WINTER 2018
Winter Work Cold weather doesn’t slow down farm life
IN THIS ISSUE
Farm Bureau Matters
Randy Veach | Page 3
Helping Farmers, Helping You Warren Carter | Page 5
Porch Front
No Snow Days
Rob Anderson | Page 6
A Farming Life: An Arkansas Family Mourns a Patriarch, Celebrates a Legacy Keith Sutton | Page 14
Taste Arkansas
Gregg Patterson | Page 24
Member Services Update Autumn Wood | Page 28
In The Kitchen
Keith Sutton | Page 32
Delta Child
Talya Tate Boerner | Page 36
ON THE COVER Snow gathers on a hay bale on Lonoke county farmland. Photo by Keith Sutton
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Farm Bureau Matters
by Randy Veach | President, Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation
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ecent decisions by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality have me concerned about our private property rights, the strength of our state’s right-to-farm laws, and the underpinnings of Arkansas’ largest business sector, agriculture. I share these concerns with you today because the trickle-down effect from the erosion of these rights can impact all Arkansans. No matter one’s position on the location and merits of C&H Hog Farms, every private property owner and every business should care about how and why ADEQ denied an operational permit to this farm in Newton County. The long, short and in between on this issue is that the viability of a family farm, operating within the guidelines of the state and federal government, is in peril. Why? Because a state agency has denied their operational permit, not based on science or because of any harm it has caused, but on “technical deficiencies.” This decision threatens to leave a massive crack in the foundation that supports our state’s largest industry, agriculture. All this from a single hog farm operating on private property within the almost 85,000 acres and 1,400 square miles of the Buffalo River watershed, which covers parts of 11 counties. Hopefully, you have heard from us about C&H Hog Farms’ sterling environmental record, though opinion writers and alarmists have breathlessly and unashamedly ramped up the fear factor over the farm. Some outrageously refer to it as a “factory” when, in fact, it is two housing barns and two settling ponds. That is not a factory, it is a farm. Before we delve deeper into the troubling nature of ADEQ’s decision, let me be very clear: Farm Bureau supports a clean, healthy, vibrant Buffalo River. Our farmers and ranchers, without exception, are the best caretakers of our water, soil and air, as well as the animals they raise. And they do this to provide us with the safest, most affordable supply of food, fiber and shelter in the world. While ADEQ’s decision has this farm in limbo, the Pollution Control & Ecology Commission, which has oversight of ADEQ, has thankfully allowed the farm to
operate while a legal appeal is under review. But the farm’s challenges are far from over. When a state agency can deny an operational permit for a farm for no scientific or environmental reason, what farm or farmer is next? When and where will a state agency stop once it is allowed to shut down a single farm that has ZERO violations? Will the other farmers who are responsible for providing your bacon and eggs, milk, chicken and beef be the next target for closure? I shudder to think of the implications to our food production system if science is ignored in our regulatory process. This farm has been through more environmental scrutiny than any other property in our state – without a single citation for violation to date. Yet, their right to farm is being challenged by the state entity that previously authorized its operation. That agency then changed the type of permit required to operate – basically changing the rules in the middle of the game. Our citizens, our farmers, should be dealt with fairly and forthrightly by a state agency. The decision by ADEQ to deny C&H Hog Farm’s operational permit is an ominous sign, an example of how regulatory overreach can turn into a grave detriment to a citizen, private property owner or small business. A decision like this, ignoring the science the state has invested in to thoroughly study this farm, can have an impact on all farms in our state. These families have their ancestral properties posted as collateral on their farm loan, and stand to be left bankrupt based on a “technicality.” That is tragic in my view, especially when you consider their stewardship and solid farming record. All the owners of C&H Hog Farms have ever asked is to be treated fairly by ADEQ. They have complied with every request. They have not polluted. They are model farmers. This is exactly why Arkansas Farm Bureau has fought so hard for meaningful right-to-farm laws, where sound science must prevail. Clearly, we are going to need to work harder to strengthen those laws. The Arkansas Farm Bureau believes these farmers, and all property owners, should be able to use their land in compliance with the law.
This is exactly why Arkansas Farm Bureau has fought so hard for meaningful right-tofarm laws, where sound science must prevail. Clearly, we are going to need to work harder to strengthen those laws.
