Delta Ag Journal Vol. 2 No. 1 | January 2019

Delta Ag Journal The Farm Lifestyle Magazine of the Mississippi Delta

Kin Growers

Pecans: A Southern Delicacy 5% RULE Before Cotton Was King, Timber Ruled

Women of the MAAA

Volume 2 • Number 1 • JANUARY 2019

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JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 1

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Contents

features 34 KIN GROWERS

Second Generation Strong

38 PECANS

A Southern Delicacy 44 THE 5% RULE

Increases net profit

48 BEFORE COTTON WAS KING Timber Ruled

34 44

departments

56 WMAAA

Educating the masses about AG Aviation 64 THE DELTA AG EXPO

12 FARMER Q & A

Jacob Fullen

A Delta farming tradition going strong

14 EXTENSION AGENT

SPOTLIGHT Jan Gray Walton

18 AG BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT MIRTECH Harvest Center

12

on the cover

22 FARM HEADQUARTERS

Mosco Farms 28 FARM FAMILIES

Smith Farms, Patrick Smith, Miller King

70 HISTORY

Delta Ag Journal The Farm Lifestyle Magazine of the Mississippi Delta

18

Bicentenial Plantation

76 RECIPES

Kin Growers

Winter Soups

79 AROUND THE FARM

Pecans: A Southern Delicacy

Volume 2 • Number 1 • JANUARY 2019

Trey Wright, John Ousler, Jeremy Smart and Mitch Davis, photographed by Rory Doyle, December 2018 at the Mirtch Location in Boyle.

5% RULE

22

Before Cotton Was King, Timber Ruled

Women of the MAAA

JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 3

Scott Coopwood, PUBLISHER

Delta Ag Journal Publisher: J. Scott Coopwood Editors: Kristy Kitchings, Pam Parker Graphic Designers: Todd Malone, Cailee Conrad WRITERS Charlotte Buchanan, Hank Burdine, Angela Rogalski, Greta Sharp, Patrick R. Shepard, Mark H. Stowers, Erin Williams PHOTOGRAPHY Austin Britt, Rory Doyle, Roy Meeks CIRCULATION Holly Tharp

One Year and Counting With this edition, we pass the one year mark of publishing the Delta Ag Journal.

We would have never made it this first year without the many advertisers you see in our pages and for that we owe a special thanks to these wonderful businesses.

This past year, we mailed an average of 5,200 copies per edition to farmers and ag related businesses in the Mississippi Delta. That more than covers the agriculture community of the region. On top of that mailing, we also sent copies to sixty-five distribution points around the Delta. And, finally, we mailed copies to a special list of “Decision Makers” located all over Mississippi and in Washington, D.C. The response from our far reaching circulation was more than we expected when we launched in January, 2018.

Our editorial strategy this first year was to present the lifestyles of Delta farmers through our departments: “Through the Years”, “Farmer Q & A”, “Extension Agent Spotlight”, “Ag Business Spotlight”, “Farm Headquarters”, “Farm Families”, “History”, “Recipes”, and our “Out & About”. In addition to these departments, we also present several feature articles in each edition that range widely.

As we move into 2019, send us any story ideas you would like to see published in the pages of the Delta Ag Journal. Send them directly to me at scott@coopwood.net or call our office at 662-843-2700. By the way, there is no subscription cost to receive the Delta Ag Journal. So, if you are currently not on our mailing list or would like to add some friends, please send us that information.

To those who would like to advertise with us - we offer very reasonable advertising rates and in exchange your ad will be seen by the ag community of the Mississippi Delta.

In closing, I’d like to again thank our advertisers and our readers. I would also like to recognize Kristy Kitchings and Pam Parker who have done an outstanding job of locating story ideas, working with our writers and photographers, spending countless hours on the layout and design of the magazine and in general who are playing a significant role in building this publication.

We wish you a very safe and prosperous 2019 and we look forward to hearing from you.

ACCOUNTING MANAGER Emma Jean Thompson ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Kristy Kitchings, Ann Nestler, Wendy Mize POSTMASTER Send all address changes to: Delta Ag Journal P.O. Box 117, Cleveland, MS 38732 ADVERTISING For advertising information, please call (662) 843-2700 Fax (662) 843-0505 Delta Ag Journal accepts no responsibility for unsolicited materials and in general does not return them to sender. Manuscripts and photographs submitted for publication are welcomed by Delta Ag Journal, but no responsibility can be taken for them while in transit or in the office of publication.

All editorial and advertising information is taken from sources considered to be authoritative, but the publication cannot guarantee their accuracy. Neither that information nor any opinion expressed on the pages of Delta Ag Journal in any way constitutes a solicitation for the sale or purchase of securities mentioned. No material in the Delta Ag Journal can be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher.

Delta Ag Journal is published by Coopwood Publishing Group, Inc. EDITORIAL AND BUSINESS OFFICE ADDRESSES Mailing Address: Post Office Box 117 Cleveland, Mississippi 38732 Shipping Address: 125 South Court Street Cleveland, Mississippi 38732 Phone (662) 843-2700 Fax (662) 843-0505 E-mail: publisher@deltaagjournal.com

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Possibility begins with empowering you.

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And now with even broader resources and capabilities, your Nutrien Ag Solutions™ retailer is even more equipped to help you become a more capable grower than ever. nutrienagsolutions.com

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Letters Thanks so much for a wonderful article on Daddy. He would get a real kick out of reading it. You really captured his uniqueness and what Dudley and I thought about him. He was the finest man I have ever known.

Thank you again for doing such a wonderful job telling people who my daddy was.

With kindest regards, Harris H. ( Tripp) Barnes, III Clarksdale, MS Thank you so much for bringing Agriculture to the forefront, through the Delta Ag Journal, as it is truly the backbone of our economy, history, and culture Delta wide. All of articles, photography, and advertising seem to jump off the page. Well done, and thanks again for painting Farm Families, Ag research, and Farm related businesses in such a well deserved positive light. We look forward to receiving our issue in the mail each quarter and enjoy reading the issue cover to cover. Congratulations on year one of your new and exciting new publication.

Justin George J.P. George Consulting Service, Inc. Cleveland, MS

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION IN THE DELTA AG JOURNAL Visit our website at deltaagjournal.com or call 662-843-2700 6 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

Letters I would like to congratulate Delta Ag Journal on their first year of publication.

What a wonderful addition to the Delta Business Journal and Delta Magazine family! As someone who grew up in the Delta surrounded by farm land, I have seen the highs and lows of farming in the Mississippi Delta. I have watched farmers use their labor skills, grow with the new technologies to plant crops and then harvest them. Through those years farmers have produced bountiful crops with the help of Mother Nature, good soils and good luck. There have been good and bad seasons but the resiliency of farmers continue despite the ups and downs of the weather and the market.

In the October 2018 issue of the Delta Ag Journal, you allowed Nutrien Ag to be a very special part of your publication. We thank you for taking the time to carefully consider story ideas and then turn them into something our local farmers need and want to read. Also, the internship story was very informative. The younger generation is eager and excited to be a part of this industry and it was great to see what the future has in store for them. The enthusiasm these young people have for agriculture is nothing short of amazing.

The future of our industry depends on giving a young persons chance. Some will persevere and pass the love and knowledge for agriculture down to future generations.

It’s they cycle that makes agriculture such a great lifestyle.

Continue with the great work and we will look forward to being a part of such a great publication and receiving our issues in the mail in 2019.

Jeff Tarsi, Nutrien Ag Memphis, TN

SEND COMMENTS AND LETTERS TO publisher@deltaagjournal.com or Delta Ag Journal P.O Box 117 Cleveland, MS 38732 JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 7

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THROUGH THE YEARS

Carried Away Cotton leaving the Port of Greenville was a common sight during the heyday of cotton production in the Mississippi Delta. While grain crops rule the day, the Mississippi River was and continues to be the main artery from which Delta growers export their crops that are ultimately distributed around the world.

Photo courtesy of Delta Council

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FARMER Q&A

Jacob Fullen Cleveland, Mississippi Best Advice Received

I always listen to older farmers when they are talking because they are full of valuable information.

Best Advice to Give

Don’t be scared to take a chance. Farming is a gamble and you don’t know the hand you are going to be dealt, but it is worth a shot in my opinion.

First Job

Moving dirt on my uncles farm and watering beans with my father.

How Did You Become Interested in Farming?

I have been around farming my entire life. It is in my roots and my blood. My grandfather Buck Fullen is a big inspiration to me as well as my father, Bruce Fullen.

What do You Like Best About Farming?

Definitely planting the seeds and watching them grow! Also at harvest time when all your blood, sweat, and tears come out of the field. That is a truly rewarding feeling.

What Do you Not Like About Farming?

Education

Bayou Academy and Mississippi Delta Community College

The long hours can keep you away from your loved ones and unlike a 9:00 to 5:00 job, you don’t have a set time to start and stop. It is go, go, go until the crop is out of the field and in the bins.

Family

Best Decision Ever Made

I am very thankful for my mother for pushing me towards my goals and being my backbone. She is alway’s there for me. I am not married yet but I have a wonderful girlfriend, Preslea Byrd who has been by my side supporting me through two years of farming.

Current Job Position

I wouldn’t call it a job, it is really a “passion.” Currently owner of Jacob “Buck” Fullen Farms.

Describe What You do in Your Job

I do everything from planting, to laying poly pipe, to driving a combine and an eighteen wheeler to the grain storage. And, I am the main spray rig driver on my farm.

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Deciding to bite the bullet and go after my dreams.

