Mississippi Farm Country

VOLUME 91 NO. 4

JULY/AUGUST 2015

MISSISSIPPI HONEY BEES

A PUBLICATION OF MISSISSIPPI FARM BUREAU FEDERATION • MSFB.ORG

TABLE

of

CONTENTS

july/august 2015 Volume 91 Number 4 July/August 2015

FEATURES

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Mississippi Farm Country (ISSN 1529-9600) magazine is published bimonthly by the Mississippi Farm Bureau® Federation.

Farm Bureau members receive this publication as part of their membership benefit. Periodicals postage is paid at Jackson, MS and at additional mailing offices.

Postmaster: Send address changes to P.O. Box 1972, Jackson, MS 39215 EDITORIAL AND BUSINESS OFFICES 6311 Ridgewood Road, Jackson, MS 39211 601-977-4153

ADVERTISING Angela Thompson 1-800-227-8244 ext. 4242

County Annual Meetings

FARM BUREAU OFFICERS President — Mike McCormick Vice President — Donald Gant Vice President — Ted Kendall IV Vice President — Reggie Magee Treasurer — Billy Davis Corporate Secretary — Ilene Sumrall

The dates and locations for early county annual meetings are listed inside. A full listing will run in our next issue.

FARM BUREAU DIRECTORS Dr. Jim Perkins, Iuka Matt Orman, Hickory Flat Tommy Swindoll, Hernando Bob Workman, Sledge Tripp Thomas, Batesville Dan Bishop, Baldwyn Herbert Word, Okolona Craig Canull, Caledonia Pepper Beard, McCarley Dott Arthur, Carthage Kenneth Thompson, Philadelphia Paul Myrick, Stringer Quinton Mills, Forest James Newman, Rolling Fork Robert Earl McGehee Jr., Brookhaven Earl Gay Edwards, Smithdale Bobby Selman, Monticello Dorothy Cole, Richton J. B. Brown, Perkinston Tom Daniels, Gulfport Betty Mills, Winona Kelly Davidson, Ruleville

Material in this publication is based on what the editor believes to be reliable information. Neither Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation nor those individuals or organizations contributing to the MFBF publication assume any liability for errors that might go undetected in the publication — this includes statements in articles or advertisements that could lead to erroneous personal or business management decisions.

FARM BUREAU®, FB®and all Farm Bureau logos used in this magazine are registered service marks owned by the American Farm Bureau Federation. They may not be used in any commercial manner without the prior written consent of the American Farm Bureau Federation.

The successful Mississippi Honey Bee Stewardship Program is enjoying both local and national attention.

Come with us as we learn more.

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EDITOR — Glynda Phillips

HONORARY VICE PRESIDENT Louis J. Breaux III

Honey Bee Program

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Farm Bureau Activities The annual Women’s Leadership and Secretaries’ conferences were held this spring. Photo coverage can be found inside.

DEPARTMENTS

About The Cover

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MFBF Apiculture Commodity Advisory Committee Chair Johnny Thompson is pictured with a honeycomb covered in honey bees on his family’s Broke T farm near Philadelphia.

President’s Message Commodity Update: Apiculture Farm Facts Strolling: Sam Scott Member Benefits

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P R E S I D E N T’S M E S S A G E Mike McCormick, President, Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation

Representing All of Agriculture I have always been proud of Farm Bureau, but in recent months, my pride has deepened.

As I’ve visited with lawmakers in Mississippi and Washington, D.C., they have told me, time and again, that they listen to Farm Bureau because they know we represent the interests of all of agriculture. These men and women, many of them generations removed from farm life, are familiar with our work, and they are paying attention to our programs.

HONEY BEE PROGRAM

One of our newest efforts is the Mississippi Honey Bee Stewardship Program.

Developed in cooperation with a number of other agricultural organizations, this program outlines the basic standards that should exist between farmers and beekeepers when bees are located in or near agricultural production areas. A central component of the program is the Bee Aware flag, which Farm Bureau designed.Its bright gold and black colors are highly visible to aerial and ground applicators when it is flown near beehives. Several other states now use our effective and eye-catching Bee Aware flag.

In March, I led a group of row crop farmers, beekeepers and staff to Washington, D.C., to visit with officials at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Our farmers and beekeepers did a great job of discussing the Mississippi Honey Bee Stewardship Program. They talked about how the program has raised the awareness of pesticide applicators about bee health and how it has generated a better dialogue 4

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between farmers and beekeepers. EPA officials were genuinely complimentary of the collective effort of the program to bring all stakeholders to the table and were impressed with how the program has created and enhanced the working relationship between beekeepers and farmers.

They went as far as to say that the Mississippi program should serve as a model to other states across the nation. And if you will allow me a moment to brag, last year President Obama congratulated us personally on this groundbreaking new program.

OTHER EFFORTS

The Mississippi Honey Bee Stewardship Program is one product of our efforts to work with the programs that Mississippi agriculture needs in order to remain strong and vital.

The Farm Families of Mississippi Ag Promotion Campaign is another. This campaign, steered by Farm Bureau and involving many other individuals, businesses and agricultural organizations, is reaching consumers across the state with our farmers’ message. I know you have noticed the billboards, television commercials and radio spots. They are generating much positive attention.

Farm Bureau is also working with other groups to address the problem of our state’s deteriorating transportation infrastructure. Many of Mississippi’s highways, roads and bridges are in very poor shape due to inflation, economic hardship and a lack of funding. Farmers depend on good roads and bridges to get their

products to market. A workable plan and a dependable means of funding it are desperately needed.

And finally, the initial phase of the Voluntary Metering Program in the Mississippi Delta was officially met this year.

Farm Bureau and all of the other members of the Delta Sustainable Water Resource Taskforce will continue to focus on reaching the second half of the goal and promoting water conservation measures and programs at every opportunity. Currently, there are roughly 500 additional meters that need to be installed to fulfill the requirements of this voluntary program across the Delta. If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to participate.

POLICY DEVELOPMENT

In conclusion, as we begin holding our policy development meetings in late summer and early fall, I want to encourage you to continue to take advantage of this unique opportunity to bring your county’s thoughts and concerns to the table.These meetings move us into the State Resolutions Meeting in November and culminate in the actions taken by the members of our Delegate Body at state convention. It is a grassroots process that surfaces the policies that guide what we do, and it is the bedrock of our organization.

In this issue of our membership magazine, you will find a recap of our accomplishments in recent sessions of the Mississippi Legislature. We also include an update on national issues of concern to Farm Bureau members.

I appreciate your hard work in representing the interests of all of our farmers and rural communities. You are the reason I continue to be so proud of our great organization. FB JULY/AUGUST 2015

A Job Well Done B Y G LY N D A P H I L L I P S

Ilene Sumrall retired in May as the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation’s (MFBF) Corporate Secretary and Chief Administrative Officer. Over the course of her 41 years of service to Farm Bureau, Ilene’s work ethic, leadership skills and dedication to all things Farm Bureau have helped to positively shape the course of our organization. She will be missed.

“I have been a Farm Bureau member since the 1960s, and I have been employed

by Farm Bureau since 1974, so Farm Bureau has been a part of my life for almost 50 years,” she said. “I believe in it deeply.”

Ilene began her career as a secretary in the MFBF Commodity, Women, and Young Farmers & Ranchers Department.