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Porch Front
Official membership publication of Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation mailed to more than 190,000 member-families. SUBSCRIPTIONS
Included in membership dues ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU OFFICERS:
President • Randy Veach, Manila Vice President • Rich Hillman, Carlisle Secretary/Treasurer • Joe Christian, Jonesboro Executive Vice President • Warren Carter, Little Rock DIRECTORS:
Jon Carroll, Moro Terry Dabbs, Stuttgart Sherry Felts, Joiner Mike Freeze, Little Rock Bruce Jackson, Lockesburg Tom Jones, Pottsville Terry Laster, Strong Jeremy Miller, Huntsville Gene Pharr, Lincoln Caleb Plyler, Hope Rusty Smith, Des Arc Joe Thrash, Houston Dan Wright, Waldron EX OFFICIO
Megan Allen, Bismarck Donna Bemis, Little Rock Adam Cloniger, Keo Mark Morgan, Clarksville Executive Editor • Steve Eddington Editor • Rob Anderson Contributing Writers • Ken Moore, Gregg Patterson, Maddison Stewart, Keith Sutton ADVERTISING
Contact David Brown at Publishing Concepts for advertising rates dbrown@pcipublishing.com (501) 221-9986 Fax (501) 225-3735 Front Porch (USPS 019-879) is published quarterly by the Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation 10720 Kanis Rd., Little Rock, AR 72211 Periodicals Postage paid at Little Rock, AR POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Rhonda Whitley at rhonda.whitley@arfb.com Front Porch • P.O. Box 31 • Little Rock, AR 72203 Please provide membership number Issue #106 Publisher assumes no responsibility for any errors or omissions. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. The Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation reserves the right to accept or reject all advertising requests.
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Helping Farmers, Helping You
by Warren Carter | Executive Vice President, Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation
Leading Across Generations
I
n 2017, Arkansas Farm Bureau was blessed with another positive year. For that, I’m thankful to our staff and leadership. Such successes throughout Farm Bureau’s 82-year existence reveals our continued commitment to “Leading Across Generations,” which was the theme of our 2017 state convention. It’s a mindset we’re proud of and take seriously for our members. Organizationally, we’ve continued to demonstrate leadership as a strong company, and we’ve taken numerous steps throughout the year to continue to ensure that strength for future generations. We successfully met our membership quota for the third consecutive year, finishing 2017 with 191,557 member families. This growth is vital to the future of our organization. Achieving this goal takes hard work, and I congratulate the Farm Bureau team for making it happen. The strength of the Farm Bureau Insurance companies certainly plays a key role there, as well as the many other services we’ve added during the years to our ValuePlus program to bring true financial value to our membership. Our success has a lot to do with the value inherent in an Arkansas Farm Bureau membership. Our ValuePlus and SavingsPlus programs continue to provide easily accessible money-saving value to our member families. Our entire organization did an outstanding job when we lost our major automobile discount program. They quickly and efficiently worked hard to replace it with the new Ford and Lincoln Motor Company discount program and also added the John Deere GreenFleet Loyalty Rewards program to the mix of more than a dozen membership benefit programs. Arkansas Farm Bureau members saved roughly $5 million using these SavingsPlus and ValuePlus discounts, as well as Farm Bureau Bank incentive programs. We’re historically known by decision makers in the state and differentiate ourselves from other organizations because of the statewide grassroots engagement of our members. As I’ve said many times, our grassroots efforts with you – our farmers and ranchers – make up the backbone of this organization. That’s always where success
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begins – on the ground with our members – identifying your needs and advocating for them at the local, state and federal levels. Our success is based on the engagement of our volunteer leaders across the state in our efforts to advocate for agriculture. The leadership shown by our volunteer members across generations has earned us respect with elected officials and other key decision-makers statewide. This year in the state legislature, we were 100 percent successful in addressing our priority issues. These priorities included: • Protecting agriculture tax exemptions; • Supporting additional funding for the University of Arkansas’ Division of Agriculture; • Retaining the present structure of commodity research and promotion programs; • Passing a seed standardization law; • Protecting livestock farming and ranching practices; • Strengthening private property protection; • Passing a law allowing the Forestry Commission, Plant Board, and Livestock and Poultry Commission to rehire retired employees during emergencies; • Maintaining the structure for ag-related state agencies; • And passing legislation to more efficiently deal with the state’s waste tire problem. I’m also excited about the internal mechanisms we established this year that will ensure Farm Bureau’s continued leadership across generations to come. These include our new Arkansas Farm Bureau Foundation, the establishment of an endowment and new financial incentives for the counties. The work of the nonprofit foundation will help further the understanding of agriculture and rural issues and provide financial support for ag education, research, litigation and disaster relief in rural communities. The endowment will provide a pillar of financial strength to build upon. The new county incentives will strengthen our county Farm Bureaus and ensure our organization is strong for generations to come.