Worst Decision

Playing the commodities market in hopes that the price of grain would go up.

Someone Who Made a Huge Difference in Your Life

That would have to be my father. He’s always pushed me to be the best and showed me that hard work is the way to succeed because no one is going to hand it to you on a silver platter. He has probably forgotten more about farming than I will ever hope to know! I am fortunate to have someone with his knowledge to look up to.

What are Your Hobbies?

I enjoy many outdoor activities. Deer hunting, duck hunting and fishing are certainly top of the list.

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EXTENSION AGENT

JAN GRAY

WALTON An inspiration to many

By AIMEE ROBINETTE

T

here is nothing Grenada Extension Agent III Jan Gray Walton appreciates more than educating others to improve their quality of life. Whether it is helping a high school 4-H Club member select the right field of study for college or empowering a woman to take control of her personal finances, Walton finds her joy in service to others.

Walton is a jack of all trades. Before joining the Mississippi State Extension Service, she was a real estate agent with rental property, owned a business inside the historic post office in Grenada, and was a mustang director with Beauti Control Cosmetics. She also has a passion for volunteerism, which is what led to her current position.

“I was volunteering at the school with fifth grade girls, and made the comment that I would love a job where I could mentor youth all of the time,” she says.

14 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

Walton earned bragging rights as the 2016 Crappie Masters Media Fish Off Champion.

Pictured with Walton are Holly and Jack Linton.

“Someone overheard my comment and asked me to apply for the 4-H Agent position in Grenada with MSU Extension.

I applied, interviewed, and was offered the position.”

Walton, who holds a bachelor of science in elementary education and a master of science in ag and extension education from MSU, never looked back.

There are many checks in the plus column when Walton considers her position.

“I enjoy interacting with the people of Grenada County, listening to their concerns, and working with clientele, as well as, our extension volunteers. I have been working as an Extension Agent since 2007. It is always rewarding to see the impact of our programs. The most rewarding is when your former 4-H youth enroll in FCS programs and enroll their children in 4-H,” she says. “This week alone, I was asked to be a college scholarship validator in which I read an essay that explains the personal growth

4-H Game Day at Mississippi State University with Grenada 4-H Leadership members, Robbie Dunn and Colton Gray. Robbie is 2016 & 2018 4-H National Shooting Sports competitor. Colton is a six year 4-H/FSA cattleman.

and knowledge that a young person has absorbed and retained since the seventh grade through 4-H, MyPI, and our community garden. It just warms your heart when you know that your 4-H youth really were grasping all of the information that 4-H provided and they are so prepared to tackle the next step in life.”

Walton says seeing a former 4-H youth be the first generation in their family to attend and graduate from college and have multiple job offers is another feather in the extension cap.

“Then, they call for all kinds of advice from preparing meals to purchasing their first home,” she adds, which gives her the chance to see how they are doing.

It’s not only area youth that are impacted by the local extension service.

Adults also find it to be a resource for a number of activities and life skills.

“I love when an older lady with prior health issues hugs my neck at the voting polls because she has lost a total of 150 pounds because of your ‘Get Fit’ WalkA-Weigh program over a lengthy period

Teaching the local program, “It’s My Life, “to ninth grade students at Grenada School District.”

While celebrating ten years of life since being diagnosed with cancer in 2008,” says Walton.

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Extension Agent, Jan Walton, introduces Grenada 4-H members to 4-H Alumni, RhacQuis Tidwell to begin a tour of Mississippi State University on the final day of Grenada’s Summer 4-H Camp.

of time. She was so excited to be so much healthier,” Walton says. “Another happy moment was when a lady introduced me to her husband in the grocery store and he thanked me for helping his wife learn how to make a monthly budget. Because of our financial classes, their credit score had improved and they were now qualified to buy a home.”

FCS Agents Regina Boykin, Ontennica Boclear, Jan Gray Walton, Alma Harris, and Lara Angel enhanced their culinary skills at The Viking Cooking School.

Walton also finds happiness within her organization.

“My experience through Mississippi State University Extension is we all respect the chosen fields that someone is an expert. For example, I do not have a swine program in Grenada County, but I know who has experience in that particular field,” she says.

“I do have the advantage that I was reared

on a farm, so I am familiar with many aspects of the farm, such as gardens, crops, and livestock. Also, for the first nine years after graduating from Mississippi State University, I was an employee with the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service in which had worked closely with all of the farmers and agriculture experts in our county.”

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AG BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

MIRTECH

HARVEST CENTER Bringing CLASS to the Mississippi Delta

By ANGELA ROGALSKI • Photography by Rory Doyle

M

irTech Harvest Center was founded in 1996 by Colorado native Robert Krattli and his wife Natalia. The large dealer group has a multilocation operation in Eastern Europe and has had a long-standing history with CLAAS Manufacturers. MirTech established its first branches in the Delta in 2016. Along with CLAAS, MirTech is the official dealer and distributor of manufacturers known worldwide, such as MacDon, Manitou, Salford, and many others.

In July 2018, MirTech opened its Boyle, Miss. location and continues to expand its footprint in and across the entire Delta.

John Oursler is the branch manager in Boyle. Oursler says that MirTech had three existing locations in the region before opening up in Boyle: Jonesboro, Ark., Stuttgart, Ark., and Sikeston, Mo. “We came to Boyle to establish our fourth location,” Oursler says. “We’re a full line CLAAS dealership. We sell combines, tractors, hay equipment, all types of mowers; so we’re a full line agriculture dealer here in Boyle.”

Oursler says some of the other services they provide are 24/7 in-field parts support, 24/7 service support, and continuing education for their service techs about the equipment they sell. And they are very proud to offer CLAAS to this particular area of the Delta.

“CLAAS is brand new to this area,” Oursler continues. “My goal with our branch is to continue to grow our presence and our footprint in the Mississippi Delta. We want to continue to develop 18 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

Trey Wright, John Ousler, Jeremy Smart, Mitch Davis.

JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 19

Boyle is the forth location of MirTech. In addition to selling combines, tractors, and all types of mowers, the Boyle location provides 24/7 service support and in-field parts support.

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relationships with our customers. And since July, we’ve actually experienced growth already with our business. Not only from selling new machines, but from the service side as well. We go out in the field and repair equipment, work on existing combines , so being here in Boyle, centrally located in the Delta, we’re able to service our customers from the north end of the Delta to the south end of the Mississippi Delta.”

And offering farmers replacement parts for the equipment they sell is a significant part of their 24/7 service support.

“Customers can come in and buy their replacement parts right here and we’re a distributor for many other manufacturers as well. We also sell a full line of things like grain parts, seed tenders, sprayers, planters, and we have accessories that go with the equipment, such as attachments.”

Mirtech’s Boyle location is open 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday and also has an afterhours number that customers can call and reach a MirTech associate.

“But during harvest season,” Oursler says, “our store location is open quite a few more hours and on Saturday.”

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FARM HEADQUARTERS

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MOSCO

FARMS Keeping it in the Family

By MARK H. STOWERS Photography by Rory Doyle

F

arm shops come in all sizes andit’s not how big or small, but what can be done that benefits farmers and keeps downtime to a minimum. It should also be a welcoming place where hard work and family fun can easily come together. For Henry Mosco, he relies on his 50-by-100-foot shop to keep things rolling.

It’s got a 50 by 40-foot enclosed area and we have all of our equipment in there,” Mosco said.

Mosco and his farm staff rely on the welding equipment and air tools along with a vehicle lift to perform work on cars and trucks.

“We pretty much do most of our repair work. We don’t overhaul engines, but do a lot of maintenance. Right now, we are doing maintenance on tractors, winterizing, cleaning combines and getting everything done and put up for the winter.”

JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 23

Henry Mosco and his son, Jacob

With a fair amount of storage area, Mosco uses forklifts to move seed and chemicals around as needed.

“We have a wash rack to clean up stuff as well,” he said.

A service truck is also part of the shop area to take the repair to the field when needed.

“We have some older equipment but when it comes to the tractors with the computers we have to depend on the implement companies and their technicians on that. We have older tractors that we pump water with and we handle our own maintenance on that.

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The technicians come in and tell us what’s wrong with it and sometimes we can take care of that. We do our own combine repairs, grain carts and things like that.”

His equipment runs red in his shed but he has a few pieces of other brand colors as well.

“We run about ninty-nine percent Case International,” he said. “We’ve got a couple of John Deere’s. But ninty-nine percent red equipment.”

Dr. Nathan Buehring, Mosco’s brother-in-law, is a rice specialist and general manager of Mosco Farms.

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Mosco Farms operates mostly Case International equipment.

Rice, corn and soybeans were the row crops of choice this year for Mosco and his help. But, the farm shop will soon see some new but familiar things for the upcoming growing season.

“We are probably looking at the same mix and are looking to add some cotton to that mix. I haven’t had any since the late 1980s. The yields have been high and it’s just another mix into what we’re doing but we don’t have a cotton picker and will have to look at getting it custom harvested.”

As the growing season has changed over the years, the shop cookouts have been limited, but Mosco has put together a few over the years.

26 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

“Every now and then we’ll have one but these days we are through before the first of November and it’s just an odd year with the late season to even be working.

We piddle around the shop for a month or two and really get going again in February.”

His farm crew consists of himself, his son Jacob, brother-in-law Nathan Buering and a few farm hands to carry out the work needed to be done each season.

“We use all local people and college and high school guys. It’s been easy because my son graduated from high school and is in the Ag program at Mississippi Delta Community College.

He always has friends who want to help

and that works out good for us,” Mosco said. “He’s thinking about a couple of years there and then going to Mississippi State.

