Delta Ag Journal Vol.1 No. 1 | January 2018

Delta Ag Journal The Farm Lifestyle Publication of the Mississippi Delta

Volume 1 • JANUARY 2018

'PS "-- ZPVS JOTVSBODF OFFET

#SFUU .BSDIBOU

%SFX 8PSTIBN

.BUU 4MFEHF

8BSSFO #SBNVDIJ

3PCCFO 3PCFSUT

3BDIFM 5BUF

"OHFMB .D$PZ

+PIO $BQPDBDDJB

t -JGF t "OOVJUJFT t *3"T t )PNF t "VUP t )FBMUI t 'BSN t -JBCJMJUZ

)XZ / ] $MFWFMBOE .4 ]

2 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

delta ag journal

JANUARY 2018

Contents

features 24 EnvironmEntal quality Incentive program benefits farmers

32 twin ridgE Farms Using an entrepreneurial mindset to thrive

36 thE usE oF dronEs

A farmer’s friendly eye in the sky

46 2018 Farm Bill

Ag committees ready for deep discussions

50 ag Pilots

Helping farmers produce cost effective, quality crops

36

56 BaCk in thE day

Retired farmers reminisce about ol’ times

62 thE FarmEr’s wiFE

Major contributors to most operations

68 in thE oFF sEason

Farmers can be found in the woods

on the cover Delta Ag Journal The Farm Lifestyle Publication of the Mississippi Delta

68

Volume 1 • JANUARY 2018

Early October, the end of a long day picking cotton.

Photo by Rory Doyle

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Business Journal • 3

Scott Coopwood, PUBLISHER

J DeltaAg Journal Publisher: J. Scott Coopwood Editors: Kristy Kitchings, Pam Parker Graphic Designer: Holly Ray, Cailee Conrad

Introducing

Delta Ag Journal While the ag industry is front and center of all things business in this region of the state, behind the scenes another story takes place with our farm families.

This is what the Delta Ag Journal is all about — a new publication we at Coopwood Publishing Group are launching that will not only deliver informative news on the ag industry, but more importantly concentrate on the lifestyles of our Delta farmers and their families.

One of the great magazine publishers of the U.S., Roy Reiman from Greendale, Wisconsin, blazed the trail for the farm lifestyle publishing industry decades ago with his company, Reiman Publications. Roy sold his publications to Reader’s Digest, but up until that time he published several farm lifestyle magazines with titles such as Farm & Ranch Living, Farm Wife News, Country, and many others that were very popular.

“When I grew up on a farm, farm magazines were fun to read … I figured there had to be farmers who still wanted that,” Roy famously once said after he noticed the majority of farm magazines had turned into little more than technical manuals.

Our sentiments exactly.

The Delta Ag Journal will provide ag content you cannot find anywhere else as we’re going to take a totally different approach from the other ag publishing sources that are in print and online.

Who is going to receive the Delta Ag Journal? During the past several months, we have put together what we feel is the definitive ag list of the Mississippi Delta.

The Delta Ag Journal will be mailed to all known farmers and ag related businesses in the Mississippi Delta with additional copies being mailed to a special business and political leadership list we have also put together that consists of mailing addresses in the Delta, Jackson, and in some cases in Washington, D.C. Your comments are needed and much appreciated concerning our new publishing venture. Please send your comments to scott@coopwood.net or to our mailing address, Delta Ag Journal, PO Box 117, Cleveland, Mississippi 38732. Additionally, our office phone is 662-843-2700.

By the way, you may already be familiar with us through our other publications, Delta Business Journal and Delta Magazine. If so, you are aware of the quality we pride ourselves in delivering to our readers. And so it will be with the Delta Ag Journal!

WRITERS Becky Gillette, Susan Montgomery, Angela Rogalski, Mark H. Stowers, Amile Wilson PHOTOGRAPHY Greg Campbell, 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@deltabusinessjournal.com

4 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 5

Guest Commentary

the cost of farming continues to rise But many farmers do not see increased profits

By DR. DaRRin DoBBs Many of you have likely seen the famous poster of two young children, each with hands in their pockets and dressed in Osh Kosh overalls with the caption “You been farming long?”. The photo for this poster was taken of one and a half year old twin boys in 1978 in San Luis Obispo county California. Just as those little boys have grown into men, our society has grown and changed substantially since that time as well. Agriculture has certainly witnessed changes over the past 40 years; however, some of these changes have been better than others.

Handheld mobile phone technology was in it’s infancy in 1978 with the first commercially available mobile phone not available until 1983. The Motorola DynaTAC 8000x cost $3,995 and offered 30 minutes of talk time but took 10 hours to be fully charged. In 2017, there are more mobile devices on Earth than people —both in excess of 7 billion. A gallon of gas cost $0.63 in 1978 whereas that same gallon will cost you $2.34 today. A loaf of bread cost $0.33 in 1978 and $2.31 in 2017. The average new home cost was $64,000 in 1978—the average new home cost today—a staggering $370,000.

Those growers who produce the food we eat, the clothes we wear, and the lumber to build our homes have had a front row seat for the dramatic rise in price over the past four decades. The average operating cost (seed, pesticides, fertilizer, etc.) to produce crops such as cotton, corn, soybeans, and rice have increased two-to three-fold since 1978.

However, in addition to operating costs, allocated or overhead costs including land, machinery, taxes, insurance, and various other costs are incurred and are essential for a farm to operate. When examining total costs of production increases including both operating and

6 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

allocated costs, our growers are paying three- to four-fold more to produce commodities today compared to the year that National Lampoons Animal House or The Deer Hunter were released.

Crop value of production is determined by multiplying the price received for a crop by the amount produced. Value of production costs have increased at almost the same as operating costs for cotton, corn, soybean, and rice.

However, deeper examination of this phenomenon reveals that commodity prices have only increased 1.2 to 1.4 fold during this same time. In essence, those who farm the land have survived by becoming much more productive. In laymen’s terms, the average Mississippi cotton farmer produced 561 pounds of lint per acre at an average price of $0.59 per pound of lint when the Bee Gees released Stayin’ Alive (1978) compared to 1,207 pounds of lint per acre at $0.69 per

pound of lint when Justin Bieber released Love Yourself (2016). While our growers have increased their return over investment on daily operating costs many find themselves in the same place (or in some cases worse) financially today as they did 40 years ago due to increased cost of land, machinery, taxes, insurance, etc. In effect, Mississippi growers are producing more than ever before for the same profit as they did when Little House on the Prairie was on television. I encourage everyone, including myself, to keep this in mind the next time we don’t get the pay raise we anticipated—many of our farmers haven’t seen a pay raise in 40 years. Thank a farmer next time you see them—they have stayed the course longer than many of us would have.

Dr. Darrin Dobbs is an Associate Extension/ Researcher Professor specializing in cotton agronomic at Mississippi State University.

8 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 9

Poly Pipe

Underground Pipe

Pump Installation

chicotirrigation.com

Well Drilling

Service

Valley Center Pivots

Parts

Technology

Chicot Irrigation has been a family owned, full service irrigation company serving farmers throughout the Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi Deltas since 1954. We are here to meet your every need with reliability and integrity.

Proud Dealer of Valley Center Pivots

Hollandale, MS 662.827.2461

Greenwood, MS 662.453.4334

Lake Village, AR 870.265.2800

Delhi, LA 318.878.8400

Wilmot, AR 870.473.5577

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 11

Through the Years

working the land

PHOTO COURTESY OF DELTA COUNCIL

Mule teams once plowed all of the Delta’s cultivatable land.

Scenes like this were typical until the wheeled tractor was invented. “Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you’re a thousand miles from the field,” President Dwight D. Eisenhower once said.

12 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 13

Perrin Grissom, an agronomist, surveys an impressive corn yield. Years ago, grain crops in the Mississippi Delta were the minority.

Today, these crops reign supreme across the region.

14 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

PHOTO COURTESY OF DELTA COUNCIL

standing tall

row by row Fowler McCormick, President, International Harvester Company, operating a production model of the McCormick-Deering Cotton Picker on Hopson Bros. Plantation near Clarksdale. PHOTO COURTESY OF DELTA COUNCIL

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 15

16 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

PHOTO COURTESY OF DELTA COUNCIL

aerial art A crop duster aligns with several tractors spraying the field for insects. The advent of aerial application proved to be very effective in helping farmers maintain a healthy crop.

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 17

18 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

With the right local team, growing the future is easily within your reach.

If you’re ready to make a major purchase, our hometown lenders are ready to work.

147 HWY 82 E INDIANOLA / 662-887-4513

COMMUNITYBANK.NET • MEMBER FDIC

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 19

FARMER Q&A

Cadey and Ford True with sons Winford and Cade

Ford true

Bayou View Farms

Best Advice Received: Don't be scared to take a chance. There are risks involved in farming, but if you don't try you will never get started.

Best Advice to Give: Build a team to help you make decisions. With high rents, costly equipment, seed, chemicals, fertilizer etc. margins are thin.

I rely on Zack Smith with K.COE-ISOM, Andy Graves with Graces Agronomy and my salesmen from Helena Chemical & CPS to help me make smart ROI oriented decisions.

First Job: Chopping cotton on Heaton Farms Education: Lee Academy and Delta State University Tell Us About Your Family Wife, Cadey and two boys Winford and Cade

What Do You Like Best About Farming?

It’s rewarding to plant the seed in the spring and raise it through the season until harvest. When the picker and combine hit the field, it’s a great feeling to see the fruit of your labor.

What Do You Like Least About Farming?

Stress! It can be a very stressful—worrying about weather, commodity prices, etc.

Best Business Decision You Have Ever Made?

Getting into the cotton business Worst Business Decision You Have Made?

A couple of years ago a farm came up for rent that joined me. Rent was reasonable so I made a quick decision to rent the place. The farm was 100% dry land and grain prices were relatively low. I learned the hard way that cheaper isn’t necessarily better.

Current Job and Position: Owner/Manager Bayou View Farms

Someone Who Made a Huge Difference in Your Life When You Were Growing Up? Why? My grandfather taught me everything I know. The knowledge and wisdom that he passed on to me I will never forget.

Describe What You Do in Your Job Everything from driving tractors, sprayers, cotton pickers, laying polly pipe and all things in between. I'm a small farmer, so I try to do as much as I can myself. I only have one full time employee.

What Music Are You Currently Listening To? Chris Stapleton, Sturgill SImpson, Cody Jinks

How Did You Become Interested in Farming?

My grandfather, Rudolph Massey was my inspiration. He farmed his whole life.

Hobbies?