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f NO SNOW DAYS A farmer’s work is never done, and winter doesn’t provide the break you may think by Rob Anderson
R
ecently a prominent cold medicine brand has been running a clever advertising campaign built around the idea that parents don’t get to take “sick days” from parenting. The same can be said for farmers, who have to take care of their animals, fields and equipment no matter how they feel or what time of year it is.
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“But what about winter?” you may ask, “Aren’t spring and fall – planting and harvest – the really busy seasons?” Well, it’s been said there are no “snow days” on the farm and, similarly, you can say there is no “winter break.” “We stay pretty busy, so we don’t have much of what you would call an offseason,” says Mark Morgan, whose family
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operates Peach Pickin’ Paradise in Clarksville, as well as cattle and poultry farming operations. Not only does work continue in the winter months on farms of all types across the state, but cold weather and snow and ice can make the work more difficult. “When there’s winter weather and extreme cold, you have the same things to do that you do every day, but it’s more difficult,” says Matt Widner, who raises cattle and poultry near Harrison. “It makes the day longer, and you never know what to expect. Things that work fine normally can have real problems when it’s cold. It’s just harder to keep everything running smoothly the way you normally do.” For Widner, winter means worrying about water. “We have broilers (chickens) and beef cattle. The cattle you worry about a little more usually, because you have the challenge of getting fresh water to them when it’s below freezing,” he says. “We typically get water off of our wells, so we have pipes running different places in the pasture.” Widner says they’ve invested in various “freeze proof” water tanks and technology to help guarantee they'll have the necessary supply for the cattle, but this means they have to check on and maintain the equipment when it’s not in use, so nothing goes wrong when the freezes hit. Despite these precautions, he says, if temperatures go lower than anyone predicts or expects, it can still cause problems. In addition, he explains, there are other things for ranchers to consider in winter. “If you’re watering out of a pond, you’ll have to chop ice when there’s a hard freeze,” he says. “And when it’s cold, cattle require more feed. Giving them plenty to eat helps keep them warm, and more feedings means more effort and more cost.”
“Hopefully, in the summer months, you have forage growing in your pastures and you don’t have to feed much. If there’s a dry fall, though, it means you’re carrying everything they’re eating,” Widner explains, adding that what happens in winter can have an impact on the work required in the early spring. “Going into spring, we may have to do some replanting because of root freeze that kills some grasses. The dry and cold without regular snow pack can cause problems.” Like Widner, Morgan deals with water concerns in winter, particularly as it relates to calves. “You spend more time checking on the baby calves. We have a lot of cattle – yearling calves – that we have to water in individual pens and snow, and freezes makes it harder to get water to them,” Morgan says. Both Morgan and Widner point out that while cattle are “tough,” they still need some protection from harsh winds when it’s cold. “We try to make sure they have a place to get out of the wind. We have a lot of hills, so if we have a north wind, we’ll try to feed them on the south side of the hill,” Widner says. “We might try near a stand of trees or in a sunny area or near a barn – anything that gives some wind block.” Poultry present different winter challenges for Widner and Morgan. “Poultry in the houses are okay when the weather is cold, but the cost of keeping them warm goes up,” Morgan says. Widner says what is required to protect broiler chickens in the winter depends on the age of the birds. When they’re young, he says, it takes more effort and expense to keep them warm, while effort decreases when older.
