Mississippi Farm Country

VOLUME 88 NO. 1

JANUARY/FEBRU ARY 2012

For abundant food and fiber

Thank a Mississippi Farmer A Publication of Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation • MSFB.org

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MISSISSIPPI FARM CO UNTRY Volume 88 Number 1 January/February 2012

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

EDITORIAL and BUSINESS OFFICES 6311 Ridgewood Road Jackson, MS 39211 601-977-4153 E DITOR - Glynda Phillips AD VE RTISING Angela Thompson 1-800-227-8244 ext. 4242 FARM BUREAU OFFICERS President – Randy Knight Vice President – Donald Gant Vice President – Ted Kendall Vice President – Reggie Magee Treasurer – Billy Davis Corporate Secretary – Ilene Sumrall FARM BURE AU DIRECT ORS Carla Taylor, Booneville Mike Graves, Ripley Ronald Jones, Holly Springs Bill Ryan Tabb, Cleveland Randle Wright, Vardaman Neal Huskison, Pontotoc Mike Langley, Houston Bobby Moody, Louisville Wanda Hill, Isola James Foy, Canton Fred Stokes, Porterville James Brewer, Shubuta David Boyd, Sandhill Lonnie Fortner, Port Gibson Jeff Mullins, Meadville Mike McCormick, Union Church Lyle Hubbard, Mt. Olive Gerald Moore, Petal J. B. Brown, Perkinston Ken Mallette, Vancleave Betty Mills, Winona Jason Hill, Woodland

CONTENTS

Features

8 MISSISSIPPI FARMERS Tyler Huerkamp and Scott Cannada are proud Mississippi farmers. In this issue, Tyler writes about his family’s Noxubee County cotton and corn operation, and Scott talks about his family’s Hinds County timber, row crop and cattle farm.

Scott was recently recognized as Mississippi Farmer of the Year by Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Ag Expo.

1 2 BLUEBERRIES & PUMPKINS Come with us as we visit Pontotoc Ridge Blueberry Farm in Pontotoc and Farmer Jim’s Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze in Rolling Fork. We also learn about the innovative Mississippi MarketMaker program.

2 2 SOLVE THE MYSTERY Which Lafayette County town, located eight miles south of Oxford, is known for its large community of artists and its renowned catfish restaurant? Read the clues and make your guess.

“Our mission is to create an environment in which Mississippi farmers, ranchers, and Farm Bureau members can have a better life and make a better living.”

Departments

HONORARY V ICE -PRE SID ENTS Louis Breaux, David H. Bennett Warren Oakley

4 6- 7 18 20

President’s Message Commodity Updates Counsel’s Corner Member Benefits Spotlight 24 Young Farmer News

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 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.

Design: Coopwood Communications, Inc. JANUARY/FEBRUARY

About the cover Today, on average, one U.S. farmer produces food and fiber for 155 people in the United States and abroad. This production fact is astounding when you consider that less than 2 percent of our nation’s population is involved in production agriculture. For abundant food and fiber, make a point of thanking a Mississippi farmer. Tyler Huerkamp of Noxubee County visits a cotton field in late October. Tyler is a member of the Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) State Committee and a past regional YF&R Achievement Award winner. He and his father farm cotton and corn together near Macon. His father Joe is president of Noxubee County Farm Bureau.

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Randy Knight, President Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation

Mississippi Farmers are the Best

Mississippi farmers always meet the challenges of a very tough Going statewide is expensive, so we hope you will continue to and demanding industry. And what a difficult year we experienced support our efforts. One important way you can do this is by purin 2011. chasing a Farm Families of Mississippi vehicle tag. For more inThis past year was all about the weather. While most areas of the formation, contact Greg Gibson at (601) 977-4154. state experienced unusually hot and dry conditions during the sumAnd speaking of campaigns, let’s talk for a moment about emimer months, others received too much rain and unseasonably cold nent domain reform. Farm Bureau staff members and volunteer leadtemperatures in the spring. Still others coped with massive flood- ers from across the state worked tirelessly to make this effort a huge ing and catastrophic tornadoes in April and May. success. I still get a lump in my throat when I remember how the citBut despite the weather and the ever-rising costs of fuel and feed, izens of Mississippi stood together in support of Initiative 31 for emour Mississippi farmers persevered. It’s that type of commitment that inent domain reform. The initiative passed overwhelmingly, and I benefits us all in the form of a plentiful supply of food and fiber. want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for carAmerica has one of the most abundant, most affordable and safest ing enough to take the time to participate in this most important camfood supplies in the world. And if you haven’t thanked a farmer paign. lately, make a point of doing so today.

Our Public Relations and Publications programs helped us get As a definite bright spot, state farmers received good news this our eminent domain reform message out to the general public. I fall with the passage of three free trade agreements. These agree- know you saw the videos, press releases, banners, cards, brochures, ments will increase our direct Web site, and other items, all farm exports by $26.5 million per very eye-catching, colorful Initiative 31 passed overwhelmingly, and I year and add approximately 235 and informative. Other areas jobs to the economy. Mississippi want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. where you see the hand of our family farms will benefit greatly Public Relations and PublicaThank you for caring enough to take the time from an open access to new martions programs are the letters to participate in this most important campaign. to the editor, ads and articles kets for poultry, beef, rice and catfish, just to name a few. that appear in local newspaPassage of the free trade pers, the appearances that I agreements will help to level the playing field for Mississippi farm- and other volunteer leaders make on television and radio, and the ers, and when local farmers succeed, our nation’s agricultural in- trade exhibits, signs, annual reports and so forth on display here at dustry as a whole is strengthened. the headquarters building and at special events across the state.

Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation is all about helping farmThe Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation Public Relations and ers succeed. Our Public Relations and Publications programs help Publications programs are just two of the many programs and bentremendously with this effort. The magazine you hold in your efits you gain access to when you pay your membership dues each hands, Mississippi Farm Country, keeps farmers up-to-date on year. For more information, see pages 20-21, or contact our Memwhat’s happening within the organization and industry and teaches ber Services Director Greg Gibson at (601) 977-4154. our associate members (the rest of the consuming public) to underIn conclusion, I’d like to encourage you to stay in touch with your stand and appreciate agriculture. The same can be said for our tel- lawmakers during the upcoming legislative session. Let them know evision program, “Voices of Agriculture.” This program airs bi- where we stand on those issues that affect our industry and organmonthly on RFD-TV, so make a point of checking it out. ization. A very good opportunity to do this is during our Ag Day at In 2012, our statewide Ag Image Campaign will gear up for its the Capitol event, scheduled this year for March 1. third consecutive year of taking agriculture’s message to the conAlso, stay tuned as we move forward with the writing of the 2012 suming public. Working with a committee made up of farmer- Farm Bill. We have worked hard to make sure that the voice of members from across the state, this very successful campaign got Southern agriculture is heard on all fronts, and I promise you we will underway in 2010 in the Jackson media market with television not stop until this very important piece of legislation is completed commercials, radio spots, newspapers ads, and billboards. We added to our satisfaction. If you have a concern or you need our help, don’t the Gulf Coast market in 2011, and we intend to include North Mis- hesitate to call the Public Policy Department at (601) 977-4226. sissippi in February 2012.

As always, I invite you to come see me. My door is always open.

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COMMODITY UPDATE: EQUINE Virginia Mathews, MFBF Equine Advisory Committee Chair Matt Bayles, MFBF Commodity Coordinator for Equine

Southern Regional 4-H Horse Championships Equine is a very popular and growing industry that is making a tremendous economic impact upon our state. Currently, Mississippi has approximately 126,000 horses and 72 public arenas. The industry annually contributes $1.15 billion to our state’s economy because Mississippi hosts some of the largest equestrian events in the United States. In 2010, the Mississippi Equine Industry brought 39,500 jobs to the state.

Recognizing the economic stimulus of this most important industry, Farm Bureau is proud to support it in every way possible.

4-H Horse Show

In this issue, we spotlight the 2011 Southern Regional 4-H Horse Championships. This show rotates among the 13 states in the southern region, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. We were happy to have it here in our state this past year.

This multi-state event was hosted by the Mississippi 4-H Horse Clubs and Mississippi State University Extension Service and was held at the Tunica Arena and Exposition Center in Tunica from July 26-31.

In addition to the horse show, the week included six educational contests.

The contests, held at the nearby Tunica Recreation Center on Wednesday, July 27, and Thursday, July 28, included hippology, a multiphase knowledge contest that includes written and identification exams, horse judging, and team problems; horse bowl, an “all things equine” quiz bowl; horse judging, where contestants rank their placing of horses based on industry standards and oral reasoning skills; horse public speaking; and horse individual and horse team presentations, which are illustrated talks given by contestants on an equine-related topic.

Over 240 4-H youth competed in the horse educational contests.

The horse show, which consisted of 35 classes and six divisions (Western, Hunt Seat, Saddle Seat, Non-Trotting, Speed and Roping), started on Thursday, July 28, and concluded on Sunday, July 31. During the show, 340 youth competed with their horses (approximately 380) in a variety of classes.

6

Mathews

Bayles

During the week, exhibitors and their families were treated to Mississippi hospitality as the horse show districts provided watermelons, cupcakes, cookies and ice cream for them.

“Overall, attendees enjoyed their time in Tunica and were very respectful of their fellow competitors inside and outside the show ring,” said Dr. Dean Jousan, Ph.D, Associate Extension Professor, Extension 4-H Livestock Specialist, Mississippi State University. “It is multi-state events such as this one that help 4-H youth learn how to network with young people from other states while continuing with the lessons and responsibilities learned from working with their horses.”

Winter Commodity Conference In other news, the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) Equine Commodity Advisory Committee enjoyed some very productive meetings in 2011, and committee members are making plans and looking forward to the upcoming 2012 Winter Commodity Conference in January.

The MFBF Equine Commodity Advisory Committee continues to grow and reach out to new members, and Farm Bureau is optimistic about what the future holds for this most important industry.

The information about the Southern Regional 4-H Horse Championships was provided by Dr. Jousan.

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COMMODITY UPDATE: AQUACULTURE Wayne Hill, MFBF Aquaculture Advisory Committee Chair Britton Hatcher, MFBF Commodity Coordinator for Aquaculture

Research Findings Hold Promise for Catfish Industry

of techniques for producing hybrids and general superiority of hybrids relative to channel catfish have spurred renewed interest in use of hybrids for commercial production.

Dr. Brian Bosworth and Dr. Nagaraj Chatakondi with the USDA Catfish Genetics Research Unit have led the research effort for improved hormone usage, egg yield, and increased egg hatching rates. Dr. Menghe Li with the Mississippi Agriculture Experiment Station has determined that hybrid catfish can utilize diets originally formulated for channel catfish.

Additional research is also being conducted to examine other production characteristics, such as dissolved oxygen tolerance, optimum stocking rates, and fish health management.

The National Warmwater Aquaculture Center (NWAC) is located at Mississippi State University’s Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville. The cooperative programs of the USDA Agricultural Research Service, Mississippi Agricultural Experiment Station, Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service, and MSU College of Veterinary Medicine serve as the base of catfish research, extension and diagnostic programs.