Deer and turkey hunting. My wife says I'm obessed and she’s probably right.

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 21

22 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 23

Jason Makamson, Soil Conservationist in the Bolivar County Field office of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services.

Environmental quality

Incentives program benefits farmers By anGELa RoGaLsKi • Photo by Rory Doyle

24 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

Conservation is vital to the Mississippi Delta and the preservation of its land, which has some of the most fertile soil in the world. Today, agricultural producers do have a resource for financial and technical assistance to help them with those conservation efforts by applying for assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. EQIP, which is a program offered through the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services, helps farmers and other AG producers with conservation efforts that improve soil, water, plant, animal, air and other related natural resources on agricultural land.

Jason Makamson is Soil Conservationist in the Bolivar County Field office of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services. Makamson says that the financial assistance program can be a major boon to farmers and agriculturists.

“The Environmental Quality Incentives Program is a financial assistance resource for conservation projects. Generally, I would say 90 to 95 percent of our producers are cropland; row crop producers. But we do help with livestock producers too, but the majority used here in Bolivar County is for crop production.”

Makamson says that the conservation efforts that the program offers financial assistance for are varied.

“Putting in pipes and gulley’s, help with underground lines, doing land-lev-

eling; just a variety of things such as that.”

The application process for the program is available year-round, however, NRCS establishes application "cut-off" or submission deadline dates for evaluation, ranking and approval of eligible applications.

“We take applications all year long,” Makamson says. “The farmer or the landowner can come in and apply at any time, and then the applications go through a ranking process, with a list of questions that have to be answered, which are national, state and local questions. And based on how those questions are answered, and depending upon the practices that are being applied for, the applications are given a ranking score. EQIP applications will be ranked based on a number of factors, including the environmental benefits and cost effectiveness of the proposal. Then we work down the list from top to bottom until we run out of funds.”

Makamson says that the benefits of the program are innumerable when it comes to optimizing conservation practices. “We’re here to help landowners with conservation. To help them conserve water; to help them prevent erosion; and to improve efficiency on the farm. I will say that our two major resource concerns here in Bolivar County are groundwater use, our reduction in groundwater use for irrigation, and sediment and nutrient runoff. So, anytime that we can implement practices that

are going to reduce sediment and nutrient runoff and help us to irrigate more efficiently and reduce groundwater use, those are our two major resource concerns here that we want to address.”

He adds that generally most of the financial assistance programs are geared to cover 50 to 75 percent of the cost of installing implementation practices to help with these conservation efforts.

“Anyone that applies will be invested in the program too; it’s not 100 percent government paid for, so most of the farmers and landowners will have a vested interest as well. Many people see only the present farm improvements when these efforts are put into play, but ultimately these practices benefit all of us on a long-term basis. Anytime we can reduce the amount of groundwater being used for irrigation and when we can reduce the amount of sediment and nutrient runoff into our streams, that benefits us as a whole. These long-term benefits produce results. Most any of the projects that we do are long-term, permanent projects that are going to last for a long time.”

The program does offer only technical assistance as well. “If someone is looking for technical advice and they don’t necessarily need financial assistance, we offer that too,” he says.

“We’re here to help in any way that we can. People just need to give us a call or come by our office.”

Farmers and landowners can apply at any USDA NRCS field office.

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 25

26 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 27

Left: Luke Andrews with his wife Morgan and sons Park and Miller. Above: Luke beside an impresive stalk of corn. Right: Miller and Park, future fourth-generation farmers.

luke andrews Chairman of Farm Bureau Young Farmers

By MaRK H. sToWERs

F

arm Bureau has always held farmers and ranchers in high esteem and work to insure their futures in the field and pasture. The Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Rancher program – created for members ages 18 to 35 – was designed to encourage these young men and women to use their own knowledge and information gained about Farm Bureau to help create and write policies and programs that help lead to solutions of their farming and ranching problems. Luke Andrews has been serving as the Chairman for the Young Farmers and Ranchers for 2017. The Delta area farmer grew up on a family farm.

“We farm just outside of Cleveland I grew up on the farm and graduated from Delta State in 2009,” Andrews says. “I came back and started farming full-time after that but I never left the farm. My grandad farmed and my dad eventually took it over and now I’ve kept on going. We grow rice, soybeans and corn and some winter wheat.”

The third-generation farmer enjoys the

diversity of the Delta where various crops can thrive.

“We are lucky to be able to plant whatever we want to make cash flow. A lot of areas can only grow one or two crops,” he says.

The Magnolia State has eight regions of Young Farmer and Ranchers and after serving for a year, representatives are eligible for nomination as chairman. Andrews, who represented Region One for one year, was nominated and voted in to represent the state as chairman during his second year.

“You get to chair the committee and sit on the Farm Bureau Executive Board of the Farm Bureau Federation and the State Board as well,” Andrews says. “You get more insight into policies and issues. There’s more to it than meets the eye. You get to see the grassroots of the organization. You get to see an idea come off the farm and get to the state government floor or the federal.”

In serving as the chairman, Andrews got to see how farm life is outside of the row

crop life where issues he may have can be a blessing to other types of farmers.

“Being on this committee and travelling to different spots, you meet different people and its opened my eyes up. There aren’t as much row crops as you think. In the hills, there are people who farm sheep and pigs and cows. There are probably more younger ranchers who are getting back into it,” he says. “Being on this committee has opened my eyes to new things. As a grain farmer, I’m praying for high commodity prices whereas a beef or poultry farmer they don’t want higher grain prices because it makes their feed prices higher. I never thought outside of my little county world and my problems as to how it affects other farmers who are my friends now.”

Married (Morgan) with two future farmers ages four and five (Park and Miller) Andrews favorite crop is corn and when he’s not on the turnrow he enjoys dove and duck hunting as well as sporting clay, trap and skeet shooting.

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 29

Commissioner Hyde at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds at the Fordice Equine Center in Jackson.

Cindy hyde-smith Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce

By anGELa RoGaLsKi • Photography by Greg Campbell The importance of expanding domestic and international markets for farmers and agribusinesses is something that Mississippi’s Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, Cindy Hyde-Smith, is a definite advocate for. According to HydeSmith, ninety-five percent of the world’s consumers live outside of the United States, which creates new opportunities for our farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses to sell their products. One of every three acres is destined for exports. According to the USDA, for every $1 of food and agricultural exports, another $1.27 is generated in business activity. Exploring new markets is imperative.

“At the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, we are continually exploring new markets and trade opportunities for our agricultural products and commodities,” Hyde-Smith says. “I currently serve as the President of the Southern U.S. Trade Association (SUSTA), which is comprised of the State Departments of Agriculture from 14 southern states and Puerto Rico. SUSTA affords small food companies and agribusinesses the opportunity to explore 30 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

new international markets through participation in cost-share programs and international marketing activities.”

Last year, Hyde-Smith was invited to participate in a Trade Mission to China by the USDA. She says prior to her arrival, delegates were told not mention the ban on U.S. beef or poultry that China had in place.

“When the opportunity came for me to speak when asked about products coming from the U.S.,” she says, “I seized the opportunity to tout not only the quality, but also how safe U.S. products are. I am not sure which gallon of water broke the dam, but two weeks after my return home, I received a call that China was lifting the ban on U.S. beef. This past June, the first shipment of U.S. beef, since being banned in 2003, was sent to China. And although China still will not purchase poultry from the U.S., efforts are being made in that area.

With poultry being our top agriculture commodity produced in Mississippi, China opening the doors to U.S. poultry would be a good opportunity for our poultry farmers and companies.”

With trade policy such as NAFTA being

negotiated, Hyde-Smith feels it’s very important that the agriculture industry not only has a seat at the table, but also has a voice.

“While NAFTA does need modernizing, we must ensure that our farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses remain competitive,” she remarks. “We must preserve the gains that have been made in agriculture and ensure that negotiations do not harm the agriculture industry. Just as Canada is the top export market for U.S. agriculture and forestry products and Mexico is the third largest, Canada is also the top export market for Mississippi agriculture and forestry products ($106 million) and Mexico is the third largest market ($69 million).”

Hyde-Smith also thinks that protecting agriculture through regulatory certainty is also another important issue.

“One of my priorities is to protect our agriculture industry through reasonable and

Mike, Cindy and Anna Michael

sound, science-based policies,” Hyde-Smith continues. “In order to encourage growth for farmers, we must roll back over burdensome regulations. Regulatory certainty is one of the largest drivers of economic growth for businesses. We must work with various agricultural stakeholders such as farmers, land-grant institutions, and agribusinesses to develop these sound, science-based policies that address farmer concerns and provide the tools farmers need to remain competitive and to stay in businesses.”

Hyde-Smith says that she commends U.S. Agriculture Secretary, Sonny Perdue, for working on behalf of farmers and having USDA review regulations to identify regulatory overreach.

“I was also elated about EPA’s decision, under the leadership of Administrator Scott Pruitt, to rescind the 2015 Clean Water Rule defining ‘Waters of the US’

(WOTUS),” she adds. “We must work collectively to ensure that our state’s and nation’s waters are kept clean, while simultaneously addressing the needs of our farmers, ranchers, and the agribusiness community. Farmers are some of the best conservationists and stewards of our land and water, and it is imperative that we protect them from overreaching, burdensome regulations. As President of the Southern Association of State Departments of Agriculture (SASDA), I am looking forward to working with EPA and other agriculture commissioners and secretaries from across the country in developing a new rule.”

“Just as we must protect our farmers through regulatory certainty, we must protect our consumers as well by ensuring fairness and equity in the marketplace,” Hyde-Smith continues. “Protecting consumers from potentially unsafe products

and making certain that products coming into the U.S. are held to the same standards as U.S. products are, is vital. Last year, the U.S. Senate passed a bill attempting to change the inspection authority of catfish and catfish-like species coming into the U.S. This would have jeopardized food safety for consumers and created an uneven playing field for the catfish industry. We were successful in fighting this change on behalf of consumers and our catfish farmers.”

As for the future of agriculture, HydeSmith is very optimistic.

“I see a growing future for agriculture.

The world’s population is growing and is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050. To feed the growing number of people, agriculture production must double. Through the development of new technologies and innovations, our farmers are better equipped with the tools that they need to feed and clothe the world.”

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 31

twin ridge Farms Using an entrepreneurial mindset to thrive

By MaRK H. sToWERs • Photography by Rory Doyle

F

armers have always been entrepreneurs. It starts with planting a seed and bringing it to fruition. But along the way, creativity ensues and as that seed grows, other business ideas are born along with it. Whether it’s working to keep input costs, repair costs and just the overall day-to-day-costs at bay and not eating away at profits, every farmer searches his entrepreneurial spirit for answers.