A farm field in north east Arkansas gets a dusting of snow in early January 2018. Photo by Keith Sutton
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Snow falls around an antique tractor on a farm near England, AR. Photo by Keith Sutton
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“You have to stay on top of ventilation and make sure you’re moving enough air. You also have to monitor the air movement so that they don’t get cold. Regulating that is the main challenge,” Widner says. “Making sure they have water isn’t as big of an issue as cattle, but you could always have a pipe freeze up and cause problems. You have to make sure your pipes are insulated well.” For Morgan, the family’s successful peach orchard provides another type of work during the winter months. Pruning, he says, is the task that keeps them occupied during the slow, chilly march toward spring. “Pruning is what we do during the winter months. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, though. If it’s too cold, we don’t do that work,” Morgan says. Another factor that adds to the labor, Morgan explains, is pruning requires manpower and special guidance for the pruning crews, because different trees need different pruning methods. “Pruning is not like harvest. It’s not as time sensitive, but it is labor intensive. With pruning, it’s all elbows and shoulders; it’s all farmhand labor. There are no robots or special technology to help with it,” he says. The pruning is part of Morgan’s preparation for the future, and that is something other Arkansas farmers spend time on during winter as well. For example, Lonni Davis of Old Milo Farms in Hamburg, says that, while she and her family sell a little hay through the winter months “mainly to people who just want a few square bales here and there,” they also work to get the land ready for growing Christmas trees and pumpkins for fall. “We typically get about 200 seedlings to replant. We drive down to Grant, La., and pick them up from a friend who has a large selection of high quality seedlings,” she says. “The drive takes all day to get down there and back, but we can usually get the field replanted and the new trees staked in two or three days’ time.” Davis says preparing the land itself for growing is also a critical wintertime activity. They work with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service to conduct soil testing and get guidance on nutrient and fertilization requirements. “I usually spend a day taking samples from the various areas of the different fields and box up the soil then drop it off at the Extension office where they send it to the lab,” she says. “Usually I have the results back in about two weeks, and once results are back we can make plans to lime the field and fertilize depending on what is needed.” Preparations, protection and maintenance are all a part of winter for farmers, but for some it also means taking on other jobs or activities that provide supplemental income. For more than two decades, rice, corn and wheat farmer C.J. Parker has been guiding duck hunters on his family’s farm property near Carlisle. Flooded rice fields attract migrating ducks during winter. “A lot of rice farmers do this during the season to make a little extra income,” Parker says. “I started guiding in high school because I was eager to make some money. I was getting paid An angus in the snow near Benton. Photo by Keith Sutton
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Ducks gather in a flooded rice field near Stuttgart. Many rice farmers turn their fields into secondary sources of income during the winter hunting season. Photo by Keith Sutton
to work for my dad during the summer, but I was looking for a paycheck in the winter.” Parker says his guided hunts were originally confined to his father’s acreage at the time, but they quickly started getting bigger and had to get permissions to expand onto other people’s land. As he and his family took on more and more land, fewer permissions were required and more customers came calling. “It’s been really important to our family and helped get us through a lot of winters as we were growing,” Parker says. “My wife used to say that there were many years that it helped us pay for Christmas, but when we started doing even better on the farm, it provided money we could do things with and
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it didn’t feel like we were pulling anything away from the farm.” Parker says the guiding operation exploded early on to the point where they had four guides working hunts, but now, he says, they’ve pulled back and focus primarily on long-time customers. Parker’s son Clay, a sophomore in college, now does most of the guiding when he’s on break. “It keeps us busy in the colder months, but we’re not doing as many,” he says. “The last five to 10 years we’ve been doing it, it’s turned into almost a ‘buddy hunt’ because we’ve been guiding some of these groups for so long. “We can generate a lot of money in just 60 days or so. We’re proud that we were able to find ways to make the money and grow our farm.”
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A
FARMING Life
O
n Sept. 26, 2017, Clay County farmers Mitch and Zack Brown did something they’ll always carry with them. It was rice-harvesting time on the 2,500-acre family farm near Success, and the father and son knew that the patriarch of the family, 94-year-old Quinn Brown, would enjoy spending time on the combine with his 27-year-old grandson Zack. Quinn had been struggling with Alzheimer’s disease and other health problems for several years, but he still enjoyed every minute he could help on the farm where he lived and worked for almost a century. The problem was, Quinn was in no condition to get into the combine Zack was using that day. The door to the cab was high above the ground. The elderly farmer simply couldn’t climb the narrow ladder up.
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An Arkansas family mourns a patriarch, celebrates a legacy
by Keith Sutton
Mitch, Quinn and Zack Brown: the second, third and fourth generations to farm the family’s land near Success in Clay County. Photo by Keith Sutton
That didn’t stop Mitch and Zack. Using their farmers’ ingenuity, they rigged a wooden pallet on the bucket of a backhoe, sat Quinn in a chair on top of it and slowly raised Mr. Brown into the air until he could walk straight across onto the combine. In a video shot that day by an Arkansas Farm Bureau crew, you can watch as Zack patiently assisted his grandfather into the combine’s cab and then see the broad smile on Quinn Brown’s face as he sat by his grandson and they harvested rice. At that point in his long life, Mr. Brown had difficulty gathering his thoughts and speaking. But he didn’t have to say what was on his mind. Watching the video, it’s obvious he was doing something he truly loved that day — taking another ride across the family farm with his beloved grandson. Just four weeks after the video was shot, Quinn Brown passed away. Sadness gripped the family, but his death hadn’t been unexpected. Everyone knew, even as Quinn was riding
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Quinn Brown pulling an old-fashioned combine during harvest, probably sometime in the 1950s or ‘60s. Brown spent all 94 years of his life living and working on the family farm in northwestern Clay County.
