Cottonis King
Cottonis King
JollyCropInsurancesingularly focusedongrowers
TERESAYOUNG SpecialtotheHerald
Ifyourlivelihood dependsongettinga cropouttheground despitechallengescaused byweatherandother factors,thenagoodcrop insuranceagentcanbe oneofyourmostvaluablepartnersinbusiness. GrowersinSwisher Countyandthosethat surrounditknowthey candependonJolly CropInsurancetokeep themprotected.
Andthere’snoquestionthefolksatJolly knowcropinsurance andallthecomplexfederalregulationsthatgo alongwithit.Afterall, it’sliterallyalltheydo.
“Wedon’tdoproperty, casualtyorlifeinsurance. Weonlywritefederal cropinsurancepolicies,” saidAdriEvans,anagent inthefamilybusiness andgranddaughterof theagency’sfounder,Ed Rogers.
Foundedin1989by formerfarmerswho knowhowvaluableinsurancecanbeforgrow-
ers,JollyCropInsurance inlocatedinTulia.Ed’s son-in-law,NeilJolly, runsthebusinessalongsidehisdaughterAdri, whostudiedagriculture atTexasTech,andson Gavin,whoprovides uniqueassistancefor growerswithhisMBA fromtheUniversityof Texasandhisvastaccountingeducation.
Thebusinessalso includesKatelynDrummond,adataprocessor, andMarlynFoster,who hasbeenthesecretary atJollyCropInsurance sinceitsbeginning.
Adrisaysthecomplexityoffederalsubsidiesmeanstheirstaff isconstantlyhavingto learnandexpandtheir knowledgetodothebest jobfortheircustomers. Theyalsoworkwellwith theareaFarmServices Agencytonavigatethe uniquerulesandregulationsoftheirprograms thatcanimpactcrop insuranceandviceversa.
“Youhavetobehandsontomakesureyou’re pickingthoseprograms correctly,”notedAdri.
“Abigpartofourjobs isalsoadvocatingfor farmerstogovernment employeeswritingthese policies.It’sfundedout oftheFarmBill,and we’realwayshoping someoneunderstands thisisproductionof natural fiberthatis betterfortheenvironment.Ourgraincrops arehighquality,andthe agriculturegrowninthe
panhandleofTexasare greatproducts.”
JollyCropInsurance servesmanysmaller familyfarmingoperations,manyofwhich aremulti-generational justliketheagency. Sheexplainedthatthe governmentprovides moneytoanApproved InsuranceProvider, thenJolly’sagentswrite policiesthroughtheAIP.
Thedroughtconditions havemadeTexasahard placetobeinthatworld, butAdriandherfellow agentsstandstrongout ofacommitmenttothe friendsandneighbors whoarealsotheirclients.
“Alotofourcustomersarethirdgenerationfarmers;manyare peoplemygrandparents helped,andthat’scool. It’simportanttomain-
tainthoserelationships becauseit’sthefuture ofagricultureatsome point,”notedAdri.“With fouryearsofdrought, riskmanagementand cropinsurancecankeep afamilyfarmgoing.It feltlikeadeepobligation formetocomehome, advocateforfarmersin thiscountyandkeep
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FloydadaCo-OpGinspreparing forharvestseason
Runningacotton ginisnotwithoutits stressesandchallenges,butAaronHendricksisstillexactly wherehewantstobe. Afourth-generation ginner,Hendrickshas beengeneralmanager attheFloydadaCoOpGinssince2007,a producer-ownedgin facilityservingmany multi-generational farmers.
Astheginprepares toserveFloydCounty andareacottongrowersforthe2023season,Hendrickssaid thecontinueddrought willnodoubtmean anotheryearoflow production,especially withmostdryland cottonresultingina totalloss.
“Ourbiggestyear everwas126,000 bales,andwhenwe startedlastyear,our five-yearaveragewas 98,000,”notedHendricks.“Lastyearwe turnedout40,000 balesandthisyearwe expectaround50,000. Wejustdidn’tget enoughrain.”
Foundedin1972
withthemergerofthe FloydCountyCo-op andFarmersCo-Op, theFloydadaCo-Op Ginsoperatedastwo plantsuntil1998when thesmallerunitwas closedandthelarger
unitrebuilt. Thenin 2017,theginpurchasedScottGinand itbecameplanttwo, locatedaboutthree milesfromplantone.
“Betweenthetwo gins,wehaveabout90 balesanhourcapacity,”Hendricksnoted. Theginintowndoes 60balesperhour, andwedidn’trunthe smalleroneatalllast year.Wedon’tplanto runitthisyeareither.”
Thelighterexpected cottonloadmeans fewerseasonalemployeesforthegin, whichfocusesonlyon ginningcottonand somelighttruckingof productfrom fieldsto ginandgintowarehouse.Inheavierseasons,thetwoginscan haveasmanyas85 employeescombined.