Through the years, she served as secretary to the Assistant to the President, Executive Secretary, Corporate Secretary and Chief Administrative Officer.

She worked with numerous state boards and five state presidents, including Hugh Arant Sr., Don Waller, David Waide, Randy Knight and Mike McCormick. Here are their thoughts: Katherine Arant (wife of the late Hugh Arant Sr.): “Ilene always did a great job. My husband trusted and depended on her, and she always came through. She was also a good friend. Our family thinks a lot of her.”

Don Waller: “If I had any success as president of Farm Bureau, Ilene was one of the reasons why. She is someone whose depth of knowledge about Farm Bureau cannot be overstated. She will truly be missed.”

David Waide: “Ilene was one of the most dedicated employees I knew. She never failed to complete every task assigned and in short order. Farm Bureau enjoyed its success because of Ilene and others as dedicated as she. My hope is that she will enjoy her retirement just as much as she enjoyed working on the Farm Bureau team.”

Randy Knight: “Ilene is a very special lady who I had the privilege of getting to know as a friend and as a professional associate. She was the backbone of Farm Bureau, always working behind the scenes making sure things got done and not wanting the credit for it. She has set the bar very high for anyone taking her position or trying to fill her shoes. I would like to wish her the very best in her retirement. She is a real lady whom I will always have the pleasure of calling my friend.”

Mike McCormick: “On behalf of the board of directors, volunteer leaders and staff of the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, I want to express my appreciation to Ilene for her many years of outstanding service to Farm Bureau and wish for her a

very happy and blessed retirement.”

Betty Mills (State Women’s Chair): “Being a loyal, noble steward of Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation who has served with five presidents, the echoes from many voices will say, ‘Job well done, you faithful servant.’ Thank you for your dedicated encouragement of the Mississippi Women’s Leadership Committee. It is an honor to have been asked to share a few sentiments to a fine leader and a great lady.

Enjoy your tomorrows.”

Ilene looks forward to her retirement years with the same enthusiasm that has benefited Farm Bureau.

“I will truly miss interacting with our volunteer leaders and staff on a daily basis, but I am excited about the future,” she said.

“I want to thank all of you for your support and encouragement through the years, and I wish for you the very best life has to offer.

“I am blessed to count each of you as my friend.” FB

Ilene has also served as secretary for Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, Mississippi Farm Bureau Service Company Inc., Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation Balloted Measure Political Issue Committee Inc., Mississippi Farm Bureau Foundation and Relief Fund Inc., Mississippi Farm Bureau Holding Corporation and Mississippi Farm Bureau Investment Corporation.

Ilene is pictured with her grandson, Lochlan, 5.

JULY/AUGUST 2015

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COMMODITY UPDATE: Apiculture

How Mississippi Honey is Made and Harvested

Johnny Thompson

MFBF Apiculture Commodity Advisory Committee Chair

Most folks think of fireworks and icecold watermelons on the Fourth of July, but beekeepers are busy harvesting their primary honey crop. The bees have been producing honey during the spring, and most beekeepers harvest this time of year. Colonies of bees have been busily collecting nectar from a variety of blooming plants since March. As a consequence, most honeys originate from mixtures of nectars that are collected from a wide variety of plants during March-June.

Although many different nectars can be combined by the bees, often only one or two plants represent the bulk of the honey produced by a hive. These are widespread plants that bloom intensely for periods of one to two weeks, and they quite often produce rich nectars that are attractive to honey bees.

These primary honey plants vary with region.

Tulip Poplar might be the primary honey plant for one beekeeper, while White Dutch Clover supplies the bulk of the honey for a neighbor beekeeper living only several miles down the road. Some folks even make substantial honey from plants that others consider weeds. Good examples of these plants include Chinese Tallow Tree and Privet.

Beekeepers add white wooden boxes to existing hives to provide combs in which the bees store honey. In the early spring, a hive may only contain 20,000-30,000 bees living in just two of these stacked boxes. Each box contains 10 beeswax combs, and each comb is held in a wooden frame. The combs are used for two purposes by the bees. Combs in the bottom portion of the hive are where the queen lays eggs and produces new worker

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bees. Bees store their surplus honey in combs in the upper portion of the hive.

As more and more flowers bloom, the bees collect nectar to make honey. They also collect pollen. Pollen provides vitamins and amino acids that bees need to raise new bees. This is also why bee colonies can grow extremely fast during periods of intense flower blooms. Colonies can grow to 60,000 – 80,000 bees in a month and a half in the springtime. The growing colony needs more space to store honey, and the beekeepers add boxes with combs periodically to accommodate the incoming nectar. A good beekeeper knows how to manage bees in order to get a nice surplus honey crop that he or she can harvest while leaving the bees enough honey to survive the winter. Colonies of honey bees need 60-80 pounds of honey to survive our relatively mild winters.

So how does the beekeeper get the honey?

First, the bees have to be removed from the combs of ripened and fully capped honey.

This can be done by simply brushing the bees off of each comb, but most beekeepers use repellents to drive bees out of the boxes with honey. A few drops of repellent are placed on a small piece of cloth, which is inserted beneath the lid of the hive. Commonly used repellents include benzaldehyde or butyric anhydride. The offensive odors drive the bees down into the hive away from the top boxes that contain the honey. After only a few minutes, the beekeeper can remove the top boxes of honey and load them on a truck – leaving all of the bees in the lower portion of the hive.

Beekeepers use hot knives to cut away the

Terry Norwood

MFBF Commodity Coordinator for Apiculture

wax caps that seal the honey on the comb.

Once the wax caps are removed, the combs are placed into an extractor, which spins the combs at a high rate of speed to sling the honey out of the cells in the comb. Extractors are mere centrifuges that work a lot like your clothes washing machine on the spin cycle. The emptied combs can be reused by the beekeeper for many years.

Extractors are equipped with either valves or pumps that allow the honey to flow out of the extractor. Most beekeepers filter their honey to remove large chunks of wax or pollen, but the honey can be simply bottled and sold without much manipulation. Some large commercial beekeepers will heat honey to about 140 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes before filtering through multiple sets of filters. This process will increase the shelf life of honey by preventing or delaying granulation of the honey.

The joy of beekeeping is immeasurable for those of us who love the bees. However, beekeepers have the added bonus of producing and enjoying various hive products from their own bees. The beeswax cappings from the extraction process can be collected, melted and refined to make blocks of wax that can be used to make soaps, candles and beauty lotions and hand creams. FB A special thanks to Dr. Jeff Harris, Extension/ Research Apiculturist, Mississippi State University, for this article.

JULY/AUGUST 2015

Legislative Summary B Y S A M A N T H A C AW T H O R N N E W M A N , M F B F P U B L I C P O L I C Y D I R E C T O R

The 2015 Regular Session of the Mississippi Legislature ended three days early on April 2, with rumors of Governor Phil Bryant possibly calling a special session. The Senate actually adjourned a day earlier than the House, which had to return to finish business. The 2016 Regular Session will convene on January 5 for a 120-day term.

Significant bills supported by Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation that were passed into law during the 2012-2015 legislative term are as follows: Inspection Sticker — House Bill 982 repeals the Mississippi Motor Vehicle Safety Inspection Law starting July 1, 2015, while maintaining the window tint sticker.

