovations and improvements to the company’s service capabilities is paramount with Chicot’s to have a positive impact on the communities in which they serve. “We pride ourselves in our service of the irrigation pumps and our ability to take care of the farmers when they need it most. We stay in contact with our customers and we have a great sales team throughout the Delta that stay in contact and form relationships with the customers. And that’s our main avenue of business.”
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April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 21
FARM HEADQUARTERS
SILENT SHADE PLANTING CO. An award winning farming operation
By mARk H. stoweRs Photography by Austin Britt
T
he Farm Shop—a place where the work gets done to keep the farm moving ahead. Whether its repairs, creating a time saving device or getting equipment ready for the field or just about anything else, the farm shop and headquarters can be a productive and busy place to be. At Silent Shade Planting Company in Humphreys County, coowner Jeremy Jack and his family have been adding acreage to the farm in both Holmes and Leflore Counties since his father, Willard came south from Canada in the 1970s in search of a new farm home. The family farm has won numerous awards for their production on the turnrow and their ingenuity in the industry. With peanuts, cotton, rice and soybeans in the fields, the farm has plenty of need and use of the shop and headquarters located in Belzoni. And there’s plenty of room to work in the Silent Shade Planting Company Shop. “We’ve got a big shop right next to the office here,” Jack said. “We have two drive through bays where we can pull equipment in and right back out. We can actually get two eighteen wheelers in at a time. I can do four 18-wheelers at a time or two combines and three tractors on the other side.” The middle of the shop is where a bit more creativity happens as this is the fabrication area. “We have work benches but we also have our torches, welders, band saws and presses. When they are working on equipment and something needs to be added or adjusted we can create something new to put back on the equipment,” he said. The far side of the shop includes a big open area that can be used for quite a few things. Jack uses the space for oversized equipment used in the field that may need repair or adjustments or cleaning. “We can fold them out and flip them over, whatever we need to do to them,” he said. “There’s lot of space inside to work. We can tear it apart see what part we need. Then tear another one apart and see what part we need and go onto something else.
Jeremy Jack
The executive team of Silent Shade Planting Company: Elizabeth Jack, Jeremy Jack, Willard Jack, Laura Lee Jack and Stacie Koger
So, we can have two or three projects on the go there at the same time while we’re waiting on parts to come in. It makes it really nice to have a big open area.” Gone are the days of a smaller shop as equipment has grown over the years. Jack and his counterparts know there will also be a demand for space to work on the growing equipment. “It’s nice to be able to pull in one of those great big pieces of equipment and still have room to work,” he said. “The shop itself is 210-feet long by 80-feet wide. That’s a large shop.” Inside the shop the needed mechanical tools are there as well as spare parts, welders and much, much more. “We have bench grinders, hand grinders —all the tools that we need. And we have a parts room. Every time you need something you don’t have to run to the parts store. We keep the basic—standard bolts, metric bolts, 24 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
fine thread bolts, carriage head bolts, grade 8 bolts, and any type of fuses and lights. We stock a certain number of parts that we know are going to break. We have oil and greases—any type of fluid we’re going to need. And an extremely large air compressor as well.” To move things around the shop, Jack doesn’t rely on overhead cranes but the use of forklifts. “We use forklifts to pick up stuff not only to bring in and out but to pick things up inside the shop instead of having a crane in a certain area. We also stock a large amount of wood and steel for fabrication purposes,” he said.
They also keep a desk with a computer for work and to hold meetings with the overly large number of staff who are part of the Silent Shade Planting operation. “The computer also has a screen on the outside so if we have someone in for training or do some internal training, we have a screen on the outside, so we can watch videos and PowerPoints. We don’t have an office big enough for the entire staff, so we just go out to the shop,” he said. “It’s a great place for education and safety training. We also can put up announcements on that, so the guys can read that throughout the day.” The training at Silent Shade includes cross-training so if “you break it, you can fix
Above, green machines ready to hit the fields at Silent Shade Planting Company. Right, Jeremy in his farm office located at their headquarters in Belzoni.
it” in the expansive shop area with the needed tools and parts on hand. “Certain guys are responsible for certain pieces of equipment, so they are trained to fix and repair that equipment. But we try to cross train everybody, so anyone can fix anything. So, they don’t have to wait for someone else to fix something they broke. Whoever is operating it knows how to fix it.” Jack did say they don’t do engine overhauls and other things but can deal with plenty of other repairs. “If you’re responsible for peanut harvest then you’re responsible to have the peanut harvester ready to go,” he said. “The problem with not cross training is if you’re not worried about repairing it, you’re probably not worried about breaking it.” Jack notes that “our shop is just more of a plain Jane ‘get work done’ shop but the guys do a good job of keeping it clean and we’ve got some team members that can push some equipment through there. If we’re not in the field, we’re basically in the shop working on equipment.” A value-added space on any farm—the shop—where equipment is fixed, maintained, created and cleaned—all to keep Silent Shade Planting Company and many other farms like it, in the field, growing and harvesting need crops. April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 25
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FARM FAMILIES
Pictured from left to right, Rob Smith, Taylor Miller, Zach Williams, Jamie Lake, John Seely, Patrick Young and Matt Garrad
BUFORD LAKE PLANTING CO.
PHOTO BY TAYLOR MILLER
Like grandfather, like grandson farming is in the blood By mARk H. stoweRs Over a decade ago, John Seely got into farming when his grandmother leased him 330 acres to work. He planted wheat and sat back and waited for it grow. He had some ups and downs but learned enough that he now manages over 4,000 acres just outside of Clarksdale in Lyon. John and his wife, 28 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
Caysi, have three children—Anna-Tully (7), Baker (5) and Windham (2). The youngest seems to be the most excited about the farm life though each one enjoys hanging out with daddy on the turnrows. “Baker likes going out but really my twoyear-old wants to go with me everywhere in
the pickup. He loves being on the tractor or cotton picker. He’s interested in anything with wheels,” he said. Caysi teaches kindergarten but cooks for the team and does the bookwork for the farm. When Seely got into farming over a decade ago, it wasn’t from the side of the
family with an established farm. “My father didn’t farm nor did my mother but my grandfather farmed and I guess that put the bug in me. He retired in 2006,” Seely said. “He had an operation with his brother and two nephews but I wasn’t part of that farm. On the other side of the family my grandmother had some land and I grew it little by little.” Today, Seely grows cotton, soybeans and little bit of corn and “is ready to get started” this year. “I’m ready for the sun to come out and warm things up and put this winter weather behind us,” he said. To learn the ins and outs of his chosen profession, Seely first went to Mississippi State to garner knowledge he’d need on the turnrow. “I kind of got home sick and came home and went to Moorhead (MDCC) for two years and then I started faming,” he said. Just so he could make a living until he got settled as a farmer, Seely worked as a crop insurance adjuster to insure he’d have time to learn the farming business. “Basically, I didn’t make any money farming the first two or three years and once I got enough land to survive on, I quit that and focused fully on the farm.” Little by little, Seely has purchased land and also leases land to farm. “I bought 60 acres two years ago and I just bought 200 more about a month ago. Land costs are so high so I’m gradually adding. That’s my long-term plan, to buy more land over time,” he said. In addition to his next generation farm hands, Seely has six full time employees that he has on salary, so he doesn’t have to worry as much about the farm and can relax with his family a bit more. “It’s a different labor model than everybody else. They are all on salary and have health insurance and have retirement plans,” he said. “That’s the best way to keep good help is give them a living wage. I couldn’t farm anything if I didn’t have them.” Looking back on his early farming career, Seely understands that sometimes things just work out despite your circumstances. “I started out on my own and I didn’t have any help from anyone. People say it can’t be done but it can. It’s tough to get your foot in the door. Nobody will give you credit lines,” he said. That is until he found a banker who would take a chance on his dream and his work ethic.
PHOTO BY VICTORIA BROOKE PRODUCTIONS
John and Caysi Seely with children Baker, Windham and Anna-Tully
“I couldn’t do anything without him. First National Bank—Marty Jones—in Clarksdale. When I first got started farming, my grandmother leased me her acres and let me farm. I was supposed to be going to college and farming at the same time but I quit college and planted the wheat,” he said. “I went to the FSA and got a beginning farmer loan and rented equipment from my neighbor just to get it planted.” By springtime he needed another draw to fertilize the wheat and bring everything to fruition. “The lady wanted to do a crop inspection and we drove out there but when we arrived the geese had eaten it up. It looked like bare ground and like nothing had been planted. She said, ‘I can’t give you another draw to fertilize. It looks like there’s no wheat out there.’ But I was trying to explain to her what happened. She never gave me the money to fertilize my wheat. I wrote it off as ‘that’s my farming career, then’ and went back to crop insurance.” But then he learned what most farmers rely on daily—the miracles from God through nature. “The wheat came out in the spring and started growing without any fertilizer. I got
my neighbor to harvest it for me and I ended up getting about 45 bushels to the acre—that was pretty much unheard of and I ended up making like $13,000. That got me excited and I thought farming was easy, but it’s not.” But it was also those days where he had been “planting” while working as a crop insurance adjuster and he would ask if farmers had any land for sale. One said a neighbor did. “I ended up renting that and it grew from there,” he said. “I didn’t start farming cotton until 2014. I had the worst land— mostly stuff farmers didn’t want but I ended up getting better land and I put cotton on it. I got some really good yields on it and cotton has worked out pretty well for me.” Seely has about 2,500 acres of cotton and another 1,500 in soybeans and “a little bit of corn.” Working hard each day, Seely continues to see the fruits of his labor and he continues to build and grow and lean on others along the way to be a successful Delta farmer. And it all started with a grandmother’s land, some non-fertilized wheat and ingenuity he learned along the way. April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 29
FARM FAMILIES
ARANT FARMS Delta Blues Rice has become a successful family venture
David Arant, Jr. (second from right) with father, David Arant, Sr. and children Walker and Carver and (far right) uncle Hugh Arant, Jr.