He really, really likes it. He’s a great help on the farm and has been working there since he was old enough.”

Over the winter break, Mosco has plans to hunt locally and to take his son out west in January to hunt. And when he’s not farming or hunting he has plenty to do with his realty business in the area.

“It’s mostly hunting land and farm land. We have a couple of things going on. Prices are still good for farm land and the demand is out there. It’s definitely a seller’s market right now,” Mosco said.

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DMI Properties – Real Estate Broker – Danny Rice JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 27

FARM FAMILIES

SMITH FARMS Father-son operation near Moorhead

By CHARLOTTE BUCHANAN Photography by Roy Meeks

M

uch like the adage, finding a row crop farmer in the Mississippi Delta with a PhD from Auburn University is akin to finding the proverbial hen’s teeth.

However, Moorhead has one. Paul Smith, who farms near Moorhead with his son Jason, is a native of Kentucky. He received a Master’s from Murray State University in 1968 in Biology. He then went on to Auburn where he obtained his doctorate in the field of Aquaculture in 1973. Smith came to the Mississippi Delta in 1972 with the Greater Business

28 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

and Development Corporation and was a pioneer in the business of catfish farming. He was the founder of Trans Fisheries, Inc. Expertise in the fields of math and science must run in the family. The Smiths youngest son, Shade, was named the number one student in Mississippi’s Math and Science Competition his senior year at Indianola Academy. He will be attending the University of Mississippi this fall on a scholastic scholarship.

“When the catfish industry changed, I decided to go strictly into row crop

farming. My son and I farm close to 4000 acres around Moorhead. We have 2500 acres in soybeans and the rest in rice,” Smith said. He went on to say that the unusually rainy season during the past several weeks has been beneficial to him and other farmers in the area.

“Our crops look very good and we are expecting very good yields if the progress keeps up,” he commented. Smith said that the rainfall has been beneficial in other ways. “Almost all our acreage is irrigated, but we haven’t had to use it very much and that has saved on fuel

costs,” he said. Trans Fisheries employs eight people fulltime and up to fifteen more during peak planting and harvesting times. His farm office is located on South Sheffield Road.

When asked about how he goes about making plans for his farm each year, Smith had this to say. “farming is just like any other business, we look at the costs of planting and harvesting and then decide on the crops to plant, there are many factors to consider”.

Smith also said that although he came to the Delta where he spearheaded the move to raise catfish that his only connection to that industry is Delta Western. “I am one of the original investors in that corporation, and they are still busy manufacturing catfish feed and other products,” he said.

JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 29

FARM FAMILIES

30 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

PATRICK

SMITH Turning a Childhood Passion into a Profitable Business

By CHARLOTTE BUCHANAN Photography by Roy Meeks

P

atrick Smith loves his farming operation. “I grew up learning to farm as a boy with my mom and dad. I have land that came from them and I enjoy this life so much, I have been farming on my own for over fifteen years now,” said Smith.

Smith is known as a hard worker and will tackle any job in his farming operation without hesitation. “I farm a little over 5000 acres all in Washington County and don’t mind the work.

I am thankful for the tremendous advances in farm machinery.

These days they come with GPS, everything is computerized and it makes a farmer’s work a lot easier and more enjoyable,” he said.

Smith grew up in Washington County near Avon and now lives in Greenville where he has his farm headquarters. He is busy now planning his 2019 crop year. “I will again plant corn, soybeans and wheat. I don’t plant cotton and won’t unless the market changes drastically,” he said.

About 1200 acres of Smith Farms is irrigated. “With the Delta’s unpredictable weather, it is almost necessary to have irrigation,” Smith said. Although he does all of the day to day operations of his farm at peak times of planting and harvesting he relies on the help of his brothers and friends. He said that he also uses contractors at tmies.

Like most Deltans, Smith loves the outdoors even when he is not farming “I enjoy hunting and fishing and I have several

old cars that I like to tinker with. I can’t wait to get my little Volkswagen convertible ready for the road. There is nothing better than riding down a Delta road on a warm spring day with the top down,” he laughed and said.

Just as he grew up, Smith is teaching his four children about farming. “They already know a lot about my operation. Of course, like all dads I would like to see them grow up to be doctors and lawyers. Even if that should come true, they can still farm on the side. It’s a good life,” he said.

Like other Delta farmers, Smith is hoping the weather cooperates this next season We hope to get started planting in March, but there is plenty to do around the shop getting the equipment in top shape,” he said.

Smith said that as long as grain crops are bringing decent prices he will continue with the soybeans, corn and wheat.

“That’s another thing about farming, you must be aware of the business end of it. Gone are the days that you plant the seed and harvest, you have to have knowledge of the market. I do all of my own marketing,” he said.

Smith is a member of the Sunrise Church just south of Greenville and graduated from Riverside High School. He not only loves farming, he loves Washington County and takes pride in his farm ownership and is known for striving to continue to make it a profitable one.

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FARM FAMILIES

32 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

MILLER

KING

Blazing a Path as a Farmer and Consultant

By Charlotte Buchanan Photography by Roy Meeks

M

iller King is only twenty-eight years old but has already established himself in the farming business. “I have always been around farming and loved it. When I was in school at Washington School, I had summer jobs involving farming and I got my degree from Mississippi State in Agronomy,” King said.

In addition to starting his own farm, he is a crop consultant for Southern Ag out of Starkville.

“In 2017, I was able to start my own farming operation. We have about 600 acres in Sunflower County near Delta Western. My philosophy about being a small farmer is not so much about trying to gain more acreage but getting the very best out of the acreage you have. I raise soybeans and have gone into raising purple hull peas. This vegetable crop has proved successful so far. With our Delta climate, we can harvest and replant another crop. In fact, we are harvesting and replanting right now,” he said.

King said that after the harvesting of the peas, he will plant cover crops. “I have about fifty head of cattle in the hills and when the cover crop comes up, I will bring the cattle to the Delta,” he said. Miller believes that diversity is the key to success for small farmers. “I would like to have more animals, sheep and hogs,” he said.

King said that when he started thinking about raising peas as a side crop, he wondered about the marketing. “I was fortunate to have three other guys interested in marketing. We formed Rexburg

Produce and operate out of the old Leland Tire Building on Highway 82. We have been fortunate that the wholesale marketing has been going great, we have sold hundreds of bushels of purple hull peas already,” he said. King said that he doesn’t normally sell to individuals, but has a few times King said his love of the farming industry comes from his grandfather, Joe Miller. “He always loved the outdoors and growing things. I think I inherited that from him,” he said. King’s love for the outdoors is apparent because he is an avid hunter and fisherman when not working as a crop consultant or on his farm.

His wife, the former Mary Clyde Barrett works at Washington School in the alumni foundation department. They have one son and one daughter.

“The farm is about half irrigated. One of the best things about going into raising purple hull peas is the fact that when you harvest one crop, another can be planted right behind it. You can’t do that with cotton and other crops I firmly believe in diversity and getting the most of the acreage that you have,” he said.

King said that he is the only employee on his farm at this time.

“I haven’t had problems handling the work. The peas are harvested by mechanical pickers, packed in crates and taken to the Rexburg Produce where they are sold,” he said. The Kings live in Leland where he is a member of Delta Council, the Leland Lions Club and the Leland Investment Club.

JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 33

KIN GROWERS

OF ROLLING FORK Second Generation Strong

By MARK H. STOWERS

34 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

F

amily farms abound in the Delta with some dating back generations with more than a century of labor. In Rolling Fork, Kin Growers may one day reach that plateau but for now, the secondgeneration farm is rolling along. With roots planted in 1971 when Robert Rutherford, a Farm Service Agent, rented land off of Highway 61 in the Council Bend area, he proudly named it Kin Growers. Now nearly half a century later, his son Bill and wife Mindy are part of the property in that area that spans some 3,600 acres. The family expanded into cattle and fresh produce for Farmer’s Markets for a while but have gone back to focus on the foundation of their farm – row crops.

“We closed the dairy this past September and moved away from the farm to table part of the business to focus on our core farm of soybeans and corn,” Mindy Rutherford said.

Kin Growers lives up to its name by including the Rutherford’s kinfolk in the operations. The Rutherfords’ son and daughter-in-law live and work on the farm while the Rutherfords’ daughter, Jenny Murphy, who lives in Jackson, also helps out with book keeping. All seven of the Rutherfords’ grandchildren help out on the farm. Three times a year, in spring, fall, and winter, they have to put the cattle herd up and, then, in Kin Growers fashion, the entire family helps with the process.

JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 35

Mindy Rutherford understands the role that Kin Growers plays in helping people eat healthier and being more aware of the origins of their food.

“There is a movement towards eating healthier. Local foods are healthier in that you can skip out on the preservatives that come with shipping foods.” This standard of freshness also applies to the meats they sell. “Our meat is as naturally processed as possible,” Rutherford added.

Murphy noted that the dairy work and commitment along with the Farmer’s Markets took too much focus off of the 36 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

main row crops and spread the family too thin. They decided to do what was best for the family and cut back the dairy and garden produce and have more time together.

“The dairy was 24/7/365 and we had to milk cows on birthdays, holidays and it was great but needed too much of our time as a family,” Murphy said. “It was a great experience and if anything, it made us appreciate dairy farmers because it was so much more work than we could have ever imagined. It also helped us appreciate family time, play

time and all those things. It was quite an experience and we loved doing it. It was just too much. We still have our commercial beef herd but don’t sell to the public.”