Full-timestaff includesbookkeeper StacyNutt,human resourcesmanager SandraRodriguez, plantsuperintendent TannerBattey,and shopforemanRoger Hernandez.Aseven-memberBoardof Directorsoverseesthe ginbusinessandsets pricingeachseason, andanyprofitsarereturnedtotheproducerswhoshareownershipofthegin.
Thereinliesoneof thegreatestchallenges,saysHendricks.
“Ginnersalllost moneylastyear. Thingswentupso muchovertheyear, andelectricityisso highthatwe’reall goingtohavetogoup thisyear,”hesays.“We offsetthechargeby buyingthecottonseed
fromthem.Weaveraged$79.52backto thegrowerforcotton seedcreditperbale lastyear.”
Hendricksexpects theginto fireupfor theseasonbeginning Oct.20,andthenthe ginwillknowwhat kindofqualitythey maybeseeingfor theyear.Afterabout aweekofslowruns, theginwillkickinto highgearandoperate 24hoursaday,seven daysaweekuntilthey completetheseason. Hendricksestimates thatwillbemid-Decemberorearlier.
“Thisyearisgoing tobebadbutwenever knowfromyearto year.Inearlysummerwhenwegotall thatrain,westartedmakingsurethe otherginwasready andexpectedmaybe 80-90,000bales.But thenitturnedhotand stayeddry,”hesaid. “Probablynotany drylandcottonwillget ginned.Onlytheirrigatedcropssurvived, butthosesuffered too.Someplacesgot betterrainandthat
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ValleyAgkeeping producersirrigated
TERESAYOUNG
SpecialtotheHerald
Fornearlyfourdecades,producersin LambCountyand surroundingareashave trustedValleyAgElectricfortheirirrigation needs.Andinanarea thathasfaceddrought for fiveseasonsatsome
level,thoseprofessionals couldn’tbemoreimportant.
“Wekeepthemup andrunning,”says CeliaCasares,a15-year employeeinValleyAg’s businessoffice.“Customersoftencallandthank usforkeepingthemgoingwhenwedon’thave theraincomingin.”
Valley’smainoffice islocatedinOlton, hometobothcomplete irrigationsystemsand partsaswellasafull fleetoftechnicianswho arepoisedtotroubleshootforgrowersata moment’snotice.Valley Agknowsthatwhenan
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MidPlainsRuralserving areawithexcellence
TERESAYOUNG SpecialtotheHerald
TheironyofMidPlainsCommunicationswinningReader’s ChoiceAwardinCanyonforBestInternet Service,BestPhone ServiceandBestLocallyOwnedBusiness isnotlostonCEO andGeneralManager DustyGeorge. “We’renoteven
servingCanyon,so tomethat’sshowing wearedoingagood job,”laughsGeorge, whojoinedthecoop asleaderinNovember2022afterbeing alifelongcustomer.
“Anyonecanprovide internetservice,but whenyoucallhere you’regoingtoget someoneyoucan understandandtalk to,andwehavesome
ofthequickestturnaroundtimes.”
Thosearejustafew oftheattributesthat Georgesaidmake themacustomerfavoriteintheareathey serve,whichstretches frompartsofAmarillosouthtoKress, easttoSilvertonand backnorthtoClaude. Intotal,theycover around4,000square milesofthepanhan-
dle-plains,making surethoseresidents arefullyconnected. Thecompanyis headquarteredin Tulia,foundedin1950 asMid-PlainsRural TelephoneCooperativeaftertheRural ElectrificationAct wasextendedtoallow loanstotelephone companiestoserve
Jolly Crop
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themgoing.
“Cropinsuranceisexpensiveandtherearelots ofdecisionsthathaveto bemade.Ihavetohave adeepunderstandingof itallandhelpfarmers knowwhattheyarebuying–ornot–andhelp themmitigatetheriskin averysmartway.”
Adrisaidcropinsuranceisonacycle,with salesclosingallonthe sameday.Cottonclaims openasearlyasJune andcloseinOctober. Annualforagecrops,like wheatforgrazingorhay, areonlyinsuredagainst drought,andrecent adjustmentsmeanthose havemonthlydeadlines forreporting.
“Nowthatdecisionis abitmorecomplex.We usedtobeabletopredictthedroughtinthe firstpartoftheseason, andnowyou’realmost bettingagainstthegrain, andthat’saddedalotto ourworkload,”shesaid.
AnativeofClaytonvillewhonowlivesin herchildhoodhome withhusbandEric,a third-generationfarmer andsonHenry,Adri believesthe first-hand farmingexperience ofbothherfatherand
grandfatherhelpthe agencytakegoodcare ofgrowersand“doright bypolicyholdersallthe time.”