Photos courtesy of the Brown family. the combine with Zack that day, he wouldn’t be around to see many more harvests. That was why Mitch and Zack had gone to all that trouble to be sure he could enjoy a few more rounds in the combine with his grandson. And that is why Mitch and Zack will always be glad Quinn got to experience his last harvest with them. “To be able to have my 94-year-old grandpa ride a combine and spend some time with him on Quinn and Millie Brown married in 1944 and never moved a job he loves and a job I love means a lot,” Zack from the family farm bought and settled by Quinn’s father says. “These are memories I’ll always be able to Manson in the early 1900s. look back on and thoroughly enjoy. It was a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity. Not many people get to do that.” “As sad as Dad’s death was, we’ve been fortunate that only just now have my brother, sister and I lost a parent,” says Mitch. “What a blessing that is. I got to know my dad and build a good relationship with him. Many people never have that opportunity.” The Brown family is also glad they invited the Farm Bureau crew to their farm to share this story with people around the world. The video, “Farmers, Fathers and Fighting Time” reached more than 128,000 people and was shared more than 450 times through Farm Bureau’s social-media channels. The story also aired on RFD-TV where it was seen by hundreds of thousands more. There’s much more to the family’s story than could be told in that 4-minute video, however, including a history of the family farm dating back to the early 1900s. Manson Brown and his wife Zora, Quinn’s father and mother, settled there sometime in the early 1900s. The couple’s roots were in Illinois, but they fell in love with Arkansas after visiting on a hunting trip.
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Brown family photo.
“My grandfather was a truck patcher,” says Mitch. “They raised watermelons, and him and my dad would go to St. Louis to sell them. Dad said it would take them all day to get up there. They sold melons in Corning, too.” Quinn, one of nine children, was born on the farm in 1923. His father died when he was just a teenager, and Quinn, even though he was very young, took over many of the responsibilities. “Dad started out farming with mules,” says Mitch, “but one of my uncles who farmed near here fixed up a tractor so Dad could farm with it when he was just a kid. Dad dropped out of school with just an eighth-grade education and farmed full time. “As he got older, Dad started acquiring more land,” Mitch continued. “He cleared the ground, dug up the stumps, picked up the chunks, built irrigation ditches and started a fertility program. He literally put his life into the farm.” At age 21, Quinn married Millie Troxel. The couple never parted, living together on the family farm for 73 years. Millie, now 90, still lives there. “We stayed here all our lives,” she says. “He never moved from his original home, and I only moved my clothes in with him and his mother when we married. So I never moved either.” In their early years together, the couple didn’t have a car because Quinn sold it to buy their wedding rings. But that hardly mattered because they rarely left the farm. Quinn worked the land and raised the crops, while Millie kept the books,
Photo by Keith Sutton
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weighed cotton and cooked lunches for the farm hands, among many other things. Quinn and Millie had three children: Mitch, Rita and Mike. Rita and Mike have lived a farming life, too — Rita on a farm she and her husband owned nearby, and Mike on a Desha County farm he owns. Quinn was especially close with his grandchildren, including Zack and Zack’s 24-year-old sister Laura. Laura is a speech therapist in Paragould, but she still loves time spent helping on the farm and has fond memories of times with her grandfather. “Several months before he died, after Alzheimer’s had hit him pretty good, I was leaving after a visit and said, ‘Bye, Papaw, I love you,’ ” she says. “All he said was ‘OK.’ I said, ‘You know, Papaw, I think sometimes you just don’t love me.’ He said, ‘Why would you say that?’ I said ‘Well, you never say it.’ Mitch Brown (left) plans to retire soon, and his son Zack (right) “He just laughed,” she continues, will continue overseeing operations on the family farm, which was “and at the time, I didn’t think anything established almost 100 years ago. Photo by Keith Sutton about it. But after that, every time he saw me, the first thing he would do is put his hands on my shoulders and say ‘I love you.’ He never forgot no matter how progressed his Alzheimer’s was.” Mitch gets a bit choked up when he talks about Quinn, too. “My dad gave me the opportunity to farm,” he says. “I wouldn’t have been able to do this if it hadn’t been for him. I’m very appreciative for that. He had little formal education but acquired the ability to go out there and basically take a piece of soil and make a living off it. Many people can’t imagine that. But our livelihood is based on this soil, it’s based on how we treat this soil. My dad taught me that and many other things college couldn’t even begin to teach me. “Sometime in the last 10 or 15 years, farming has become a way of life for me,” he continues. “It’s not a job any more. Dad always said his land was not for sale at any price. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve acquired some land, too, and as I’m getting it paid for, I know where he’s coming from. There’s gratification from it that you just can’t put a monetary value on. “I look at this farm now as our family farm,” he says. “It’s provided me a living, and it’s provided my parents a living. It’s taken care of them all their lives. Now it will provide a living for my son Zack as well.” “It’s a family business,” says Zack, who is the fourth generation to farm the land where the Browns now raise rice, soybeans and corn. Mitch hopes to retire soon, and Zack will be in charge. “My grandfather started this,” Zack continues. “My family has been here close to 100 years. I take a lot of pride in being able to come back home and try to keep carrying it on for another 50 years, to do my part to keep this being the Browns home place.” Seeing the close bonds this family has, and their ties to the land, it’s not hard to imagine that 100, maybe even 200, years from now, their descendants will still be tilling ground on the family farm in Clay County. It’s a legacy they all can be proud of. See the video of the Brown’s story at http://bit.ly/BrownFamilyVideo.