By mARk H. stoweRs • Photography by Rory Doyle Even though he grew up on the farm, David Arant, Jr. went off and got an education as an engineer at Mississippi State. He put that knowledge to work and solved problems in his chosen vocation working in Jackson for six years. But Arant had Delta dirt in his veins and eventually found his way home and to the farm with his family in tow to be part of the nearly 100 years of the Arant family farming operation. He’s been successful along with the rest of the family in the farming business. He did bring his engineering acumen to the farm. “Thankfully, I know water flows downhill (laughing) but it’s really more about what they taught me in engineering school. They taught you how to think critically. That’s what I like to do on the farm. What can we do to improve a process? Or make something more efficient or save a few pennies here and there. Making us more efficient as a farm is what I like to do.” 30 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
So much problem-solving success, he was recently awarded the Farm Bureau Achievement Award acknowledging much of the hard work and problem solving on the farm. “It takes a look at your operation and what you’ve done to get improvements made and what you plan to do in the future,” he said. “The main reason we were successful in winning this award is that we’ve been innovative in the rice business and thinking outside the box. We’ve done water improvement and water conservation.” Arant also works with Farm Bureau to help them understand more of what farmers are facing on the turnrows not only in the Delta but across the country. “I’m on a water committee where we work with Farm Bureau, so they know what’s important to farmers around the country about water quantity and water quality is concerned,” Arant said. “We give
our opinion and so they know what they want to tackle on the national level.” His favorite part of the farm these days includes “the anticipation of the new year. It’s too wet right now to do anything but pretty soon it will dry out and we’ll go till it gets wet again. That’s the fun of it and if it doesn’t rain then there’s a lot of work. There’s always excitement to start the process.” David and Rebekkah have three children, Carver (8), Walker (6) and Hunter (2) who aren’t out working the turnrows—yet. These days, Arant can be found working the rice fields and other acreage but the rice has brought a new side road endeavor—Delta Blues Rice. The actual “farm to table” product comes straight from the field and gets polished and bagged up for sale to restaurants and grocery stores. The family first farmed cotton and soybeans until rice was added in the 1960s.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MS FARM BUREAU
David and Rebekkah Arant with Walker, Carver and Hunter
There was an old rice milling machine they used to mill their rice for friends and family. But as the farm to table movement took hold, the Arant family had an idea to truly bring their rice straight from the field to the family table—in restaurants and homes and grocery stores. David Arant, Jr., and his dad David Sr. and Uncle Hugh Arant, Jr., all work together on the farm and work in bringing the fruit of their local labor to tables. The younger Arant’s wife, Rebekkah, coined the phrase for them, “Feed the body. Feel the soul,” and Delta Blues Rice was born. The land that gave America the blues and plenty of its food combined the two for an artisan rice that’s catching hold across the south. “We have been milling rice for decades,” David Jr. said. “And we gave it out as Christmas gifts. And folks were always
asking for more rice.” But the family didn’t know how good their product really was or if folks enjoyed it because of the price. With more folks continuing to ask, the Arants decided to mill more and try a different side of the rice market. The family started packaging and selling their rice as well as rice grits—bits of shorter rice pieces. “People like knowing where their food comes from,” he said. “They seem to like it better than the rice they buy at the store. People like knowing who the farmer is and where their food comes from. They have a personal connection to the farmer and the miller, and people value that.” With new equipment, the Arants have been “milling on demand” as they mill to fill orders each week. The process is seemingly simple, although much equipment and time are required.
“To get brown rice you just take the husk off the rice. To get white rice you run it through a polisher and that takes off the bran that’s right under the husk,” he said. “We’re still doing it on a smaller scale. We mill when we get orders in. That way we insure the freshness.” Now the farmer gets off his combine to take the harvest to a local table. Restaurants have started carrying the rice and the Arants are looking to get their product to a larger supplier. “We do food shows and mostly it’s word of mouth or one of us taking a sample by and letting them try it,” he said. “The rice business is going good these days. I’ve been pleased with the growth we’ve had and hope to continue it and make it a viable business.” Delta Blues Rice has a unique flavor, and the Arants use only one variety that was developed in Stoneville, Miss., which they plant to help insure the flavor doesn’t change. Stores throughout the state carry the rice currently. “We sell to gift stores, and we were extremely busy during Christmastime,” he said. “Chefs who use our rice tell us that our rice is different from others. That means something to us. We have a good product.” They’ve recently added a Jasmine rice product and are getting a good response from consumers. The Arants enjoy having more control over the selling of their crops, but they have to keep prices competitive. It is their goal to supply a quality product at a fair price. “We’re subject to whatever the commodity markets are giving us. You go to the rice mill with your hat in hand and ask what they’ll give you,” he said. “But when you’re milling your own rice, you command a little bit higher price for your product per bushel. Right now, we’re on such a small scale it’s not making much of a difference, but as it grows hopefully it will.” They’ve distributed it to “restaurants from New York to Seattle and everywhere in between. Our name is getting out and word is being spread. I’ll get an online order form across the country and it’s amazing to have folks from New York and California hear about us and order. It takes a lot of time to build something up so that its sustainable.”
April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 31
Farm eat places Restaurants help elevate the “lunch break”
By mARk H. stoweRs • Photography by Austin Britt
T
here’s no doubt about it, hard work makes a man hungry. Farmers across the Delta have been working to find ways to effectively take a lunch break but maximize the time slot to keep things moving. Farmers are at the mercy of Mother Nature and when there’s a small window to plant or harvest or get anything else done, a quick yet hearty lunch is always welcome. And during normal weather, hungry men and women working the turnrows need something satisfying, delicious but yet won’t take a lot of time away from their intended tasks. Area restaurants have been providing lunches in various forms since the old timey farm stores first opened. One of the first, Fratesi Grocery near Leland on Highway 82, has been feeding hungry farm hands since the 1930s. Partner Mark Fratesi has been working in the grocery, deli,
and general store and he has also been working the turnrows himself on the family farm. “We’ve been doing that probably as long as when my father and his brother built this store in 1941,” Fratesi said. The notion of the farm lunch has changed and transformed over the years. Early on, farmers would bring the “cotton choppers” and helping hands by the store and they’d go in four or five at a time out of truckload of a few dozen. “About four of us would be at different stations and they’d buy a dollar’s worth of meat, they’d pay for it right there,” Fratesi said. “And they’d go down to the cake department and buy a Moon Pie and then go down to the soft drink department and pay for it. The truck driver would stand by the door and he’s let four or five in at a time. As soon as one went out, he’d let another one in. That was the only way we could accommodate them back then.” These days as farms are more mechanized and there are fewer laborers, farmers put in food orders to pick up for their help. At Fratesi’s as well as other stops, the offerings are all top notch and quite desirable and delicious. “We have plate lunches and sandwiches of your choice. Some farmers call in with xamount of plate lunches while other farmers call in and order special things for each person,” he said. “We’re not equipped to cook a whole lot of different things in my kitchen, so we cook certain things on each day of the week.” Monday is hamburger steak day while Tuesday is spaghetti and meatballs with homemade sauce. Each day has its own flavor. “Thursday is deep-fried pork chop day and it’s the most popular,” he said. Most places that offer farm lunches have fish on Fridays as well. Fratesi has a steady business of farm lunches and that also is enhanced by the weather as rainy days lead to fewer workers in the field needing food. But he gets a lot of farm related customers as those at the nearby Stoneville Research Facility. “We do a few things other stores can’t. We debone chickens and stuff them, we debone pork chops and stuff them and sell homemade gumbo, homemade spaghetti sauce and homemade Italian sausage.” For the past two decades, Kenoy Harris has been putting together mouth-watering hamburgers as well as sandwiches at Kenoy’s Burger Restaurant. Farmers come from all
Above, Betty’s Place in Indianola. Below, Paul’s Pride Smokehouse in Marks.