All of this is part of the Rutherfords’ goal of helping their family stay in touch with the land. Just one look at the farm’s Facebook page gives everyone a glimpse of a family that loves what they do and loves each other. They are hoping that many future generations will have the same connection to the land that they love.

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PECANS:

A SOUTHERN DELICACY Big Business for Some Deltans

By GRETA SHARPE

38 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

P

ecans play a starring role in most Southern holiday tables. From roasted and salted pecans for snacks to pecan dressing to everyone’s favorite Karo Pecan Pie, the holidays just wouldn’t be complete without them.

They are often part of treasured memories and traditions. “My mother made wonderful pecan pies and I make them exactly the way she made them,” said Henry Earl Long, who grows pecans in West Bolivar County.

They make great gifts for a hostess or 1,000 clients. “During the holidays, when you celebrate or entertain, and it’s warm and cozy, it can be put out anywhere, a cocktail party or a family dinner,” said Cadey Heaton True of Heaton Pecans in Lyon. “They’re around our house all through the holidays.”

In Mississippi, pecans are big business. Indianola Pecan House buys a lot of pecans. “We buy in about six states,” said President Tim Timbs. “We buy local; we try to buy all we can locally. If it wasn’t for our Mississippi customers, we wouldn’t be here.”

When buying pecans, Timbs looks for quality: the size, color and weight of the meat. Once purchased, the nuts are cleaned, dried and packaged for retail, wholesale or industrial customers. “Most of the retail is ourselves,” explained Timbs. There are three stores, a mail

order business and a commercial candy kitchen.

New this year is the Jack Daniel’s Honey Pecan. “It’s a great product,” Timbs said. “It’s been very well received across the U.S.” Indianola Pecan House’s top three products are praline pecan, chocolate and roasted pecans. “We do everything in house,” he said.

Indianola Pecan House also custom-manufactures pecan, cashew and almond products for customers.

The action starts in July with the wholesale business, peaks in November and December, and runs through early March. “We’re not quite as busy (in January through March), but we’re relatively busy,” commented Timbs. “It slows down a good bit, but at the same time, we’re still going pretty good.” Open year-round, Indianola Pecan House has permanent retail sites in Indianola and Flowood, with a temporary store in Tupelo open in November and December.

It also services a number of retail accounts.

Standing the test of time, Indianola Pecan House is celebrating thirty-nine years of business. “We’re very humble as a family-owned business and we’ve got fantastic employees,” said Timbs. And while the company counts a number of celebrities among its customers, he said anyone can expect star treatment: “When you walk into one of our stores, you feel like you’re welcomed and we’ll help you in any way we can, a question or gift-wrap or shipping, in a quick fashion.”

JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 39

PECAN RECIPES Cream Cheese and Olive Pecan Bites Ingredients 3 ounces cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup finely chopped pimento-stuffed Spanish olives 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives 1/4 teaspoon pepper 80 large toasted pecan halves Directions: Stir together cream cheese, olives, chives and pepper. Spread onto 40 large toasted pecan halves; top with 40 large toasted pecan halves, forming sandwiches.

All of Heaton Pecans’ in-shell nuts are grown by the family in its pecan orchard, about a quarter-mile from their storefront.

True’s husband, Ford, handles the orchard where Desirable and Stuart pecans are grown, a job he’s taking over from her father, Cliff Heaton. “They are the premium pecans, heavy in meat, that everyone wants, with a great flavor,” said True, describing Desirable pecans.

The rainy weather forced Heaton Pecans to hire hand pickers in November to get the pecans off the wet ground, said True.

Ideally, a tree-shaker shakes Heaton Pecans’ trees twice a season so the pecans fall to the ground to be picked up by a harvester.

This year, True said, the Heaton Pecan crop is huge. “It really just goes in spurts,” she explained. “Last year was decent; this year, the trees are really heavy. They are just heavy with pecans.”

Business at Heaton Pecans runs from Oct. 24 to Dec. 26. Corporate orders are popular, said True, with the largest for 3,000 tins. Other orders range from 200 to 800 tins. “Our corporate business is growing every year and that’s kind of our main 40 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

Wheeler, Phylis Sherman, Mary Madeline and Tim TImbs.

Fettuccine with Zucchini and Pecans Ingredients 3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans 1 ( 12oz ) package fettuccine 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 pound small zucchini, shredded 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil Directions: Heat pecans in a small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, 6 to 8 minutes or until toasted and fragrant.

Prepare fettuccine according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, melt butter with olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat; add zucchini and garlic, and saute’ 3 to 4 minutes or until zucchini is tender.

Toss with hot cooked fettuccine, pecans, Asiago cheese, and basil. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and serve immediately.

goal,” she said. Last July, Sam’s Club began offering Heaton Pecans. “We’re available year-round to order on Sams.com,” True reported. “We’re just thankful to have this opportunity.”

Heaton Pecans’ storefront opened in 1975, and is staffed by True and her mother, Chris Heaton. The most popular items are chocolate-covered, praline, and roasted and salted pecans.

Long can trace his history with pecans back to his childhood. “I started fiddling with pecans when I was ten” Long said. His father paid Long to harvest the small family orchard, paying him $.10 a pound for what he could pick up by hand. He managed $6 to $10 a day.

A farmer for thirty-five years, pecans are now a sideline for Long. “I like doing this,” he said. “I may not make much money, and it’s just another form of gambling in a way, but I like doing it.”

Today, Long has 160 to 170 acres filled with 1,600 pecan trees. Most were planted in the early 1960s. While he grows different varieties, the two main types are Desirable and Stuart.

Ann Granville Heaton, Cadey Heaton True, Lucy Heaton and Cadey’s sons, Winford and Cade.

JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 41

PECAN RECIPES Pecan Crusted Pork with Pumpkin Butter Ingredients 1 ( 14 ounce) can pumpkin puree 3/4 cup apple juice 3/4 cup sugar 1 pinch ground cloves 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 cup pecans 3/4 cup bread crumbs 4 boneless pork chops 1/4 cup oil for frying

pecans are finely chopped. Pour into a shallow dish, and press pork chops into the mixture to coat.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add breaded pork chops and cook until golden brown on both sids and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Remove and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Serve the pork chops with a

Directions Whisk together the pumpkin puree, apple juice, sugar, cloves, ginger, and cinnamon in a saucepan until smooth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the mixture has reached the consistency of applesauce. About 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, pulse pecans and bread crumbs in a food processor until the

Long sells mainly to wholesalers.

Representatives come to his orchard and run a sample on his pecan crop, weighing a pound then counting the nuts in the pound to figure a price. “The less nuts in a pound, the more it’s worth,” he said. Less than fifty nuts to a pound is good, while sixty nuts to a pound often means the buyer will discount the price.

“I’ve got a crop that looks promising,” Long said before Thanksgiving. He picked up 10,000 to 12,000 pecans with his sweeper, dumped them in a trailer and ran them through a portable cleaner. Finally, he packed them in 2,000-lb. bags. Buyers haul them off, 30,000 pounds at a time.

Max Draughn is president of the Mississippi Pecan Growers Association and has several hundred acres of pecan trees in Raymond. The mission of the organization is disseminating information about the market as it relates to the rest of the country and the world, and to advance the growing of and access to pecans.

Additionally, the organization connects growers with appropriate extension 42 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

Pecan Pie Muffins Ingredients 1 cup packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup chopped pecans 2/3 cup butter, softened 2 eggs, beaten Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 18 mini muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.

In a medium bowl, stir together brown sugar, flour and pecans. In a separate bowl beat the butter and eggs together until smooth, stir into the dry ingredients just until combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Cups should be about 2/3 full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

“It’s not for the faint of heart.”

– Max Draughn

president of the Mississippi Pecan Growers Association

personnel at relevant universities, said Draughn, who cited Texas A&M and Georgia for significant pecan research.

The Mississippi Pecan Growers Association holds annual spring and fall field days for members. It is part of the Tri-State Pecan Growers Meeting that involves Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas, and the Southeastern Pecan Growers Association, where Draughn sits on the board of directors, which covers seven states.

Draughn likens pecans to any other agricultural commodity, struggling with the vagaries of weather and markets. “It’s not for the faint of heart,” Draughn cautioned.

“There’s a long time between planting and return on investment, with upkeep and cultivation to get to production.”

Prime production for a pecan tree are years fifteen to eighty, he said. On his farm, Pecan Hill Farms and Bass Pecan Company, there are one hunder acres planted in 1869 to 1873 that are still very productive.

Bourbon Pecan Pie Cocktail Ingredients 1 ounce Maker’s Mark Bourbon 1 1/2 Evangeline Pecan Praline liqueur 1/2 ounce vodka of your choice Pour all ingredients over ice and stir.

“I may not make much money, and it’s just another form of gambling in a way, but I like doing it.”

– Henry Earl Long Once planted, orchards require spraying of insecticide and fungicide multiple times, trimming of lower tree limbs and mowing the grass around the trees, said Long.

Fungicide allows the trees to have a good chance of producing a crop in the following year, but it must be applied to the foliage.

He has a sprayer with a fan that blows the spray upward into the trees.

Draughn said the fall’s wet weather hindered the harvest. “It actually stopped harvesting because it was so wet,” he

explained. “We don’t like the wet weather this long. Pecans on wet ground leads to a degradation of quality.”

In 2018, a hurricane decimated at least fifty percent of Georgia’s pecan orchards and heavy flooding in Texas led to a fifteen percent crop loss there, said Draughn.

Mississippi yielded a smaller crop due to a spring freeze and in the southern part of the state, too much rain in the growing season led to pollination problems and diseases.