Sound Science — Senate Concurrent Resolution 647 expresses the intent of the Mississippi Legislature to require the use of “SOUND SCIENCE” in evaluating crop protection chemistries and nutrients.

Sales Tax Exemption — Allows for agriculture to be exempt from 1.5% sales tax on energy. The exemption includes the following operations: poultry, livestock, domesticated fish, commercial horticulture, dairies and irrigation of crops.

Nutrition Labeling — Retains the

authority for nutrition labeling and restrictions on raising or growing livestock or crops to the legislative body.

Livestock Theft — Creates criminal penalties for stealing livestock and requires buyers at stockyards to pay promptly upon purchase of the animals. Livestock under this section includes horses, cattle, sheep, swine and other domestic animals for profit.

Metal Theft — Adds center pivots and grain bins to the three-day holding period that metal recyclers are currently abiding by.

APPROPRIATIONS BILLS

Agritourism — Created limited liability to farmers engaged in agritourism operations (i.e., corn mazes, pumpkin patches, u-pick gardens) who register with the Department of Agriculture and Commerce. This law helps to better promote agritourism activities in Mississippi and grow the understanding of agriculture. The operator must register with the Department of Agriculture and Commerce to receive the limited liability.

Funding — The success of Mississippi agriculture depends on the research, education and services provided by the Mississippi State University Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine. During the 2015 session, Farm Bureau was able to help secure an increase in funding for the Mississippi State Uni versity Division of Agriculture and Alcorn State University agriculture programs.

Wild Hogs — Raises the penalty for transporting a wild hog without a permit from a Class III ($25-$100) violation to a Class II ($100-$500) violation per hog. The law allows for legal transportation of wild hogs through a Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks permit that is issued through a 24-hour call-in system. A hog may be transported alive for slaughter purposes with a permit. A person caught transporting a wild hog without a permit is also subject to the loss of hunting/fishing/trapping privileges for one year. The law maintains the Class I ($2,000 -$5,000) violation if a person is caught releasing a wild hog into the wild.

There are legislative scorecards in your county office if you would like to see how your elected officials voted on these important pieces of legislation.

NATIONAL NEWS

JULY/AUGUST 2015

As we go to print, the House and Senate are considering two vital pieces of legislation, estate tax repeal and Trade Promotion Authority. The House has passed a full repeal of the estate tax, better known as the death tax. This vote was significant because the House has not voted on estate tax repeal in 10 years.

We now wait to see if the Senate will consider their companion bill.

The Senate and House have separately reached an agreement on the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation. The bills will still have to be voted on in each house and the final version agreed upon before being sent to the President. TPA provides for congressional consideration of a trade agreement without amendment, establishes negotiating objectives for trade agreements and provides mechanisms for consultation between the administration and Congress during the process of a trade negotiation.

TPA legislation is needed to finish negotiations on the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement with Japan and 10 other countries, a trade deal that would be the largest ever for the United States and mark a signature achievement for the administration.

We have also had several meetings with USDA officials on the implementation of the Farm Bill. We will continue to work with these officials for clarification on programs and definitions. FB

Calendar of Events JUNE 29 Beef Commodity Meeting JULY 8 Cotton Commodity Meeting

JULY 9 Peanuts Commodity Meeting JULY 10 Honey Bees Commodity Meeting

JULY 17 Sweet Potatoes Commodity Meeting

JULY 27-30 Youth Safety Seminar — Gray Center, Canton

JULY 28 Equine Commodity Meeting

JULY 30 Rice Commodity Meeting

AUGUST 1 Application Deadline for FB

Ambassador & Farm Woman of Year MISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY

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“People with honey bees need to be able to place their hives on other people’s property. Beekeepers get honey, and the row crops farmers get pollination. What it all boils down to is that we must learn to be good neighbors.”

— Johnny Thompson

KING of the QUEEN BEES B Y G LY N D A P H I L L I P S

J

ohnny Thompson of Philadelphia sells honey bee queens to beekeepers around the nation. He also sells nucs, or nucleus colonies, which consist of a few thousand bees and a queen. His bees are shipped by UPS or the U.S. Postal Service in special packaging that keeps them safe. One funny story is that Johnny’s mother, Joan, once delivered a package to the post office and the workers became worried when it began vibrating.

“I guess they thought it was some type of explosive device,” she said. “I explained that it was honey bees, but they still looked at me funny.”

Johnny sells to smaller beekeepers because the larger apiaries raise their own queens. His customers are generally repeat customers who are dividing their hives in half or in thirds and need a queen for each of the additional hives. He says the demand for queens is growing as more and more people become interested in keeping bees.

“I sell about 1,500 honey bee queens annually. I work from April to June. If I could work year round, I could easily sell 5,000 queens, but I farm with my family, and we also have eight poultry houses and 250 head of mama cows.

This is just a part of our Broke T operation.”

because there are so many different things that need your attention. In addition, the equipment is expensive, and some people don’t want to make that investment. Plus some people have a problem with being stung.”

HONEY BEE PROGRAM

Johnny serves as chair of the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation Apiculture Committee and served on the committee that established the Mississippi Honey Bee Stewardship Program. In addition to Farm Bureau, the committee included representatives from the Mississippi Beekeepers Association, Mississippi Agricultural Aviation Association, Mississippi QUEEN BEES Agricultural Consultants Association, MissisTo raise multiple queens, Johnny grafts sippi Agricultural Industry Council, Missishoney bee larvae into special queen cell cups sippi State University Extension Service and that are affixed to bars. The bars are placed Mississippi Department of Agriculture and in frames and the frames are inserted into Commerce. The program is designed to open queenless cell builders containing lots of a dialogue between row crop farmers and beeworker bees. Since the hive doesn’t have a keepers, and it is generating a lot of positive queen, the nurse bees rush to feed the larvae attention on both the state and national levels. a whole lot of royal jelly, a protein-rich secre“People with honey bees need to be able to tion from their glands. An excess of the royal place their hives on other people’s property,” jelly is needed to develop a queen.

Johnny said. “Beekeepers get honey, and the Johnny says he works with bees because row crops farmers get pollination. What it they are fascinating. But he admits it takes a all boils down to is that we must learn to be special person to succeed in beekeeping. good neighbors. The Mississippi Honey Bee “With bees, you must be patient and willing Stewardship Program outlines the basic stanto work hard. You must also be detail oriented dards that should exist between farmers and

JULY/AUGUST 2015

beekeepers when bees are located in or near agricultural production areas.”

A central component of the program is the Bee Aware flag, which Farm Bureau designed. Its bright gold and black colors are highly visible to aerial and ground applicators when it is flown near beehives. Other states now use the Bee Aware flag and are modeling programs after the Mississippi Honey Bee Stewardship Program.

Johnny says the decline in honey bee numbers, especially in northern states, is due to a number of factors and not just one problem in particular.

“The population decline of honey bees began in America in the 1980s when two parasitic mites, the tracheal mite and the varroa mite, were introduced here. Our bees now have a natural resistance to the tracheal mite, but we are still working to eliminate problems with the varroa mite. Poor nutrition, disease and accidental exposure to pesticides are also concerns. There is no easy answer. I love keeping bees, and we need more beekeepers,” Johnny said. “Just two or three hives in a backyard will do the trick. But you need some land around you to do this successfully.”