around the Clarksdale area to pick up carryouts of his creations to their workers for lunch. “I cook burgers, sandwiches and cold cuts for farm lunches,” Harris said. “It’s a big part of business in the spring and fall.” Farmers call in their orders to Harris which mainly consists of his famous hamburger, fries and a drink. “I’ve been cooking them for over 20 years and I have people come as far as Nashville and all over that hear about the place,” Harris said. “My number one seller is the ‘Two Fisted Burger’—you need two hands to eat it.” His burgers can be dressed with lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles as well as American or Swiss cheese. Mayo, mustard and ketchup can be requested as well. In Indianola there are many restaurants to choose from, but for lunch there are
chain fast foods and a 50-year favorite— Peasoup’s Lott a Freeze, also on Highway 82. The second-generation family business is in its second location on the East West corridor and has been serving farm lunches since its inception. Co-owner Brenda Lott notes that the farm lunches are big business. “Most farmers order off our menu—the steak finger basket is inexpensive but you get a lot of food, so they order that a lot,” Lott said. “They order chicken, they order burgers, they order po-boys—we do canned drinks, so they don’t have to fool with fountain drinks and spilling them in their trucks. Most of them have the things they like to eat. Some will even get salads. We have a lot order catfish on Fridays.” Open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. until and closed on Sunday and Monday, Lott sees plenty of farmers. “They’ll call in their order in the April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 33
morning when we get here and we’ll have it all boxed and bagged and ready to pick up when they get here,” she said. “We do a lot of farm orders in the summertime. It’s a pretty big group of farmers that eat with us. In this town there’s not a lot of options at lunch. If you’re trying to get something and you want it organized and on time, they come here.” Tara Herrin, owner of the Catfish Cabin in Cleveland has plenty of farmers who rely on her culinary skills to keep workers happy and well fed in and around Bolivar County. “We’ve done it for a while. I’ve been at the restaurant for 18 years and we started lunches in 2005 and soon thereafter with farm lunches,” Herrin said. “Over the last several years that has picked up for us.” Each day, Herrin sends out a text to her farm customers with a menu attachment. “They call it in and we’ll have it ready for them to pick up,” she said. “Whatever we have on the buffet is what is available to them. Some like a meat and three vegetables and a drink. But some don’t want to deal with the drinks. Some like a meat and two vegetables. They can call as early as 10:00 a.m. and tell us what they want. We have one farmer who likes each one boxed and bagged with utensils, so he just hands them out. We’ll do whatever we can to make it easy for the farmer.” Wednesday is hamburger steak day—“one of the busiest days. Tuesday and Friday, we have catfish. Pork chops are a big day—we have that at least once a week.” Herrin offers a monthly account billing or pay daily plan to make things easy for the farmers. “When they are all going, we are busy from 11:00 a.m. to nearly 1:00 p.m. getting them out. There have been days where we have 75-80,” she said. “We’ve tried hamburger day but they prefer the plate lunches.” In Tunica, farmers have many choices, especially the Levee Commissary and The Blue and White Restaurant. The Levee Commissary owners Ed and Patricia Miller have been feeding hungry farmers and their help for quite a while. “We do plate lunches and sandwiches and sometime burgers and fries,” Ed Miller said. “We have a regular menu and the call in the orders and we make them up.” The Blue and White Restaurant gets plenty of orders for cheeseburgers but the hamburger steak, fried chicken and catfish get plenty of attention as well. “Sometimes we might do 40 lunches but 34 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
For the past two decades, Kenoy Harris has been putting together mouth-watering hamburgers and sanwiches at his place, Kenoy’s Burger Restaurant in Clarksdale. His carry-out creations are popular with the area’s farmers. Below, Catfish Cabin in Cleveland offers on-site catering to local farmers during harvest season.
it just depends on the farmers. They don’t always eat at the same place. They’ll hit us twice a week and hit others,” he said. At the Blue and White Restaurant, Steven Barbieri and his staff work to address the hungry workers in and around Tunica. “Most of our lunches are a meat and three or meat and two vegetables and a piece of bread and the drink comes with it,” Barbieri said. “A lot will still order a hamburger and French fries but the meat and three is the most popular. If we’re having fried chicken and hamburger steak with green beans and mashed potatoes, they order those and we pack them up and they deliver them to the workers individually.” For the hamburger orders, Barbieri puts all the condiments and dressing on the side, so the workers can create what their burger their way. “We’ve been doing this since 1937 when it opened. I’ve been doing it myself for 15 years since I’ve owned it,” he said. When Barbieri took over there were
Top, Neisa Ray’s Diner in Leland. Below, Wop’s Bar-B-Q Shack in Clarksdale.
Caysi Seely and her mother Jerri Baker prepare farm lunches for the workers on their farm, Buford Lake Planting Company.
Below, Dalton Sykes enjoys lunch in the field delivered by his fiance Anna McClain Grittman
Above, the Farmer’s Grocery in Grace. Below, The Lunch Basket in Belzoni.
more than 150 farm accounts “that had been charging lunches for 50 or 60 years.” These days the number has whittled its way down near 30 or so. With limited hours, Larry’s Catfish House in Itta Bena serves farm lunches on Friday but has been a niche with supper and farm workers for the past two decades. Owner Larry Kelly “If they are working late planting or harvesting, they’ll pick them up late and take it to them,” Kelly said. “We’ve got ribs and chicken but most of the time the workers want the catfish. During the busy season we do a good many of them for Friday lunch. But when they’re working late, they’ll pick them up Thursday night, Friday night and Saturday night.” The catfish plate lunch comes with five sides—French fries, hush puppies, baked beans, fried okra, corn on the cob and some slaw. And they serve ice tea and lemonade for the drink. “They call it in and we’ll have it ready at the pick-up window,” Kelly said. All across the Delta, farmers and their working hands get the day’s work done with a great lunch—sometimes supper—from a delicious Delta eatery. April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 35
REAL TIME WEATHER This map is a representation of the weather center locations in the Delta region and throughout the state.
A network to benefit growers, researchers and the general public
Real-time weather data is now available online through the Delta Agricultural and Weather Center, stationed at the Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville. From 1915-1996, weather data was collected every day by the National Weather Service in Stoneville. The information included precipitation, air temperature, soil temperature, humidity, wind speeds, and evaporation rates. The weather station was closed in 1996, due to a loss of funding. However, to avoid a gap in historical data, a volunteer effort was organized to continue gathering weather information. As new technologies in communication emerged, it became apparent that there was a need for public access to this information. In 1998, the Delta Agricultural Weather Center became fully operational. 36 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
The Center began with three on-farm sites recording daily weather information, with additional locations in the Delta region and throughout the state. The Center has since added 15 permanent weather stations as well as various mobile stations. The mobile stations are used primarily during the growing season. A newly designed website allows users to customize weather reports of daily summaries and archived data from each station. The site offers real-time weather data every fifteen minutes that includes temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, solar radiation, precipitation, and soil temperatures at two and four inches. Evaporation rates are recorded at the Stoneville Co-Op Station only during the growing season. “With the addition of more stations, and the Mississippi
Above: Mark Silva, lead PI and Program Coordinator of the Delta Agricultural Weather Center, adjusts one of the weather stations near Stoneville.
Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Official Variety Trial mobile stations, the demand for real-time weather data soon became apparent,” says Mark Silva, MSU Extension Associate and Coordinator of the Delta Agricultural Weather Center, located at the Delta Research and Extension Center. “I was getting a lot of calls from growers and researchers wanting real-time weather data instead of having to wait for readings the next day. So, the Center began to explore station upgrades to accommodate these types of requests. I'm very proud of our weather network and what we can offer to growers, researchers, and the general public, especially the ag sector.” In addition to real-time and historical weather data, the site includes planting date information for cotton, corn, rice, and soybeans, and pond temperature predictions as well as other tools. The new website works on all types of devices including smart phones, computers, and tablets. The Center’s site can be accessed at www.deltaweather.extension.msstate.edu The Center is operated through a joint effort by the Mississippi State University Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station with additional support from Cotton Incorporated, Mississippi Corn Promotion Board, Mississippi Rice Promotion Board, and the Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board. April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 37
Member FDIC
38 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 39
AGRITOURISM A growing industry in the region By Aimee RoBinette
I
t’s pumpkin patches and corn mazes in the fall, Easter egg hunts in the spring, picking strawberries, horseback riding, petting zoos, wedding venues and everything in between. This is agritourism in Mississippi, a growing part of the agricultural industry that
not only allows farmers to generate additional income, but it also educates the many Mississippians who have never set foot on a farm. Stanley Wise, a founding member and past president of the Mississippi Agritourism Association, defines agritourism as visits by the general public to a working farm, working
ranch, wildlife area or rural area to explore or buy products grown or created by the farmer. “It’s the crossroads between agriculture and tourism,” he explained. Most Mississippi agritourism operations are not stand-alone businesses, but a value-added part of a real family farm. These activities help
Farmers from Brazil visit Silent Shade Planting Company in Belzoni to learn more about rice farming.
the family farm weather the ups and downs of the market since the farmer has more control in terms of consistency, said Wise. There are farm stores, farm stays, equine operations, farm festivals and opportunities to cut your own Christmas tree. In rural areas, u-pick farms allow visitors to pick strawberries and pumpkins. There are also full-time agritourism operations that host
Mississippi State Extension Agent, Louis Wasson demonstrates the use of a drone in agriculture.
weddings, parties and corporate meetings. “It’s a diverse range of activities,” said Wise. For former Mississippi Department of Agriculture & Commerce Commissioner Cindy Hyde-Smith (now Senator) agritourism is education. “It provides children and adults alike the opportunity to make the connection from farm to fork,” she said. “Today’s population is three or four generations removed from the farm, 42 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
which has led to a disconnect in consumers knowing where their food comes from, the steps it takes to get food on their plate, and the important role that agriculture plays in local and global economies. Farms offering agritourism activities are helping to bridge that gap.” The Mississippi Agritourism Association, which has 30 members, serves as an advocate for those who add an entertainment aspect to their farm, and represents the farmers to the legislature and other government and educational agencies. “Organizations like the Mississippi Agritourism Association are particularly important in bringing to the forefront of both public and legislative thought the importance of farming in Mississippi,” explained Mississippi Agritourism Association President Brooks Brownlee of Brownlee Farms in Red Banks. “The public can put a face with their food and thus humanize farming again. Lawmakers are also able to hear first hand needs and concerns.” Mississippi’s Agritourism Limited Liability Law, passed in 2012, provides liability protection to land owners who make sensible efforts to make their property secure and alert visitors to potential hazards. There are 70 agritourism operations registered with the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce’s Limited Liability Program, with ten of those in the Delta. The Mississippi Agritourism Association serves as a platform for education and networking, as members meet during the year for informational programs, speakers and tours of agritourism operations.