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Dynasty
TASTE ARKANSAS
“All of them grew grapes. All of them made wine.” by Gregg Patterson
J
oseph Post is part of the fifth generation of Post Winery family workers. Sixth-generation workers are already employed there. And the youth of the seventh generation is enjoying the innocence of growing up in the bucolic setting of neatly tended vineyards stamped across the rolling hills surrounding the community of Altus. Generations of departed Post family members rest in the peaceful cemetery atop the dramatic church grounds vista on Saint Mary’s Mountain. Post Winery is Arkansas’ largest winemaking enterprise. It’s a grape growing and winemaking dynasty, the creation of a huge family – Joseph Post has 108 first cousins. I met him at the winery on a chilly, rainy November day. He’d already been to morning mass with family members at Saint Mary’s, the church his great-great grandfather led the effort to build in 1896, and he’d already been on the farm checking the muscadine vineyard that would soon need pruning. His cheerful spirit and desire to show off the farm immediately brightened the dreariness of the day. “I wanted to be an architect,” Post said, warming his hands over a cup of coffee. He’d already earned a business degree and was finishing his degree in architecture. A job was waiting for him in Atlanta. It was an exciting time with lots of possibilities for an architect. The next Summer Olympics were coming to Atlanta. “The town was just on fire with opportunity, and a lot of my classmates were headed that way,” Post recalled. Then came the phone call. “It was from my dad. He said ‘Joseph, what are you going to do now that you’ve graduated?’ I said Dad, I’ve got a great job offer, and I’m headed to Atlanta. He said, ‘Well, I need you (at the winery) for a year, maybe two.’ That was 1988, and here I am 29 years later.” A big “aw shucks” smile breaks out across Joseph Post’s face. I didn’t detect any regret.
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Joseph Post handles marketing for Post Winery. The company packages several of its own wines, as well as dozens for other labels. It is a major operation. Row upon row upon row upon row of shiny 4,200-gallon stainless-steel tanks fill building after building, the results of the harvest two months ago fermenting in each one. Post lifts the lid atop one tank, and we peerdown inside while he explains the fermentation process, the fragrant liquid roiling below. In the next building, he stops at another.
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This is one of the few empty tanks. He pulls a shoulder-width cover from the side of its base, pokes his head inside the huge, empty cylinder and begins singing. The sound reverberates beautifully like an Old World church choir solo or monk’s chant. “Everyone sounds good singing in a tank,” he says sheepishly after pulling his head out. “Try it,” he offers encouragingly. Clint Eastwood once said in one of his “Dirty Harry” movies: “A good man always knows his limitations.” I pass on singing in the tank. There is one more stop. During a short drive through the scenic countryside, Post gives a history lesson, pointing out vineyards and naming all the families that have grown grapes for more than a century. They were immigrants from Germany and Switzerland. “They all grew grapes. They all made wine,” he says, though the Post family is one of the remaining few still doing it commercially. Soon we arrive at a muscadine grape vineyard.
The rain has subsided. The long-lined vineyard is awash in watercolor golden-yellow. And a gentle breeze plays hide-and-seek among the grape leaves, causing them to rustle gently. Vineyards manager Tyler Buelow explains that it’s time to prune this and the other muscadine vineyards, preparing them for next year’s crop in a process he calls “putting them to sleep.” The skillful, labor-intensive effort will take nine weeks to complete. Another year is complete at Post Winery, just like the 137 before it. There’s a certain comfort in that. Joseph Post’s daughter, Jessica, got married in the old St. Mary’s Church, so there’s room for growth in the family, just like always. Visit www.tastearkansas.com for photos and videos from Post Winery.