The Broke T honey bee operation consists of 500 hives for honey and 432 hives for queen production and nucs. In addition to Johnny’s business, his parents sell local raw honey to Whole Foods in Jackson, Williams Brothers in Philadelphia and Earth Bounty in Meridian. They also sell at the Neshoba County Co-op and from their home. They bottle their own raw honey.

For more information, visit the Broke T website at www.broke-t-honey.com or call (601) 656-1908 or (601) 562-0701. FB Johnny’s parents are longtime Farm Bureau volunteer leaders. Kenneth serves as president of Neshoba County Farm Bureau and sits on the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors. Joan is our District 6 Women’s Chair.

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“A LOT GOES INTO HAVING A SUCCESSFUL FARM. ABOVE EVERYTHING ELSE, WE MAKE SURE THAT OUR COWS ARE WELL TAKEN CARE OF AND HAPPY.” SANDY COLEMAN MITCHELL

g A r n i i c u n l e ture m o W B Y G LY N D A P H I L L I P S

What do you do when you are sleeping soundly in the wee hours before dawn and a mama cow starts bawling outside your bedroom window? If you are Sandy Coleman Mitchell of Alcorn County, you roll out of bed, pull on your boots and go looking for the missing calf.

“Wouldn’t you know it? I forgot my flashlight,” she said. “The moon wasn’t out, and it was really dark, so I was walking slowly and carefully. When I saw a shadow near the watering trough, I hollered at it and the shadow moved a little. I hollered again and off it ran, straight to its mama, who was oh so happy to see it. And that’s how I started my day.”

In addition to her job off the farm, Sandy helps her parents, Norbert and Diane, with a commercial Angus-cross cow-calf operation consisting of 45 head of cattle, plus corn and hay. The cows graze on pastureland around the home she shares with her husband, Billy, who works for the county.

“Billy enjoys helping with some of the farm chores, but Daddy, Teddy Wayne Ross (a family friend) and I are pretty much the hands that take care of everything,” she said. “My mom keeps the books and keeps us straight. She is also a wonderful cook.”

Sandy’s dad is retired. He and Teddy Wayne take care of the farm during the day, and Sandy helps carry out chores in the afternoon and at night, when she arrives home. This crew can often be seen working together on the weekends.

“A lot goes into having a successful farm,” she said. “Above everything else, we make sure that our cows are well taken care of and happy. We have ridden our four-wheelers over these pastures many a morning or late afternoon, checking on the cows and any newborn calves we might have. It is so satisfying to see the big healthy animals our calves become as a result of our care. And if you get attached to them (which you will) it is hard to let them go when you must sell them.

“My father and I also grow corn and JULY/AUGUST 2015

Sandy Mitchell and Norbert Coleman

hay, which we use to feed our cows,” she said. “We sell any extra hay to other people.

I grew up on a farm running behind my dad, so I guess you could say farming is in my blood. I love it. My brother, Brian, works at Caterpillar and is also a member of the Rollin’ Rumps BBQ Team. They cater a lot of events in North Mississippi, so he stays busy. But he helps with farm chores when time allows.”

Away from the farm, Sandy works in Corinth for the Soil Conservation District and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. She does clerical work and accompanies other staff members when they visit farmers and other landowners who are trying to figure out what to do with an area that is washing out or threatening to erode.

“We survey the area and decide what it needs and how to fund those changes. See that?” she points to a large gulley where concrete stones have been used to shore up the sides of the banks to keep them from washing. “I helped with that, and I am proud of the way it turned out.”

In addition to her work in town and on the farm, Sandy volunteers with many agricultural and community organizations, from 4-H to Farm Bureau to tourism. She was also recently appointed by the governor to the Tombigbee Water Management District. As the Alcorn County Farm Bureau Women’s Chair, she says she is proud to be

associated with Farm Bureau because it supports farmers and other rural landowners, especially in the Legislature.

“Farm Bureau protects and enhances what we have,” she said. “Farm Bureau also educates our youth and young adults about agriculture as one of its main objectives. We have the Ag in the Classroom program, which takes agriculture into our schools. The Farm Bureau Ambassador contest selects one outstanding college student each year to talk about Farm Bureau and agriculture at events across the state. We also have the Young Farmers & Ranchers program, which helps to train our future agricultural leaders.”

Sandy is an avid gardener and canner.

Her garden and canned goods were featured in an earlier issue of our magazine. She was also recently featured in an article written by the Mississippi State University Ag Communications Office, which called her a good example of the valuable contribution that women are making to agriculture. Here is one of Sandy’s quotes from that article: “For years, women have been more of the secretaries, cooks and garden tenders for farms, but now, women have gotten more involved in the day-to-day duties. More women own land and are making decisions for the farm. There are also many positions related to farming that were traditionally filled by men, but now, there are women who are beef cattle specialists, cropland specialists and soil scientists who offer quality service to landowners and farmers in our state.”

In the same article, Alcorn County Extension Agent Patrick Poindexter added, “I think there are quite a few next-generation farmers who look up to Sandy as a type of role model in our community. Everyone in the community knows she’s a hard worker and a very good person to emulate.”

Farm Bureau is lucky to have volunteer leaders like Sandy Mitchell working to improve the lives of our farmers and other members across the state. FB MISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY

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Dedicated

FARM BUREAU LEADERS B Y G LY N D A P H I L L I P S

Eddie and Cloteal Bates joined Amite County Farm Bureau around the time they were married in 1974. They have been loyal members ever since. The Bates say they appreciate Farm Bureau and all that it does for the farmers and rural communities of our state.

“Farm Bureau members are good people.

They show a lot of love,” Eddie said. “I knew that Farm Bureau was always helping others, and I knew that volunteering to serve on the Amite County Farm Bureau Board of Directors would give me an opportunity to help, too. So when they asked me to serve, I said yes. It has been a great experience.

“I believe if God gives you an opportunity, you go and do the best you can do.”

In addition to his work with Farm Bureau, Eddie is a member of the Amite County Cattlemen’s Association, where he has served on the election committee. He is a deputy commissioner with the local Soil Conservation District and a deacon at Shady Grove Freewill Baptist Church.

Eddie is also a member of the Freewill Gospel Singers, a group of nine men from his church who perform at benefits and birthdays in his area and New Orleans.

His favorite gospel song is “If You Need a Blessing, God Can Bless You.” Eddie has a degree in Technical Education from Alcorn State University and is retired from Georgia Pacific after 32 years

with the company. Through the years, he has farmed part-time, but now, he is able to focus full-time on his commercial cowcalf operation, which consists of 92 head of Black Angus and Charolais cattle. He says the last two years have been very good for cattle producers.

“I enjoy working with cows,” he said. “I grew up on a farm that grew cotton and corn then cucumbers and peppers, but I happen to like cattle. In 1977, my dad gave me a cow, and it went from there.”

CHURCH & GARDENING

Cloteal says she is beginning to become involved with the Amite County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee. She is also a church usher and assistant Sunday school teacher at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church.

“I love children, and I love working with them,” she said. “Children from church and the community, along with our grandchildren, visit and play

BY G LY Nor D AI Pread H I L Lto I P Sthem. I also enjoy helping the elderly. I take them to doctor’s appointments, or we run errands.”