For Twin Ridge Farms and Nat McKnight there is the day-to-day management of nearly 6,000 acres of rice, soybeans and corn crops. Along the way, ideas to cut costs by doing as much repair work themselves became more than that.

Moving dirt to level fields and help with irrigation became a side business to help surrounding farmers and neighbors with their dirt needs. There’s also the trucking business to transfer his crops and now other

farmer’s as well. And he also is helping spur that entrepreneurial spirit in those who work for and with him at Twin Ridge Farms.

“We’ve got several different headquarters – Litton Road with a big grain facility is our main headquarters and we’ve got headquarters in Cleveland on Sharpe Avenue and another on McKnight Road.

We try to fix all of our own stuff as much as we possibly can,” McKnight says.

For more than a decade, McKnight has had help from overseas – men from Romania – working through the H2A program – to help get his crops from planting to harvest and all of the details in between.

“We’ve had help come over from Romania for close to eight or nine years – Mircea Cazan, Dragan Ionita and Babtan Sorin,” he says. “Sorin runs my grain bin

Robin, Reid, Rhett and Nat McKnight

34 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

facilities. He’s in charge of getting the grain in the bins and out along with Louis Arrington. I’ve got a guy, Don Woods, who’s been with me for ten years. Another guy who’s been on board for about two years, Robert Sims. James Kearns has been part of the farm worker mix as well. We have a pretty good crew who are dedicated to the farm and whatever we have to do, they get it done.”

Though none have been officially trained as mechanics and farmers, McKnight works to discover each one’s work skills and then hone them.

“We try to keep a good team working whether its welding in the shop or working on tractors,” he says. “We also have a dirt moving business. Adam Baker runs my dirt moving with big four-wheel drive tractors.

We do some dirt moving on our farm and do a little outside dirt moving.”

Come harvest time, there’s quite a bit of grain to be hauled to storage and beyond.

“We’ve got a little trucking business with four PeterBilt Trucks (18-wheelers). One of my main drivers is James Kearns who works full-time and some of these other guys fill the spots as needed. We haul mainly for our operation but then haul for others when we’re not busy. We just try to integrate our business with other things. We took the dirt moving and trucking because that goes hand in hand with the farm. We do 75 percent of our welding and fabricating. We repair what we have on our own farm. We’re not necessarily making anything new but keeping what we have working.”

McKnight looks for workers who could learn how to do what he needs them to do.

“We have four Romanian guys and four American guys. The Romanians come over in March or April and leave in December.

The H2A Program is a big part of our operation,” he says. “I’ve had one guy with me for quite some time and he’s trying to get a Green Card. All of the American workers are full-time.”

McKnight notes that it’s not easy to manage all of the demands of each of the farm’s businesses but he keeps them going the best he can with the help he has.

“Farming is so tight right now with commodity prices, you have to do all you can do to ‘keep juggling all the knives in the air and not let one fall on you,’” he says.

The farmer and entrepreneurship – from just surviving to thriving and keeping it all running on the farm.

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 35

the use of drones A farmer’s friendly eye in the sky

By MaRK H. sToWERs

L

ouis Wasson, Mississippi State Senior Extension Associate whose specialty is Unmanned Aerial Systems in Agriculture noted that farmers have been “promised a lot” from drone manufacturers and sales people but he’s searching for the truth.

“There is a lot of hype associated with using aerial vehicles in agriculture. A lot of people are just trying to sell you something that hasn’t simply proven to be true or effective,” Wasson says. “I’ve been getting through the hype to get to what is practical and applicable for the grower that he can use every day.”

Drones are most useful for farmers to get a “bird’s eye view” of their row crops and other areas of the farm that they’d previously have to pay an ag pilot to fly over and look at or just do a lot of walking across thousands of acres of rice, beans, corn, cotton and more.

“First of all, it’s very convenient for him to get out of his truck and put it together and within five minutes being flying a drone over his field and get real-time information,” Wasson says. “The multi-rotor aircraft (a DJI Phantom) have become safe to fly.

Normally you can see more than 10 to 15 feet from the turnrow but now you can actually see to the middle of the field. They know their fields better than anybody and know the hot spots and green spots but if there is something unusual they can look at it.”

Damage done by deer or wild hogs or even storm damage can be immediately assessed to quickly get on the road to fixing the destruction.

“When stuff like that happens in the middle of the field this is very handy and convenient. Rice growers use them to check levees and their gates. It saves them a lot of steps. Soybeans growers use them to check

Photo by Rory Doyle

Bill O’Neal tests his new drone on Allendale Farms.

pivots. One soybean grower flies his drone out to figure out what tools he needs to take out to fix it and not make two trips,” Wasson says.

Farmer Bill O’Neal has been using a DJI Phantom IV drone to survey his acreage and it has become a handy tool.

“We use it for scouting fields and accessing areas of the field by air to look at things quickly,” O’Neal says. “We look at our center pivots and irrigation systems. We 38 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

use it to look at damaged areas of the fields if at harvest time we have rice to get blown down – just basically field scouting a large area in a short period of time.”

O’Neal has been using his drone for the past two years and guides it using his IPad. “It has a camera on the drone and is flown by an App on my IPad. The camera on the drone is your eye that you fly by,” he says. “When you see something, you can either take a still photo or a video and then

download that. I download it to the IPad.” Etymologists are using the information gathered by the drones to help farmers work on insect control more efficiently as Wasson well.

Wasson explains that those scouting the field “only see about five percent of the field as you walk through scouting but decisions based on that five percent can cover hundreds of thousands of acres.

Aguzzi How much herbicide do I use? How much pesticide do I use? But now with the drone you pop it up in the air and see the whole field, not just five percent.”

O’Neal combines the drone with scouting to find problems quickly.

“If he sees something in the field that I need to be aware of like chemical damage or maybe a thin stand, he’ll tell me where the area is and I’ll fly the drone to that area and get an overall view of the affected area.

Where it’s really been beneficial is actually seeing what percentage of the field is affected,” O’Neal says.

Wasson notes that drones are beneficial before planting in finding spots in fields where drainage is poor or where erosion is taking place.

“This is the time for the grower to address that. Even now in post-harvest when we get rains you can see channeling and ponding of water,” he says. “And that water is carrying weed seeds. It could be from the road or the forest of your neighbor’s fields.

Ponding can have some nematode effect later in the year.”

Michael Aguzzi of Aguzzi Farms knows they are just scratching the surface in the use of drones.

“We honestly don’t use it to its fullest potential,” Aguzzi says. “One instance in particular has been to fly over and check rice levees if we suspect a break in one.”

Though the technology is useful, it

hasn’t taken off as quickly as drone selling operations had predicted.

“It’s not the 80 percent that was forecasted it’s more like 20 percent. But they are starting to use them,” Wasson says. “And if farmers or scouts don’t want to take on the drone usage and getting the proper licensing, then there is an industry that has sprouted – UAS scouting. They go fly the field and turn the information over to the scout or the farmer.”

Before farmers can use a drone, they are supposed to have FAA permission through a remote pilot certificate. Wasson explained it’s easy to get in trouble.

“You need a FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot certificate. It’s all about safety. I strongly emphasize that people need to understand the airspace. These cropdusters are coming in over the tree tops at 150 miles per hour and they don’t see us. So, we’re working with them as well making up safety procedures. But the common grower needs to know he’s not up there all by himself.

Safety is really important. There is study material on the FAA website to download so you can take the test,” he says. “But if you hire it out, make sure the first question you ask them is do you have your remote pilot certificate?”

Drones – even as useful as they are – are just tools for the farmer, according to Wasson.

“Drones will never replace the scout,” he says. “It cannot tell you what’s wrong. It gives you the picture but you have to decipher the picture and go out in the field and see.”

There are other technologies that can be added to a drone but the costs start to multiply quickly.

“If you have the typical multi-rotor drone, that’s about $1,500 with a good high-resolution camera. If you add thermal, that’s another $6,000. If you add NIR – new infrared – that’s like $4,000. If you have multispectral, that’s another $5,000 or $6,000. But then you have to get those

images interpreted. That’s why I advise farmers not to fall into the multispectral.

Your eyes are the best camera in the world, so use them. Your brain is the best computer in the world, use it.”

With the eye in the sky helper, farmers are able to make more realistic claims with crop insurance.

“Now when you submit a claim you can show the adjustor exactly what you see. This isn’t guessing form the ground and you can see it too,” Wasson says. “It makes everybody’s jobs easier.”

The technology continues to improve and Wasson noted that image processing is getting better.

“That has revolutionized everything. The processing software and the speed that they are doing it is incredible. And every three months it gets better and better,” Wasson says.

High flying technology helping farmers farm a bit better each day—drones.

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 39

Precision king Helping those in need of water, find water

By MaRK H. sToWERs • Photography by Chase Richardson

S

unshine and water are the two main ingredients to success for any farmer.

Mother Nature can be stingy or excessive with both and the only thing the men and women who till the Delta soil have somewhat of a say is with water— sometimes. Wells that run deep in the Delta aquifer can bring up the life sustaining liquid, but these days, farmers have to be careful how much they use due to harming the environment and the costs. That’s where Rick King and Precision King can lend a helping hand.

The Yazoo City business was established in 2014 to help farmers pump water or irrigate with pivots, check the weather in real time and see just how much moisture is in the ground at any given time. Rick King, 40 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

a Mississippi College graduate, grew up helping his dad, Virgil, who was a consultant to farmers.

“I was brought up scouting fields and working with him,” King says. “Insect control, weed control and disease—these days there’s a lot of different layers.

The accounting major then went to MS State to study etymology. His father had studied pre-med at Ole Miss, but also went to MSU for their etymology education.

“I worked with him for a long time but then three or four years ago I started Precision King and that’s where we started making the devices that we market.

Working on the farm every day, I saw there were a lot of efficiencies to be gained in the way that we irrigate crops. So, I started

focusing my time and efforts on helping our growers be more efficient and conserve water. Those two go hand in hand.”

King’s “remote sensing business” began as selling straight to farmers but with the popularity and need of his sensors, Precision King created a network of distributors to handle the demand and need.

“We make five different products that use cellular connection so you can check in and get real time data,” he says.

Precision King has a weather station— the Climate King—that monitors air temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, wind gust and a few other values.