The mission of the NWAC is to provide solutions to the most pressing problems of the aqua- Hill culture industry through basic and applied research, extension and diagnostic activities.

Recent research efforts hold potential for benefitting the U.S. catfish industry.

Nutrition

Split-pond systems

Traditional catfish ponds simultaneously confine fish, produce dissolved oxygen, and treat wastes produced by the fish. The “splitpond” developed by Dr. Craig Tucker physically separates these functions to achieve greater control over fish production. The split-pond is Hatcher constructed by dividing an existing catfish pond into two unequal sections with an earthen levee. The waste-treatment section is about 80 to 85 percent of the total system and contains no fish.

The fish-confinement section is about 15 to 20 percent of the total system and contains all the fish that would normally be grown in the whole pond.

Water is circulated between the two sections.

Over nine years of study, annual fish production in these systems has been 3 to 4 times higher than traditional ponds. This improvement is due to the ability to maintain adequate dissolved oxygen levels in the splitpond, which allows greater feed input. Survival and feed conversion of hybrid catfish in these systems have also been good. Although the split-pond offers several advantages over traditional ponds for growing fish, additional work needs to be done to determine the construction and operational costs of the split-pond system.

Hybrid catfish

Production of hybrids between the channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) and the blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) was reported as early as 1966. Research to develop and refine methods for producing hybrids and to evaluate their performance for economically important traits has continued until present. The hybrid generally performs better than either parent species for several important production traits, including survival, growth, disease resistance, and carcass yield.

The primary constraint to commercial production of the hybrid has been the lack of reliable, cost-effective methods for producing large quantities of fry needed for commercial catfish farming. However, refinements JANUARY/FEBRUARY

Feed costs have risen almost 120 percent in the last 10 years. In 2000, producers were paying $192 per ton for feed. This year, producers have paid as high as $441 per ton. If not for the 25 years of research by Dr. Ed Robinson and Dr. Menghe Li, catfish feed manufactured to the same formula as feed in 1980 would cost almost $600 per ton. Most of this savings is due to lowering the amount of protein and the substitution of alternative feed ingredients. This search for cheaper alternatives continues today with evaluation of diets utilizing solvent-extracted distillers dried grains with solubles.

Fish health

Enteric septicemia of catfish (ESC) is one of the most costly diseases of the channel catfish industry. The economic impact of this disease is estimated to cost the industry $30 million annually. Recent research by Dr. David Wise, Dr. Terry Greenway, Dr. Matt Griffin, and others has investigated the potential of orally vaccinating channel catfish against ESC using an experimental live attenuated vaccine (patent pending). In laboratory trials, the relative percent survival of vaccinated fish ranged from 82.6 percent and 100 percent. Experimental field trials have yielded similar results.

Commercial scale vaccination trials are being conducted to demonstrate proof of concept.

Channel catfish anemia (CCA), often referred to as “no blood disease” or “white-lip,” remains a mystery for fish diagnosticians. While normal packed cell volumes (PCV) of catfish range from approximately 20-40 percent (with the higher PCVs in summer), anemic catfish often have extremely low PCVs of 5 percent or less.

While the cause of CCA has not been determined, anemia appears to develop in catfish due to a decrease in the production of red blood cells.

Studies were conducted to determine if iron supplements could be used as support therapy to promote recovery. Although commercial feeds have adequate amounts of iron, iron-fortified diets may provide therapeutic support for CCA and promote recovery.

Research, extension and diagnostic faculty continue to find new ways to support the U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish Industry through new and exciting projects.

This article was written by Dr. Jimmy Avery, Extension Aquaculture Professor, National Warmwater Aquaculture Center, Mississippi State University.

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Beautiful Finish

Rough Start

By Tyler Huerkamp

Editor’s Note: Tyler Huerkamp writes about how the weather impacted his family’s cotton and corn operation in Noxubee County.

His article gives you a close-up look at one of the biggest challenges our Mississippi farmers faced in 2011.

PHOTO BY MATTHEW WOOD

M

y father and I farm two different entities collectively as one. Together, we farm about 2,000 acres in Noxubee County near Macon. Typically, our operations are split equally between cotton and corn, using a crop rotation program that generally results in either crop following itself on the same acre two years in a row. However, considering current market prices and yields, which typically tilt in cotton’s favor, cotton was more appealing this year in our eyes. This logic resulted in more cotton acres for the past growing season.

Tough Beginning

The start of this crop year was rough and tough, literally. New Year’s Eve brought a tornado and eight inches of rain. While we were very fortunate and only suffered minor damage, that night’s storm demolished some neighboring farms. As corn-planting time rolled around, the weather turned in our favor and was pleasant. Our corn was planted in a timely manner and got off to a relatively good start.

Another serious outbreak of storms arrived as April 15th approached. This storm system spun a tornado that hit the home of our employee and friend Mark Fleming and many surrounding homes and farms in and around Scooba.

After cleaning up the aftermath of this round of tornado damage, preparations began for planting cotton. As you may know, April 27th brought the worst tornado outbreak of our lifetime in the Southeast. However, this time, our farm was not as lucky as before.

Sarah and I gathered our children near our safe room and watched in awe as a tornado missed our home. As we watched, we were able to capture on film the destruction of parts of our farm and neighboring farms. Even though the farm was hit and damaged, we were very fortunate and thankful to the good Lord for protecting our family and home.

In addition to the numerous trees in fields, that tornado totally destroyed a center pivot irrigation system that was hit and damaged by a wind storm two years earlier. The shop was a wreck, and I had to replant the corn that was in the tornado’s path. Repairs had to be made to perimeter fences around a horse pasture.