Unsurprisingly,Adri saysthedroughthas definitelyimpactedcrops forthe2023season, thoughtheearlyrain mademanyproducers optimistic.Shesaidsome growershavebeenpleasantlysurprisedwiththeir yieldsascottonopens up.Butevenwiththese factorsleavingmany questionmarks,Adri saysshelovesherwork.
“It’sgenuinelyhelping farmersonapersonal levelandhelpingthe futureofagriculturestay strong.Wecanlookan individualintheeyes andknowwe’redoing themright.It’sloving thisareaandseeingthe cottonopenupthistime ofyear.Wecravethose yearswhereweseemodulesalloverthehorizon,”shesaid.“Withthe drought,cropinsurance costsmore,equipment costsmoreandeverythingcostsmore.It’sa harddiscussiontohave everyyear.Wejustwant todoourparttofeel likewe’rehelpingthem mitigatetheriskpartof farming.”
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helped.”
Whentheginkicks into24-7mode, Hendricksmovesonto theproperty–literally–usingafamily traveltrailersohe canbenearbyfor anytrouble-shooting duringthecritical season.Itonlymakes sensefortheman whotakesseriously hisworkcaringfor thelivelihoodofhis friendsandneighbors, manyofwhomhehas knownsincemoving toFloydadain1975. A1982graduateof FloydadaHigh, Hendricksstudiedat SouthPlainsCollege,thenmovedto SouthTexastowork
atafamily-ownedgin therebeforeitsold. Hedecidedtostayand finishhisdegreeat then-TexasA&IUniversityinKingsville.
Hestartedmanaging ginsin1995inBishop,thenhadstintsin OltonandO’Donnell beforeheadingbackto hishometown.When hegottheopportunity toleadtheFloydada Co-OpGins,Hendrickshiredhisfather asplantmanager andenjoyedworking withhimforseveral yearsbeforetheelder Hendrickssuffereda strokeandretired.
“Wehadagreat workingrelationship andreallygotthegin whereitwasrunning reallywell.Wetookit
from1,200balesevery 24hoursto1,500 every24hours,”he noted.“Itwasgood goingbacktoFloydadabecausemyparentsandsisterwere there,andmybrother movedbacksoon afterward.”
Today,helovesbeingpartoftheagricultureindustrythat makesupsomuch oftheSouthPlains andhelpingthosehe personallyknowsbe successful.
“Ienjoyworking aroundabunchof farmers. Theyareall down-to-earth,good people.Ienjoymyjob andalthoughitgets stressful,Ienjoyit,”he said.
JamesBrothers changingwithseasons, areaagtrends
TERESAYOUNG
SpecialtotheHerald
Ifthere’sanyonein thecommunitythat knowsflexibility,it’s abusinessthatworks heavilyintheagriculturalrealm.That appliesperfectlyto JamesBrothersImplement,amainstay inPlainviewsince 1964.
Butjustlikeothers whorelatesoheavily toareaproducers, theyhavehadtoface thewavesofchange asweatherpatterns andchangingbusinesshastransformed thearea.
“Ourproductline hasreallychangedas thebusinessclimate haschanged,”noted RonnieShannon, partownerofJames BrothersImplement withJerryJames. “We’vemanaged tostayalivetothis point.Westilldeal intractors,loaders andconstruction equipment,butour customerbasehas changedquiteabit.”
Whilereal-crop farmingusedtobe thebulkoftheJames
Brothersbusiness, Ronniesaysthese daystheareadairy businessesaremore frequentvisitorsand theyfavorthemidrangetractorsupto 140horsepower.The weatherandavailable waterresourceshave impactedfarmersto thedegreethateven equipmentinventory hasshifted.
“Weusedtobea majorplayerinthe combinebusiness, andwereallydon’t handlethoseanymore,”saidRonnie. “Thesizeofour tractorhasdecreased fromwhatweused tosell,andthathas reallychangedindustry-wide.Thevolume ofthosethatareasold islowandthereisjust notasmuchroomfor asmanyplayersinthe market.”
JamesBrothers’ mainlineisKubota,whichhesaidis growingtheproduct linetolargerequipmentthoughthat hasneverbeentheir breadandbutter. Mostofthisgrowth hascomethrough
acquisitionsofother lines,suchasGreat PlainsManufacturing inKansas.
“Theyalsohave purchasedLand Pride,awhollyowned subsidiary,andwedo havecontractswith themandkeepthat equipmentonour lot,”Ronnienoted. “Theysellshredders,rotarytillers, boxbladesandconstructionequipment attachmentsthatwe keeponinventory.”
Besidesareaproducers,JamesBrothersisagreatstopfor thosewhoseonly patchofgreenistheir lawn.Kubotaoffersa first-qualityzeroturn lawnmowerthatisa popularproductaccordingtoShannon, andhiscustomers lovetheHondapower equipmentandmowersaswell.