It can be combined with Watermark sensors to monitor soil moisture. There’s

Left to right: Hayes Girod, Daniel Cole, Nick King, Virgil King and Richard Pickens

also the DecisionKing that measure soil moisture to help with irrigation plans, the PumpKing that automates an electric well pump to start and stop with a few clicks on a cell phone. There’s a version for diesel pumps as well that allows remote monitoring and stopping of the pump. The RiceKing allows a farmer to automate his rice field water level from his truck, office or home without getting out in a muddy field.

The farmer can pair it with the field’s electric pump to turn the pump on and off.

The PivotKing can remotely monitor a farmer’s irrigation pivot and text him/her if goes offline for any reason. It features a GPS tracking map with satellite imagery to show the pivots progress. It features a remote shut off as well. There’s also a feature that allows

a farmer to select a specific bearing where the pivot can stop automatically upon reaching.

“You can keep up with things in real time,” King says. “If a pump is out of power or out of fuel it will alert you. When you combine our products you’re not turning a pump on until you need to and it makes the pump as efficient as we can get it. It’s about ‘smart farming’ and using technology to make irrigation more efficient and easier for a farmer to manage their irrigation needs.”

Daniel Cole is King’s business partner and they have a Chief Operations Officer, Richard Pickens. Precision King has grown consistently throughout the Magnolia State and new extends into Arkansas, Louisiana and Missouri.

“We’ve grown incrementally which is the strategy. With technology, there is a testing time. We started with a handful of sales and direct sales into a dealer network,” he says.

Conserving water is key to helping farmers make a living farming by keeping costs down but King started a new venture to bring living water to those in need in Africa. In 2016, he and his partners started a non-profit mission—GraceWater.org.

“When I was at Mississippi College I thought I’d be in the non-profit ministry world. But, when I got to the end of my time there the Lord led me in a different way and brought me home to the family business,” King says.

The ministry goes to Africa and drills JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 41

needed water wells for villages that have no access to water. Last year was the inaugural drilling season with two wells in Harare, Zimbabwe for two orphanages.

GraceWater has plans to dig ten this year.

“We’ll go in November and then again the first of February or March,” he says.

“Primarily our work is done in Zimbabwe but in the future, we are going to do some stuff in Zambia and other southern African countries.”

According to King, the ministry came about from a “friend of a friend of my father’s” and this fellow traveled the world linking American churches to missionaries.

This allowed them to have multi-year relationships with groups. That was through the Global Focus organization.

“He was the first person I told and he connected with a family from Benoit and he connected us with a pastor in Zimbabwe,” King says. “It is an undertaking but instead of talking about wanting there to be change, we’re the kind of people that get our hands dirty providing a solution.”

By bringing fresh, clean water to villages and the millions of African people they are 42 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

able to grow crops, feed their families and live. No more multi-mile hikes with fivegallon buckets to bring back unsanitary water.

GraceWater is run by a board and is supported by many of King’s Precision King customers and clients. The list includes, Chicot irrigation, First Baptist Church of Yazoo City, Benson Pump, P&R Surge Systems, Irrigation Fittings, Specialty Seed Company, AGUP, Delta Irrigation and Supply, First Baptist Church of Natchez, Bank of Yazoo, Reliable Industries, Gateway Tire & Service Center and Yazoo Drug Company.

“They started asking how they could join us and help us. It’s neat to see how the industry has come together for this cause,” he says. “There’s a lot of need.”

It takes three days to dig each well and it takes an eight to ten-person team who also scout out other well location and needs while there.

Helping farmers conserve and efficiently use water while finding water for those in need—Nick King of Precision King.

DMI

Fine Timber Land & Farms BIG BLACK RIVER TIMDER COMPANY • • • • • •

$7,000,000 for 1968 surveyed acres-Southeast of Vicksburg Over 1550 acrres of mature old growth hardwoods that join four miles of river frontage 400 acre of rich river bottom farmland and two excellent fishing lakes Legendary trophy bucks and turkey hunting on the banks of the river Located within a short drive form Baton Rouge, Bastrop, Monroe, Vicksburg, and Jackson Contact our Brokers to schedule a showing, Real Estate Broker Danny Rice 601-529-2847

MALLARD’S ROOST • • • • • •

$2,400,000 for 600 acres-located 15 miles south of Charleston, MS. Heart of the flyway 120 acre Cypress and Tupelo Gum Brake an incredible greentree area with shooting holes 270 acres of #1 sandy loam farmland with well and 88 acres of CRP that combined produce $40,000 annual cashflow Located in the middle of DU’s red zone for waterfowl and within a mile of Federal rest pond and 4 of the Delta’s top Duck Clubs Trophy Deer and Turkey are abundant, as well If you’ve ever hunted the Delta for Ducks, you know location is everything and this farm is in the bull’s eye ready to hunt. Call Doug Mauldin for an appointment 662-457-0714

LOST LAKES PLANTATION ON THE TN RIVER • • • • • •

10 Equity Memberships offered at $500,000 on 1823 surveyed acres You get your own lot on the Riverfront for your future cabin, ownership, and use of all 1823 acres for any and all types of recreation Over 400 acres of prime river bottom farmland and 200 acres of private lakes feeding into the River filled with all types of fish and Duck Hunting opportunities.

2 1/2 miles of private sandy beaches fronting the River for your water sports and summer fun 1300 acres of old growth Hardwoods filled with trophy deer and turkey. Food plots and stands in place.

Contact Doug Mauldin at bigdougm@gmail.com or call 662-457-0714

DMI Properties – Real Estate Broker – Danny Rice JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 43

44 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 45

2018 Farm Bill Ag committees ready for deep discussions

By MaRK H. sToWERs Over on the senate side, according to Morgan, things are a bit more quiet, yet active.

“They are not as excited about these kinds of things. They just sort of march forward in a regimented cadence. Chairman (Pat) Roberts from Kansas and the ranking member Senator (Debbie) Stabenow from Michigan are veterans of the process. Both of them have been around for many Farm Bills. They pretty much like the bill we are currently operating under and they see some modifications that need to be made.”

Morgan pointed out some of the main items that need to be included in the 2018 Farm Bill for the Mid South – especially the Delta area.

“We need to restore cotton as a covered com-

modity,” he says. “What that means is that it needs to be under the Farms Service Agency programs that are covered for purposes of marketing and income protection like corn, soybeans, rice, wheat and other feed grains and other oil seeds.”

Cotton was taken out as a covered commodity in the 2014 Farm Bill due to a lawsuit filed by Brazil over the 2008 Farm Bill with the World Trade Organization (WTO). Brazil had filed two lawsuits – one in 2005 and one in 2008. The WTO found that “certain U.S. agriculture programs (domestic support to cotton under the marketing loan and countercyclical payment programs and export credit guarantees) were not consistent with commitments the U.S. had made to the

Wicker

Morgan

Flowers

WTO.” The matter was resolved in October of 2014 with an agreement reached between Brazil and the US and Brazil terminated the lawsuits.

“Much to our dismay, the United States government with the support of the USDA, withdrew the cotton provisions from any debate in the Farm Bill and said we will come back once this case is over and once we have interpreted what international law says about this program and review it. But for now, we will withdraw cotton provisions as a covered commodity at the FSA office.”

The cotton provision was more of a stickler with Brazil than other commodities due to their larger economic stake in the commodity in the world market.

“Brazil grows a lot of cotton and cotton employs a lot of people. Corn and soybeans do not in Brazil,” Morgan says. “The employment of your people in agriculture is a major economic driver. Cotton is the crop that requires more man hours per acre than any other commodity.”

Restoring the program for cotton commodity is tantamount to “maintaining the value of your land in the Mid South. We are working through the National Cotton Council because it’s a California to Virginia issue where cotton is grown.”

Morgan has been told by congressional leaders and staff committees “don’t believe there will be a major overhaul or departure from the 2014 Farm Bill. Now it will be major to do what

we’re talking about in cotton but it will look a lot like what we have today with some dials turned on some existing provisions. And hopefully restoring cotton base in those areas where we relied heavily on the income protection features and the marketing features of the Farm Bill to maintain stability economically under the cotton crop.”

With the Farm Bill being one of the largest, it has to “fit inside budget neutrality” according to Morgan.

“That’s the overarching rule of the senate and the house,” Morgan says.

“One of the things we do, one of the constraints of writing good policy is that you can’t spend any more money. You could write farm policy that everybody would love if there wasn’t budget constraint. But there is so the challenge is you have to be smart enough to ask for the attainable and then write good policy. We have some marvelous people in the congress who are our strongest advocates and they are in leadership positions and will be very helpful.”

North Delta area farmer, Bowen Flowers, works on a task force with the National Cotton Council. He mentioned that Senator Cochran had put provisions in the 2018 Appropriations Bill regarding cottonseed oil. According to reports, the Senate Agriculture Appropriations bill (S.1603) contains a provision directing the Secretary of Agriculture to designate cottonseed as a covered commodity. Doing so would make cottonseed eligible for farm program payments beginning with the 2018

crop year. More specifically, for purposes of Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC), it establishes a $15.00 per hundredweight reference price, or $0.15 per pound and provides for an $8.00 per hundredweight loan rate ($0.08 per pound).

In regard to the WTO agreement with Brazil, language in the appropriations bill refers to the 2018 crop year with payments in October of 2018, just beyond the September 30, 2018 date agreed upon in the settlement. In doing so, this would open a path to get cotton back in the Farm Bill as a covered commodity but under the cottonseed designation.

“We don’t have the same programs we did when that case was being done,” Flowers says. “We don’t think there will be any problems the way they are doing it now. It will be different types of coverage and based on cotton seed now.

We’ll go in as an oil seed crop like soybeans. Rice kind of wants the same thing they had in the last farm bill and soybeans and corn are trying to come up with what they’re wanting out of it and tweaking it. It will be interesting to see what all happens with the house and senate ag committees. We’ll be working with the Cotton Council and partnering with Delta Council and see what we all come up with.”

All in all, the 2018 Farm Bill will be on the docket soon enough and hopefully will “fit inside budget neutrality” and assuage farmers concerns and needs.

48 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

ag Pilots Helping farmers produce cost effective, quality crops By anGELa RoGaLsKi

A

ll across the Mississippi Delta, and the entire country, for that matter, Ag pilots gear up for their day very early and get into the mindset they need to do their job. It’s an important service they provide, treating and protecting the crops we all need for food and the many other things that the plants’ byproducts produce.

Glenn Holloway III owns G3 Flying in Lambert. and is a second generation Ag pilot who realizes both the importance and the dangers involved in doing what he loves. His father, Glenn Holloway, Jr., owns Holloway Air in Drew, so he grew up in the aerial application world and is very familiar with every facet of the business.