Drought & Tropical Storm

After that massive system passed, things began to settle down and cotton planting got underway. Weather was fairly normal for the next month, and then a drought set in for the month of June.

Not only was the weather dry, it was also unbearably hot. This type of weather did not affect cotton too much because it had not started blooming and setting bolls. The weather caught our corn in the pollination stage, a very vulnerable phase of crop development, and the heat took its toll on the potential of the corn crop.

As the season progressed, we knew the corn crop was going to be a little below average, but the cotton crop was shaping up to be a good one. The hot, dry start helped our cotton develop a very extensive and strong root system.

As the crop went into bloom and began setting bolls, we irrigated like normal as we continued to prepare for corn harvest. As the corn harvest was underway, the weather changed again.We constantly had breaks in the harvest due to small, daily rain showers. Corn harvest progressed slowly and finally came to an end.

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As a tropical storm was brewing and heading our way, the fear of another year like 2009 was fresh on our minds. The storm passed through and dumped nine inches of rain on our farm. As the sun came out, the damage was assessed and, amazingly, turned out to be minimal.

When cotton bolls are cracking and opening, if warm, wet and humid conditions are present cotton is very susceptible to boll rot caused by several organisms, including Rhizoctonia and Fusarium. We were very lucky this time. The cotton crop was not injured badly, although the storm seemed to inhibit the defoliation process. At least on our farm, the maturing of the cotton seemed to be slowed and the boll opening seemed to be more difficult.

Record Cotton Yields

As cotton harvest got underway, it was obvious that the drought and heat, sprinkled with a few timely rain showers throughout the growing season, was nearly perfect for this year’s crop. Excitement scattered throughout the county at news of record yields being harvested.

The year 2011 brought below-average corn yields and aboveaverage corn prices. Despite all the trials for 2011, the cotton yields were spectacular and will be remembered most in my mind. We finished the year relatively strong and had record cotton yields for our farm.

All of the cotton has yet to be ginned, but we have some fields that averaged over three bales per acre. Not only did we have record yields on our farm, but it is believed that local farmers may have set a new Noxubee County cotton yield record.

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M I S S I S S I P P I

Farmer of the Year S

Sco t t Ca nnada

cott Cannada of Edwards was selected the 2011 Mississippi winner of the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year award.

Scott carries on a tradition begun by his great-great-great-greatgrandfather in 1827, when he started Cannada Farms after acquiring farmland from his uncle. He is the eighth generation of his family to work the family farm.

Scott farms in partnership with his mother and father. In 2010, his crops included corn on 552 acres, yielding 112 bushels per acre; soybeans on 546 acres, yielding 40.4 bushels per acre; and hay on 150 acres, yielding 3.4 tons per acre.

“Our yields in 2010 were down due to dry weather,” he recalls.

“I was blessed to produce the yields I did.”

His five-year-per-acre yields are better, 128 bushels for corn and 45 bushels for soybeans. His yields are impressive, considering he doesn’t irrigate.

“Irrigation isn’t feasible because the water is too deep in the soil,” he explains. Crop insurance paid off in 2009 when he harvested only a small portion of his soybeans.

Scott stopped growing cotton several years ago. Though his

10

family grew cotton for many years, plant bugs hurt yields during the final years he grew the crop.

“I sold my picker, and I’m not ready to get back into cotton, even with high prices,” he says.

Scott has about 700 acres in pasture that supports 200 cows. His pastures include Coastal bermudagrass, tall fescue, bahiagrass, and native grasses. He also grows Sumrall 007 bermudagrass, a variety developed in Mississippi, along with Alicia bermudagrass.

The beef herd consists of crossbred cows bred to Charolais bulls. He uses a six- to seven-month breeding season, and calving takes place from December until early May. In 2010, he sold 175 calves at weights of 500 to 600 pounds.

He sells calves to a nearby farm that carries the animals to heavier weights through a backgrounding operation. Scott has a longstanding business relationship with the buyer and has been pleased with the prices he receives for his calves. He has built fences, a loading chute, and designed and built a 75- by 100-foot steel working pen for treating his cattle.

“We're fortunate to have two end-users of corn within 40 miles of our farm,” Scott says.

He prices 60 percent of his anticipated corn production in March prior to harvest. He sells a portion to the Cal-Maine poultry operation and some to a Bunge-Ergon ethanol plant.

“I store the remaining 40 percent of my corn for a few months after harvesting and sell it to Cal-Maine. This historically brings me higher prices,” he adds.

Scott prices about half of his soybeans before delivery to a grain elevator in Louisiana and delivers the rest to the same buyer after harvesting at the prevailing market prices.

Most of his hay is used in his cow-calf operation, but he also sells about 75 to 100 bales each year to local producers.

Scott also owns timberland. His tree farm includes 300 acres of hardwood and 150 acres of pine trees. Some of the trees are in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

“The CRP gives us annual income from marginal land, while providing wildlife habitat and helping to control erosion,” he says.

Select cutting of hardwoods has provided money during years when farm income has been low.

“I also help manage 2,500 acres of timber and CRP land for family members,” he adds. “In return, I get to use this land for recreation.”

Scott protects the environment by using conservation tillage

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“

I’ve been fortunate to be a farmer. All of my income is from farming.”

and planting trees in buffer strips along a creek. The buffer costshare funds allowed him to build new fencing to keep cattle away from the creek.

One big challenge is finding land to farm. He has lost land to utility easements and to other renters who outbid him. He lost more than 1,000 acres of rented land planted to trees during the past ten years.

