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Ward Jenkins taught children how to draw a cow during the Farmtastic Fun Day event.
Photo by Logan Thomas
Tale of a book illustrator
By Jay Stone
Ward Jenkins started with a blank canvas when he began illustrating “Tales of a Dairy Godmother: Chuck’s Ice Cream Wish.”
Jenkins said he knew next-to-nothing about dairy farming.
“I didn’t know the difference between a dairy farm and other farms,” said Jenkins. “So, the fact that there’s a dairy farm that’s a very specific thing - I’m like, oh, wow. But now knowing that, it makes sense.”
Jenkins produced the illustration for the book, working in collaboration with author Viola Butler. The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture named the book its 2021 Book of the Year. The award is given to children’s books that accurately depict agriculture. While the Dairy Godmother is a fantasy character, the cows in the book are not. By design, they don’t talk or exhibit human behavior.
Rock House was one of three dairies Jenkins visited to learn how milk is produced and how ice cream is made. It was the smallest of the three farms, and the only one that had a creamery on site.
Being there made Jenkins feel like a kid.
“The way I drew it and the way I depicted each scene was as if I was one of the kids reading it,” he said. “I like to think of myself as a kid at heart. I look at things the way kids would with a curious nature.”
In the drawing lesson Jenkins gave
during the Farmtastic Fun Day, he broke the process of drawing a cow down almost line-by-line, beginning with the idea that the picture would end up showing a cow doing what cows love to do: eat. One line for the back, two more for the cow’s neck, a couple of arcs positioned to show its head, little loops for ears, and so on.
Jenkins grew up in DeKalb County. He spent some time in Portland, Oregon, before he found himself back in DeKalb, where he and his wife, Andrea, live. They have two children, Ava, age 21, and Ezra, 17. His only experiences with agriculture as a child were visiting Mathis Dairy and milking Rosebud, the dairy’s locally famous cow, and afterward receiving an “I milked Rosebud” button.
Through the process of illustrating the book, he gained an appreciation for dairy farms, to the point where he feels compelled to share his newfound knowledge and in some cases correct statements from other people about dairy farming.
“When I get sign-offs from people who are dairy farmers, then I see them reading to the kids … I’m very proud of that,” Jenkins said.
To purchase copies of the book, visit www.dmsfulfillment.com/FarmBureau. To learn more about Jenkins’ art, visit www.wardjenkins.com.
GFA & Georgia EMC gift ag books to libraries
The Georgia Foundation for Agriculture and Georgia EMC partnered for the fourth consecutive year to donate a children’s book that accurately depicts agriculture to the approximately 400 libraries in the Georgia Public Library Service. Each county Farm Bureau received enough copies of "Chuck's Ice Cream Wish, Tales of the Dairy Godmother" to present to their local public libraries on behalf of the GFA and Georgia EMC. County Farm Bureau and regional EMC representatives presented the books throughout the summer.
Spalding County Office Manager Cindy Vandiver, right, and Central GA EMC's Christy Chewning, left, recently presented "Chuck's Ice Cream Wish, Tales of the Dairy Godmother" and "Full of Beans, Henry Ford Grows a Car” to Natalie Marshall at the Flint River Regional Library in Griffin.
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Ag in the Classroom Update High school artists capture beauty of Georgia agriculture
Sydney Smith of Hart County won the GFB Art Contest with this drawing. Visit www.gfb.ag/21artcontestwinners to see all of the district winners’ art.
Georgia high school students captured the beauty of Georgia agriculture as they created entries for the 27th Annual Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) High School Art Contest.
The 63 county Farm Bureaus that held local contests submitted their top winners to GFB from which 10 district winners were chosen. The 10 district winners’ drawings were posted on the Georgia Farm Bureau Facebook page April 21 to allow Georgia’s ag community to select the state winner and runners-ups. After a week, the drawing with the most likes on the GFB Facebook page won the contest and the drawings with the second and third most votes were named runners-up.
“Georgia Farm Bureau’s High School Art Contest provides a unique insight into how young people view agriculture when they use black and white media to depict their creativity on paper. From farm scenes to livestock - talented students draw what they’ve experienced, have learned and love about Georgia agriculture,” said GFB Women’s Leadership Committee Chairman Heather Cabe. “Each year I continue to be amazed at the talent and accuracy these contestants submit with their entries.”
Sydney Smith of Hart County sketched the first-place winning picture. Angel Alvares of Laurens County and Kayli Brinks of Effingham County were named the state runners-up.
Smith won $250 as the state winner and $100 as the GFB 2nd District winner. Alvares and Brinks each won $150 for being runners-up and $100 each for being the GFB 6th and 7th District winners respectively.
Other district winners in the art contest were: Hannah Pak, Forsyth County, GFB 1st Dist.; Emmanuel Kamos, Carroll County, GFB 3rd Dist.; Maddie Cummings, Greene County, GFB 4th Dist.; Riley Owens, Pike County, GFB 5th Dist.; Bentley Savelle, Lee County, GFB 8th Dist.; Adia Barrera, Brooks County, GFB 9th Dist.; and Grace Salinas, Glynn County, GFB 10th Dist.
Contestants were instructed to create a black, white and gray drawing using graphite, charcoal, pastel, chalk, colored pencil, ballpoint pen or mixed media appropriate for printing. Drawings were judged on how well the artwork represents agriculture in the student’s county or Georgia and for artistic merit.
Georgia Farm Bureau Ag in the Classroom Coordinator Lauren Goble may be reached at ldgoble@gfb.org or 478-474-0679, ext. 5135. Contact your county Farm Bureau if you’d like to volunteer with its Ag in the Classroom program.
Former GFB President Wayne Dollar passes
Wayne Dollar, who served as Georgia Farm Bureau president from 1994 to 2006, died Aug. 16. He was 89. Dollar was a diversified row crop, cattle and timber farmer from Thomas County. “Wayne Dollar loved Georgia agriculture and he loved Farm Bureau,” GFB President Tom McCall said. “The whole GFB family extends our thoughts and prayers to Wayne’s family at this time.”
Dollar, who never met a stranger, was sociable and loved to laugh.
He was born in Climax, Ga., to W.B. and Marie Dollar and was raised by his grandparents after his mother died when he was two. He graduated from Climax High school in 1951, then joined the U.S. Air Force and served until 1955 as a cryptographer during the Korean War.
After returning home from Korea, Dollar worked for Mineral and Chemical in Decatur County before enrolling at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College where he earned an associate degree in 1959. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and economics in 1961. He served as an Extension agent in Bulloch County from 1961 to 1968. Dollar served as director of the GFB Field Services Department from 1969 to 1971.
Dollar served 18 years on the GFB Board of Directors: from 19881992 as a GFB 9th District director; from 1992-1994 as the GFB South Georgia vice president & GFB 1st vice president and 12 years as GFB president.
During the 12 years he served as GFB president, Dollar led Farm Bureau in securing the elimination of state ad valorem taxes farmers paid on equipment used to produce their crops as well as those once levied on fruit and nut trees, ornamental trees and shrubs, and livestock as inventory.
Dollar is survived by his wife, Jean Betts Fuller Dollar; son, Mike Dollar (Jan); daughters: Patsy Booth Wester; Mary Booth Smith (Ed); Ann Fuller Slocumb (Jerry); Beth Fuller Smith (Don); 11 grandchildren; and 17 great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife of 43 years Odessa Griffin Dollar and grandson Jason Wester.
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