“My dad started flying lessons in his midtwenties and worked his way into the business from there,” Holloway says. “And I always liked the agricultural aspect of what my dad did, and the importance of it when it comes to the consumer and the farmer.

The flying is just a part of it. And living in the Delta, it’s a good way to make a living.

Of course, with the legacy part of the business, aerial application is something that a parent thinks twice about before actually encouraging their child to get into. It’s not as dangerous as it used to be, but there is still an inherent risk in what we do. The flying so low and the fact that anytime you’re in an aircraft of any kind, altitude is your best friend. The higher you are off the ground, the more time you have should an emergency situation arise. And when we’re actually applying the pesticides, we’re about 10 feet from the ground, so that in itself gives you pause. But, being around it all of my life really helped me get into it, and there was a lot I didn’t have to learn when I started, so I do enjoy it.”

Holloway explains how his part of the business works. “Farmers call us and tell us what pesticides they need on which crops.

Some acreage, depending on what’s planted, such as rice, will need more than one application, so you make more trips between the actual spraying and fertilizing. Corn can

Pete Jones, owner of Air Repair, Inc.

usually give you a couple of trips, and soybeans would be your least sprayed fields.

With them, it’s about two or three trips across every acre.”

Holloway adds that while his business and his father’s are separate entities, they do help each other out if needed.

“My dad and I work together quite a bit, so we’re there for each other when we need to b. And that’s an awesome part of it.”

At top of mind these days for those active in state and national agricultural aviation associations is safety.

The groups, of course, are always concerned about protecting both pilots and the public, but the proliferation of communications towers and drones in the rural landscape has the associations working for what they hope will be best for everyone.

Mark Kimmel, operator of Dixie Dusters in Itta Bena and treasurer of the National Agricultural Aviation Association, says organization's focus in Washington is on getting towers marked and drones restricted 52 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

to the line of sight of their operators.

"We are in close contact with the FAA (and other regulatory agencies) but mainly with senators and congressmen," Kimmel said.

He added that collisions with towers and drones kill people and with drones, the association is lobbying for registration and regulations.

"We want them to be in the line of sight of the operator, so that drone operator can see an ag plane coming,” he said. “If the operator is a couple miles away watching through a camera, the operator might not be able to see the approaching plane. The Mississippi Association, along with a Mississippi State University proposal, is looking at how to keep planes and drones apart when both are in the air.”

Ike Brunetti, immediate past president of the Mississippi Agricultural Association, at the end of 2017 was among those helping to line up eight Delta counties to participate in a proposed MSU project, which was seeking

approval from the FAA. The counties identified were Bolivar, Carroll, Coahoma, Grenada, Leflore, Sunflower, Tallahatchie and Washington.

Brunetti, owner-operator of Shelby Air Services, is excited about the project, which would be directed by MSU's Raspel Flight Research Laboratory. “The Association,” he said, "is very much on board with what Mississippi State is doing."

The association, he said, is concerned with both privacy and safety, "with safety being No. 1." Brunetti supplied a letter from Delta Council that describes MSU's intentions. The letter says, "One of the key aspects of their research (has) everything to do with safety."

The letter says MSU was hoping to be chosen "to conduct pioneering research on improving an unmanned aircraft system's (drone's) ability to remain well clear of other air traffic, particularly at low-altitude. Simply put, their goal is to develop processes (and potential rules) that ensure that UAS only fly

Glenn Holloway, III

where other aircraft aren't, and that their operations never interfere or conflict with our agricultural aviators doing their jobs.

This is clearly an area that impacts our region."

This Presidential initiative is competitive.

Only a few locations in the nation (likely around 5) will be approved by the FAA. Those regions that are chosen will be allowed to introduce cutting-edge technology and methods to their regions - technology that isn't available anywhere else the country. For the 8 counties in the region they are proposing - Carroll, Coahoma, Bolivar, Grenada, Leflore, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, and Washington - it presents an opportunity to further advance .

Dallas Brooks and the team at the Raspet Flight Research Laboratory at Mississippi State University will be on the phone soon to talk about this opportunity. They are on a tight turn-around time and would like to get as much support from the 8 counties included in their application.

Brooks has provided a sample Memorandum of Understanding and they will go over the particulars in the upcoming short call, and allow people to ask any questions and seek more information.

They have met and garnered support from the Mississippi Aerial Applicators Association, Farm Bureau, Delta Council, Miss. Department of Transportation, private users, and the airports in these 8 counties that they have been able to visit with. They would like to make county officials aware of

their efforts and seek support on their application, stressing that they are not looking for any financial contribution from the counties and other governmental units, but instead a willingness to collaborate and share information.

Ike Brunetti

The Mississippi Agricultural Aviation Association has been around since 1954, when it was first founded. Vicki Morgan is executive director of the organization and says that its purpose is to promote the Ag Aviation industry.

“We promote professionalism, high standards and hyper-ethics. We try and get the Ag pilots in Mississippi to be on the same page, so to speak, with each other. And also

to band together as a group in order to help affect legislation and laws that have to do with agricultural aviation. We have about 275 active members today, and those numbers are divided into different categories. There are operator members, individuals who actually own their flying service and they can also be pilots. Right now we have about 75 members who are operators. The remaining numbers are defined as associate members, those who are in the industry, but aren’t necessarily pilots, and then we have allied members, who are our vendors, people who provide services and products to the ag aviation industry.”

Morgan adds the benefits of belonging to the MAAA are many, such as the annual convention they host every year.

“And at the convention pilots can receive their recertification credits or their continuing education units; we call it recertification, and they have to do so many hours of that each year for their license, so this enables them to come to the convention and over a two-day period they can get all of their recertification credits. In addition to that, we conduct a safety meeting each year, where we address safety issues. We also update pilots on laws pertaining to agricultural aviation at convention, so we try to be a significant and useful tool for Ag pilots. We also have our website for more information and about how to join.” msaa.com Before coming onboard with the JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 53

MAAA six years ago, Morgan says she had no idea of the real importance of Ag pilots to farmers, consumers, and the population in general.

“I have lived in the Delta for 30 years, so of course, I have seen the Ag planes flying many times. And I always found myself thinking how exciting their job must be, but what I didn’t realize was what these pilots really do for all of us. What they do allows farmers to produce far more crops of better quality, in a cost effective manner. It really does contribute to not only what we eat, but the clothes we wear; crop byproducts are just used in so many different ways.

And I never realized what it took for them to actually do their jobs. I Robert Garrett rode with an ag pilot two years ago and we went 170 miles per hour, 10 feet off the ground. It was something I will never forget. So, their job isn’t an easy one, but it’s vitally important and one that the pilots have a deep passion for.”

Robert Garrett is manager of Flying Tiger Brad Ouzts Aviation in Bastrop, Louisiana. The company specializes in training aerial applicators. Garret says that in order to be a commercially-rated pilot, whether in Ag aviation or general aviation, you have to receive the same licensing in order to do it. Plus, in the case of Ag pilots, each state has their own license testing entity for working with pesticides and chemicals and in order to disperse economic chemicals from an aircraft, they have to be licensed, which usually consists of a written test.

“You start at zero and work your way up to it,” Garrett adds. “Ours is a six month program, which has proven success.

We’ve had pilots leave here and go immediately to work. Of course, that depends on their own knowledge and ability. And some that come to us already have an agricultural background, so they have some knowledge of chemicals and crops, but they want to put the aviation aspect into it and that’s what we teach.”

Garrett adds that many of their 54 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

students are from the Mississippi Delta region, but in truth, their program attracts a worldwide clientele.

“We get students who come here from all over the United States and we get a lot of international individuals who come to us for training as well. This is our 19th year in operation and we have recently taken on some major growth changes. We are now associated with Louisiana Delta Community College; we’re a vocational training program through them.

Students who come through here have the opportunity to receive 100 percent financial assistance in order to attend and complete our training program, which is significant. There is no other program like this in the world.”

He adds that it’s his personal goal to change the perception many people have about Ag pilots, such as the one in the movie “Independence Day,” where the Ag pilot flies everyway but correctly.

“It’s one of my personal goals to change the public perception of what this job is. It’s not uncommon to see an Ag plane flying in the Mississippi Delta because of the rich farmland we have there.

But in other parts of the country, it’s not so common. I’ve been going up to Iowa for the last seven or eight years to help operators up there, and there’s only about two weeks out of the year that you’ll see aerial applicators doing any work there. So, the general public is a bit fearful of them.

It’s been a goal of mine to try and educate the public about what we do. We’re not daredevils; we’re trained professionals.”

Pete Jones owns Air Repair, Inc. in Cleveland and in partnership with Kawak Aviation Technologies, has been developing and manufacturing a precision hydraulic application system for dry products such as fertilizers for the last ten years. Jones says that the technology his company and partners are using is singular to Air Repair.

“The system Ag pilots used to disperse fertilizers and other dry products was

Mark Kimmel, treasurer of the National Agricultural Aviation Association

forever controlled by a hand-operated lever,” Jones says. “What we’ve done is replace that method of opening and closing that gate with a hydraulic cylinder and a hydraulic system, and interfaced it to a GPS system. With this process, you never have to touch the system.”

The Air Repair, Inc. system starts with a robust power pack that is capable of the demands of prescription and constant rate gate movement. The power pack utilizes a pressure switch and accumulator to give instant open and close signals to a gate cylinder with an internal feedback probe or “Smart Cylinder.” Jones says this type of feedback, coupled with the instant hydraulic pressure running through a proportional control valve will allow for constant on the fly gate adjustments. The systems are largely sold in the Delta, but Jones adds that interest is starting to branch out.

“The users of this system, by and large, have been in the Mississippi Delta.

However, we have begun to break out of this area and it’s gaining some traction in other parts of the country, the Midwest, California, and all up and down the Mississippi Valley: Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri and other parts of Mississippi.

Recently, we sent some systems to South Africa, where they are applying fertilizer to tea crops, and to Australia, which is a big agricultural country too.”

The Missing Man Formation is performed to honor and give an aerial “salute” in memory of a fallen pilot and was used quite often during World War II when a pilot and his plane did not return from battle. Brad Ouzts, along with a group of local Mississippi Delta pilots from Shelby, Clarksdale, Benoit, Shaw and

Cleveland, began getting together to do this as a way to honor the deceased. Ouzts is owner/operator of Cleveland Air Service and has been an Ag pilot for 28 years, and says to be a part of this honorable and special tribute to his fellow pilots is something he is very proud of.

“As an Ag pilot myself, this is something that I feel is very important and when we have colleagues or friends who were aerial applicators pass away, this is a way to honor them and their families,” Ouzts says. “I got started when I was asked to participate in one of the services and ever since then, I’ve tried to be available to do it. Sometimes I’m the lead aircraft and sometimes I’m on the side or in the back, it doesn’t matter to me, I’m just honored to be a part of the group.