“Urban sprawl is a problem where I farm, 25 miles from Jackson and 15 miles from Vicksburg,” he explains. “We’ve lost land to urban development, recreation, hunting and tree planting. We’re trying to become less dependent on rented land. We’re looking to buy land because long-term leases are hard to come by.”

Scott is active in Edwards Presbyterian Church and in both

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county and state Farm Bureau activities. He served as chair of the Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) State Committee and was twice named a regional YF&R Achievement Award winner.

He serves on the Farm Service Agency County Committee. As a cotton grower, he was active in boll weevil eradication and sat on the board of a local cotton gin. He has been president of the Hinds County Cattlemen’s Association and is active in the Mississippi Cattlemen’s Association.

He and his wife Lesley have two young daughters, Haley and Hayden.

“I’ve been fortunate to be a farmer,” he says. “All of my income is from farming. My goal is to own more land and become less dependent on leased property. As I increase acreage, I also hope to increase grain storage capacity on the farm.”

This article was provided by Sunbelt Ag Expo. Photos are by Greg Gibson.

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Dreaming

Big

at Pontotoc Ridge Blueberry Farm

Sometimes life surprises you.

Teresa and Gerald Holifield of Pontotoc Ridge Blueberry Farm dreamed of moving back to the old home place in northeast Mississippi, slowing down a bit, and growing a few vegetables. What they ended up doing instead was running a very interesting and successful value-added blueberry/vegetable business.

And they haven’t stopped dreaming yet.

“One day, I want to build a red store at the top of that hill,” Teresa said, pointing off to the east. “I will sell our products there, but I will also cook.”

Stay tuned, because it is bound to happen.

Some History

“We are farmers at heart,” Teresa said. “Gerald has the gift for growing. We were finally able to put in a vegetable garden when we moved back here from Gautier 23 years ago. This is family land, where my grandpa grew cotton. I think my grandpa would be very proud of what we are doing here today.”

In the course of their gardening efforts, Teresa noticed something interesting. Folks in their northeastern area of Mississippi did not grow blueberries.

“People around here were growing blackberries,” she said.

“They looked at me like I was crazy for wanting to put in blue-

berry bushes. Even my own mother wanted to know what I thought I was doing.”

But the blueberries caught on. And Teresa began to see possibilities.

“We learned as we went along,” she said. “The Extension people helped. When we were getting ready to plant our first bushes, we were so precise. We measured out everything just so, with string and poles.

“People would tease me,” she said with a smile. “They would ask, “Teresa, are you building a mansion up there?”

The Farm Today

Today, the Holifields grow a total of 2,400 blueberry bushes, including Tif Blues, Powder Blues, Austins, Brightwells, Premieres and Woodwards. The farm yields an average 150 flats of blueberries on a typical summer day.

In addition, you will find blackberries, cherries, raspberries, peaches, pears, muscadines and figs. Their 1-acre vegetable garden grows rattlesnake beans, squash, tomatoes, butterbeans, green beans, potatoes, Lady peas, okra, English peas, watermelons, cantaloupes and winter greens.

The Holifields use natural gardening practices whenever possible.

Each season, Teresa cans fresh-picked produce. She makes

By Glynda Phillips

squash pickles, chow chow and green tomato relish.

She bakes all kinds of breads and makes several types of preserves and jellies, including blueberry and fig preserves and kudzu bloom jelly. The products are sold under the Pontotoc Ridge Blueberry Farm label.

Teresa and Gerald sell vegetables and fruits on the farm and wholesale. People can come out and pick their own, or they will pick for you.

Pontotoc Ridge Blueberry Farm has booths at six area farmers markets. In Tennessee, you will find them at Collierville, Bartlett, Front Street in Memphis, Germantown, Germantown Agricenter, and Cooper and Young. They also sell at the Oxford Farmers Market just down the road.

Pontotoc Ridge Blueberry Farm products are

available at specialty stores, including the Mississippi Gift Company in Greenwood, Touch of Mississippi in Jackson, and Indianola Pecan House in Indianola. In addition, the Holifields have booths at five festivals across the state, and their blueberries are sold to a juice business and a yogurt business in Memphis.

A recent project of theirs is to sell the wood from their blueberry bushes to use in barbecuing. Teresa says this type of wood doesn’t give off harmful chemicals and imparts antioxidants to whatever you are cooking. She is proud to be able to use every part of the blueberry bush.

Blueberry Recipes

Agritourism

Blueberry Lemon Squares

2¼ c. flour ½ c. powdered sugar 1 c. (2 sticks) butter, cut into small pieces 4 large eggs 1 c. sugar ½ tsp. baking powder 1 ⁄3 c. fresh lemon juice 1 tsp. grated lemon peel 2 c. fresh blueberries Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Crust Preparation: Mix flour and ½ cup powdered sugar until blended. Mix in butter, cut into small pieces with large fork until dough holds together when squeezed. Press evenly over the bottom of a 9x13-inch pan. Bake until golden brown, usually 20-25 minutes.

Filling: While the crust is baking, whisk eggs together with granulated sugar, lemon juice and baking powder. Stir in dried blueberries.

Pour egg mixture over warm, baked crust.

Return to the oven and bake until the filling is firm and does not move when gently shaken, usually 20-25 minutes.

Sprinkle with teaspoon of powdered sugar and let cool at least 15 minutes.

Helpful Hint: You can use fresh blueberries for this.

Oatmeal Blueberry Cookies 1 c. all-purpose flour ½ tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. salt ½ tsp. cinnamon 1½ c. rolled oats ½ c. butter, softened ½ c. white sugar ½ c. brown sugar 1 large egg 2 Tbsp. honey ½ c. blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix dry ingredients together and set aside. Cream butter and sugars. Add egg and honey; mix well. Stir in dry ingredients.