In addition to her church and community activities, Cloteal is a dedicated gardener.

“Gardening is relaxing to me,” she said. “I love to see plants grow and bloom, and there aren’t many flowers that I don’t enjoy. Roses, caladiums and hibiscus are my favorites.”

Cloteal says you must be willing to put a lot of time and effort into a beautiful garden.

Her front yard, with its multiple gardens, is a fine testament to her own tireless work.

She was recognized last year by the Liberty Area Chamber of Commerce for having the best flower gardens in her community.

FAMILY

The Bates have four grown children and are a close family. Cashoyna is a nurse who lives in Texas. She is taking courses to become a nurse practitioner. She and her husband have two girls. Edrick is a barber and is taking classes in school to become an engineer in the oil field. He has twins, a girl and a boy. Jeffrey is a construction engineer. Jennifer is a school teacher. She and her husband have two boys.

At the time of their interview in late March, Eddie and Cloteal were looking forward to the Easter holidays. Cloteal was getting ready to work in her yard just as soon as the weather warmed up enough, and Eddie was anticipating what he hopes will be another good year for cattle farmers.

Farm Bureau is lucky to have volunteer leaders like Eddie and Cloteal Bates, who enjoy helping others through their volunteer work with their church, their community and, of course, Farm Bureau. FB

 “Farm Bureau members are good people. They show a lot of love. I knew that Farm Bureau was always helping others, and I knew that volunteering to serve on the Amite County Farm Bureau Board of Directors would give me an opportunity to help, too. So when they asked me to serve, I said yes. It has been a great experience. I believe if God gives you an opportunity, you go and do the best you can do.”

— Eddie Bates

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FarmFacts: S T R A I G H T F R O M A M I S S I S S I P P I FA R M E R

Raising Stocker Cattle by Janet Parker My husband, Ted, and I own a large stocker cattle operation named Ted Parker Cattle LLC. We also have a cattle buying station, Parker Livestock, which started this past year. On Mondays, we buy local cattle from farmers. It’s a great deal for the farmer and us. We pay market prices and charge no commission, no shrink, and we are improving the health of our cattle. Ted’s dream was to own a stocker cattle operation, so he has achieved this milestone.

When Ted was 18 years old, he rented land from local landowners and borrowed money from a local bank to buy 20 head of cattle. While he was in high school, he worked for a local veterinarian and his older brother, Harold, who had cattle.

Ted’s family was not raised with cattle or

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in the cattle business. His Grandmother Rogers always said it was a genetic defect, because all of her family loved cattle.

When he was 22, he moved to Chicago and worked on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to learn firsthand about cattle futures and trading commodities. That was a great learning experience and gave him a big picture of how the system worked and how cattle prices were established. When we married in 1987, he worked two jobs and I had a full-time job. All of our extra money was spent on buying stocker calves.

In 1990, we bought our first farm in Seminary, and stocking it with cattle was a full-time pursuit. We buy calves that weigh 250-450 pounds. We try to put 300-400 pounds on them and sell them or send them

to the feedlots out West. We retain ownership on some cattle, partner with the feedlots and sell some as feeder cattle.

One of the biggest challenges is getting the yearling cattle healthy. We buy cattle each week, and most of them are highrisk cattle that come from the sale barns in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Georgia, so they are under a lot of stress. We plant about 6,500 acres of ryegrass pasture and contract graze with local farmers in Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, New Mexico, Kansas and Oklahoma. We own one ranch in Jones County in partnership with Johnny Trotter, owner of Bar G Feedyard in Hereford, Texas. We also own ranches in Covington, Greene, Pearl River and Lawrence counties.

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Gent, Ted, Janet and Carl

This business is not for the faint of heart because of the many challenges you face seven days a week.

Along with weather issues, there are always cattle that have to be doctored every day. We are constantly working to improve our health program and to find new and better solutions to old problems.

— Janet Parker This business is not for the faint of heart because of the many challenges you face seven days a week. Along with weather issues, there are always cattle that have to be doctored every day. We are constantly working to improve our health program and to find new and better solutions to old problems. We mix several different types of feed on-site at each ranch for all incoming cattle for the first 60 days. Our cattle are constantly being sorted, based on size, quality and sex, before being moved to grass pasture.

After approximately 100-200 days on grass, the cattle are usually shipped to the feedyard. Some cattle are marketed months JULY/AUGUST 2015

ahead of time and some are marketed while on the road to the feedyard. The futures markets and cattle prices are watched on a daily basis while trying to make the best decision when to sell. The markets are changing and becoming more volatile every day, which creates opportunity for success or failure.

One thing we have been blessed with is being able to live out our dream, and there are many people who have helped make this operation successful. Our two sons, Gent and Carl, have grown up in this business, and we always felt it was a great place to raise them. Gent is currently working with us and grazing cattle of his own.

Carl is living and working in Santa Barbara, California. We have been fortunate to have 18 great employees who work hard each and every day, and we couldn’t do it without their dedication.

We have tried to surround ourselves with good people, and with God’s blessings, great things have happened.

The Farm Families of Mississippi (FFM) Agriculture Promotion Campaign was created to educate the public about the agriculture industry. For more information, contact Greg Gibson at (601) 977-4154.

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OLLING R ST

Manners Good manners are an essential part of a civilized society, yet they seem to be receding at a frightening pace. The Fourth Lord Chesterfield, an aristocratic Englishman, felt this way almost 400 years ago and wrote a long, celebrated series of letters to his son on the subject. The letters are still both relevant and important, and what follows is

by Sam Scott an excerpt from them, which applies as well to the 21st as to the 18th century: “I here list those necessary ornamental accomplishments (without which no one living can either please or rise in the world) which only require your care and attention to possess.

To speak elegantly, without which nobody will hear you with patience, and, consequently, you will speak to very little purpose.

An agreeable and distinct elocution, without which nobody will hear you with patience.

You need to take much less pains for it than Demosthenes did.

“A distinguished politeness of manner and address, which common sense, observation, good company and imitation will infallibly give you, if you will accept it.

A genteel carriage and graceful motions with a fashionable air.

To be extremely clean in your person and perfectly well dressed, according to the fashion, be that what it will.

Upon the whole, take it for granted that without these accomplishments, all you know and all you can do will avail you very little.

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“When you see a person who is universally allowed to shine as an agreeable, well-bred person, pay attention to him, or to her, watch him, or her, carefully. You will find that they take care never to say or do anything that can be construed into a slight or a negligence; or that can, in any degree, mortify people’s vanity and self-love; on the contrary, you will notice that they make people pleased with them by making them first pleased with themselves; they show respect, regard, esteem and attention; they sow them with care, and they reap them in plenty.

“These amiable accomplishments are all to be acquired by use and imitation, for we are, in truth, more than half what we are by imitation. The great point is to choose good models and to study them with care. People unconsciously imitate not only the air, the manners and the vices of those with whom they commonly converse but their virtues, too, and even their way of thinking. Persist, therefore, in keeping the best company, and you will, without realizing it, become like them; if you add attention and observation, you will very soon be one of them.

