Mississippi Farmer
Spotlight
Chester Bradley Jr. of Rose Hill has worked hard his whole life to build a successful farming operation in the hills of northeast Jasper County. He knew from an early age that he wanted to farm because many generations of his family had also been farmers. Chester’s maternal grandfather, Champion Trotter, owned his own farm and grew cotton, corn, peanuts and cattle. His grandmother, Lottie Mae Trotter, raised turkeys, which she sold to a company up North. She would walk eight to 10 miles to the nearest train depot with her turkeys following behind her. In a pocket of her apron, she kept corn, which she would trail along the ground as she went. Chester’s parents, Chester Bradley Sr. and Clarice T. Bradley, were sharecroppers. When his grandfather died, his mother and her siblings inherited the farm. Finally, his parents were able to own their own farm. Chester knew that in order to get started in farming, he would need to purchase some land. As soon as he was old enough, he left home for the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where he had heard jobs were plentiful. He worked in construction during the day and on a loading dock at night, loading bananas onto ships. While working on the coast, he saved his money. He remembers coming home after his first 30 days away, and his mother was canning vegetables from the garden using her wash pot. He told her to come with him. They went to the local Western Auto, and Chester bought his mother her first washing machine and freezer. His uncle, Benjamin Trotter, who had worked at Ford Motor Company in Detroit, Michigan, for 25 years, offered to get Chester a job if he would move. So Chester moved north. He worked for Ford during the day and at the Detroit Terminal at 12
night loading boats. He continued saving his money. “I worked in Detroit until I was in a car accident,” he said. “My friend and I were driving through Canada when he fell asleep at the wheel. My neck was broken twice, and that left me partially paralyzed in my right arm and my left leg. I was 22.” After the accident, Chester returned home. He married his childhood sweetheart, Irine J. Hayes. They bought some land and began farming and raising a family. Chester had cows, grew cucumbers, and raised peas for the market. Irine worked as a registered nurse. “I grew four acres of cucumbers that I sold to Bryan Pickling Company,” he said. “I did very well with them. I also raised pinkeye purple hull peas, which I carried to MISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY
the French Quarter in New Orleans in the middle of August. I would get up at 3 a.m. and be there around 6 a.m., and I would sell the peas to a man named Bernard. I had two families picking for me, and we would split the profits.” “I have always had cattle,” he said. “I started out with 10 or 15 cows, and my herd grew to 75 cows. You either love cattle or you don’t. I enjoy them, and I still have some to this day.” In 1976, Chester purchased two tractors, two hay mowers and baling equipment. He began cutting and baling hay for the public and did that for 16 years. He enjoyed it. Slowly, over a period of time, he bought more farmland. Tragedy struck the Bradley family when Irine passed away suddenly at age 51. The MAY/JUNE