Stir in blueberries. Drop rounded teaspoons onto parchment-lined cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes, until golden on the edges and just set. Cool on racks; store airtight.

Cook them too long and they will be hard.

They are better chewy.

Makes 3-4 dozen

Blueberry Tortilla Pizza

½ c. ricotta or whipped low-fat cream cheese 1 Tbsp. confectioners’ sugar 1 pint fresh blueberries ½ c. sliced strawberries 1 lg. (10-inch) flour tortilla 1 Tbsp. butter, melted 2 tsp. cinnamon sugar ¼ c. toasted shredded coconut, divided*

Preheat broiler. In a small bowl, combine ricotta cheese and confectioners’ sugar. Set aside. In another small bowl, combine blueberries and strawberries. Arrange tortilla in a boiler pan; brush with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Broil about 6 inches from heat source until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Cool slightly. Spread ricotta mixture on the tortilla; top with blueberry mixture and then sprinkle with coconut. *To toast coconut, place in a skillet over moderate heat until pale gold, stirring constantly.

(Recipes are from Pontotoc Ridge Blueberry Farm’s “Berry’d Treasure” cookbook.)

Each summer, the Holifields invite school and church youths out to Pontotoc Ridge Blueberry Farm for a picnic and hayride. The farm also hosts parties, reunions and church events for the general public.

“I show visitors my blueberry bushes and tell them the Native American story about the star in the center of the blueberry, how God sent the blueberry during a time of famine and the star was a sign that all would be okay.”

In conclusion, Teresa said, “So few of us are actually fortunate enough to have careers or jobs we love. God has blessed us so richly with a business we love, and we want to give Him all the credit and glory as well as our appreciation. Pontotoc Ridge Blueberry Farm is a gift from and dedicated to God.”

MarketMaker

Teresa drop ships products for Christmas, birthdays and “happies.” The farm has some extra frozen blueberries in the freezer from this summer.

If you are interested in purchasing frozen blueberries or any of the other products, or if you are interested in an agritourism event, please call (662) 489-8489 or (662) 419-5679 after 5:30 p.m. Or you can email the Holifields at berryfarm3@netzero.com.

Pontotoc Ridge Blueberry Farm uses the Mississippi MarketMaker Program. The Holifields say the program has really helped them move their products. Their site gets lots of hits, and they are proud to be members.

Gerald and Teresa encourage you to use the MarketMaker marketing tool. See the related article about MarketMaker in this issue. Or visit MarketMaker by accessing www.MSUCares.com. You will see the MarketMaker link beneath the Facebook, You Tube and Twitter links. Simply click on it.

Gerald and Teresa Holifield are Pontotoc County Farm Bureau members.

MarketMaker

By Glynda Phillips

Mississippi farmers have access to an innovative marketing tool designed to help them add value to the commodities they produce.

It’s called Mississippi MarketMaker, and it is an online directory of farms and businesses that connects consumers to farmers, farmers to businesses, and businesses to businesses.

For example, if you are a farmer or a business in search of supplies or raw materials, or if you are a consumer looking for a specific food 14

product, check out MarketMaker. If you are a farmer seeking new markets for your products, or if you are a restaurant or grocery store interested in offering locally grown foods, MarketMaker can help.

The program allows for statewide searches and multi-state searches. Best of all, it is free.

“MarketMaker was begun by the University of Illinois Extension Service in 2005, and they realized fairly quickly that this was something that could reach beyond state borders into neighboring states or across the nation,” said MisMISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY

sissippi State University (MSU) Extension Professor Ken Hood, who coordinates the Mississippi MarketMaker program.

MarketMaker is usually a cooperative effort between the Extension Service, the state Department of Agriculture and the state Farm Bureau.

Some History In 2006, Hood attended a value-added conference in Nashville and listened as experts from the University of Illinois Extension Service preJANUARY/FEBRUARY

sented a program on MarketMaker. He thought that MarketMaker sounded useful, so he organized a meeting in Mississippi. Those in attendance included Extension personnel, Ag Commissioner Lester Spell and his staff, Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation President David Waide and his staff, and representatives from various state commodity groups and the Mississippi Department of Economic Development.

The group liked what they heard and asked Hood to coordinate the development of the program. He immediately set about searching for a grant that would help with start-up and maintenance costs.

“Dr. Vance Watson was the director of the MSU Extension Service at the time, and he agreed to pay a three-year maintenance fee,” Hood said. “We began building the site and educating people.”

Today, 19 states and the District of Columbia are members of the MarketMaker network. The newest states to join are Wyoming, Texas and Alabama.

national MarketMaker board. Representatives from the first six states to join the program serve permanently, and three other states are rotated every year.

“Mississippi has always been ahead of the curve where value-added is concerned,” he said. “Good examples are our poultry and catfish industries, which get maximum value for the products they produce. The furniture industry also takes timber and converts it into consumerready products.

“Anything that the MarketMaker program can do to help farmers add value to what they produce is great,” he said. “I always tell farmers

if they haven’t signed up to participate, they might as well do so because it doesn’t cost them a thing. If you don’t have a hook in the water, you won’t catch anything.”

Anyone interested in MarketMaker can call their local Extension office, or contact Ken Hood at (662) 325-2155. You may also email him at hood@agecon.msstate.edu.

You can visit MarketMaker by accessing www.MSUCares.com. On the left, beneath the Facebook, YouTube and Twitter links, you will find the MarketMaker link. Click on it, and the site should come up.

Benefits Assessment Hood says the the Mississippi MarketMaker program has grown big enough so that those who administer it can begin assessing its impact on farms, businesses and consumers. He says he is already aware that the program has benefitted quite a few farmers.