WithJamesBrothers,theexpertise ofitsownersand employeesisadded value.BothRonnieandJerryhave farmingexperience sotheyknowwhat
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Mid Plains James
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ruralpopulations. Fromtheoriginal105 citizensconnectedin 1952inKresstotoday’scustomercount, Mid-Plainshasgrown andevolvedwiththe technologicaladvancesoverthedecades, addingfiberopticsin 2004.
“Mid-Plainsis providingtop-ofthe-lineinternetand phoneservicetorural Americarightnow,” Georgesaid.“Inour mainruralareaswe’ve addedhigh-speedin-
ternetandcompleted fiberinstallationwith broadbandfullybuilt out.”
That’squiteapoint ofprideforGeorge, whonotedthatfiber isnotevenavailable yetinallofthebigger citiesinthepanhandle-plains.Withinternetservicebecoming nearlyasessentialas electricity,George noted,thatserviceis anecessityformany homesandbusinesses whooperateusing web-basedprogramming.
“Wemakesurewe
providethebestand fastestservice,andwe stayontopofupdatingeverythinggoing forward…andatthe bestpricepossible,” hesaid.Thecompany employs26people whoallliveinthearea andareabletocare forcustomersquickly. Butthatdoesn’tmean therearen’tupdated serviceoptions,such asonlinebill-pay.
Thefuturefor Mid-Plainsincludes growingserviceinto newareassuchas Nazareth,Happyand Claude,andthecom-
panyalreadyhascity councilapprovalto begintheengineering processtoservethose cities.Georgeseesit asservingneighbors.
“We’rethehometownprovider,”he said.“We’repartof thecommunity,membersoftheChamber ofCommerce,and wegivebackthrough scholarshipstostudents.”
Formoreinformationabouttheservices ofMid-Plains,visit theirwebsiteatwww. midplains.org.
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ittakestomakea successfulagriculture venture.Andyoualso gettheservicebehind thesale,withmaintenanceavailablefor alloftheirproducts. Thefamily-owned andoperatedbusinessnowincludes anothergeneration, withJerry’ssonJeff Jamesinsalesand partsmanagementat thePlainviewlocation at3201NorthInterstate27.Ronnie’sson, JohnDavidShannon, managesthegrow-
ingAmarillobranch thefamilyopenedin 1999at7106Canyon Drive.ThePlainview locationhas12-14 employeesandthere areeightinAmarillo. “Ourcustomersare justthetops,”said Ronnieoftherewards ofthejob.“Whether itsconsumerproducts,theconstruction guyortheweekend farmer,wejusthave somegoodquality customersthatsupportus.Wehavealot oflong-termemployeeswithgoodrelationshipsaswell.”
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emergencyoccursand systemscometoahalt, thatcanimpactprofits quicklyinthescorching WestTexasheat.
“Ourservicedepartmenthassomeoneon callallthetimeand wemakeservicecalls sevendaysaweek,”adds Casares.“Westaypretty steadyallyear‘round. Eveninthedowntime afterharvestweareout servicingpivotstoget themupandrunning whenit’stimetoplant again.”
Abranchlocation inPlainview–located behindTractorSupply –primarilyprovides partsforHaleCounty growerswhomayhave needs.ButValleyAg goesbeyondjustthetwo counties,reachingas farasNewMexicoand northtoGroom,noted Casares.
Casaressaidthe businessisclearinits focus:theysellnew Valleybrandsystemsfor irrigation.Withinthat isavarietyofoptions: centerpivot,dropspan, linears,polyspanpipeline,pumpingsolutions, touchscreencontrolpanelsandsprinkleroptions. Theyalsoserviceall brandsofpivotirrigation
andofferafullrange ofparts.Technicians canalsotieinelectrical systemstopivots,pumps andwellsshouldthat needariseforgrowers. Customersalsobenefit fromthetechnology thathelpsgrowersbe moreefficient.Options likeValley365,machine diagnostics,variablerate irrigation,autonomous cropmanagementand othersbringthe21st centuryintotheagricultureindustrytohelp producerscontrolcosts andcreategreaterprofits. Thecompanyhas23 totalemployeestoserve thecustomerbasethat Casaressaysispopulatedwithmanylongtime repeatcustomersand multi-generationalfarmers.Allthatismotivation toservewiththehighest standardsofcare.
“Weareinafarming community,soweare neededaroundhere,” Casaressays.“Ourwork isjustpartofkeeping thosefamiliesgoingand theirbusinessessuccessful.”
ValleyAgElectricis locatedat1405W.US Highway70inOlton. OfficesareopenMonday throughFriday,8a.m.to 6p.m.andweekends8 a.m.tonoon.
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