Weather is just one factor affecting

the pecan market, said Draughn. High tariffs and dwindling interest from China are having a significant impact on the market. Prices are down thirty to thirtyfive percent from last year, said Draughn.

Lower-grade pecans can be chopped up for the food market and purchased, but at lower prices. “The quality is off across the whole spectrum, somewhat,” he said.

While the Mississippi Pecan Growers Association counts seventy-five members, Draughn estimates there are three times that many growers in the state. There are no large growers left in Mississippi as the industry peaked in the 1960s when it produced 40 million pounds of pecans.

Today, pecans are somewhat biennial, Draughn explained, with trees having “on” and “off” years. In an “off” year such as this, Mississippi produces four for 4.5 million pounds of pecans. Over the last few years, that number has been over eight million.

But all that really matters is if they are on your holiday table. Mississippi’s love affair with pecans continues, because, as Long shared: “Everybody likes pecans.”

JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 43

5% Rule INCREASES

Net Profit

By PATRICK R. SHEPARD

D

uring their winter planning, Delta and other Midsouth growers should consider using the 5% Rule. Several years ago SouthernAg Consulting, headquartered in Mississippi, took a step back and asked the really hard questions, reevaluating just about everything that these independent crop consultants do.

“Nothing is sacred, we questioned everything,” explains Mitt Wardlaw, a partner of the consultant business. “Oftentimes during the first two or three years our group works with a grower we can generally recognize and grab some low hanging fruit, making quick, practical, methodical changes which can quickly impact production and profits. But in subsequent years, we sometimes see yields start to plateau again, requiring deeper evaluation.

We are determined to continue to break those glass ceilings for yield and net profit. But what’s it going to take to break that glass ceiling? The best way to get started is by making targeted changes and fine tuning ALL management decisions necessary to jump-start progressive increases again.”

Wardlaw refers to the result of this intensive re-evaluation the 5% Rule.

That is, by staying focused on adjusting crop inputs and management practices, and or timing of management inputs, growers have the potential to increase yield, and/or reduce cost and/or increase selling price, all of which can increase net profit.

44 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

Mitt Wardlow

“The 5% Rule is often used in the business world, so why can’t we apply it to row crop agriculture, too?” he says. “If we can add incremental advances in a few key areas, what kind of impact would it make in net profit?

“We use the 5% Rule to illustrate the impacts of small changes in the right direction can have on the bottom line. That is, what kind of impact on profitability can be had by increasing yield by 5%, increasing selling price by 5% and maybe reducing cost by 5%? All of these have accumulative effects.

It’s pretty eye opening when you start doing the math on all that. That is the time we start

reevaluating what we are currently doing and what changes are necessary to accomplish those results.”

SouthernAg Consulting, which services growers in the Mississippi Delta and surrounding states in the Midsouth, tailors the 5% Rule to each grower’s operation, taking into account the farm’s cropping rotations, management practices, soil and water resources, and the grower’s goals.

“Sometimes we can accomplish our goals by adjusting and fine-tuning production practices and crop production inputs use and timing,” Wardlaw adds. “For example, one area where we might be able to increase

profitability is in our soil testing and soil fertility program. Other than seed, fertility in many cases can potentially be the biggest line item in a budget.

“Unfortunately, oftentimes our industry doesn’t have a good understanding and grasp of whether fertilizer applications are making money or not. We can spend $60, $80 or even $100 per acre on our mixed fertilizer and/or lime program, and growers are often not sure if it’s giving them a return.

We choose to look at these inputs and management decisions with a different slant.”

A much better approach is to look at soil testing/soil fertility inputs as an investment.

In any other industry, before a capital investment is made a lot of in-depth, specific research is performed. “In the business world, any time you make an investment, you want and expect the best possible return,” Wardlaw says.

“In row crop production, we must start looking at well-planned and directed inputs as an investment—not a cost.”

SouthernAg Consulting is starting to utilize analytics from the large amounts of on-farm data that they have and will collect to help them make better management decisions on their fertilizer and lime recommendations. “We don’t just rely on

JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 45

conventional soil fertility recommendations that attempt to predict responses to fertilizer based on soil test levels,” Wardlaw says. “Since each field has its own unique limiting factors, we cannot treat them all the same. For example, we have seen cases in which two identical fertilizer applications perform differently on fields with similar characteristics and soil test levels.

“We look at the field’s performance and profitability from a critical nutrient level standpoint to determine and maintain the most profitable soil test levels to maintain maximize profits. This way of thinking allows us to understand the uniqueness of each field and identify the limiting factors that could be affecting in regard to soil fertility. We are finding that our experience is allowing us to make significant adjustments in application timing and not just adjust material selection and application rates.”

Wardlaw says his consultant business challenges the conventional idea of the standard fertility recommendation fits every situation, every field. “We are focused on maintaining our soil fertility at the level that maximizes profits and only apply fertilizer at rates that maintain the nutrient level at that precise place,” he explains.

“Sometimes this may involve adjusting rates or adjusting rates and application timing.”

Another area that this consultant business is upgrading is variety/ hybrid selection. “We are now using cutting-edge analytics to improve the variety selection and placement decision,” Wardlaw says. “We are in a unique position in that we get to evaluate a lot of hybrid/varieties in a lot of different situations across a lot of acres, environments, management and soils. Hybrid/varieties have unique characteristics that allow them to perform best under particular environments, including soil types, fertility levels, drainage, irrigation and dry land management. We want to better understand where these varieties/hybrids have the best fit for the biggest return on that particular grower’s investment.”

46 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 47

Before Cotton was King—

TIMBER RULED

By 1930, over 17 million acres of timberland had been cut in the lower Mississippi River floodplain.

By HANK BURDEN

T

he Mississippi Delta, as we know it, is the alluvial floodplain of the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers—bounded on the north by the Chickasaw Bluffs below Memphis, the east by the Loess Hills and Yazoo River, and the west by the Mississippi River.

For eons, annual floodwaters inundated the flat land with excess rainwater coming out of the hills from the Tallahatchie, Coldwater, Yocona, and Yalobusha Rivers and from the Mississippi, which drains 41 percent of the continental United States and parts of two provinces in Canada. This flood plain was an impenetrable virgin hardwood bottomland forest covered with towering oak, cypress, cottonwood, elm, pecan, sycamore, sweet, red, and tupelo 48 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

gums, and hackberry trees, among others.

Indians lived and thrived along the high riparian riverbanks of the waterways growing maize (corn) and gathering nuts and berries and wild game from the forest and fish, turtles, and mussels from its many lakes and streams.

Because of its impenetrability and the annual flooding, not to mention yellow fever, malaria, oppressive heat, mosquitoes, bears, panthers, poisonous snakes, alligators, and other hardships of the region, the Mississippi Delta was one of the last frontiers in the nation to be settled. Following the Civil War, only a few areas had been cleared for cultivation along the Mississippi River and some interior streams. Ninety percent of the hardwood bottomlands in the Delta were yet to be cleared. In order to raise a crop, the timber had to first be cut and used for building purposes or burned. Some

of the timber was marketed downriver by building log rafts and floating the logs to a mill far away. There was no transportation system in the Delta as roads were too hard to build in the yet to be drained and leveed swamp, and railroads had at this time no reason to nudge into the deep woods. Yet several things happened that would forever change the face and character of our Delta homeland.

The invention of the cotton gin enabled the widespread production of short staple cotton and thus made the fertile ridges of the Delta a prime location for planting cotton.

Sharecropping and tenant farming made the clearing and cultivation of this land very profitable. The two-handled crosscut saw replaced the ax in felling the huge trees.

Railroad companies saw the opportunity to buy great tracts of land and right-of-way from the state for their railroads and to re-sell surplus lands to timber investors and farmers wanting to move into the Delta and clear that land to farm. (At that time, cotton, timber, and other products could be hauled out on the new railroads.) And by the mid 1880s, timber reserves in the North and Northeast had become depleted by extensive logging. The major lumber companies of the North, not realizing the generous reproductive capacity of natural forests and following a policy of “cut out and get out,” turned their forces to the great softwood forests of the Pacific Northwest, the southern pine and cypress stands of the lower South, and to the hardwood bottomlands of the Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi Deltas. The nation was on a march and growing rapidly with its need for wood products a major part of the growth.

In Origins of the New South, C. Vann Woodward states, “As for the investment of Northern capital, the South is glad to have it come. We welcome the skilled lumberman with the noisy mill.” High ground, with its well-drained and profusely fertile soils was sold to farmers by the timber companies, and the lower, often waterlogged heavier ground not suitable for farming before the extensive protective levee system was in place, was often turned back over to the state for non-payment of taxes after the timber was cut.

Lumber for houses, veneers, boxes, containers, and furniture was in great demand. The integrated railroad system began to allow the transportation of these products to markets all over America and the world.

Top: Caterpiller tractor hauling logs from deep in the Delta woods to a railroad dummy line to be taken to a mill.

Center: B.C. Tully, president of Anderson-Tully Lumber Company during its major growth years of the ’40’s and 50’s. He ate an apple everyday in his office.

Bottom: Scaling a log at the Anderson-Tully mill in Memphis.

JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 49

It was during this time that the South became the nation’s most productive lumber manufacturing region. The timber industry was the South’s leading industry regarding employees, payroll, revenue, and the geographical spread attributed to its sprawling forests. From 1904 to 1915, Mississippi was ranked third in timber producing states behind Washington and Louisiana.