“I can look and see which sites are generating the most contacts,” he said. “I also hear from the people who use it.”

For example, Lauren Farms, a Leland freshwater prawn and farm-raised catfish operation, gets lots of hits, as does Pontotoc Ridge Blueberry Farm in Pontotoc. A Calhoun County sweet potato grower has told Hood that he was contacted by someone in England who had seen his farm listed on the MarketMaker site.

The farmer now ships his potatoes to England.

Hood says farmers markets seem to also have benefited from MarketMaker.

“Farmers markets in Mississippi have experienced tremendous growth in the last five years,” he said. “When we started the site, our state had 26 farmers markets and now we have 61. People are becoming interested in foods that are grown locally.”

Into the Future The advisory committee for the the Mississippi MarketMaker program consists of Samantha Webb, Farm Bureau; Hood; Dr. Ben Posadas, MSU Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi; Dr. Kim Morgan, MSU; and Paige Manning, Department of Agriculture and Commerce.

“We talk about how to promote the program and how to get more farmers, businesses and consumers involved,” Hood said. “This program has definitely been helpful, and anything we can do to take it to next level would be great.”

Hood occupies a permanent position on the JANUARY/FEBRUARY

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15

By Glynda Phillips

Farmer Jim’s

Pumpkins

f you’re looking for that perfect pumpkin— or even just an unusual pumpkin—Farmer Jim’s Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze near Rolling Fork is the place for you. Each year, Farmer Jim Newman and his wife Lynn grow about 6 ½ acres of pumpkins and gourds. Here you will find decorative and large gourds, mini pumpkins (in white, yellow and stripes), and six varieties of orange pumpkins.

Two of the prettiest varieties are the Australian Jarrahdale, a blue pumpkin with deep ribs, and the Cinderella, a French heirloom pumpkin that resembles the coach from the fairy tale. The Cinderella is a deep orange and has pronounced ribs.

For sure, the largest pumpkin ever found at Farmer Jim’s weighed 70 pounds.

I

A Typical Season

Each year, Farmer Jim’s Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze hosts thousands of kids and adults.

Most are from the Delta, but quite a few are from different areas of the state, plus Louisiana, Arkansas and Tennessee.

Almost all of the visitors have their own idea of what is a perfect pumpkin.

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MISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY

“I don’t let them leave disappointed,” Farmer Jim said, “even if we have to search for a very long time.”

Visitors can walk through the patch or take a wagon ride around it. They must pay close attention because (and you may not know this) sometimes pumpkins hide—sometimes they hide for a very long time. Once, a little boy suddenly shouted, “There it is. That one’s mine!”

And he brought the search to a screeching halt.

Farmer Jim and the youngster dove off into the patch and—lo and behold—uncovered a 60-pound pumpkin that had been hiding for quite some time. The two of them tugged and wrestled with it, huffed and puffed over it, and finally managed to get it back to the parking lot.

Out of breath but entirely satisfied, they were about to prop up their feet and rest a spell when the boy’s younger brother suddenly piped up: “I want one just as fine!”

And back to the patch they went.

“This is a real pumpkin patch,” Farmer Jim said. “I don’t truck my pumpkins in from somewhere else. I have lots of irrigation equipment from my row-crop operation, so I give them all of the water and attention they need to thrive.”

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All photos, except the photos of the sunflower, path through the corn maze and Farmer Jim and Lynn Newman, are courtesy of Leslie Newman Dees and Farmer Jim's Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze.

In addition to the pumpkins, the farm boasts daytime and nighttime corn mazes. In 2011, the daytime maze was carved into the shape of a farm-raised catfish. The nighttime maze is always carved into the shape of a tree with a moon behind it and a bat. The nighttime maze is haunted by live spooks.

There’s also a very small and uncomplicated Kiddie Maze, from which delighted and breathless youngsters often emerge with this cry: “I did it!”

The farm boasts a corn pool, a hay maze, and a round hay bale spider slide for kids. You will find several varieties of sunflowers in different hues—from pale yellow to orange to various autumn shades and red—and a patch of bright zinnias.

The farm operates during the month of October only. It is open to the public on the weekends and to school groups during the week. In 2010, it hosted over 1,000 school kids. It averages about 5,000 to 6,000 total visitors per year.

“That’s kind of small for this type of thing,” Farmer Jim said. “I’d like to grow a little bigger but not much. I want to be able to have fun with it, and my wife has a day job and can’t help me with it full-time.”

Farmer Jim and Lynn always make a point of teaching their visitors about how pumpkins grow and the different stages they go through. They cut open a pumpkin and show them the inside and tell how pumpkins were used by the Native Americans and Pilgrims. They also tell an old Irish folk tale about the first Jack O’ Lantern.

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“We were startled to discover that kids really don’t know where their food comes from,” Lynn said.

The farm also hosts birthday parties, bonfire cookouts, church groups and Cub Scouts.

It Takes a Village

In addition to Farmer Jim and Lynn, other helpers include the Newmans’ daughters, Leslie and Lisa, and their husbands, Paul and Brian, plus lots of friends.

“You have to like people to do this, and you have to be fun-loving and understanding,” Farmer Jim said. “Everyone who visits needs to know that I care whether they have a good time and—most importantly—that I care whether or not they find the perfect pumpkin. I have been known to spend as long as an hour looking until they are satisfied.”

Farmer Jim and Lynn are members of Mississippi Agritours Trails and the Mississippi Agritourism Association. In November 2011, folks attending the Mississippi Fruit & Vegetable Growers Agritourism Conference & Trade Show in Vicksburg took a field trip to Farmer Jim’s Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze.