And it is a group effort, we’re all proud to do it. I’m not the head organizer, but I have been involved in the group for a few years, so it’s a very special thing for me and for all of us.”

Ouzts says it’s an emotional time for everyone involved, for him and his fellow pilots, and the deceased pilot’s family and friends.

“It’s a very moving part of the service, because once the family walks out from the tent or covering over the coffin at the cemetery, that’s when we try and time the flyover. No one has a dry eye after that. It’s beautiful and touching and very sincerely done. We generally do it with five aircraft and the person who is in the middle of the formation does the actual exit and we all have our smokers on, except the one in the center. And we smoke before we get to the cemetery, and as soon as we get to the burial site, we cut off and the middle plane pulls up and cuts his smoker on, heading straight up to heaven. It’s very emotional.”

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 55

Back in the day

Retired farmers reminisce about the ol’ times

By MaRK H. sToWERs They plow, they plant, they pick – for generations farmers have had simple yet at times, complex jobs to perform. For many Delta area farmers farm work began with simple tasks and simple tools but decades later technology supposedly makes the simple tasks easier involving fewer and fewer farm workers. Retired farmers took time to look back on their beginnings in the field and looked at the progression of Delta farms.

56 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

Robert Naron, Bern Prewitt Sr., Billy Mann, Bill Berry, Paul Mullins, Gibb Steele and Allen Spragins each looked back on the “good ol’ days” while smiling at the technological amenities todays’ farmers enjoy.

Naron, a fourth generation Delta farmer still owns land that dates back 100 years in his family. Though he didn’t work with them his farm memories include teams of

mules used to break land by his grandfather.

“My grandfather and great-grandfather moved here west of Cleveland about 100 years ago and cleared some land,” Naron says. “My great granddaddy was in the timber business. He dealt in farmland and owned farmland but he wasn’t as active in the farm. My granddaddy actually farmed from his mid-teens. When I was a kid, my granddaddy had a pair of mules but then we

The late Albert R. “Sonny” Mann, Jr. and William J. “Billy” Mann in a bean field on Mann Farms in the early 1970s.

moved to smaller two row tractors – a Ford and then a small John Deere. I never walked behind a mule.”

Naron retired from farming due to health problems and now rents out his land.

“I farmed for 44 or 45 years,” Naron says. “I helped on the farm as I grew up.”

Along with his wife Karen, he worked the farm that was first filled with cotton and then slowly moved into grains.

“Soybeans were first getting a kick when I first started. We had cattle at one time.

Cotton hit a lull in the early 1970s. We moved for a period of time to having a feed lot for cattle. That improved our cotton with the crop rotation,” Naron says.

The rotation of corn with soybeans and cotton acreage helped improve the yields of

each crop and then Naron with other Delta drive tractors but most of them picked cotton.” farmers opened acreage to rice.

Getting an early start on the turn row “We had always wanted to grow rice but has always been a rite of passage for farmers. it was controlled by the government by Mann first performed small chores and allotments,” he says. “I never was a farmer working in the fields as early as he could who had tremendous acreage. We had a remember.

His father was an early base of land and then we rented land.” entrepreneur with a country store along When Naron took over the farm farm land.

Mann served in World War with operation, he scaled back and simplified II and moved from things. the battle ground to “Trying to grow the farm ground. cattle and corn, One thing that has soybeans, wheat, changed over the cotton and rice – cattle years is the amount eventually worked out of help required to of our area and I run a farm, moved more into grain according to Mann. crops,” he says.

“We had 10 -12 Prewitt’s work on families working the farm included with us back then,” hand picking cotton he says.

“Now with back in the 1950s. The airplanes and new invention of the cotton tractors, you don’t picker was the best need but one man thing by far. to do the same “The cotton work.” picking was mostly Silver City done with labor with farmer Bill Berry has sacks,” he says. “The seen plenty in his cotton picker was years on the about the best thing to turnrow as well. come along.”

“Field work was The Prewitt farm really in the field,” also included dairy Sons of Albert Warren, who farmed at O’Reilly, picking cotton.

Pictured from left to right are: J.A., Berry says noting cattle with nearly 50 Bobby and Lars Warren. (circa 1938-39) that they once had dairy cows that to hire six men to required plenty of do the work of one man today. attention – especially if they lost power and “The crops have changed,” Berry adds. the electric milkers were down.

“If someone told me 20 years ago that “Everybody had to get a stool then,” he cotton would not be king in the Delta I’d says. have laughed.”

In addition to cotton and rice and other Now Berry’s 1,200-acre farm grows crops, Prewitt added the Boyle Flying primarily soybeans and a little corn but no Service in March of 1971 to crop dust cotton.

He’s also witnessed the fields. There’s been plenty of technology to mechanization of farms that has diminished advance each area of the farm as well during the number of families who worked farms his farm life. across the Delta.

“Larger airplanes with safer equipment,” “Homes used to be part of the wage for first came to mind for Prewitt. the labor,” he says. “We furnished four One thing that hasn’t changed on Delta houses.

Farm labor lived on the farm and area farms is the workload. Bolivar County became part of the family. They could come retired farmer, Billy Mann, noted that you to us with personal problems, family never had just one job. problems, or money problems and to “I did everything on the farm,” Mann borrow money.

No one’s in those houses says. “I drove a tractor, hauled cotton. Did now.” everything you do on a farm. None of us That sense of a true farming community did just one thing, we all had to do it all. was built on working together and playing You’d be out in the field by about age six,” together. he says. “We had a few women who could JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 57

“The men who worked for us always carried on a bunch of foolishness,” Berry says with a laugh.

Mullins, a Cleveland area farmer since 19689, enjoyed the camaraderie away from the turnrow.

“We used to have baseball games amongst all the men,” says Mullins. “We’d get an uncle to umpire. It was all ages.”

Near Greenville, Gibb Steele recalled the livestock side of the farm as his father first raised sheep near Greenwood. His father

and hadn’t packed up and moved,” he says.

On Mullins farm, he would actually drive a school bus to town each day to ferry as many as 40 farm hands to the cotton fields during picking time.

Steele believes that the physically demanding work took its toll on the help combined with a longer growing season than today’s farmers have. Seed technology along with mechanization has shortened the planting and growing windows needed thus shortening the season.

The late Bill Mann, Kristy Mann Kitchings, Liz Thornton Bufkin and Al Mann visiting the farm during harvest season in the early 1970s.

then sold that land and moved into row crop farming in Washington County when the younger Steele was in college.

“When we moved [to Greenville] my daddy brought five men from Calhoun City and none of them had a car,” says Steele. “I was always envious of people with the tractors on the row crops.”

Steele’s favorite part of farming was driving the combine during harvest time.

He also recalled that farm help tended to move around. When they would drive to pick up help, they weren’t always home.

“When we first started labor was flighty,” he says. Even though the families did not have cars, it was common for them to move from farm to farm both living and working. When I went to pick them up in the morning, I’d have to look for curtains in the window to make sure they are still there 58 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

“Back then, the varieties of rice and soy took longer to mature,” Steele says, explaining the harvest wouldn’t begin until the end of October. “Now we start harvesting soybeans in August.”

Technology has eased the burden of hot weather somewhat in the newer tractor era.

“Batting the weather sticks out in my mind,” says Allen Spragins who farmed 2,500 acres along Highway 82 in Washington County. “Tractors had no air conditioning. It was hard seats and long days. I always dreaded irrigation, it was the hottest part of the year.”

An air-conditioned tractor was a great relief for Mann as well but Bill Berry notes the biggest change he’s seen has to do with weeds and fertilizers—as well as satellite technology.

“I’m surprised at how clean fields are

now,” he says. “We used to have to clean them by hand. Now it’s all chemicals.

When I farmed, if you wanted straight rows it might take you a time or two. Now with GPS it’s automatic. It used to be a shift and a clutch, now it’s a computer.”

Mullins agrees that, “Roundup makes everyone look like a good farmer. But the air conditioner in the tractor is the best thing since sliced bread. It makes everyone less tired and less cranky.”

Communication has come from practically non-existent to a cell phone in every hand but Spragis notes the two-way radio was the first huge breakthrough for farmers.

“We would send someone to town to get a part,” he says. “By the time they left the dealership, we’d realize we needed something else and couldn’t contact them.

That would be an extra 30-minute trip each way.”

In the good old days and on today’s farm, farmers wore many hats. One of the main ones is mechanic – though today’s machinery consists of computer chips along with traditional tractor parts.

“Even when I quit farming in 1999 things had gotten so complicated you couldn’t repair anything yourself anymore,” he says. “Even tractors have a computer now.”

Naron had seen plenty of technology come along and was starting to see plenty of GPS in the tractor cab before he retired.

“In my 71 years, I’ve seen it go from mules to self-driving tractors,” he says. “But now the man operating the equipment has to be much more talented – fluent in computer and technology.”

Advances in chemical technology as well as the growing size and power of tractors have made things maybe a bit easier but still complex in making farm work efficient and timely.

“Now, you spray roundup in January or February so your fields don’t grow up with weeds,” says Steele. “We used to do half or more of our tillage in the Spring. Now we don’t do hardly any.”

The late harvest and rains made for problems in field preparation.

“During those late harvests, it was always wet and you made a lot of ruts,” he adds.

“You had these huge tractor tracks through the field so you couldn’t hardly get the field prepared in time for the next year. It was really ugly trying to get a field ready.”

It may have been hard work but none of

the farmers would trade the vocation or the experience for anything else. Naron notes he enjoyed the “out of doors” work and “being your own boss and the challenges of each day.”

While most farmers were “handed down” their farm education, later generations would attend local junior and senior colleges for business, ag econ and other such degrees. But there was also the help from the Mississippi State extension office that has spanned more than 100 years of helping farmers. Naron took full advantage of this “free” education beginning with his involvement in 4H Clubs.

“I always say, ‘I might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer but I knew when to ask for help.’ I always tried to use their good advice. You always need a good accountant, good lawyer and a good crop advisor,” he says.

And many farmers have had help and counsel from local and state Farm Bureau personnel.

“Farm Bureau has been a real source for farmers across the state and nation,” Naron says. “I feel like they are the best voice for all of agriculture in the government.”

One thing that never changes – the blessings that come with being raised on a family farm.

“My favorite part was being able to raise kids on a farm,” Berry says. “The go with me to the field, play on the cotton trailers and play with the workers’ kids. I’m just blessed that they grew up in that atmosphere.”