“My goal as president is to aid farms in Mississippi by helping them find their niche in agritourism,” said Brownlee. “All farms are unique in terms of crop diversity and farm method. Exposing the public to this diversity is good for farming and farms.” Today, as only two percent of the population farms, the Mississippi Agritourism Association seeks to educate the general public. “The vast majority don’t understand farming, but are in leadership roles that affect farming on one way or the other,” said Wise. Wise Brothers Farm in Pontotoc is a diverse operation of 300 acres, growing row crops, vegetables, tomatoes, watermelons, sweet corn and more, sold at their farm stand or occasionally at the farmers’ market. Wise Family Farm, the agritourism arm of the business, has a pumpkin patch and corn maze in the fall, but in the spring hosts field trips on growing gardens and crops, as well as the benefits of soil conservation. Second graders in Mississippi study a chapter on the life cycle of plants. To follow the classroom lesson, Wise welcomes the students to his farm where they plant a tomato and sunflower seed to take home and watch grow. “I try to bring agriculture to life on this farm,” he said. “I try to give them an education on farming in general.” A former county extension agent, Wise has seen positive movement in the last ten years as people choose to buy and eat more local products. “It’s bringing hope to the ag industry as whole,” he said. Agritourism also allows family farms to recruit family members with little or no farming experience to handle the retail angle. “Agritourism puts everyone to work on a farm,” Wise said. “It really puts the family back in the family farm.” Agriculture is Mississippi’s largest industry, providing nearly $8 billion annually to the economy. “Agriculture not only impacts the state’s 36,200 farms, it touches the lives of every individual and is the lifeblood of many Mississippi towns and rural communities,” said Commissioner Hyde-Smith. “Agritourism provides Mississippi farmers and landowners with a unique opportunity to demonstrate the importance of agriculture.” As an industry, agritourism is larger in many other states. “Mississippi is a latecomer to the agritourism game, but we’re coming along,” Wise said. “Agritourism is continuing to grow, not fast, but it is growing.”
Located in Cleveland, Bayou Academy’s Second Annual Ag Day for students in grades K3–6th. Pictured, Kerington Burrell, Amelia Davis, Anna Kalyan Fleming, Laney Litton, Evelyn Fisher, Addison Griffin, Caygon Tweedle, Claire Williams and Nataleigh Dees
Farmers report people are visiting the Delta each year in the fall to look at the cotton crops.
Extension Wildlife Professor Dr. Daryl Jones, Ph.D., coordinates Mississippi State University’s Natural Resource Enterprises program. It provides on-the-ground training and technical information on land management, wildlife management and habitat management, all part of agritourism. In Mississippi, Dr. Jones said, outdoor and recreational property make up one-third of the land values. According to Dr. Jones, the Department of the Interior reports that residents and non-residents of Mississippi who hunt and fish have a $2.9 billion annual economic impact. Agritourism, which he considers more of the farm tours aspect of the industry, contributes approximately $150 million annually to the state in revenues, with an estimated annual economic impact of $300 million. “The economic impact of agritourism in Mississippi is substantial,” he said. The Natural Resource Enterprises program hosts regular workshops for those interested in diversifying their land with agritourism. These include business approaches, liability information with an attorney who specializes in the area and networking with other landowners. Dr. Jones estimates he’s presented more than 44 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
100 of these workshops in 12 states. About a third of those who attend one of Dr. Jones’ programs start a new enterprise as a result and 80 percent do more conservation. Those who do start a new business typically make about $10,000 to $12,000 the first year, which he said more than covers their costs and taxes. “The programming helps folks diversify their income and keep the land in their possession, and helps make the land better and more valuable from an environmental perspective,” said Dr. Jones. “We provide the technical business training for them to make good, educated decisions.” It also serves as an incentive to implement more conservation practices, resulting in cleaner air and water, outcomes that benefit everyone. In the future, Wise hopes Mississippi can develop a program like Tennessee’s Center for Profitable Agriculture. The center is a partnership between UT Extension and the Tennessee Farm Bureau, and it works cooperatively with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. Its mission is to provide educational programs and technical assistance to farmers who want to include a value-added aspect to their farm to improve income.
Above, petting zoos around the region are gaining in popularity through agritourism. Below, pumpkin farms are also seeing an increase in visitors, especially school field trips.
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YOUNG FARMERS & RANCHERS PROGRAM Mississippi Farm Bureau recognizes young leaders in the agricultural industry
By Aimee RoBinette Photography courtesy of mississippi Farm Bureau
Billy Tabb, current CEO of Young Farmers and Ranchers Organization and his wife, Cala.
Most farms across the Delta are generational. Many young farmers find their family business is multifaceted, and there is much more to it than traditional planting, growing and harvesting. While most young farmers are college educated, there are still issues and concerns that must be learned outside of a classroom and away from the field. Young farmers find they may need help with a soil issue or an irrigation problem. They also discover there is a need to be involved in policy making and program shaping to protect the interests of the farmer. This is where Mississippi Farm Bureau steps in. Mississippi Farm Bureau is the largest general farm organization in the state, with more than 192,000-member families 46 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
in 82 county Farm Bureaus. There are many programs under the umbrella of Mississippi Farm Bureau, one of which focuses on helping young producers. Farm Bureau had the foresight to recognize those young farmers would one day become leaders that would someday guide their organization, and so The Young Farmers and Ranchers program was created. It was designed to educate young farmers, 18-35, about the purpose and function of Farm Bureau and provide opportunities for them to participate in the program structure. It assists the younger generation who shares an interest in improving themselves and agriculture. They are encouraged to use their own knowledge and the information gained about Farm Bureau to help formulate policies and pro-
Mike McCormick, Billy Tabb with Senator Roger Wicker
Samantha Laird, Regional Manager Region 4 commodity coordinator with husband, Drew and son, Webb
David Arant, 2017 Young Farmer and Rancher Achievement Award winner with his wife, Rebekkah.
Two MFBF YF&R members were honored by the Mississippi Soybean Association in their first annual soybean yield contest. Strider McCrory of Sunflower county took home first place in dry land soybean yield, while Luke Andrews of Bolivar County took home second place in irrigated soybean yield.
Senator Wicker addresses the crowd at the 2017 Mississippi Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Banquet.