Because of transportation avenues on the Mississippi River and interconnecting railroads, growing commercial opportunities and banking facilities and proximity to fertile bottomlands with twenty-one varieties of hardwoods from Arkansas, Missouri, and the Mississippi Delta, Memphis became a substantial center for shipment of logs and outsourcing of finished lumber products.

Memphis soon became known not only as the “largest spot cotton market in the world” but also proclaimed itself as the “hardwood capital of the world.”

Originally logs cut for market had to be transported to a navigable stream by either skidding behind mules or using an ancient caralog, a heavy two-wheeled wagon pulled by oxen. In 1905, the Lindsey brothers from Laurel invented the Lindsey Eight Wheel Log Wagon to replace the caralog. Soon skidders, huge winches attached to long cables, skidded the logs to a rail head where steam log loaders loaded the heavy logs on railcars pulled by small steam locomotives on dummy lines that ended at primitive

50 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

steam driven “peckerwood” or “ground hog” sawmills erected deep in the woods. These lines connected to other larger railroad lines able to market the processed lumber. As the tracts of land were cleared of marketable lumber, the dummy lines were simply removed and replaced in other areas that had not yet been cut. Because of the growth of the railroads, the number of sawmills in Mississippi grew from 295 in 1880 with a total investment of almost a million dollars to 608 mills in 1899 producing more than a billion board feet of lumber annually. (A board foot is one foot long, one foot wide, and one inch thick.) By 1910, Mississippi’s timber industry represented a thirty-nine million dollar capital investment producing over forty-three million in annual revenues.

In 1889, a group of Lake States lumbermen from Benton Harbor, Michigan, decided to move their operations to Memphis and establish headquarters and a mill. The Anderson-Tully Company was formed and with its forward thinking ideas became a dominant force in the timber industry of the region. Anderson-Tully began buying timber land adjacent to the Mississippi River enabling the company to transport its logs to its own mills on the riverbank in Memphis adjacent to the railroad. The ever-growing need for shipping crates, barrels, kegs, boxes, furniture, flooring, veneers, plywood, and lumber allowed the Anderson-Tully Company to grow vertically and horizontally.

Anderson-Tully began diversifying and

re-investing its profits into more companyowned land, ensuring an economical source of good quality raw material. By utilizing an appreciating company owned investment, and by adhering to responsible forest management of the sustained growth aspect of regenerating forestland, Anderson-Tully was able to withstand many up and down cycles in the timber industry and evolve as a dominant force in the region. With several mills and diversified timber-related factories in Memphis, including its own river flotilla, the Patton-Tully Transportation Company formed in 1906; the company was well set to push forward into the twentieth century.

In 1881, a German immigrant named Herman Paepcke formed a company in Chicago and started a small lumber business and planing mill. As his business grew, he bought out his partners and formed the Chicago Packing Box Company, American Box Company, and later the Chicago Mill and Lumber Company. In 1893 Paepcke formed the Paepcke-Leicht Lumber Company and bought a sawmill in Greenville and twenty-five thousand acres of land on the Mississippi River. By 1909, the company owned over 125,000 acres of timberland in the Delta. Chicago had emerged as America’s mail order capital with Montgomery Ward, Marshall Fields, Sears, Roebuck and Co., and Spiegel, among others, needing thousands of boxes and crates to ship products and merchandise into and out of Chicago.

The green chain end of Anderson-Tully Mill B in Memphis alongside the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad and adjacent to Highway 61 where logs came in around 1910. This mill ran ten hours a day, six days a week.

JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 51

Timber being prepared to be loaded on barges for transport down the Mississippi River.

The marketing of the mail order catalog became a gold mine for Paepcke with much of the lumber for the boxes coming from his own timberland and mills in the Delta.

By 1980, the Chicago Mill and Lumber Company operated three sawmills and two box factories in the Delta and owned over two hundred thousand acres of timberland in Mississippi and Louisiana.

In the interior of the Delta, many smaller mills were bought up by larger operations, and some families emerged as major players in the timber industry. Relocating to Yazoo City from Kentucky around 1900, four brothers of the Gooch family built a mill and began acquiring timberland. Specializing in hardwoods and cypress, the company produced lumber for housing, flooring, and the wooden container industry. The Gooch Brothers Lumber Company owned fifteen sawmills and over one hundred thousand acres of land by 1930.

The great demand for lumber to be used in barrel staves, boxes, crates, fruit, vegetable, and egg containers, kegs, tubs, pails, buckets, and baskets continued until around 1920 when the process for utilizing wood pulp for making strong and versatile corrugated boxes was perfected. Much hardwood was used in early automobile parts and frames until steel mills replaced wood. (One by-product of the excess hardwood used in the automobile 52 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

industry was a technique developed and marketed as Kingsford Charcoal.) Houses were being built all over America, and hardwood flooring was in great demand.

By the mid-’20s Memphis was called home to forty mills and numerous wood product plants. However, following the boom years of the ’40s and ’50s, with plastics, carpets, and other substitutions for wood products taking precedence, Memphis claimed only one mill by the early 1980s, yet it still had over one hundred and fifty hardwoodusing companies utilizing some sixteen thousand workers. During 1955, 1.2 billion feet of hardwood flooring was sold out of Memphis, yet only ninety-six million feet was sold in 1975. The city had become a marketing instead of a manufacturing mecca for hardwoods.

Anderson-Tully, in its ever-attentive desire to change with cycles and utilize modern technology and scientific regenerative timber management approaches, closed its Memphis operations and moved to Vicksburg in 1955.

There it continues today in the hardwood business, supplying quality hardwoods worldwide from its almost three hundred thousand acres of timberland. AndersonTully has sawed more than 3.3 billion board feet of hardwood lumber since 1900. Today the Vicksburg operations ship carloads of mixed species of high-grade lumber to

lumberyards in the United States and all over the world. Furniture manufacturers using Anderson-Tully lumber include Broyhill, Drexel Heritage, and Henredon Furniture, among others.

The Gooch Lumber Company legacy continues today with third-generation John Gooch Jr., along with Tully family member Kenny Hall, operating Cypress Depot in Ridgeland with a modern band sawmill supplying quality Delta cypress and hardwood products to homes all over the South.

And so the timber boom came in the 1890s and was gone by the 1930s, yet in its path was opened very possibly the most fertile farmland in the world. Over seventeen million acres of timberland had been cut in the lower Mississippi River floodplain with most of those acres going into very productive farmland. Many thousands of acres of the lesser productive and marginal land has been enrolled in WRP/CRP programs developed by Uncle Sam to put these lands back into hardwood trees and wildlife habitat. Will we ever again see the towering, massive forests that our Native American brothers and sisters lived in and depended on? It’s doubtful, but we should visit and appreciate our state and national forests and plant an indigenous tree every chance we get.

JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 53

54 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

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To find your local RiceTec representative, call 877.580.7423 • RiceTec.com

JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 55 These statements are not a guarantee of performance, nor do they constitute a warranty of fitness for a particular use.

Women of the Mississippi Agricultural Aviation Association Educating the Masses about Ag Aviation

S

By MARK H. STOWERS

he was told by her mother not to marry a farmer, – much less an ag pilot. But Vicki Lawson did both as her husband Grover Lawson III was an ag pilot for years while farming, but now keeps his flying feet firmly on the ground of his Sardis area farm. He owns North Delta Gin Company and North Delta Ag Aviation and recently bought a gin in Marks and has been refurbishing it. These days Vicki Lawson serves as the President of the Women of the Mississippi Agricultural Aviation Association (WMAAA). She and the rest of the members seek to educate the general public about ag aviation throughout the year.

“We try to support them (ag pilots) in a fundraising venue. We try to make people aware of what the ag aviation industry is about,” Lawson said. “Some people see the planes and have a bad taste in their mouth about what they think are bad chemicals. But none of the chemicals they are putting out now are bad compared to what it used to be.”

The organization raises money at their annual convention in Biloxi each January and those funds go toward billboards and other educational materials.

“We have t-shirts, stickers, car tags and all kinds of items that we sell,” she said. “We have a silent auction and all the money goes back into educating the public through billboards and ads in the Delta Business Journal. We try to help the public know that we are here to help you.”

56 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

“We try to support them (ag pilots) in a fundraising venue.

We try to make people aware of what the ag aviation industry is about.”

-Vicki Lawson

WMAAA members: Vicki Lawson, Dell Lowry, Lise Foy, Regina Russell, Karen Brunetti, seated - Heather Brignac.

JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 57

WMAAA members: Kala Graham, Lise Foy, Vicki Lawson, Christina Carson.

These days the high-tech aviation vocation has plenty of flight planning, computer work and much more. The average cost of the planes most pilots fly range several hundred thousand dollars.

“The updated planes have computer programs that show you how the wind is blowing so they can spray more accurately.

It’s a lot more automated like a lot of farming these days,” she said. “We have a lot better avenue to go back and look at exactly where each chemical was sprayed. The pilots have to be conscious of everything around them.”

The women support and educate and have meetings throughout the year. The WMAAA had its fall meeting last October in Greenwood. The women discussed the new Athena Program, an interactive program designed for those in a support role in the agriculture aviation industry including loaders, clerical, spouses, etc. It addresses risk management concerns of everyday life in the industry. There is also a scholarship program sponsored by the WMAAA and the MAAA. “You don’t have to be going into the ag field to earn this scholarship. We are 58 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

Mary Alice Holloway, Vicki Lawson, Lise Foy.

trying to change some of the requirements for the scholarship from the national level on down,” she said. “You can be any age and can be going to vo-tech or any college.

The topic of the essay is usually about ag aviation but we are trying to broaden that.”