And with so many helping hands, the kids were always tended to no matter what.

“We always had 100 yards away,” says Steele. “The good part is you’re working with your family, but as generations get older, you start to bump heads. When I was in my early 30s my daddy retired and let me take over. That gave me the courage when my son was about 30 and we started to bump heads. He says, ‘it’s about time one of us needs to play more golf,’ and I decided that should be me. Gradually I’ve handled less and less of the day to day worry.”

There may be fewer hands to get the work done and technology keeps marching along but the farm life is one that truly never changes from generation to generation—it’s just a bit more air conditioned with straighter and cleaner rows.

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 59

Delta Ag Journal Delta Ag Journal The Farm Lifestyle Publication of the Mississippi Delta

Volume 1 • JANUARY 2018

We hope you’ve enjoyed the first edition of Delta Ag Journal

662.843.2700 P.O. Box 117 Cleveland, MS 38732

60 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

26"-*5: 130%6$54 t 26"-*5: 13*$&4 t 26"-*5: 4&37*$&

4$055 1&530-&6. $03103"5*0/ 888 4$0551&530-&6.*/$ $0.

%&-5" "( &910 t $-&7&-"/% .4 t +"/6"3: .*44*44*11* "(3*$6-563"- "7*"5*0/ $0/7&/5*0/ t +"/6"3: 4$055 1&530-&6. "(3* $0/'&3&/$& t (3&&/800% .4 t '&#36"3:

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 61

the Farmer’s wife A

Major contributors to most operations

By BECKY GiLLETTE • Photo by Rory Doyle sk Delta farm wives what they like the most about their role keeping ag operations running efficiently and by far the most common answer is going to involve family. Many grew up with farming. Farming is in their blood and an opportunity for a type of family

62 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

togetherness rarely found today.

Many Delta farm wives often spend hours per day feeding the workers who are feeding the world.

“I love harvest season,” says Angie Zepponi, Greenville, who is married to Tim Zepponi. “I love the guys who work

for my husband. It is like a big family.

During planting and harvest season, the men are working from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

So, to save them time, I get them lunches and dinner. I also have a business in Greenville, Lagniappe in Greenville. I’ll go to work, and then go deliver 7 to 10

Pictured bottom row: Lawanna Bowen, Hope Richard, Candy Davis, Diane Chenault, Ramona Rizzo and Connie Andrews. Ascending stairs: Robin McKnight, Christen Davis, Sha Aguzzi and Cindy Grittman

lunches to workers spread out in two counties. It takes a good two hours. I go back to work, and then deliver dinner, which takes another two hours.”

Angie pays the bills, and runs the family.

It is hard work.

“But I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she says. “It is a lifestyle that gets into your blood. It is hard to leave. The Delta is a special place.”

Vonda Burns, who is married to Del Burns and lives near Greenville, is the granddaughter, daughter, wife and mother of farmers and a farmer in her own right.

“I have been a farmer legally since I was nine years old,” Vonda says. “Since Del and I married, we have moved several times

when we found better ground, but have always tried to stay on the farm instead of living in town so our children would grow up on the farm. We thought it was important.”

Like many farms wives, Vonda takes care of most of office work. Between that and raising kids and animals, she’s never been Swindoll bored.

Katelyn Bailey, whose husband Britt grows sweet potatoes in Calhoun and Tallahatchie counties, helps her mother-in-law with paperwork.

“We have Mexican workers who come and put sweet potato plants in the ground,” Katelyn says. “It is a lot different from cotton, corn and soybeans, and takes a lot of manpower. You Zepponi have to keep up with the hours they work. I assist my husband carrying meals, or picking up a part. Whatever he needs done, I’m there to serve him and serve the workers. My husband really does appreciate me, his mother and his sister, and the impact we make on the farm.”

What is the most fun part of the job? Katelyn loves taking her Britt husband meals just so she can spend some time with him.

“Also, the thrill of watching something grow and produce-God’s beauty in creating food--is amazing,” Katelyn says.

For Cherrie Lynn Britt of Indianola, who is married to Boyer Britt, III, a highlight for her is getting to see her family so often.

O’Neal “For almost 28 years I have taken them farm lunches pretty much every day,” Cherrie says.

“That takes several hours of my day with picking up lunches and delivering them. My husband and son, Cody, who farms with his dad, sit in my car and we visit while they eat. During planting and harvest times, that is about the only time we actually get to Bailey visit.”

When she was growing up, Cherrie swore she was never marrying a

farmer. But then she met her husband in college and her plans changed.

“This is all I have ever known,” Cherrie says. “My father and grandfather farmed, and I have two older brothers who farm.”

Cindy Grittman is the support system for her husband Allan and their farm in Ruleville.

“I do the books for the farm and do anything else he asks me to do,” she says. ‘The planting and growing and harvest season are very long hours. It is really taxing. But he gets the freedom of winter to relax and hunt. I just can’t imagine him doing anything else.”

Despite the stress at certain seasons, they both love the farm lifestyle.

“I’m very proud of what we accomplish every year,” Cindy says.

Cheryl Swindoll, a full partner with her husband, Mike, on their farm near Tutwiler, is the office manager.

"We are a team. I run our home and office so that he can focus on farm management," Cheryl says. "Hours can be long and intense, but we both enjoy the freedom of being self-employed. When we have down time, we can choose to relax, enjoy hobbies, or have family time."

Cathy and Bill Booth farmed for many years before starting the Shiloh Planting Company in Tunica. LLC. She is also the general manager of Buck Island Seed Co. “Bill and I work together on any decisions concerning Shiloh, and since I run Buck Island Seed Co., I can help with the different varieties needed to achieve high yields and different disease packages.

She grew up as a farmer’s daughter, married a farmer, raised her daughters in agriculture and is JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 63

Above: Vonda and Del Burns; right: Cathy and Bill Booth

very proud to be a farmer.

“It makes my heart feel good to know that as farmers we are helping to feed this great country with safe farm practices,” she says.

Robin and Bill O’Neal farm near Cleveland.

“We love living on the farm,” Robin says. “The kids spend a lot of time outdoors. They hunt and fish. It has just been a great life. I have a lot of hobbies. My husband is off all winter so that makes it nice. We can go to our cabin at Gunnison, and hunt and fish.”

Candy Davis has been actively involved in farming with her husband, Larry Shaw, in a community near Shaw for 38 years.

“My favorite thing has been the lifestyle that he has been able to provide because it does involve lots of family,” Davis says.

“There is a time of year when it is strictly for farming. Winter time is always preparing for the next year, but there can be a lot of family time involved in that. We now have our two sons, Judd and Austin, back actively farming with us. Seeing the farm continue with another generation is rewarding.”

Candy does a little bit of everything including book keeping, providing lunches and running parts. She has never yearned for a life in town.

“Since it was a lifestyle I knew because I had grown up in it, it was easy to continue on,” she says.

64 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

Candy Davis, hard at work in her home office

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

 Harbor & Fleeting Services

Controlled Warehouse  10+ Acres Open-Air Storage  10,000 to 30,000 lb. Fork Lifts  150 Ton Crane

 4 Certified Truck Scales  Favorable Industrial Climate  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

VISIT OUR ONLINE INTERACTIVE MAP

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 65

66 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 67

In the Off Season…

Farmers head to the woods

By BECKY GiLLETTE • Photo by Rory Doyle

Above and upper left: Gibson Steele call in ducks and hunts trophy bucks on his own property but enjoys hunting across state lines as well. Bottom right: Scott Flowers and his turkey hunting buddy, Jimmy Goss, harvested these beauties in Oklahoma.

The demands of a farm can run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year but the largest part of the physical work is done from around early March and stretches into December on occasion. The little bit of downtime is spent retooling, reborrowing and hopefully spending more time with family and friends to celebrate the holidays and farm success. Many if not all farmers enjoy time in the woods or on the lake chasing animals that coincide with the current hunting season.

For many farmers, they take their “out of the field” time and put the same efforts into their hunting—which for most is a relaxing and de-stressing time that can come with monumental rewards—a trophy mount and full freezer. Some of those hunters enjoy chasing after game that prowl in different states and continents. From turkey to deer to elk and exotic animals, Delta farmers are out to enjoy the thrill of the hunt of it all.

Austin Jones, owner and catfish farmer in south Sunflower County at Bear Creek Farms, enjoys the local hunting seasons. But he takes time to head north for hunting from time to time.

“I go to South Dakota every year for pheasant hunting,” Jones says. “We go twice a year—opening weekend which is the third Saturday in October and then go back about the first of December.”

With access to a farm in Winner, South Dakota, Jones and his hunting buddies would take Jones’ immortal retriever and work the fields.

70 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

“I’ve been taking my dog for about five years and they have dogs up there too. My dog is the Planter’s Bank dog. He died this July so I’ve got a new puppy I’m working with,” he says. “Reba was that dog’s name and he went all the time and just loved pheasant hunting.”

The up-North hunt is like no other as Jones enjoys the freedom of not having to be quiet.

“It’s a fun way to hunt,” Jones says. “You don’t have to be quiet and you have all of your buddies with you. It’s kind of like a combination of duck and rabbit hunting.”

For pheasants, Jones and his crew uses a .12-gauge shotgun with number four and five shot. Near home, Austin has four sunflower fields set up for bird hunting with Bill Kennedy in Inverness.

Gibson Steele, from Greenville, enjoys duck and deer hunting close to home but chases turkeys across the country.

“I just started turkey hunting,” Steele says. “I go to Texas, Kansas and South Dakota and would like to go to Florida. I started a couple of years ago. I’m not a big caller and I’ve found out they are easier to kill outside of Mississippi.”

When hunting out of state, there are less trees to deal with.

“Here you have to call them in but in other states you can see them in binoculars. Here you don’t see them till you call them in and you don’t know if they are coming or going,” he says.

Steele uses a three and half inch turkey load shell in his .12 gauge.

Scott Flowers harvested this big buck with his bow in Kansas

“The only reason I don’t use a four-inch shell is I haven’t found Kansas, Iowa and Missouri. And I go on bow hunting trips to one,” he says with a laugh.