grams that can lead to solutions to their problems and challenges. “From my perspective, one major challenge young farmers face is realizing the importance of becoming an advocate for agriculture and then figuring out how to use their voice to advocate for the industry,” said Samantha Laird, Regional Manager, Region 4 Commodity Coordinator, Peanuts & Sweet Potatoes, Young Farmers & Ranchers Coordinator. “By nature, many farmers are content to stay in the tractor seat, focusing solely on taking care of business on their farm; however, increasing public policy and regulatory obstacles are making it more and more difficult to farm using best management practices based on sound science. “Farm Bureau strives to be a collective voice for agriculture in both the legislative and regulatory arenas, but most often, lawmakers on the local, state, and national levels want to hear directly from farmers. Our Young Farmers & Ranchers program is working to help educate young farmers on the importance of stepping beyond the turn row to be an advocate for their industry and empowering them to find their own voices in order to feel more comfortable telling their stories,” she added. The Mississippi Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee is made up of 16 married couples or single individuals from around the state. They serve a two-year appointment, with half the committee rotating off each year. “We have eight Farm Bureau regions in the state, and one new member (couple or single) is appointed annually from each region by the Farm Bureau Regional Manager and the Farm Bureau President,” explained Laird. “The purpose of the state committee is to help plan, organize, and carry out state level young farmer activities and events, like the leadership conference, scholarship fundraisers and others. “We also use the committee as a leadership development opportunity and provide the committee members with unique experiences and opportunities to help develop their leadership potential (a trip to Washington, D.C. to engage with legislators and regulatory agencies, a trip to the national YF&R Leadership Conference, the opportunity to attend the American Farm Bureau Convention and April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 47
media trainings,” Laird added. “Serving on the committee is a phenomenal opportunity that many young farmers from around the state will say is one of the most positive and impactful experiences they have had.” Billy Tabb of Eupora is the current chairman of the board. He and his wife, Cala, are both heavily involved and are difference-makers within the organization. “The biggest impact of Farm Bureau that was not expected when I joined up is the connections, the networking, I have been able to find. We share ideas. We get information from other farmers. We find out answers to our problems as we all have the same,” explained Tabb, who begins his 16th season this year. “The knowledge they have in the hills, well, they know more about GPS. I call my friends I have met through meetings and what kind of GPS are they running; what kind of maps. I have buddies from the Delta I can call about erosion prevention. The knowledge from Farm Bureau seminars and meetings is immeasurable. I just attended a class in Jackson. I sat through a class in marketing on futures, options 48 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
and trading. I have attended on cover crops. You can attend as many or as little as you want.” Tabb said his role as chairman and member is to get young people involved in farming and agriculture. “We want them to be Farm Bureau members, but more importantly we want them involved in agriculture,” he said. “We want them to be aware of farmer’s needs and find out how easy it Is to talk to their congressman about those needs. Farm Bureau puts them in touch with their representatives, on a state and fed level. They respect Farm Bureau.” Tabb started his own farm in his 20s, which is rare in this industry. He went “all in” by dropping out of college, applied for a FSA loan and got started. While he was encouraged to join Farm Bureau, he didn’t see the point at the time. “I wish I would have sooner,” he explained. “This is my livelihood. Farming is what pays the bills and makes our lifestyle possible. Farmers represent only two percent of the population, so it is easy to be overlooked. Farm Bureau lobbies for us, the two percent. They make
it possible for us to do what we do. My business has grown three-fold. They set up connections.” During the month of February before farming really gets underway, Mississippi Farm Bureau hosts a leadership conference with a list of topics tailored to the year’s most pressing issues young farmers and ranchers face. “The theme of this year’s conference was ‘Real Conversation, Real Action,’ and the focus of the conference was on discussing current agricultural issues and ways to dispel common myths about farming so that conference attendees would become better prepared to help others understand the truth about modern production agriculture,” Laird explained. Approximately 270 young farmers and their spouses from all over the state attended the conference. “This year’s conference was our largest, most well-attended conference to date, and I’m not sure that it could have gone any better,” Laird said. “The speakers were outstanding, the food was delicious, and the entertainment was spot on. Everyone learned something, enjoyed making new friends and catching up with old ones, and had an overall great time.” Dr. Bobby Golden’s (MSU Rice Specialist) breakout session on Soil Fertility Considerations for Sustainable Farm Productivity was very well attended as was the Market Outlook and Strategies breakout session by Bryan Doherty, Senior Market Advisor with the Stewart-Peterson Group. A highlight of the conference is the announcing of the Mississippi Farm Bureau’s Young Farmer and Rancher Achievement Award. The Achievement Award seeks to recognize outstanding young farmers in our state for the growth and development of their farming operation, the leadership skills, their ingenuity, and their Farm Bureau involvement. This year, Tyler and Sarah Huerkamp, from Macon, were the recipients. David Arant, who was the 2017 Young Farmer and Rancher Achievement Award winner, knows first-hand the challenges—and rewards—up and coming farmers face daily. “It’s always an interesting dynamic when you come back to work with family. I’m working with my dad, David, and uncle, Hugh. You tread lightly as you
do with any employer, especially those who have been at it longer, but I prefer working with family,� Arant said. “It’s been a very good experience, but still there are some challenges. Another challenge is dealing with price fluctuation. It has been in a steady decline. You don’t make as much money, so you learn to make every penny count. Being the recipient of the achievement award was a very humbling experience for Arant, one he said he never thought he would receive. “It was an honor and a blessing,� he added. “I hope I can give back to Farm Bureau. I hope I can inspire other young farmers. Farm Bureau strives to increase knowledge in many areas of farming. They hold seminars on farming techniques and other farm-related workshops. They help provide ways for you to help yourself. Farm Bureau is an advocate for agriculture and us. We don’t have time to be in the capital to protect our lively hood. We need a voice. There are so many issues from trade to regulations, all of which are important and must be addressed.� Arant, who was the board chairman for 2016, noted that, “They need farmer involvement and we need them. It is a beneficial relationship.� Besides, Arant needs to continue the family legacy of farming as being a farmer is one of his son’s possible career choices. “He said he wants to be a farmer, but so far he has also mentioned being an astronaut or maybe even an engineer,� Arant laughed. “Just like me, we will have to see.�
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April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 49
First generation Farmers
Pursuing a dream and embracing hard work
By mARk H. stoweRs • Photography by Austin Britt
Hayden Bills
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Hunter Doty
armers across the Delta normally have a pedigree that reaches back into the family tree for a few generations. Just like planting and harvest, fathers and their sons and daughters keep replanting, nourishing and encouraging a life out of the rich Delta soil. But for some, farming is a new venture for a family. A dream come true
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that gets freshly planted with hope and dreams of generations to come. Hunter Doty is a welder by trade but when his high school friend, Dirk Sikes, got into farming, the fabricator knew he wanted to get his hands dirty in a new way. “He had moved back from Jackson and found some land and started farming. I thought to myself, if he can do it, so can I,”
Doty said. “At the time I was a full-time welder and I just wanted something different, so I picked up 27 acres beside my house and started farming.” Each year he added to his acreage “a little bit more and a little bit more” until he amassed nearly 1,600 acres. “I’ve got land around Boyle and a majority of it is around the Parchman area. I grow soybeans and corn and I’m going to try rice for the first time this year,” he said. “I picked up some land and they had moved a lot of dirt on it and a lot of people said that putting rice behind dirt buckets is a good thing to do.” Doty began farming in 2012 and had just enough land to start his learning curve. “It was something to do in the afternoons—it was like having a hobby or a garden but it was a lot more work than a garden,” he said of those initial 27 acres. “And it cost a lot more money.” Doty was lucky that his high school friend let him borrow equipment for his “hobby” and he grew soybeans that initial farming year. “I haven’t bought a lot of equipment. I’ve
got a tractor, a planter, a disc, a sprayer and a hipper,” he said. “I’m in the process of getting another tractor and another planter. The window for planting is such a small one it’s hard to get all of your crop in the window they want you to get it in.” Doty doesn’t have an equipment brand preference as he has both John Deere and Case International products helping him make a living. “I try to get the best deal with the lowest hours. I have a Case tractor and I’m fixing to get a John Deere,” he said. “I leased a John Deere combine this year. In the past I paid somebody to come in for custom cutting.” And Doty is helping plant the farmer dream in others as he has two part-time helpers who are still in school. “One is a senior in high school and one is in college. I get as much done each day until they get out of school. One of the men is from family farm and he works there and helps me,” he said. To get the most out of his vocation, Doty works the resources he has available to him. “I ask a lot of questions,” he said. “I’ve got a crop consultant who is a good friend
Jack Price and Clark Manning
of mine. My father in law farmed for 50-plus years and I’ll call him if I have a question. Then another farmer, Bern Prewitt, I’ll call him if I have a question. My buddy that I started behind, I’ll call him and see if this has happened to him before. You need a good crop consultant.” He also relies on his wife, Kattie, his daughter—Brynli (12) and son Gage (5) for
inspiration and support while he’s on the turnrow. And he’s passing down a timetested farmer tradition. “I’ve even taught Brynli how to drive a tractor,” he said. “She even likes walking the poly pipe with me and poking the holes in it and plugging the holes and she likes running water furrows on the four-wheeler. I’ve got to teach my kids a good work ethic.”