The WMAAA currently has between

seventy-five to a hundred members with more attending the annual convention. To learn more about the organization, check out their website, www.msaaa.com. The annual convention will be held in Biloxi at the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino from January 17 through January 19.

JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 59

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60 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

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THE DELTA AG EXPO A Delta Farming Tradition Going Strong

By ERIN WILLIAMS

I

f one could go back in time to the 1970s and walk the grounds of a Delta farm, the differences in management, technology, and day-to-day practices from those of modern farms today - now some 50 plus years later - would be astounding.

To those in the farming industry, change is undeniable. It is expected. Advancements in weed control, the constant ebb and flow of commodity markets, the mechanization of operations, and the ever-changing demands of consumers who are now further removed from the farm than ever before, can leave farmers overwhelmed at the stresses to stay ahead or even keep up.

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In 1974, a group of three men met with the goal of meeting this need and allowing farmers the chance to get ahead of the next growing season. They were: James Smith, owner of Delta Rice Services, who was at the time a Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension rice specialist; George Mullendore, a retired MSU Extension cotton specialist; and Leroy Thomas, a retired Bolivar County Extension agent.

Smith, Mullendore, and Thomas dreamed of an event that would allow farmers the opportunity to receive information on changing technologies and advancements, collaborate with other farmers, and attend educational programs that would help them to prepare

for the upcoming farming season all under one roof. Consequently, the Delta Ag Expo was established.

As news of the first event spread, it was welcomed by many Delta farmers and garnered support from various interested sponsors. The first year alone, the Delta Ag Expo attracted more than one hundred commercial and educational exhibitors and was widely attended by hundreds of visitors from all over the South.

With its 46th event just a few weeks away, the Delta Ag Expo has since become a farming tradition. Today, the event is stronger than ever. Craig Hankins, an Ag Agent for the Bolivar County Extension Service and Delta Ag Expo Chairman, has overseen the event since 2013.

“I came on board as an extension agent in Bolivar County in 2013, just as we were preparing for the 40th anniversary of the Delta Ag Expo,” said Hankins. “Luckily, we had several agents who had been in charge of the show since the 80’s really show me the ins and outs in preparing and planning for a trade show of this magnitude.”

While the upcoming 46th annual Delta Ag Expo will be held on January 16-17 at the event’s original location, the Bolivar County Exposition Center in Cleveland, Mississippi, preparation and planning has been underway for many months.

“The Delta Ag Expo Board of Directors is composed of agriculture agents and extension specialists from all nineteen Delta counties, row crop specialists, and industry personnel,” said Hankins. “Every year following the show, the entire Board will meet and discuss what happened that year, including things we want to improve upon. Then, we will start preparing for the next year’s show. It is a year-round process, really.”

In true Delta Ag Expo fashion, having received a reputation for the quality of its educational seminars and exhibitors, this year’s event will provide attendees with a first look at new chemicals, equipment, technologies, and notable crop varieties from industry professionals. It will also feature educational seminars on traditional crops grown in Mississippi, continuing education certification opportunities, and the chance for producers to talk with MSU extension specialists and researchers all under one roof.

“The tradeshow and exhibitors are a big part of what makes the Delta Ag Expo successful. As the Delta Ag Expo has grown throughout the years, we have really gotten JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 65

Hal Fleming and David Lester.

some great exhibitors from all over the nation,” said Hankins. “We have had twelve to fifteen companies that have exhibited at the Delta Ag Expo all 46 years, and we have had some exhibitors from as far as Texas. Each year our exhibitors grow and that is exciting for producers to have access to all of that in one location.”

Some of the prominent returning exhibitors producers and attendees can expect to see this year are Sanders, Mississippi Crop Improvement Association, Monsanto, Helena, and Planters Equipment Co., among many others.

While the Delta Ag Expo has always been popular among agriculture producers, one thing that sets it apart from other trade shows is the family-friendly atmosphere. As someone who’s attended the event before, it’s not uncommon at all to see kids happily join their parents and grandparents who are visiting exhibitor booths.

“The kids seem to enjoy walking around and seeing a lot of the equipment we have on display; there is always something for 66 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

them to look at,” said Hankins. “We have several booths – the master gardeners, for example- that seem to interest producers and their spouses or kids. It is really a good time.”

Although the tradeshow is truly something to see at the Delta Ag Expo, the focus on education is at the heart of the event.

“Extension in general is an educational body. We want to always provide programs that help to educate producers, and each year we work hard to improve what we did the year before,” said Hankins. “Over the two days of the event, we have seven educational seminars total take place and it helps get producers educated on up-todate industry components. We also have the opportunity for many people to obtain their consulting licenses or commercial applicator licenses through the Bureau of Plant Industry at the expo as well.”

A new aspect of this year’s show that highlights the focus on education is a weed identification contest where attendees will

attempt to correctly identify various weeds on display. Prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third places.

“The Delta Ag Expo has really become an event that has snowballed throughout the years. Each year we want to do better than the year before, whether that is through updating our website, recruiting new exhibitors, creating new educational components, etc..,” said Hankins. “This event is important to the community here and they have proved that year after year. The founders of the Delta Ag Expo were truly ahead of their time in creating something like this. I am honored to work alongside a team of people who not only want to continue it, but to improve it in the years to come.”

The Delta Ag Expo is free to the public and opens daily at 8:30 a.m., with seminars beginning at 9:00 a.m. For more information, visit their website at deltaagexpo.com, or contact Craig Hankins by phone at 662-588-4742 or by email at c.hanks@msstate.edu.

JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 67

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HISTORY

BICENTENNIAL PLANTATION Deep Dirt, Deep Roots, Deep Delta Legacies

By Hank Burden • Photography by Karen Pulfer Focht

A

bout the time of the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek in 1830, the Treaty of Pontotoc, 1832, and after the Indian Removal Act of 1828, removing the Five Civilized Tribes of Native Americans, the Choctaws, Chickasaws, Cherokees, Seminoles, and Creeks, to the west, the Mississippi Delta, as we know it, was being defined. Land then could be bought from the state or from Native Americans that had acquired title to their ancestral lands through terms and conditions of the respective treaties. The young country was on the move. There were dense bottomland hardwood forests to be cleared and cotton to be planted and civilization to be brought to the deep and fecund swamplands of the South. However, for thousands of years, it had been inhabited by indigenous native people; yet, it was soon to be known as our Mississippi Delta.

It is believed, according to Spanish records, that in May of 1541, Hernando Desoto first viewed the Mississippi River from atop an Indian mound south of Memphis. This mound is located due east of what was to become a major shipping point on the Mississippi River at a bend known as Commerce Landing. By 1841, Commerce Landing was the county seat of Tunica County, had a population of five thousand people, and was known to rival neighboring Memphis as a trading center. Vicksburg and Natchez shared top billings with Commerce Landing as river towns with the highest tonnage of shipped cotton. But Memphis, Vicksburg, and Natchez sat atop bluffs, and Commerce was nestled on the flat high bank of the great Mississippi River.

According to a decades-old article in Delta Review, a steam powered packet boat named Desoto operated a busy schedule up and down the river with Commerce as its home port. However, by 1844 the river began eating away at its banks, and in Commerce, building after building fell into the swift current. The Western Bank of Commerce, which printed its own bills regionally known as “solid money,” soon closed their doors. By 1848 the county seat was moved fifteen miles south to Austin, but that location was also threatened by the ever-changing river. Finally, the town of Tunica became the county seat and remains as such today.

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Follow Hank Burden and photographer Karen Pulfer Focht as they trace the paths of plantation history up and over Indian Mounds in Tunica County and through fascinating farmland in Coahoma County. Treasures abound in the Delta.

In 1832, identical twin brothers Richard and Anthony Abbay came from Nashville and bought land from the state and also from Chickasaw Indians that had received lands according to the treaty of Pontotoc, paying fifty cents an acre for the Indian lands. A sizable place was put together by the brothers, and homes were built that later would also fall into the river.

The Abbay brothers married the Compton sisters, and when Anthony’s wife became disillusioned with the harsh, almost frontier Delta life and begged to return to the hills of Nashville, Anthony abided in her wishes and sold his land to his brother and moved away.

Richard Abbay had three sons and one daughter. One son died as a youth and another moved away. When Richard’s wife Mary died in childbirth with his one daughter, he bade his remaining son Richard Felix to never marry, and he 72 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

remained a bachelor his entire life. After the Civil War, Richard’s daughter, Mary Susan, met and married Dr. George Washington Leatherman from Woodville. Upon Dr. Leatherman’s untimely and early death, Mary Susan soon moved home to the plantation with her son, Samuel Richard Leatherman. When Richard Abbay died, his son Richard Felix entered into a partnership with his nephew S.R. Leatherman in 1893.

The place came to be known, and is today, as the Abbay and Leatherman Plantation.

Additional acreage was added whenever the occasion arose until a sizable place had been put together. Never one to sell any land, Richard Abbay had the foresight to sell his cotton for gold instead of Confederate money when war broke out and buried it all in a rather large teapot on the place. After the war, and retrieving his loaded teapot, he was able to keep the farm together and even add more holdings.

When one of his granddaughters died after receiving an early inheritance, Richard was forced to buy the family land back from her widower at an exorbitant price.

Showing his dislike for his grandson-inlaw, Richard Abbay left in his will for this particular man, “one dollar and my undying hatred.”