Brothers Paul Post (left) and Joseph Post (right) flank their 93-year-old father, Mathew J. Post, Sr., the patriarch of the family wine-making business that started in 1880. Photo by Gregg Patterson
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MEMBER SERVICES UPDATE
Arkansas Farm Bureau Members Eligible for John Deere Discount
W
elcome to our new, regular column for Arkansas Farm Bureau members. Watch this space throughout the year for the latest news on member benefits, savings and other news. This month, we are excited to announce a new member program with John Deere, which gives members access to John Deere’s GreenFleet Loyalty Rewards Program through a free, two-year Platinum 2 membership.
by Autumn Wood Members can sign up for the John Deere GreenFleet Loyalty Rewards program at the Platinum 2 level by visiting www.JohnDeere.com/FarmBureau. Use your ArFB membership ID and zip code for membership verification. ArFB members who already have John Deere GreenFleet Platinum 2 status will be upgraded to Platinum 3 status by aligning their GreenFleet account with Farm Bureau.
Here is a breakdown of the benefits that ArFB members are eligible for with Platinum 2 status: • $100-$250 off residential mowing • $200-$350 off utility vehicles • $200-$350 off tractors (up to a 5125R) • $350-$3,200 off commercial mowing • $500-$3,700 off golf & sports turf • 17% off manufacturer’s suggested retail price-commercial worksite • 10% off home & workshop products (i.e. air compressors, generators & more) • 10% off apparel & accessories at www.JohnDeereStore.com • Combine GreenFleet equipment savings with national offers • Receive special parts savings
*For more details, please visit your local John Deere dealer today! GreenFleet Details/Restrictions: • GreenFleet Loyalty Rewards benefits are only available at John Deere Dealerships. Purchases from other stores will count towards the GreenFleet status, but are not eligible for a GreenFleet discount. • There is no minimum length of Farm Bureau membership to receive the GreenFleet benefit. • Members need to sign up once for the GreenFleet Loyalty Rewards program, then renew or reactivate their membership approximately every two years. • GreenFleet members can manage their account at www.MyJohnDeere.Deere.com • For full GreenFleet Terms & Conditions, visit www.JohnDeere.com/GreenFleet • John Deere provides a full line of grounds care and maintenance equipment. No matter your need – mowers, compact tractors or utility vehicles – John Deere has the equipment to get the job done. Visit your local dealer for demos, quotes and more.
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IN THE KITCHEN
Sweet Potato Pie: An Arkansas Favorite by Keith Sutton
O
k, I’m just going to up and say it: I’m not a big fan of sweet potatoes. I’ve tried them almost every way they can be prepared, from candied sweet potatoes on the holiday table to the sweet potato fries served in some of my favorite restaurants. I want to like them. They look delicious with all that orangey goodness inside. But I’m just not fond of the taste and texture. I know many people who feel the same way. That said, I must add that there is one way I love sweet potatoes — in a sweet potato pie. For many years, I fought the urge to even taste a bite of this colorful dessert, thinking I wouldn’t like it. Then one day a friend convinced me to try a slice of pie he’d bought from Little Rock restauranteur Robert “Say” McIntosh. Say’s pies weren’t just good; they were legendary. And despite my apprehension, when I put a forkful of that creamy pie in my mouth, I was hooked. It reminded me very much of my mom’s pumpkin pies, with almost the same delicious flavor. Fortunately, for those of us who like sweet potato pies, the main ingredient is readily available year-round. Arkansas is among the top 10 states in sweet potato production, which has increased substantially over the last 15 years. Sweet potato pie is simple to make and sure to draw rave reviews from family and dinner guests — even those who think they don’t like sweet potatoes. Give it a try and see. Photo by Keith Sutton
ARKANSAS-STYLE SWEET POTATO PIE • 4 medium sweet potatoes • 1/2 stick butter, softened • 1/4 cup sugar • 3/4 cup brown sugar • 2 eggs, beaten • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon • ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg • ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 3/4 cup evaporated milk • 1 (9-inch) unbaked, deep-dish frozen pie crust
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prick each potato several times with a fork or knife, then bake in the oven for one hour on a baking sheet. When done, allow to cool. Split each potato with a knife and use a large spoon to scrape the pulp out of the skin. Transfer to a large bowl and mash. Set aside. In a medium bowl, beat together butter, sugar and brown sugar until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and salt. Add evaporated milk and stir mixture into the reserved sweet potato pulp. Blend with a mixer until smooth and pour into the pie shell. Bake on bottom rack of oven for 1 hour or until the center of pie is firm and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out dry with no pie filling sticking to it. Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream if desired
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DELTA CHILD In Delta Child, author Talya Tate Boerner draws on her Mississippi County childhood to deliver readers back to a simpler time when screen doors slammed, kids tromped cotton, and Momma baked cornbread for supper every night. Boerner, a fourth-generation Arkansas farm girl, has been published in "Arkansas Review," "Deep South Magazine," and "Delta Crossroads." Her award-winning debut novel, "The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee," is also set in northeast Arkansas. Follow her blog "Grace Grits and Gardening" (www.gracegritsgarden.com) for more tales of Arkansas farming, gardening, and comfort food.