April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 53
To get his 27-acres up and running initially, Doty, like most farmers, had to borrow money. “It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be,” he said. “The hardest part is you think there’s a lot of money in farming but there’s really not. You handle a lot of money but you don’t get to keep much of it. I don’t know why we do this? I guess it’s in our blood and you love it. I still weld on the side to make money.” His favorite part of farming is “the smell of dirt when you first start breaking ground and planting.” The hardest part—“putting out poly pipe, especially when I have to put it out by myself. The hardest part mentally is rolling the dice and waiting to sell your crop.” With his grandfather, Clark Manning, plowing an educational path for him, Jack Price (22) got to spend plenty of time with him learning the foundational basics of the trade. After working for his grandfather throughout his younger years and high school he looked for some higher education to attain for his vocation. “I first went to Delta State but then learned that Moorhead (MDCC) had an ag program. I transferred there and went two years getting a degree in Field Crop Technology. I graduated this past May.” After learning the ways of the turnrow, he’s now starting Price Farms LLC this year and is waiting for things to dry up, so he can start his career. “I’ve got my seed ordered and I’ve got beans booked to sell. My grandad hasn’t completely retired and he’ll be helping me make decisions,” Price said. “I’m leasing all of the land I’m working from my grandad and I’m leasing 100 acres from my mom. We’re doing a crop share, so I don’t have to pay cash rent. They get a share of what I grow and that really helps me out.” Price will be overseeing 670 acres for his first year behind the plow. “As I get older and learn the ropes a little better and learn the business side, I hope to branch out and eventually buy some land,” he said. “I’m doing about 112 acres of rice and the rest will be soybeans. Soybeans are my favorite. They are easier to keep up with. With rice you have to flood it and check your gates every single day and make sure none have fallen down and you’re losing water. And you have to fertilize it and that’s more money. Rice is a little tougher.” Price is a Case aficionado when it comes to his farm tractor and equipment choice. 54 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
Michael Haynes
“If it ain’t red, it stays in the shed,” he said. “It’s all I’ve ever known. This past year I ran a Cat Track machine and that was nice.” The first-generation farmer will be working mostly by himself with his grandfather pitching in some but Price will be looking to hire on someone when the work load increases. “I’ll try to hire somebody when all the hard, physical labor of putting down rice gates and running poly pipe starts,” he said. With the business side of things, he’s been absorbing quite a bit following his grandfather around to banks and insurance companies. “I’m still learning but for the past two or three years I’ve been going with my grandad when he met with insurance companies and crop consultants. And Moorhead helped me a lot with that. We did practice budgets,” he said. Price enjoys harvest time most of all but the hardest part is “finding good labor.” And now he gets to figure out what it means to be the boss. “There’s a big difference between just working on the farm and actually running the farm,” he said. Farming just came naturally to Hayden Bills (21) because it was all around him when
he was growing up. It would become his destiny of sorts. “I’ve loved farming since I was old enough to know what it was,” Bills said. “I don’t have any family that farms, just growing up in the delta seeing people farm— it’s just something I’ve been around my whole life. I first started working on a farm when I was around 13 years old.” Bills worked for other farmers and learned the ins and out of soybeans, corn and milo and this year will be planting his second soybean crop with a well-known green and gold color. “I’ve always driven John Deere equipment. I also have my own John Deere 4640 tractor that I just recently purchased,” Bills said. As he works alone on his farm, Bills has to do the do the work on and off the turnrow. “I’ve learned many things about farming in my first year,” he said. “Chemicals, bank loans and finding land—that’s the hardest part—land is by far the hardest to come by.” Normal days begin around 7:00 a.m. and get moved up earlier to 5:00 a.m. during planting or harvest. The days can stretch as late as 2:00 a.m. “if that what it takes.” “It takes a special person to wake up at 5:00 a.m. in the morning and leave your
family and not see them again until sometimes 11:00 or 12 o’clock at night and wake up the next day and know all that may happen again tomorrow. But you want to do it not because you have to. But every chance I get to be with my family I cherish the moments.” Though the work is hard, it’s enjoyable and at the end of the day, there’s a feeling of accomplishment. “My favorite part of farming are the challenges that are thrown to me day to day,” he said. “The hardest part about farming is coming up with the money to start farming. But no matter what I do whatever it takes to make it work.” With 1,000 acres under his watchful eye in Humphreys County, Michael Haynes (27) is just waiting on Mother Nature to break ground this year. Last season the first generation farmer had corn and soybeans but will plant only soybeans once its dry enough. He learned his ag skills from his dad, Scott Haynes, who he still partners with and leases equipment for his acreage. “I’m a Case man all the way,” Haynes said. “I rent my dad’s equipment and use the farm labor we have in that partnership. But I’m on my own on the bank loan and all. It was scary last year but I can’t complain. We came out on top.” His favorite part of farming is not being stuck in an office but having his “office” being a tractor cab. The hardest part? “The business side for sure is the hardest,” he said. “But you have to make sure your crop has enough water and make sure the bugs aren’t eating everything up.” Married with a five-month old son, Haynes is itching to get him plugged into the farm life as soon as possible. “Not yet but I’m ready for it,” he said. With a Business Degree from Delta State University that helps him understand the financial side of the business, the turnrow knowledge came from his father. “I’ve learned everything from my dad. He’s my hero and my mentor,” Haynes said. “I look for his advice on everything.” Beginning his own farm was something Haynes decided on at a young age. “It’s all I’ve ever been around. I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” he said. “It’s all I ever want to do.” First generation farmers, doing what they love, beginning a vocation that could bless countless generations to come.
April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 55
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April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 57
Brian Braswell
mississippi Delta farming vs. south texas farming—one native talks about the differences By AnGeLA RoGALski
Farming in the Mississippi Delta sometimes comes with hot summers when rain can be scarce, wet winters when it seems like the rain won’t stop and just about anything in between. But when you have a passion for farming, there’s no place like the fertile soil of the flatlands to bring you home a thriving crop. Or is there? Brian Braswell is a generational farmer who knows about the Mississippi Delta and what it offers when it comes to a good crop. His hands were deep in the rich soil for many years, helping his dad. He’s still partners with his dad, but today, they farm 6,000-7,000 acres in South Texas, Willacy County, to be precise, in the Rio Grande Valley. “My dad farmed around Linn, Miss.,” Braswell said. “We grew rice, soybeans, and cotton. Those were our primary crops. But we also grew wheat, and on occasion we’d grow some milo. My dad grew up on that farm and we worked in that area until 1987. And it was in the ‘80s that we were introduced to South Texas farming by some relatives. We were also in the cotton picking business as well as farming, and it just so happened we met some people while we were down in South Texas and we started picking cotton here in the mid-eighties. And that’s how we ended up in Texas.” Braswell said they met quite a few people there through custom harvesting, and through those meetings were able to obtain 58 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
Braswell checking cotton
land to farm and decided a move to Texas would be in their family’s best interest. “So, in 1987 we moved to South Texas,” Braswell said. “And we had already been picking cotton here. The season is really early in Texas, so we would come down in July and August and work, then we’d head home to the Delta and our cotton crop there would be coming in right behind that. So, we actually custom harvested cotton in Mississippi and Texas. And now some of our family is farming the land in the Delta.” Braswell said that their Texas crops
include milo, corn, some sugar cane, and cotton. He said the major difference for him between the two farms, other than a few different crops, is in South Texas it’s almost all dry land farming. “The first difference is where we’re at, in the Rio Grande Valley, we’re primarily a dry land farm,” he said. “So, there’s very little irrigation. I think I only have maybe 250 acres irrigated and all of the rest is dry land. And it really doesn’t get cold here. In late December, early January, you might have a little cold weather, but for the most part it really never even frosts here. I love the Valley because there’s farming going on here year round. I don’t grow vegetables, but I have a
lot of neighbors who do, things like onions and cabbage. There’s a lot of citrus down here. It’s just a whole different environment. You farm year round. It’s not like you have a bad winter and then you really can’t do anything on the farm.” Braswell added that South Texas’s mild temps were good for his farm because it allowed them more time to prepare the land for crops, but with every pro there is always a con. “You have more time for land preparation, so we probably farm more acres with less equipment. But there is a bad side to it as well. The bad side is the weeds don’t stop growing. You don’t have a frost to help
Braswell with sons, Ben and Cade
kill them, so we’re fighting weeds constantly. But we probably have a lot less bug pressure than farmers in the Delta. We don’t get the kind of bug pressure that I was used to there. Even today, with our cotton, we may have to spray plant bugs maybe two times, but in the
Delta that’s a big problem.” Braswell said another downside was that South Texas didn’t get the rainfall that the Delta does. “We probably get somewhere around 2025 inches per year and that may be it. Now, April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 59
Braswell with his sons and farm labor in South Texas
our soils do retain a lot of water and tend to hold moisture a little better than the soil in the Delta, so the crops can hold on a little longer, but we just don’t get that kind of rain. And our yields aren’t quite as good. We have the capability of making high yields, but we have to have Mother Nature’s cooperation. So, it truly is a gamble down here. We have around 6,000-7,000 acres here, which is larger than our Delta farm was, but in these dry land areas, as I said, our yields aren’t as good, so in our case, to sustain a family in today’s farm economy, we have to farm a lot more acres in this market than we probably would in the Delta.” Braswell also worked for Helena Chemical company for 22 years and just left the company in December 2017. Up until then, he was working for Helena and helping his dad whenever he could. “I would come down to South Texas and help him. I just recently resigned from Helena and I’m in the process of buying a house here now so I can farm full-time. My wife, Gayle, is still in Senatobia, which is where we lived, because my youngest son has two more years of high school. In fact, both my sons, Ben and Cade, and my daughter, Kim, are with my wife in Senatobia. So, until my youngest gets out of school, we’ll be 60 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
Brian Braswell with his family Cade, Gayle, Ben and Kim.
apart some. I go home as often as possible when we’re slow on the farm, and I still work with Helena when I can. But when she gets down here permanently she’ll be helping me with the farm. Of course, my dad, Buck, is my partner and still an active participant in the farm. He’s 71-years-old, but he remains a crucial part of our business.” Braswell said he loves South Texas and he
loves farming there, but he still misses his Mississippi Delta roots. “The Delta has its own culture; it’s different from anywhere else in the world,” Braswell stated. “When you’re farming and you go to the field in the Delta, it’s crazy. You may only have a week to get your crop in, because you’re in between rains or something is going on and it’s really, really hot. When you go to the field in Mississippi, you have to get a lot done in a short amount of time. And I love the fact that irrigation, while it may not be readily available, there’s a lot of irrigated acres. And I know it costs a lot of money, but you don’t have to worry about not harvesting a crop. Most of the time you’re going to harvest a crop; you’re going to grow it and harvest it. Down here, one in five or one in six, you may not ever harvest it. It may not ever rain. So, you have to plan for the bad years. In Mississippi, you’re going to have bad years too, but at least, you’re going to grow it and harvest it. Down here sometimes, you just don’t get that chance. But I do love the fact that the veggies are here and when you ride in some of the irrigated country, there’s beautiful cabbage and citrus. It’s really pretty to see.”