When S.R. Leatherman II decided to build a house, he chose a location adjoining the Indian mound from which Desoto first saw the mighty Mississippi River. He built a rambling Tudor-style home on a mound of dirt brought in next to the original Indian mound. According to a poignant memoir

by Carroll Seabrook Leatherman, Goodbye, Ole Miss, her great-grandmother-in-law, “an eccentric old lady who always dressed in black when not in bed with a migraine, refused to let her grandson build anything on the Indian mound, believing that the spirits of the Indian dead resided there.”

Currently the “Desoto” Mound is resplendent with huge oak and pecan trees and well-kept gardens adorning its sides.

The Abbay and Leatherman Plantation is still in the hands of the family with additional lands having been added throughout the years. Against the original Richard Abbay’s intent of never selling any land, but surely with a consequential wink of a good business deal, a small parcel of the original plantation was sold. A part of the Chickasaw lands, close to the river and deeded by the mark of an X, sits underneath the elaborate Sam’s Town Casino.

Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, Seeds of Stovall Farms Some remember a historical marker sign that used to stand at the intersection of Highways 61 and 450 south of Shaw and close by the small town of Choctaw. It marked the southern boundary of the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek of 1830 that

deeded away lands held by the Choctaw Indian Tribe. One farm that goes back to that treaty is Stovall Farms, northwest of Clarksdale along the Mississippi River.

William Oldham came to the Mississippi Delta from South Carolina to cut timber about 1830. According to Stovall family papers, he acquired several tracts of land for $1.25 an acre and began clearing the timber and farming cotton. He married Nancy Carver; however, she decided to move back to South Carolina, freeing her servants and giving each of them forty acres of land and building them a church. Some took her surname, and certain tracts of Carver land remain on the county tax rolls today.

In 1866, their granddaughter married Confederate Colonel William Howard Stovall II, a Memphis lawyer who had served as adjutant to the 154th Tennessee Regiment, and they moved to Coahoma County to run the plantation.

The Stovall family has long served their country beginning with William Howard Stovall Sr. serving in the War of 1812. W.H. Stovall III graduated from Yale in 1918 and went on to serve as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corps, 13th Air Squadron during WWI. He is credited with six aerial victories and received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Victory Medal, the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Bronze Star, the Order of the British Empire, European Theatre of Operations Ribbon with five battle stars, the French Legion d’Honneur, and the Croix de Guerre. As a decorated fighter pilot, Howard Stovall returned home to the Delta and became a well-respected plantation manager and businessman. He returned to active duty as a major after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, soon to become a colonel serving as deputy chief of staff for the U.S. Strategic Air Force during WWII in England with several of his prior WWI comrades.

Verdant gardens adorn ancient Indian Mounds on the Abbay/Leatherman Plantation.

JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 73

Solid built cypress barns stand the test of time on Stovall Farms.

He retired as a brigadier general. His son William Howard Stovall IV followed in his daddy’s footsteps but was killed in action after downing two enemy aircraft while engaging seven over Bergsteinfurt, Germany. He is buried in Margraten, Holland.

While not defending our country, Howard Stovall III was at home on the farm.

His land stewardship and pre-imminence 74 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

in conservation practices garnered him much recognition including the Delta Council Achievement Award for 1967-68.

He served as president of Cotton Council International and was awarded the Fiftieth Anniversary Medal for Contributions to American Agriculture by the Federal Land Bank Association. He was the inspiration for the character Colonel Harvey Stovall in the book and movie Twelve O’Clock High

starring Gregory Peck.

Cotton, corn, and soybeans have not been the only thing raised on Stovall Farms; the blues have been known to raise a ruckus on weekends also. McKinley Morganfield, better known as Muddy Waters, spent most of his first thirty years living in a handhewn cypress log cabin and working on the farm. It was here in 1941 that Alan Lomax came south to the Delta and recorded

English family crests, resplendent old homes, real solid money and ancient wrought iron reveal a window unto a world of bygone days.

field workers for the Library of Congress.

Soon after being recorded, Muddy moved to Chicago and established himself as the King of Chicago Blues. The log cabin has been moved and now sits in the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale. Muddy’s induction into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1981 and the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, share a stone monument along with a Mississippi Blues Trail marker on the site of his home at the edge of a pecan orchard and cotton field. Carrying on Muddy’s tradition, William Howard Stovall V resides in Memphis where he has been deeply involved in blues revitalization and awareness as past head of the Blues Foundation and currently a partner in the Resource Entertainment Group.

Today, Stovall Farms continues under family ownership and management with Gil Stovall overseeing all operations of Stovall Farms. The almost two-hundredyear-old plantation stands out as a prime example of good stewardship and land supervision. Stovall Farms has hosted numerous distinguished field trips including conservation and innovative technological farm practice tours. Farm Bureau and conservation districts have cited Stovall Farms as a model for pioneering state-of-the art farm practices. Utilizing precision land leveling and conservative irrigation practices, modern drainage techniques have been implemented with on-farm tailwater recovery and irrigation water storage

methods using filter strips and cover crops. Stovall Farms is indeed a model plantation and quite a beautiful place to behold. The Lonesome Dove Sporting Club hosts an annual dove hunt on wellappointed fields such as the Dancing Rabbit Creek Field adjacent to Stovall family relative’s original homestead “Seven Chimneys Farm,” circa 1840.

History, heritage, culture, and dirt run deep in the Delta. The rich land and founding families intertwine like the fastreaching and far-roaming muscadine vines that ran rampant through the verdant swamps and ridges of our flat land. What an interesting time it is that we live in to be able to realize this history and legacy and to conserve it for future generations.

JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 75

SOUPS

RECIPES

BLACK BEAN SOUP WITH QUESADILLAS

2 cans black beans, rinsed & drained 1 onion, chopped 1 red bell pepper, chopped 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth 4 garlic cloves 2 teaspoons cumin 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper

sour cream, diced red pepper and avocado slices for garnish Place the beans, onion, bell pepper, broth, garlic and cumin into the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper. Set to cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Puree the soup until smooth. Top with sour cream and diced red pepper. Serve with quesadillas.

RUSTIC TOMATO SOUP 2 large yellow onions, finely chopped 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper 1 jar roasted red peppers, rough chopped or pulsed in food processor 5 cloves garlic, minced (about ⅓ cup) 4 28 ounce cans whole tomatoes, drained, pulsed in food processor to desired consistency 6 cups chicken stock 2 teaspoons dried thyme 2 large sprigs fresh basil, finely chopped Sour cream and basil pesto for garnish Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the onions and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened, about 3 minutes. Add the sliced garlic and continue to cook, stirring, for 3 minutes longer. Transfer the sautéed vegetables to a 6-quart slow cooker and add the tomatoes, chicken stock, thyme, basil sprigs, remaining 1 tablespoon salt and black pepper.

Cook on medium-high for 6 hours, stirring occasionally.

When ready to serve, taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and pesto.

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S

Nothing is better on a cold winter’s day than a big bowl of hearty soup, except possibly coming home in the evening and knowing it’s hot and ready to eat. If you have a couple of cans of beans and tomatoes you’re halfway there.

Ingredients 1/2 pound bacon strips, chopped 1/4 cup chopped onion 1-1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (about 5 medium), peeled and cubed 1 can (14-3/4 ounces) cream-style corn 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper Directions

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Discard drippings, reserving 1-1/2 teaspoons in pan. Add onion to drippings; cook and stir over mediumhigh heat until tender.Meanwhile, place potatoes in a large saucepan; add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cook, uncovered, 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain, reserving 1 cup potato water.Add corn, milk, salt, pepper and reserved potato water to saucepan; heat through. Stir in bacon and onion.

SLOW COOKER BEEF AND SWEET POTATO SOUP Yield: 10 to 12 servings Cook Time:6 hours Calories per serving: 291 INGREDIENTS: 1/2 lb. bacon 3 lbs. beef stew meat (or boneless chuck roast, trimmed), cubed into 3/4″ to 1″ pieces 1/2 tsp. kosher salt 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 4 large cloves garlic, minced 1 large yellow onion, chopped 1 T. medium-heat chili powder 1 T. cumin 1 (14.5 oz.) can Red Gold® Diced Tomatoes 1 (14.5 oz.) can Red Gold® Petite Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies 4 c. reduced sodium beef stock 1 T. soy sauce 1-1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2″ pieces (about 4 c.)

2 c. frozen corn kernels 2 T. freshly squeezed lime juice fresh lime wedges, for serving chopped fresh cilantro, for serving JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 77

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AROUND THE FARM

Pete Jones of Cleveland, was named The NAAA 2018 Agrinaut Award at The convention.

Cala Tabb was recently named the 2018 Farm Bureau Women of the Year.

Jacob Mosco and Luke Nelson lay poly pipe on Mosco Farms

2018 crop is out!! FINALLY!!! This will be a year for the books. Buford Lake Planting

Right: Representative Robert Foster of Hernando speaking to the MS Property Tax Alliance In November at the Mississippi Wildlife Heritage Museum MS Tax Alliance is a non profit organization dedicated to limiting increases in property taxes on agricultural land.

Dewitt’s Webb Auction yard is full of farmers ready to get the bidding started.

Region 1 committee member Coy Bland, hosted membership secretaries in the cab of his combine, harvesting soybeans in Quitman County.

JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 79

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80 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019

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*Brands vary by location.

CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS: Jonesboro, AR (870) 520-6340

LOCATIONS: Jonesboro, AR (870) 520-6340 • Sikeston, MO (573) 475-9621 • Stuttgart, AR (877) 218-7230 • Boyle, MS (844) 690-8130

New Location in Boyle, Mississippi! Now Serving Mississippi and Tennessee!

JANUARY 2019 • Delta Ag Journal • 81

82 • Delta Ag Journal • JANUARY 2019