“There is infinite utility and advantage in presenting yourself with coolness and unconcern in any and every company. One who has no experience of the world is inflamed with anger or annihilated with shame at every disagreeable incident. A worldly person seems not to understand what cannot or ought not to be resented. If the worldly person makes a slip, he, or she, recovers it by coolness instead of plunging deeper by confusion like a stumbling horse. Unworldly people have babbling countenances and are unskillful enough to show what they have sense enough not to tell. In the course of the world, one must very often put on an easy, frank countenance upon very disagreeable occasions; one must seem

pleased when very much otherwise; one must be able to accost and receive with smiles those whom one would much rather meet with swords. One must not turn him — or her — self inside out. All this may, nay must, be done without falsehood and treachery. Good manners are necessary guards of the decency and peace of society.

“This is about the duty, the utility and the means of pleasing – that is, of being what the French call amiable. Whoever is not amiable is, in truth, nobody at all. Those who are amiable will make almost as many friends as they do acquaintances. Civility is the essential article towards pleasing and is the result of good nature and of good sense; but good breeding is the decoration and only to be acquired by a minute attention to, and experience of, good company. In good breeding, the manner always adorns and dignifies the matter.

“The manner is often as important as the matter, sometimes more so; a favor may make an enemy, and an injury may make a friend, according to the different manner in which they are done. Gentleness of manner with firmness of mind is a short but full description of human perfection. Manner is all in everything; it is by manner only that you can please and consequently rise.”

Four hundred years ago, life was more primitive, opportunity for education was limited, families were large, income was sparse, and many were poor. One need not be an aristocrat, famous, a genius or wealthy to have and use good manners. Just remember what your momma taught you! FB Retired attorney Sam Scott worked with Farm Bureau for many years and continues writing for Mississippi Farm Country. You may contact him by emailing kdroge@msfb.org.

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County Annual Meetings Benton County Farm Bureau

Tuesday, August 25, at 6:30 p.m.

County Agricenter Ashland Ladies are asked to bring a dessert. Members must pick up a ticket in advance at the county office at no charge to enter.

Itawamba County Farm Bureau

Tuesday, September 1, at 6:30 p.m.

Itawamba ICDC Bldg.

Fulton All members are asked to bring a dessert.

Leake County Farm Bureau

Calhoun County Farm Bureau

Thursday, September 3, at 6:30 p.m.

Farm Bureau Office Carthage

Desoto County Farm Bureau

Thursday, August 13, at 6:30 p.m.

Farm Bureau Office Tupelo

Humphreys County Farm Bureau

Tuesday, Sept 1, at 6:30 p.m.

Farm Bureau Office Columbus

Tuesday, August 11, at 7 p.m.

Multipurpose Building Pittsboro

Tuesday, August 18, at 7:30 a.m.

Farm Bureau Office Hernando Wednesday, July 15, at 9 a.m.

Farm Bureau Office Belzoni

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Lee County Farm Bureau

Lowndes County Farm Bureau

Marshall County Farm Bureau

Thursday, August 6, at 6:30 p.m.

Marshall County Extension Service Holly Springs

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“JOINING THE WCSHC WAS AN EYEOPENER, A LEARNING EXPERIENCE AND A GREAT BLESSING. THROUGH THE COOP, I WAS EXPOSED TO A FELLOWSHIP OF NEW FACES WHO EMBRACED ME WITH LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE. WE MEET RELIGIOUSLY EVERY MONTH, AND INFORMATION IS PROVIDED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE TOTAL PERSON.” ROSIE HARRIS

a r l u A R m g e n r i v a S ONE DAY AT A TIME ica

BY ROS I E HARRIS , WCSHC MEMBER

Working to maintain the heritage and legacy of my late husband has been a challenge that I really wasn’t prepared for. The question is, “How do you prepare for the unknown?” I don’t profess to have all of the answers, but I can share my experiences for the past four years.

My late husband, Isaac, and I were married for 51 years with six lovely children. We worked extensively to provide the best for them, and we also trained them to work. Our goals were for them to have a better life than we had, so it was our desire to give them a quality education. We were blessed to send all of them to college to receive their degrees.

All of our lives, we were farmers, raising cotton, corn, vegetables, forestry and cattle.

We took pride in the fact that we were blessed with a great heritage and the blessings of being landowners. Isaac’s parents instilled in him the value of being a landowner, and we have tried to pass it on to the next generation.

My husband left me with a great foundation, a small farm with cattle, very wellmanaged pastures and timberlands; however, I needed to know the how, where, when and what in maintaining the farmland using the very best management practices. I sought help and discovered the Winston County Self Help Cooperative (WCSHC). I knew that it existed but had never taken the time to explore or learn about it.

The Winston County Self Help Cooperative was organized in 1985 to assist small farmers and landowners in working as a team

to overcome agriculture’s adversities and to “Save Rural America.” However, in 1997, WCSHC experienced a renewed life with our present president, Frank Taylor. He is a visionary leader.

Joining the WCSHC was an eye-opener, a learning experience and a great blessing.

Through the coop, I was exposed to a fellowship of new faces who embraced me with love and acceptance. We meet religiously every month, and information is provided to meet the needs of the total person. I have had the opportunity to learn the importance of working together to achieve common goals and the advantages afforded when we merit teamwork. Information is provided consistently through conferences (state and national), workshops and visits with professional leaders, elected officials, etc.

Farming is an ever-learning process, and I have learned to use the many resources that are available to help make the farm more sustainable. I have also been made aware of the many, many principles that are accessible for conserving the land. Through the WCSHC, I learned about programs available through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provide help for small farmers. I have been blessed through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to obtain assistance in cross-fencing in order to provide rotational grazing for my cattle. Also, I have been able to attend many conferences and trainings to ascertain the process of diversifying my farm so that I will

have the very best management practices for now and the future.

My journey as a small minority farmer has been and is a phenomenal experience.

My life is joyful and very fulfilling in that I am preserving the resources that God has given to me. I hope in some small way I can be a beacon of light for others to follow.

My favorite Scripture is, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end.”

Through the WCSHC and USDA programs, God has graciously blessed me with many favors, and my expectations are high, knowing God will always be with me to supply all my needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. FB For more info about WCSHC, visit: www.wcshc.com. A special thanks to the Winston County Extension Office for their help with WCSHC. Rosie Harris has been a Farm Bureau member for more than 30 years. Frank Taylor is also a longtime Farm Bureau member. Coop members build relationships with many agricultural groups, including the Extension programs at Alcorn State University and Mississippi State University, the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, the Southern University Ag Center, Farm Bureau and Heifer Project International.

WCSHC, which this year celebrates 30 years of service to small and limited resource farmers, has won numerous local, state and national awards.

My journey as a small minority farmer has been and is a phenomenal experience.

My life is joyful and very fulfilling in that I am preserving the resources that God has given to me. I hope in some small way I can be a beacon of light for others to follow.

— Rosie Harris

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FB

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Como

Food, Music, History B Y G LY N D A P H I L L I P S

The picturesque town of Como in north Panola County draws visitors from around the state, the nation and the world.

Its proximity to the cities of Memphis, Oxford and Tunica makes it an attractive tourist destination. The pretty little town of some 1,300 residents offers music, food, history and art. It is said that Como is quiet by day but comes alive at night, especially on the weekends.