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WAYLON GREER
A new generation ag pilot with tunica Air By mike Lee
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Waylon Greer
ost young men go through high school with one of two goals in mind after graduation; to further their education in college or to start a career. Occasionally though, a teenager does both and Waylon Greer of Independence, Mississippi is one such man. Excelling both scholastically and athletically, Greer graduated Independence High School in 2014 with a clear vision of what he wanted to be in life and how to achieve it. “I enrolled at Northwest Community College in Senatobia intent on being a nurse,” he remembered. But an opportunity to go flying presented itself and he took to flying as though it was part of him; a natural at the controls. Greer looked into the various career opportunities available to him as a pilot and the one that stood out was ag pilot, aka: “crop duster.” So he began an internet search for schools and found one of the best, Flying Tiger Aviation in Monroe, Louisiana. Greer applied and was accepted. He skillful mastery of the airplane was obvious to the flight instructors as Greer excelled over all other students in his class, so much so that upon gaining his commercial single engine type rating, Greer was appointed instructor at the school. “To date, I have taught 20 students and have over 500 hours (flight time),” he grinned. 68 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
That smile is a hint however and is also a reflection of the change that was to unfold in his young life. In February, 2017 Greer got an invitation from chief pilot Kevin Jones of Tunica Air Inc., in Tunica. “Kevin knew of my involvement at Flying Tiger through his friendship with my dad, so he asked me to come (to Tunica Air Inc.) and look things over,” he recalled. Greer did so and liked the operation. “Right away, I noticed it was a nice sized business,” he nodded, “and we talked. I realized it was just what I was looking for; a job that would get me totally involved in what I wanted to be and what I wanted to do,” Greer said. Tunica Air Inc. is a well established aerial application company in the northwest Mississippi Delta that recently changed hands from long-time owner Shawney Sharp, to three local farmer/investors— brothers Patrick and Michael Johnson, and Buddy Allen—who had utilized the services of Tunica Air Inc. for years and knew the value of the business. “The owners understood the economics of aerial spraying,” Greer said, “that though some farmers now own tractor-based sprayers, still aerial application is more economical. A ground sprayer has a 150 foot spread and our planes have only a 70 foot reach. But the aircraft can cover the same acreage in a fraction of the time and
consequently at a cost savings,” Greer explained. Greer’s visit to Tunica Air Inc. paid off. Chief pilot Kevin Jones liked him, knew of his record at Flying Tiger Aviation and offered him a job that afternoon. “I couldn’t believe I got an offer so quickly. It's been just a few months since I started and I'm working at the lowest rung of the ladder, which is exactly where I want to be,” Greer explained, “because I have a lot to learn. But that’s what I do best. I pick up on things real quick,” he boasted. And Jones has virtually become Greer’s mentor, teaching him and testing him on every aspect of the job.
Kevin Jones and Waylon Greer loading chemical on one of Tunica Air’s air tractors.
Tunica Air Inc.’s owners agreed with Jones’ assessment, which is why they're investing in Greer by giving him the opportunity. “I’m on the payroll and absorbing everything about the business from costs to chemicals, all about the planes and expenditures. Everything,” he grinned, “and it’s exactly what I got into this business for, to be a complete ag pilot,” Greer said. Within a year, after learning everything he needs to know, he will join chief pilot Kevin Jones and Cord Foster as the companies third pilot. Currently, Tunica Air Inc. owns an Air Tractor 502 and a 602, but the owners are in negotiations to acquire a second 602. April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 69
With the addition of that plane, the three aircraft will be better able to serve customers in the market they cover; farm fields within a 40 mile range of their location two miles south of the town of Tunica, alongside Highway 61. Because the operation sits just 75 feet from the roadway, when the planes are active passing traffic often slows to watch them take off and land. “On weekends, we’ll have cars parked on the crossroads at either end of our 2,500 runway watching us,” Greer noted, “since it’s a treat for kids and adults alike, who normally don't get close to an airplane.” Waylon Greer is a focused and goal oriented 20-year-old. Where many of his buddies are either in college or working to buy a pickup truck, Greer is a certified ag pilot who is learning every aspect of the business he loves while waiting for the arrival of the companies second Air Tractor 602. When it joins the fleet, the 502 is his and his assignment will be liquid fertilizer spraying. His personal goals are just as ambitious. “I want to eventually get married—I have a wonderful girlfriend in my life—and I want kids. Career wise, I will be an ag pilot for as long as I can and along with having a family, I’ll be happy,” he smiled. For a young man of 20 who is mature beyond his age and looks older than he is, the future of aerial application looks good not only for him, but also for the industry. Waylon Greer is part of a new generation of ag pilots who see their role in the farming industry from a different perspective: from the air.
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April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 71
HOPSON PLANTATION HISTORY
one historic Delta landmark By GRetA sHARP • Photography by Austin Britt
H
opson Plantation in Clarksdale welcomes overnight guests, Blues tourists and anyone interested in local history. Visitors enjoy live music and dance underneath strands of twinkling lights. But many people don’t know that almost 75 years ago, one of the most important events in agricultural evolution took place here when H.H. Hopson, Jr., revolutionized cotton farming. A Mississippi Blues Trail marker informs visitors of Hopson Plantation’s role in history: “One of the major factors behind the ‘great migration’ of African Americans from the South to northern cities was the 72 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
mechanization of agriculture, which diminished the need for manual laborers. In 1944, the Hopson Planting Company produced the first crop of cotton to be entirely planted, harvested, and baled by machine.” Prior to this time, people carried out the hot, dirty, heavy labor of picking cotton on the Hopson Plantation’s 3,800 acres. But just one of the mechanized cotton pickers Mr. Hopson helped develop with International Harvester could pick as much cotton as 50 laborers in one day. Mr. Hopson tested automated equipment as early as 1914 with a small, crawler-type tractor, which was discarded
for mechanical difficulties. In 1921, he used two two-wheel tractors that pulled farming implements. One of these tractors prepared the soil, planted and cultivated a small area Mr. Hopson set aside for the experiment. “This was accomplished with many breakdowns, much loss of time, considerable grief, and with a generous expenditure of profanity,” Mr. Hopson wrote in Mechanization of a Cotton Farm. Today, James and Cathy Butler own Hopson Plantation, which was established in 1852. Cathy Butler’s grandmother was Mary Hopson Nance, the daughter of H.H. Hopson, Jr., who went on to marry
PHOTO COURTESY OF DELTA COUNCIL
Hopson Plantation Commissary and headquarters. Note the observation room above the building that allowed one to see over thousands of acres of cotton.