by Talya Tate Boerner
Another New Year
O
n the last afternoon before Christmas break, Mrs. Mills wheeled the film projector into our classroom and made us watch a movie about life in rural America. If there was one thing my classmates and I knew, it was about living in rural America. Craig, who sat directly behind me, muttered, "Oh, brother." My friend, Anita, snickered. Her desk was opposite the aisle from mine. As Mrs. Mills introduced the film, the poinsettia brooch pinned to her sweater shined and sparkled, but her typically bright eyes looked tired and pinched together. Even her neatly styled hair seemed flatter than usual. I suspected the film on rural America was nothing more than a bridge between the end of Friday and the beginning of Christmas vacation. Teachers needed a break from school, too. The overhead lights flipped off. The projector hummed. The narrator’s calm voice sounded familiar to me, like a famous movie star I would recognize if only he would show himself. I half-listened in case a pop test waited at the end. Mostly, I began to practice writing 1972 on a blank piece of paper in the back of my notebook. The numbers felt different as they flowed from the sharpened lead of my pencil. While cowboys in Texas roped a calf, I printed 1972 ten times across the page. If I squinted my eyes, the figures blurred into one humongous, impossible-to-say number. 1972197219721972197219721972197219721972. Did a number with that many digits have an official name? Maybe a bajilliongazillion? I wondered if Mrs. Mills knew. Farmers threshed wheat using a John Deere combine like Daddy's. Iowa wheat looked no different from Arkansas wheat, so I completely tuned out that part of the film. Instead, I wrote January 1, 1972, in large block letters then made it look three-dimensional with feathery lines and shadows. It was interesting how one new number made the upcoming year seem exotic. I wrote the date of my next birthday. July 10, 1972. I would be 10 years old. In Kentucky, workers mined coal, so we could have heat at Keiser Elementary. The miners’ eyes looked scooped out, their soot-covered faces haunted. I found myself watching the
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remainder of the film, because something about those miners was hypnotic. As though perfectly planned, the bell rang just as the end of the filmstrip fluttered around and around the reel. Mrs. Mills flipped on the overhead light. In unison, we protested the brightness as though we’d been deep inside a dark coal mine. "Have a wonderful Christmas, students," Mrs. Mills said as she removed her owl-like glasses and placed them on her desk. "See you next year," she said. Next year sounded far away and North Pole dreamy. Our class erupted in a joyfulness only felt at Christmastime. I pulled on my coat, thankful there had been no time for a pop test. I considered that my first Christmas gift of the year. My classmates and I spilled into the hallway and joined the flood of students emptying onto the playground. A line of school buses idled around the circle drive, churning smoke and waiting to carry us to certain holiday freedom. “See you in 1972,” Anita said to me. Her breath curled and lingered in the cold air. Temperatures had plunged all afternoon, and now the clouds hung heavy like flour dumplings. “Yes. See you next year,” I said back. Anita disappeared into the first bus. I raced toward the next one. Christmas vacation lasted three whole weeks! In three weeks, I could trick my mind into believing the school bell would never ring again. Homework wouldn’t exist until Santa had come and gone leaving toys under the tree, foil-wrapped chocolates in my stocking, and a 1972 month-at-a-glance calendar for Momma’s desk. During my long bus ride home, two things came to me about the film my class had watched. Number one: Paul Newman had been the film narrator. It was as though Butch Cassidy had been standing in our classroom talking about cowboys and farmers and coal miners. Number two: Rural America included lots of areas besides northeast Arkansas. As winter fields passed outside the dusty window of my bus, I felt lucky to be the daughter of an Arkansas cotton farmer instead of a Kentucky coal miner.
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