The town’s historic commercial district boasts a number of old storefronts, renowned restaurants and interesting shops, including the Main Street Gallery, Main Street Antiques, and Como Lighting and Home Gallery, a large retail and wholesale lighting store. On Main Street, you will find the famed Como Steakhouse, housed in a 125-year-old former mercantile store.

Upstairs, with a completely different menu, is the Oyster Bar. Also upstairs is an outdoors balcony with tables and chairs. Windy City Grille, Thai Hut Restaurant and Bar, and El Rio Mexican Restaurant add to Como’s “restaurant row.” Some restaurants offer live music on the weekends.

Most of the Main Street businesses are family-owned and family-operated. In 2008, 32 sites in Como’s commercial Main Street district received National Historic Register designation.

Placed along Main Street are three blues markers in honor of musicians Mississippi Fred McDowell, Othar “Otha” Turner and Napoleon Strickland. The town has one literary marker in honor of author Stark Young. History reflects that blues musician W.C. Handy would ride the train down from Memphis to perform at parties in Como.

The award-winning Emily J. Pointer Public Library and the town of Como are among the first in the nation to host a repatriation exhibition of the digitized work of

Alan Lomax, an American collector of folk music of the 20th century. His recordings of Mississippi hill-country blues are the focus of this particular exhibit.

PLACES TO STAY

If you are looking for a place to stay while visiting the area, the downtown historic district offers two bed and breakfast establishments, Como Inn on Main and the Como Courtyard. Como Inn on Main, which opened June 2009, is housed in a building that was constructed in the 1800s, meticulously renovated and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Como Courtyard is housed in a 120-year-old building (the original Cotton Exchange) that boasts a decorative 18-foot tin ceiling, exposed bricks, antique rugs and furnishings, and a large enclosed New Orleans-inspired courtyard.

The Tait-Taylor Home in the town’s residential area is a Queen Anne-style home constructed in 1892 and designed by architect Andrew Johnson. The home is currently owned by the proprietors of 201 Oak Bed and Breakfast and Sycamore House.

Outside of town, you will find Moon Hollow Farm and Country House. This 1923 home, built by local doctor O.B. Rogers, is set on 25 acres and offers off-the-beaten-path accommodations for up to four guests.

SOME HISTORY

According to historians, the Como area was settled in the 1830s by Dr. and Mrs. George Tait of Georgia. The Taits bought land that was later sold in lots to other settlers. The community became a major area of commerce when the Mississippi Tennessee Railroad was built straight through the middle of town, connecting it with Memphis and Sardis. Como is a hill-country town located near the Mississippi Delta, where cotton was

king in those early years. From the late 1880s until the Great Depression, Como is said to have boasted more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the U.S. Today, Como is home to a number of family farms and ag-related businesses, including Home Place Pastures, a pastureraised pork operation; Lipscomb Brothers Livestock Market; Como Consolidated Cotton Gin; and the offices of Sledge Taylor and Buckeye Farms, a family row crop farm operated by five generations of Mississippi family farmers. Taylor currently chairs the National Cotton Council.

Como boasts quite a few historic homes, including the Tait-Taylor Home (mentioned earlier); the Ada Sledge Bankhead Home, the family home of the mother of actress Tallulah Bankhead; and the Craig-Seay-Clinton House, a Colonial Revival/Queen Anne-style house built in 1899 and designed by architect Andrew Johnson. Visitors will also find the Painted Lady, 1895; Oakhurst, 1895; and Four Oaks, 1919, just to name a few.

Holy Innocents Episcopal Church, built in 1873 in the Carpenter Gothic style, anchors one end of Main Street. Designed by James B. Cook and constructed by Andrew Johnson, the church boasts authentic stainedglass windows. Como United Methodist Church, built in 1912, anchors the other end of the street. This church features a large dome. Fredonia Church, the county’s oldest standing pioneer church, is located about six miles outside of town. It was constructed in 1848 in the Greek Revival style and designed by architect Andrew Johnson.

Como offers three event centers for weddings, parties and company retreats, including 211 Main, Como Inn and The Gallery at 223.

To follow news or happenings in Como, you are invited to visit the Como Main Street Alliance Facebook page. FB

The photos of Main Street Antiques and Holy Innocents Episcopal Church are complements of Karen Ott Mayer.

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SOLVE

Mystery

How did this town get its name?

According to local historians, a stage coach stop called Como Depot was located west of Como on Old Panola Road. Mail was delivered there. When the railroad came through in the 1850s and the outlying communities moved to the railroad, the name Como Depot was given to the new location. So the town was actually called Como Depot until the late 1800s, when it was changed to Como.

The postmaster may have named Como after a body of water in a European country.

Name this famous body of water and the country where it is located.

Mail your guess to Solve the Mystery, Mississippi Farm Country, P. O. Box 1972,

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Jackson, MS 39215. You may also email your guesses to FarmCountry@MSFB.org.

Please remember to include your name and address on the entry.

Visit our Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation website at www.msfb.org.

When all correct guesses have been received, we will randomly draw 20 names. These 20 names will receive a prize and will be placed in the hat twice. At the end of the year, a winner will be drawn from all correct submissions. The winner will receive a Weekend Bed and Breakfast Trip, courtesy of the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation.

Families may submit only one entry.

Federation staff members and their families are ineligible to participate in this contest.

The deadline for submitting your entry is July 31. FB

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YF&R Contests: Your Chance to Get Involved B Y K I R S T E N J O H N S O N , M F B F Y F & R C O O R D I N AT O R

The Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers & Ranchers (YF&R) Program offers many opportunities for members to become active in Farm Bureau.

Three of the best-known opportunities are the Achievement Award, Excellence in Agriculture and Discussion Meet contests, which recognize members for their achievements on the farm and off.

ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

The Achievement Award contest is open to members 18-35 years old who make the majority of their income through production agriculture. The application for this contest is quite involved and causes the applicants to step back and evaluate their farming operations on many different levels. The application asks contestants to tell the story of their farm through the years. How did they get involved in agriculture; how did the operation start; what challenges have they faced through the years and how did they deal with them; what management decisions have they implemented and why; what were their production goals when they started and what are they now?

All of these questions paint a picture of their farms for the judges. However, that is not the only portion of the application. Two other equally important parts are the Farm Bureau and Community Involvement sections. Just as they do with their operations, they are asked to list all of their Farm Bureau involvement, past and present, and their community involvement, past and present.

Farm Bureau involvement can include being a county Farm Bureau member or YF&R chair, attending the YF&R State Leadership Conference, attending state commodity meetings or serving on the YF&R State Committee. The community involvement is just as varied and can include an involvement in everything from 4-H and FFA (past and present) to church and commodity activities.

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If you are interested in participating in The Excellence in Agriculture contest is any of these contests, contact your regional open to members 18-35 years old who are manager or call YF&R Coordinator Kirsten involved in agriculture but do not make the Johnson at (601) 977-4277. FB majority of their income through production agriculture. If this sounds broad, that’s because it is. This contest strives to recognize those dedicated ag professionals who are invested in seeing agriculture and farmers succeed. As with the Achievement Award contest, this application asks the applicants to evaluate their involvement in agriculture, Farm Bureau and their community, and also asks them to address three issues they feel agriculture is facing in the next five years and why.