John Nance. “Cathy’s parents were the last to farm here at the headquarters,” said James. In its early years, Hopson Plantation used sharecroppers to pick cotton, and 100 families worked on the grounds, living in little rows of houses. Mr. Hopson didn’t think the sharecropper system was beneficial for the farmer or the working families, said Butler. “He always tried to be a little bit higher in pay to keep people around, but it was not a good living,” Butler explained. Mr. Hopson also made arrangements with the hospital in Mound Bayou to attend to the
medical needs of Hopson Plantation’s sharecroppers in what Butler calls an early version of medical benefits. As farming operations evolved, so did the rest of the world. New inventions and manufacturing processes improved mechanical efficiency, increasing productivity. Those working as farm labor headed north to Chicago and Detroit for full-time employment or joined the military to serve in World War II, both of which offered better opportunities than being paid by the pound to pick cotton, said Butler. In 1942 and 1943, Mr. Hopson and
other large Delta plantation owners sent to Mexico for workers to pick cotton, as there was no one locally to do the work, said Butler. This method of securing labor happened for years, but the plantation owners had to work harder to find labor in the last years before mechanization, said Butler. With labor harder to find and more expensive to hire, creating a smaller profit margin for the owner, Mr. Hopson brought change to the Delta and the world with his partnership with International Harvester, who had German engineers at Hopson Plantation for the better part of a April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 73
James, Cathy and son William Butler in front of modern day Hopson. (Not pictured, Claire Butler)
decade to design the cotton pickers. In total, Mr. Hopson worked with the company for 17 years. “International Harvester recognized his brilliance,” said Butler. When International Harvester introduced the pickers in 1944, only 17 were produced and Mr. Hopson had 12, Butler explained. International Harvester gave Mr. Hopson eight pickers in appreciation for his work in the project, and he purchased four more. Translated into dollars, Mr. Hopson wrote that the mechanized picker harvested cotton for 1 to 1.5 cents a pound, compared to eight to ten cents a pound for handpicking cotton. He estimated that the average hand could pick about 15 pounds of cotton an hour, compared to a mechanized picker that could harvest as much as 50 workers each day. Butler refers to this as the beginning of agritourism since people came from around the state, country and world to watch and
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learn about what Mr. Hopson was doing in his fields. “It was taking so much of his time to tell people the story about mechanization, so he printed the brochure,” said Butler, referring to Mechanization of a Cotton Farm. “Those 12 pickers, they could pick fast,” said Butler. “They were picking a lot of cotton.” This volume created a problem for Mr. Hopson. After the cotton was picked, it was taken in trailers to the gin to be delinted and de-seeded, then baled. But the gin was slower than the pickers, leaving the pickers waiting in the fields for the gin to catch up. To resolve the issue, Mr. Hopson tore down two unused silos, doubled the roofline of the gin and created five cotton bins to store the cotton until the gin was ready. “The Hopson Planting Company cannot be correctly considered as or compared with an ordinary cotton plantation,” Mr. Hopson wrote in his brochure The Hopson Plantation: The
Plantation of the Future…Available Now. “It is a business institution that produces and processes its own products and ships them in car-lots from its private railroad side-track. Not only that, but its shop and supply facilities are materially beyond those found in cities of 10,000 to 20,000 population. This is a major economy factor which results in reduced repair bills and minimum loss of machine time from breakdowns.” Many of the plantation’s original structures are still in use. In 1924, the Hopson Planting Company established its headquarters next to the railroad tracks and Highway 49, giving Mr. Hopson easy access to transport the cotton. The headquarters included a commissary, which was a company store for the sharecroppers, and offices. Today, this building is an event space with a small bar open for guests in the afternoon hosted by Robert Birdsong, the bartender and local historian. There is
music here most every Saturday unless Hopson Plantation is closed for a private party or event. The five manager’s homes still stand, with the Butlers living in one and another listed on Airbnb. Hopson Farm House offers three bedrooms and two bathrooms to overnight guests. The other three are long-term rentals. Mr. Hopson also had a private gin for his cotton, situated next to a three-room warehouse, which is now The Loft, an overnight rental that accommodates six people and has a large front porch with rocking chairs. Today, the gin is the lobby for the Shack Up Inn, which sits in the middle of Hopson Plantation. The gin’s former cotton bins also serve as hotel rooms. At the north end of the compound stands the Seed House, which Butler plans to transform into an antique shop. There’s even a working farm shop, still in use by a relative, and tractors come and go all day during the season. Mr. Hopson
had a full fleet of International Harvester trucks and other equipment, and stocked all the parts necessary to keep his equipment running. Butler said there wasn’t anything that could break that Mr. Hopson couldn’t fix. “Don't even think of going to Memphis to get parts,” said Butler. “He had them in inventory.” The Hopson family didn’t live on the plantation, but stayed in town, a few miles away, Butler said. They built a house next to the school in 1924. Years later when they left the house, the Hopsons donated the property to the school and it became a playground. When Butler is sharing Hopson’s history with guests, he’s able to tell them Blues pianist Joe Willie “Pinetop” Perkins drove a tractor at Hopson before he joined Muddy Waters’ band and had a successful solo career. “A big percentage of our tourists are Blues tourists,” Butler said. For those interested, there is a one-row picker on site, an implement that was attached to
a tractor, and Butler can explain the importance of Hopson Plantation’s contribution to farming to the guests. “It’s been a lot of fun,” Butler said. “I’ve met a lot of people from all over the world. Hopson is a passion for me.” The excitement began 35 years ago when he and Cathy moved back to Clarksdale as young newlyweds. Butler planned an antique shop in the commissary, but his father-in-law approached him about buying Hopson Plantation. “It’s been an adventure for sure,” said Butler. “It was kind of crazy. We were young and dumb. I was in sales, Cathy worked as a teller in a bank.” But he met with a loan officer and explained his plans to cover the costs of purchasing Hopson Plantation and almost to his dismay, the bank approved his loan. “It scared me to death,” he said. “It was so hard for so many years, but it’s been so much fun. I have a master plan; it’s changed every single day.”
April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 75
Recipes SOYBEANS & RICE 1 cup dried soybeans, sorted and rinsed 2 cups water 1 teaspoon olive, canola or soybean oil 1 large onion chopped 1 large green bell pepper chopped 1 clove garlic finely chopped
1¾ ¼ ⅛ 2 ¾
cups chicken broth teaspoon dried oregano leaves teaspoon ground red pepper dried bay leaves cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
In a 4-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the soybeans and use enough water to just cover the beans. Bring to a boil. Boil uncovered for 2 minutes and remove from heat. Cover beans and let stand for 1 hour and then drain. Next, stir in 2 cups water. Heat to boiling and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook two hours until soybeans are tender. Drain. Next, spray 12-inch skillet with cooking spray. Add oil and heat over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in broth, oregano, red pepper and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Stir in rice and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Stir in soybeans and tomatoes. Cook until all liquid is absorbed and remove bay leaves before serving.
SWEET POTATO TOTS 1 ¼ cup nutritional yeast 2 cups sweet potato ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes pinch of oregano
CLASSIC PECAN PIE 1 3 1 1 1½ 1 2
cup Karo Light Corn Syrup eggs cup sugar teaspoon pure vanilla extract cups pecans 9 inch unbaked deep dish pie crust tablespoons melted butter
Mix corn syrup, eggs, sugar and vanilla using a spoon. Stir in pecans. Pour the mixture into the pie crust and bake at 350 degrees on center rack of oven for 60 to 70 minutes. Cool for two hours before serving.
76 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Quarter sweet potatoes and bake for 45 minutes or until tender. In a large bowl mash potato, add Nutritional Yeast, salt, pepper, oregano and red pepper flakes. Scoop out mixture by the tablespoon, roll lightly in additional yeast, place on a nonstick pan. Season with salt and pepper and bake for 10 minutes. Roll tots over and bake an additional 10 minutes.
BAKED CATFISH
SWEET FRIED CORN
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley 1 teapsoon salt ¾ teaspoon paprika ½ teaspoon dried thyme ½ teaspoon dried oregano ½ teaspoon dried basil ½ teaspoon ground black pepper 4 whole catfish filets juice of one lemon 2 tablespoons melted butter ¼ teaspoon garlic powder nonstick cooking spray Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the parsley, salt, paprika, thyme, oregano, basil and pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle on both sides of the catfish fillets. Place the fillets in a 9 x 13 baking pan, coated with nonstick cooking spray. Add the melted butter, lemon juice and garlic powder to a small bowl. Mix well to combine. Drizzle the lemon-garlic-butter mixture over the fillets. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.
4 1 2 ⅓
tablespoons butter can of corn, drained tablespoons white sugar or honey cup heavy cream or whole milk salt ½ teaspoon black pepper
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons butter. When butter is foamy, add the corn and stir to coat with butter. Cook, stirring frequently for one minute. Add sugar or honey and cook for two more minutes. Increase heat to high and add heavy cream and continue to stir so corn will not stick to pan. Add salt and pepper. Cook corn until most of the cream has absorbed, about five minutes. Remove from heat and serve hot.
TOMATO CHEESE DELIGHTS 4 2 2 ¼ 1
vine ripened tomatoes cups (8 ounces) freshly shredded cheddar cheese cup mayonnaise teaspoon black pepper tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
In a bowl mix the mayonnaise, garlic, black pepper and Italian parsley. Chill until ready to use. Slice the tomatoes and let drain for 10 minutes on paper towel. (Suggestion: place paper towel on top and bottom). After the slices have drained, spread the mayonnaise mixture over the tomato slice. Top generously with shredded cheddar cheese. Arrange on a serving plate and serve.
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OUT & ABOUT
Chicot Irrigation
Ag Xplore
Terral Seed
Great Heart Seed/DelStar
Nationwide/Wilson Langston Insurance
Delta Risk Solutions
K&D/Valley View Ag
Milburn Growers
Fioranelli Fabrication & Welding
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BOLIVAR COUNTY AG EXPO, JANUARY 17–18
Delta Group
Sanders
Delta Ag Formulations
Expo attendees discuss exhibits
Future Farmers: Brantley Davis and Trey Prewitt
Circle S Irrigation
Tannehill Industries
OK Auto Sales
Helena Chemical
April 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 79
Some of your farm’s hardest workers never touch the soil. FA R M L A N D F I N A N C I N G
P R O U D LY S E RV I N G N O RT H M I S S I S S I P P I CLARKSDALE INDIANOLA
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CLEVELAND
KOSCIUSKO
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CORINTH
LOUISVILLE
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S E N AT O B I A
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www.MSLandBank.com · Toll Free 866.560.9664
80 • Delta Ag Journal • April 2018
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STA R KV I L L E
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TUPELO
NEW ALBANY
We Understand the Lay of the Land
TOTAL INTERMODAL FACILITY
SERVICE IS OUR STRENGTH
ROSEDALE - BOLIVAR COUNTY PORT TERMINAL
MILE 585 A.H.P. (15 MILES SOUTH OF ARKANSAS WATERWAY) 20,000 Sq. Ft. Humidity Controlled Warehouse 10+ Acres Open-Air Storage
Harbor & Fleeting Services 4 Certified Truck Scales Favorable Industrial Climate
10,000 to 30,000 lb. Fork Lifts 150 Ton Crane
3 Outbound Systems (Truck to Barge)
Bulk Truck Loading Hopper 3.3 Mile Long Slack Water Harbor
2 Inbound Systems (Barge to Truck)
Several Industrial Sites Available on Water or Adjacent Industrial Park
Rosedale-Bolivar County Port Commission Robert Maxwell, Port Director Rosedale, MS 38769 662.759.6212 info@portofrosedale.com www.portofrosedale.com
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