You only lose... if you give up.

Six years of perseverance saved the farm.

Determined to succeed, long-time logging contractor turned poultry farmer, JC Marks, refused to take no for an answer when faced with adversity that tested his faith, patience, and fortitude for six long years.

“You can’t give up, or you lose,” JC Marks of Marks Farms explains when asked what fueled his focus to save his Ouachita County farm and livelihood.

Six years. That’s probably five years more than the average producer would have given what many thought were insurmountable odds.

Jill Robertson | Farm Credit of Western Arkansas

After a 30-year career as a logging contractor, JC and his wife, Debbie, decided to transition to raising poultry in their early 50s. The couple had always had cows and thought raising chickens would be a good fit as they aged. With Farm Credit financing, they built their first four broiler houses in 2004. Success growing for Pilgrim’s Pride had them adding another two houses, three years later.

Pilgrim’s Pride shut their El Dorado plant in 2008. That affected 110 poultry producers, including the Marks. Looking at four-year-old poultry houses with no contract to grow birds was a daunting prospect, according to JC. No birds meant no poultry income. No poultry income meant no immediate way to repay their Farm Credit loan.

JC vividly remembers the day he learned that when they finished their current flock, there wouldn’t be another coming.

“I had a friend from the timber world who called me,” JC remembers.

“He said the Good Lord told him I was going to be O.K. and that he should call and tell me. I’m embarrassed to say I was a bit weak in faith at the time.”

But true enough, two days later, four Pilgrim’s Pride representatives from De Queen visited his farm, liked what they saw, and offered him a contract.

“That bought us more time,” JC reflects.

Three years in, Pilgrim’s Pride cancelled his new contract, citing the distance to the nearest processing plant.

“They offered to buy our contract, but it would have only given us half of what we still owed on the chicken houses,” JC continues.

“I had to say no and take my chances even though there was no guarantee there’d be another offer.”

Determined a solution existed, JC began exploring every avenue for growing birds. He was able to secure a commitment to grow three flocks of pullets from a small producer. Those two opportunities carried Marks Farms to 2011.

Poultry work dried up in 2011, though, JC says. They scraped by with cows, hauling gravel, and timber work, as it was available. It was during this time that he and Debbie also began raising their grandchildren, now ages 17 and 13, fulltime.

JC found work where he could for the next almost seven years. He also made a habit of networking with poultry company personnel. He called one particular Tyson manager every Monday morning for months. The man took his calls and learned his name. He smiles and remembers how he and that manager got to know one another over time. There was talk of a contract opportunity two or three different times, but they all fell through. His farm’s distance to feed mills and processing plants were often the issue.

Pilgrim's Pride had a Farmerville, LA plant that JC thought made sense for his location. He remembers talking to Foster Farms when they took over that plant. When he learned that his farm being 100 miles from the feed mill was a deal-breaker, he offered to haul his own feed since he had the truck and experience. JC was willing to do whatever it took to put his poultry houses back into production.

Grit, persistence, and faith paid off in late 2017. Sadly, the call he and Debbie had prayed for since 2011 came three weeks after Debbie passed away following a brief illness. Not having Debbie there to celebrate the hard-fought win made it, understandably, a somber victory. Debbie and JC were married 44 years and were partners on the farm for all of their marriage.

“Faith has a lot to do with it,” JC continues. “God helps those who help themselves. I’m a true believer and we prayed a lot.”

Foster Farms offered JC a six-house contract growing broilers. He’s had that contract since 2017 and the farm is doing well. He’s been able to afford upgrades out-of-pocket and is quickly paying down debt, he says with a smile.

Jill Robertson | Farm Credit of Western Arkansas

Farm Credit’s Role

Farm Credit advertises they’re there for western Arkansas producers in good economic times, and bad. We can’t make that claim without pointing to real-life examples. Working with JC and his situation over six years demonstrates, firsthand, our commitment to farmers.

“Thank goodness Farm Credit is designed for farming people,” JC sighs.

JC visited his Farm Credit loan officer to explain the situation when the bad news first struck in 2011.

“There was never a formal agreement,” he remembers. “They understood and allowed my loan to accrue interest while I made whatever payments I could.”

“There was never a period when Mr. JC wasn’t making payments of some sort,” remembers Milly Lindsey, longtime Financial Services Specialist at the Magnolia branch. Milly has since taken a new position as Quality Assurance Specialist in the credit department, but welcomed the opportunity to visit Marks Farms and reconnect with one of her favorite members.

“I’ve never seen anyone work harder to get a contract,” Milly shares. “JC’s determination and confidence are inspiring, and I truly admire both his work ethic and character.”

Character is an important consideration in the credit process. Borrower character weighs heavily in loan decisions at Farm Credit.

“There was never any doubt JC was good for the loan,” Milly continues. “Working with him through the situation made sense. He was going to find a way to pay it. We had a lending relationship with him from 2004 to 2011 that was exemplary. He had some bad luck in 2011, but because we knew him and had history with him, it was a given that we’d work with him.”

JC Marks and Quality Assurance Specialist Milly Lindsey forged a close bond during trying times for Marks Farms.

Jill Robertson | Farm Credit of Western Arkansas

“That’s what Farm Credit does,” offers Loan Officer Darren Neal who wasn’t JC’s loan officer at the time but has since become acquainted with him through recent loans to retrofit his poultry houses. Darren has been the loan officer at Magnolia since May 2020 and recently moved to the Hope office.

“Not only did they believe in me for six plus years as I continued to say I’d find another contract,” JC explains, “but when I did and needed a loan to update the houses, they worked with me in a way that allowed me the cash flow I still needed to live and operate.”

“If I’d been with a bank, I would’ve lost everything,” JC speculates. “Not to say anything against banks, they just operate differently. I don’t think I’d have had the years of flexibility Farm Credit gave me.”

JC’s farm sits on 80 acres. Half of those acres have been in his family for nearly 150 years.

Jill Robertson | Farm Credit of Western Arkansas

Determination

When asked what kept him positive and determined for more than six years, JC points to his 30-year logging career.

“Logging is hard work and is stressful,” he explains. “At one point, my operation had 14 employees and their families relying on our success. There were many nights I lost sleep back then.”

That experience may have prepared JC for going years without birds and the stress of how to repay hundreds of thousands of dollars in poultry construction debt.

In JC’s case, the stress didn’t come from knowing IF he’d find another contract, but rather WHEN and HOW it would all play out. He knew if he didn’t give up, he’d eventually find a new contract. It was a lesson in faith and patience, he reiterates.

Those six determined years paid off. His operation has been thriving since 2017 and he loves the freedom that comes with raising chickens.

According to JC, you only lose if you give up. He’s offered us all a valuable lesson in perseverance by demonstrating how true it is.

Jill Robertson | Farm Credit of Western Arkansas