Participants are also asked to give a 20- to 25-minute presentation to the judges based largely on their application and the three issues they addressed in it. When selecting issues they feel agriculture is facing, many applicants focus on things that they deal with in their professional life and also some of the most pressing issues of the day. This is because not only are they asked to identify Julie White of Starkville was among the them, they are asked to justify their selec- 10 outstanding young farm and ranch leadtions and offer ways they are working to help ers selected by the American Farm Bureau address these issues.

Federation as the organization’s eighth Partners in Agricultural Leadership (PAL) DISCUSSION MEET class. PAL is designed to help agricultural The Discussion Meet, open to members leaders accelerate their leadership abili18-35 years old, is an energetic and spirited ties and solidify their roles as advocates for contest that is designed to simulate a Farm agriculture.

Bureau committee meeting. Contestants must Julie and her husband, William, served be prepared to answer five different questions on the Young Farmers & Ranchers (YF&R) from the American Farm Bureau Federation State Committee They were state winners of (AFBF) YF&R Committee. These questions the YF&R Achievement Award and among deal with pressing issues facing agriculture the top 10 finalists in national Achievement today. Potential participants are not only Award competition. Julie was a co-recipigiven the list of questions they will face, they ent of the 2013 Mississippi Farm Bureau are given a list of information on each ques- Federation Ag Ambassador Award. She is tion, and AFBF hosts conference calls on each an Extension agent/county coordinator for question in the fall. After their intense prepa- the Mississippi State University Extension ration, contestants must face each other and Service’s Oktibbeha County Office. work together to try and come up with posThe PAL program is sponsored by AFBF, sible solutions or steps to address the issues. the Farm Credit System and Monsanto Co. EXCELLENCE IN AGRICULTURE

Julie White Selected For PAL

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2015 Women’s Leadership Conference

The 2015 Women’s Leadership Conference was held in April in Jackson. Speakers addressed issues of interest to farm women, and volunteer leaders had an opportunity to participate in Ag in the Classroom activities. The luncheon speaker was Clarion Ledger editorial cartoonist Marshall Ramsey, who is also a writer and radio host. Also pictured is an Ag in the Classroom tomato activity.

2015 Secretaries’ Conference

County Farm Bureau secretaries from across the state attended the 2015 Secretaries’ Conference held at Table 100 in Flowood.

Pictured are conference participants and members of the Secretary Advisory Committee, who planned the conference. The committee, which is made up of one representative from each region, includes back row, from left, Phyllis Moulds, Covington County; Barbara Butler, Adams County; Marianne Butler, Monroe County; and Judy Kelly, Humphreys County; front row, from left, Dorothy Broome, Lamar County; Donna McAnally, Tishomingo County; Jan Hood, Panola County; and Bess Varas, Copiah County.

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JULY/AUGUST 2015

Polaris Member Discount Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation now offers a member discount with Polaris.

Through this program, eligible Farm Bureau members receive a $300 per-unit discount on all Polaris utility and sport vehicles, a $200 per-unit discount on all all-terrain vehicles and a $300 per-unit discount on

JULY/AUGUST 2015

all GEM electric vehicles. Your membership must be valid for 30 days before using the discounts. • To take advantage of the Polaris discount, please visit www.fbverify.com/ polaris. Eligibility will be confirmed once your membership number and zip code are entered. A certificate

will be made available online that must be printed and taken to the dealership of choice for presentation to the salesperson.

Certificates expire after 60 days. FB

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Tomato Beef Pie 1 pie crust 1 lb. hamburger meat 3-4 med. tomatoes ⅓ pkg. taco seasoning ¼ c. mayonnaise, regular, light or fat-free ¾-1 c. sour cream, regular, light or fat-free 1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded Your favorite herbs and seasonings to taste (salt, basil, Italian seasoning, garlic, pepper, chives, oregano) Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake pie crust for five minutes. Reduce oven heat to 250 degrees. Peel tomatoes, slice ½-inch thick and cover bottom of pie shell. Add your favorite seasonings. Brown ground beef and drain well in colander or on paper towels. Add taco seasoning and spread mixture over tomatoes. Mix mayonnaise, sour

Recipese

cream and cheese. Spread over the meat mixture evenly, sealing edges. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

Topping 2 T. sugar 2 T. cinnamon

Dott Arthur Leake County

Combine 2½ cups flour and baking powder.

In a separate bowl, cream butter, two cups sugar, salt and cinnamon about two minutes or until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and sour cream. Mix until combined. Add flour mixture. Toss cinnamon chips with two tablespoons flour and stir into batter.

Spoon batter into floured and greased pan (one long, two short or five minis). Shake cinnamon and sugar around pan before pouring batter in. Sprinkle topping over top of the batter in the pan. Bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick comes out clean.

Adina’s Snickerdoodle Bread 2½ c. all-purpose flour 2 tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. salt 2 tsp. vanilla 2 tsp. cinnamon 1 c. butter, softened 2 c. sugar 3 eggs 1 c. sour cream 1½ c. cinnamon chips 2 T. flour

Betty Edwards Amite County COUNTRY COOKING, VOLUME V: These recipes are from “Country Cooking, Volume V,” now available at most county offices. The cost is $20. If you order a cookbook from the state office, you will pay $20 plus postage. • For more information, contact Pam Jones at (601) 977-4854.

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Honey Dijon Pork Chops ½ c. vegetable oil 4 T. Dijon mustard 2 T. orange juice 8 butterfly pork loin chops 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce ¼ tsp. onion powder 2 tsp. vinegar ½ c. honey Combine honey, mustard, orange juice, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and onion powder. Place pork chops in a greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish and cover with one-half of the honey mixture. Bake at 375 degrees, covered, for one hour. Remove cover; turn and spoon remaining honey mixture over pork chops. Continue baking uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes or until no longer pink inside.

Clara Bilbo Madison County Southern Lady Cake 1 Duncan Hines Orange Supreme cake mix 2 T. all-purpose flour ⅔ c. vegetable oil 1 (11-oz.) can mandarin oranges, well-drained ⅓ c. sugar 1 c. sour cream 1 tsp. orange extract 4 lg. eggs Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray tube pan with Pam. Combine cake mix, sugar and flour. Add sour cream, vegetable oil and extract. Mix on low speed. Add the eggs, one at a time.

Increase speed to medium and beat for two minutes. Fold in mandarin oranges. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Cool.

Frosting 2 T. orange juice or more if needed 1 c. confectioner’s sugar Mix together and frost cake.

Sandra Waide Clay County

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The Beeman

The 2015 Agricultural Book of the Year is “The Beeman” by Laurie Krebs and Valeria Cis. The book looks at beekeeping through the eyes of a child whose grandpa is a beekeeper. Readers learn how honey bees make honey inside a hive and about the honey extraction and bottling process. The book also includes an apple and honey muffin recipe.

Copies of “The Beeman” can be ordered by contacting Pam Jones at 1-800227-8244, ext. 4854, or (601) 977-4854. You may also contact your county Farm Bureau office. The cost of the book is $6 plus $2 shipping.

The Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation Ag in the Classroom Program is designed to educate youth, increase their understanding of agriculture and instill in them an appreciation for our renewable food, fiber and fuel systems. FB

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Ag Mags Available

You can order copies of the Ag Mag newsletter for children from our Ag in the Classroom program. To order, contact Pam Jones at: pjones@msfb.org or (601) 977-4854.

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