Iowa, Kansas, Illinois and Wisconsin. I just like seeing new areas Closer to home, Steele has been enjoying getting duck hunting and the whole experience of driving through the countryside and going and is waiting for colder taking part in the regional weather to draw more ducks to cultures.” the Delta. He floods certain Though he hasn’t completed fields to attract ducks to his a Grand Slam—harvesting four property. different types of turkeys from Scott Flowers spends plenty around the United States—he of time coaxing cotton, has brought home plenty of soybeans, corn and peanuts to turkeys. fruition. But when he’s not on “I’ve shot a lot Rio’s and the turnrow in Coahoma, Easterns. Next year I’m going to Tunica and Quitman Counties, Nebraska and I’ll be hunting a he’s enjoying his time hunting Merriam. I’ve got young kids with friends and family. Flowers and it’s hard to get away that began his hunting career early much with the farm. One day, by tagging along at the age of I’d love to do that in one year,” nine and then actually hunting he says. by the age of 12.

Flowers has a Winchester “I’ve been hunting a long Dan Brandon, Dave Nachtigal, Austin Jones and Don Nachtigal Super X II National Wild time—30 years I guess. Turkey Turkey Federation Turkey hunting is my favorite but I didn’t start till I was out of college,” Special shotgun.

Flowers says. “I usually go on one trip a year turkey hunting. I go “IT’s got a turkey choke on it and I’ve got a red dot scope,” he to Oklahoma and we’ve been going for about 15 years. I also go to says. “I like to use the blended magnum shells that are made up of JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 71

number five, six and seven shot. You can shoot turkeys further out with a turkey choke and the shells are really powerful.

You have to be careful when shooting a turkey up close—the pattern is really tight like a rifle.”

In addition, Flowers likes to use a mouth call for turkeys to keep his hands free.

“I use several different mouth calls—a WoodHaven Red Wasp mouth call I like to use. A local farmer, Jim Humber has a call I like to use called a Delta Queen. I use box calls and slate calls but I mainly like the mouth calls because I want my hands on the gun,” he says. “When one gets closer in I like to keep my hands still.”

As Flowers was raised by hunting parents and kin folks, he is passing on the tradition with his two young boys, Gaines and Jonathon.

“I took my boys duck hunting yesterday. It seems they start earlier. My dad wouldn’t let me go duck hunting till I was 12. I had to hang with the older boys for a few years before I could go,” he says.

“I remember my earlier hunts. My grandad on my mom’s side and we were hunting at a club called Double Cypress with flooded green timber. I was hunting with my dad, my uncle, my brother and my granddad— just being at the camp with all those older men and eating breakfast and being excited about the hunt. My grandad loved to duck hunt and quail hunt. Just seeing him excited at that age—he could hardly get around in the waders.”

Flowers learned how to set up decoys and get the hunting spot all ready for the ducks and he was rewarded with a beautiful site.

“I’d never seen a duck up close and to see those mallards coming in at daylight and landing – it was an amazing site to see for the first time and I was hooked,” he says. “The novelty wears off sometimes but you get that feeling again a few times.”

The cotton farmer knows that hunting will keep his boys out of trouble as it it’s a “healthy sport for children. With all the iPads and technology and its addicting to sit there and play games all the time. It’s neat to see them enjoy it. I never put pressure on them to go but they are the ones that want to go all the time. I think it’s really good for them. I’m glad I live on a farm and have the ability to go hunting.”

72 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

farm to table THANKSGIVING CORN 7 1 1 1/4 2 1 1

ears of corn small red bell pepper small green bell pepper cup water tablespoons butter teaspoon salt teaspoon sugar

8 1/2 2 1/4 1/2 2

ounces cream cheese cup half and half tablespoon flour teaspoon smoked paprika teaspoon chili powder tablespoons parmesan

Shuck the corn, rinse it, and slice the corn off the cob. Finely dice the bell peppers. Heat the water and butter in a pot. Once it starts steaming, add corn and the bell peppers. Cook for 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Add all of the remaining ingredients (except Parmesan), and stir to combine. Once the cream cheese has melted, pour into a casserole dish. Top with Parmesan and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. You can prepare this recipe up to this point a day or two ahead of time and then bake it just prior to serving.

SOUTHERN FRIED CATFISH SWEET POTATO BISCUITS 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 2 heaping tablespoons sugar 4 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes 1/4 cup or 1/2 stick softened butter 2 to 4 tablespoons milk

1 quart peanut oil 1 cup stone-ground fine cornmeal 1 cup all purpose flour 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning (recommended: Old Bay) 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon hot smoked paprika 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 6 (7 to 9-ounce) US farm-raised catfish fillets, rinsed and thoroughly patted dry 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

Heat the peanut oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over high heat until it reaches 350 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer. Adjust the heat to maintain the temperature.

Whisk the cornmeal and flour together in a shallow dish. Combine the seafood seasoning, kosher salt, paprika, and pepper in a small bowl. Season the catfish fillets evenly on both sides with the spice mixture. Pour the buttermilk into another shallow dish. Dip each fillet into the buttermilk, flip once to coat both sides, hold over the pan and allow the excess to drip off. Coat both sides of the fillets in the cornmeal mixture. Set the coated fillets on a cooling rack and let rest for 5 minutes.

Gently add the fillets, 2 at a time, to the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the fried fillets to a cooling rack set over a newspaper-lined half sheet pan. Repeat method with remaining fillets.

Arrange the catfish on a serving platter and serve immediately.

74 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

In a separate, large bowl, mix the sweet potatoes and butter. Add the flour mixture to the potato mixture and mix to make a soft dough. Then add milk a teaspoon at a time to mixture and continue to cut it. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and toss lightly until the outside of the dough looks smooth. Roll the dough out to 1/2-inch think and cut with a biscuit cutter. Place the biscuites on a greased pan and coat tops with melted butter. Bake for 15 minutes.

SOYBEAN SALAD

PEANUT BRITTLE 1 cup unsalted raw peanuts 1 cup sugar 2 teaspoons of clarified butter 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons ginger juice

Grease a 5x7 plate and set aside. Dry roast peanuts on medium heat stirring continuously for about 6-7 minutes until golden brown. Remove from pan, wait till they cool off and can be rubbed between your palms to remove most of the skin. Lightly crush peanuts. In a heavy bottom sauce pan, over medium heat melt the butter, than add sugar, ginger and salt. Keep stirring the sugar continuously till the sugar starts melting and changing the color to light brown. Turn off the heat as soon as it comes to golden brown.

2 medium cucumbers, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and into ¼-inch thick slices 1 small onion, quartered and sliced 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup cooked and shelled edamame (soybeans) 3 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons cottonseed or vegetable oil ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted ¼ teaspoon cayenne

Put the cucumber and onion slices in a bowl and toss with the salt. Allow to stand at room temperature for about 1 hour. Rinse, drain well in a colander, and return to the bowl.

Add the edamame, lemon juice, cottonseed oil, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and cayenne. Toss well to combine. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Note: when sugar starts melting, it changes color very quickly and can easily burn. Add peanuts and stir quickly. Pour over greased plate and spread evenly. Cool for a few minutes. Cut them into 1-1/2 inch squares.

Store in an air tight container.

CANDIED PECANS 1 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 1 egg white 1 tablespoon water 1 pound pecan halves

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Mix sugar, cinnamon and salt together in a bowl. Whisk egg white and water together in a separate bowl until frothy. Toss pecans in egg white mixture. Mix sugar mixture into pecan mixture until pecans are evenly coated. Spread coated pecans onto baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, until pecans are evenly brown for 1 hour.

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 75

WHEAT GERM BANANA MUFFINS 1 cup whole-wheat flour 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup wheat germ 1 teaspoon baking soda salt 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temp.

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 2 large eggs 3/4 cup mashed bananas 1/3 cup 2 percent milk 1 cup blueberries 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat over to 375 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, wheat germ, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars together in a separate bowl until light and fluffy, about five minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl, combine the mashed bananas with the milk and vanilla. With the mixer on low, alternately add onethird of the flour mixture and half of the banana mixture. Mix until just combines. Fold in blueberries.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake 20 minutes to 24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of muffin, comes out clean.

BEER RICE 2 Tbsp butter 1 1/4 cup rice, uncooked 1 (12-oz) beer 1 1/4 cup water 1/2 tsp onion powder

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add rice and cook for 5 minutes, until starting to brown. Add beer, water and onion powder. Cover and simmer for 2025 minutes, until liquid is absorbed.

Covering the Delta for over 100 years.

76 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

BLOODY MARY WITH SPICY GREEN BEANS For the green beans: 4 pounds fresh green beans 8-16 heads fresh dill 8 cloves garlic, peeled 1/4 cup pickling or kosher salt 4 cups white vinegar 4 cups hot water 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes For the Bloody Mary: 46 ounces tomato juice 1 lemon, juiced 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce 1/4 teaspoon creole seasoning 1 teaspoon fresh grated horseradish 1 teaspoon hot sauce 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped Vodka

For the green beans: Wash and trim ends from beans and trim to 4 1/2" in length. In 8 clean pint jars, put 1 to 2 dill heads, a clove of garlic an divide the red pepper flakes evenly between jars. Pack beans in vertically as tight as you can. In a saucepan on the stove, combine salt, vinegar and water over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and let the salt dissolve. Remove from heat and pour over beans, covering them. Seal jar and refrigerate for at least one day.

For the Bloody Mary: mix all ingredients together. Refrigerate overnight. Serve over ice mixed with you flavor of Vodka. Be creative with the accompaniments - green beans of course, fill fronds, and pork chicharrones are all fun.

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 77

AROUND THE FARM

Matt Ray prepares to join the ag pilot industry as he passes his first solo flight.

Cheryl Swindoll and her family wait on the farmers to come in from the fields for dinner.

Supportive mother, Lee Aylward, helps her son Brig on their farm.

Carson Worsham taking advantage of a muddy field on Aguzzi Farms.

Valerie Ouzts captured this image of husband Brad as he practiced his aerial acrobatics.

First generation farmer Hayden Bills of H&B Planting burned the midnight oil during harvest season.

78 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

AROUND THE FARM

Britton Bailey enjoys lunch in the tractor with father Britt.

Dalton Sykes with Anna McClain Grittman in his impressive first-ever soybean crop.

Baby soybeans burst through the soil on Shurden Farms in Sunflower County.

Green machines all lined up and ready to roll.

Zac Tollison of Burrell Bayou, LLC has good help picking cotton.

JANUARY 2018 • Delta Ag Journal • 79

Since 1976

PRODUCTS THAT WORK

WITH THE KNOWLEDGE TO USE THEM 1709 VFW RD

GREENVILLE, MISSISSIPPI

80 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2018

877-594-1500

WWW.SEEDCOAT.COM

Introducing

Your own personal toolbox and direct connect to REV® brand products, planting calculators, reps, and agronomic support

...all in the palm of your hand!

©2017, Terral Seed. REV® is a registered trademark of Pioneer.

REV® brand seed is distributed by Terral Seed.