June 2020
Market price vs. expense Horace McQueen See page 3
Tolerance Baxter Black See page 5
Game Warden Field Notes Texas Parks & Wildlife See page 8
Couple enjoys life through organic farming By Shelli Parker
F
Athens Review
orty years ago James Kirksey rented a house to Diane and the two hit it off and married. Their empire has now grown to six grown children, 17 grandchildren, and a farm called the Gardens at Peaceful Valley. James retired from his lifetime career of dirt work and excavation which was his bread and butter, but said he always wanted to be a farmer. “He is a man that will not stop,” Diane said. “This is his retirement plan.” The couple started off seven years ago with a table and umbrella and kept adding on. The farm now has acres of gardens of organic produce, free range chickens, compost, greenhouses, and five employees. The grandkids work the farm every summer and only what is grown on the property is sold there. “Whatever you can grow in east Texas, we grow here,” Diane said. “Our coolers are not always full here because we only sell what we grow and are harvesting.” Organic gardening is both art and science. Diane says they experiment on new techniques, but they aren’t all successful. For example they lost a crop of potatoes this year. Organic gardening is a slower acting process but over time gardeners will see the bugs lessen and the dirt improve. The Kirkseys discourage pesticides and encourage patience. See Organic on Page 10
Peachy Keen
Despite shuttering of 2020 event, Variety key to plentiful peach production youths reap By Lisa Tang huge support, W scholarships from CCJLS supporters Special to the Palestine Herald-Press
ith plentiful rainfall and a temperate climate, East Texas peach growers experience mostly favorable conditions. The best crops come after a winter with at least a few days of freezing weather and a warm spring with no late freezes. Those conditions, plus a variety of peach trees, can produce a continuous crop from May to August. Freestone and Clingstone are the main families of peaches. Clingstone peaches ripen in early May through late June; Freestones ripen in July and August. Growers usually plant different varieties to allow more continuous production throughout the season. Cooks often prefer the larger, less juicy Freestone peaches, which are less fleshy and easily fall free of the pit. Juicier and sweeter Clingstones are more difficult to prepare, but are favored for canning and preserves. Randy Ragsdale sells peaches from a roadside stand on Highway 79 west of Jacksonville. He said many more peach farms existed in the area when his father started one in 1948. Today, Ragsdale grows roughly 1,000 peach trees on 10 acres in Rusk County. Though a late freeze left this year’s crop less than bountiful, Ragsdale said he still turns a profit in some years.
Ragsdale has operated his own farm since 1978, and is continuing, even after retiring from a 40-year career with the Jacksonville Fire Department. After growing peaches all his life, Ragsdale says he continues to farm them because he always has. Ragsdale grows six varieties, which he sells directly to the public. In some years, however, production does not keep up with demand. “We don’t have enough peaches to keep the store open every day,” he says, primarily due to a late freeze this spring. Lack of rain can also limit production. Both large and small peach farms have taken root across East Texas. Some larger operations – such as Cooper Farms in Fairfield, Ham Orchards in Terrell, and McPeak Orchards in Pittsburg – supply independent retailers and grocery chains. Smaller orchards allow visitors to pick their own peaches or sell the fruit on-site. Some peach varieties even share names with East Texas locales. Fairfield in Freestone County and Pittsburg in Camp County are both locations that suggest East Texas is the birthplace of peaches, but that would belie their much longer history. Cultivation of peaches originated in China more than 1,000 years ago, and spread to Europe through trade routes. Spanish explorers brought peaches to the Americas in the 15th century; today, all states in the lower 48 grow the tangy, tasty fruits in dozens of See Peaches on Page 3
By Jo Anne Embleton
C
Jacksonville Progress
ommunity spirit proved stronger than a viral pandemic that shuttered this year’s livestock show, with supporters raising approximately $170,000 for Cherokee County youth. “It just reaffirms their commitment to the kids, and the board’s confidence in the countywide support” of the Cherokee County Junior Livestock Show, said board president Bart Bauer. “These are good folks.” Program supporters and stock show participants were recognized during a June 8 dinner at the county showbarn. “It was the first county-wide event since the pandemic began. CCJLS raised $130,000 for the kids, and $40,000 in scholarships – the $130,000 was add-on money that went toward kids’ projects,” he said, adding that the 2020 show would have been the biggest one to date, with approximately 500 youths scheduled to show 800 projects. The financial support “shows you how dedicated – and how many dedicated – people are to helping kids through agriculture. Even without a show, they still supported it,” Bauer said. During the dinner, along with announcement of scholarship recipients, the 2020 Club of the Year and this year’s stockshow queen were announced. Lookout 4H of Jacksonville was dubbed Club See CCJLS on Page 3