“We share ideas and support each other’s efforts,” he said. “We are not competitive. We know that we need each other to succeed with this. And we all enjoy this so much. It’s great just to watch the kids.”

If you’d like more information about Farmer Jim’s Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze, call (662) 873-2611 or (662) 907-3359 or email jgn00@yahoo.com.

Farmer Jim is president of the Issaquena County Farm Bureau.

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COUNSEL’S CORNER

Voodoo Economics Problems – Country Store Solutions?

By Sam E. Scott, MFBF General Counsel Voodoo is famous and infamous—as black art, legend, myth or superstition. So is much high-level economics. Witness, for example, how some of the Wall Street masters of the universe were recently able to take many thousands of bad mortgage loans, package them like the emperor’s new clothes, persuade top financial rating companies to bless them and then sell them to the successors to those who earlier bought shares in the Brooklyn Bridge or thought they had cut a sharp deal with a full-time mule trader. And so it goes.

I do not pretend to understand the difficult economic questions that almost dominate the news today. I try hard to understand the theories of chief economic advisors, chairpersons of the Federal Reserve, etc., but they continue to go over my head or in one ear and out the other. Nevertheless, I now wonder if anyone else understands it either. At its most basic level, the concept is to spend more than you have. I tried this earlier in life, and it never worked for me. This is what Churchill called one of those rhinoceros questions—short-sighted, ill-tempered and likely to charge at any moment.

We are entitled to our own opinions but not our own set of facts. Student loan debt is now over $1 trillion, slightly exceeding national credit card debt. The nation’s debt as of Oct. 26, 2011, was $14,940,671,706,465.75 ($14.9 trillion). The 2010 deficit exceeded $1.5 trillion.

There is no 2012 budget yet since the U.S. Senate rejected proposed budgets by the administration and the House of Representatives.

It is encouraging that Warren Buffett, a financial genius by anyone’s standards, has recently offered a very simple response to the country’s (here I pause to think of the right adjective – enormous, astonishing, ridiculous) debt which sounds simple but might work. His idea is to pass a law providing that any time the national debt exceeds 3 percent of gross national product the sitting members of Congress at that time would automatically become ineligible for re-election. Put another way, if you can’t or won’t do it, we will let someone else try. Odds are good this would get results. Thoreau once said, “Simplify, simplify, simplify.” And this is quite simple.

Thomas Jefferson suggested that a little revolution now and then is a good thing, and this plan would qual-

18

ify more than the current “occupy” protests. If Jefferson and Buffett are for it, who can be against it?

I knew a man who had a country store and dealt with economic issues in a crude but effective manner. He had one drawer underneath his store counter where he kept all his financial records, and it had a divider right down the middle. On one side, he had written “coming in” and, on the other side, “going out.” He could foresee his economic viability by simply pulling out that drawer.

His business lasted a long time, and he never imagined a default credit swap or derivatives and never had a stimulus package. Virginia Woolf once wrote that memories like this breed the desire to shed the skin of many years and revert to simpler days, yet this is no answer. Or could it be? Earning or having more than you spend is a simple solution proven sound many times.

Billy Graham told a funny story about Dr. Albert Einstein, one of the most famous and respected people of the 20th century. He taught at a prestigious university in the Ivy League and was in considerable demand for speeches and public appearances. Once on a train going to another city, Einstein was searching for his ticket when the conductor suddenly recognized him. The conductor welcomed him and told him not to worry he would walk back to Einstein’s seat and get the ticket from him later. When he did, Einstein was on his hands and knees looking under the seat for his ticket. The conductor told him that he need not be concerned, everyone knew who he was. To which the great mathematician replied, “I know, but I’ve forgotten where I’m going.”

Those in charge of our national financial affairs are not Einstein and seem to have either forgotten or not care where our nation is headed, but you can be sure that most care passionately about re-election. Thomas Jefferson and Warren Buffett are showing us one path to get where we need to go. What say you?

P.S. This might also work at state and local levels. Just thinking!

Sam E. Scott is general counsel for Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation and practices law in the Law Firm of Samuel E. Scott, PLLC, in Jackson. The foregoing information is general in nature and is not intended as nor should be considered specific legal advice, nor to be considered as MFBF’s position or opinion.

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MEMBER BENEFITS SPOTLIGHT

Membership saves you money

By Greg Gibson, MFBF Member Services Director

As we begin 2012, this seems like a good time to remind you of some of the many money-saving benefits that are available to you as a member of Farm Bureau. This is the time of the year when many of you are in the woods looking for that trophy deer or maybe you’re in a blind before daylight, hoping the ducks will fly in range. Either way, Farm Bureau has two money-saving benefits that will fit right into your hunting trip.

Mossy Oak Online Store For all your camouflage needs, the Mossy Oak Online Store offers Farm Bureau members a 10 percent discount. This offer is only good on the web and does not apply to promotional or sale items.

Go to the Farm Bureau Web site, www.msfb.org, and click on the Member Benefits link, then click on Mossy Oak.

Got Gear Motor Sports Farm Bureau has also teamed up with Got Gear Motor Sports in Ridgeland to offer members free installation of a winch with the purchase of any ATV from Got Gear. The cost of the winch is not included, but the free installation is a $125 value!

Medical Alert System One benefit that is of special interest to senior citizens or those who have family members that are seniors is our Medical Alert System. This easy-to-use communications device allows seniors to call for help at the push of a button. The system then automatically calls a monitoring station that can then talk to the member directly and find out what type of assistance is needed.

This system gives seniors and their family members peace of mind, knowing that if something happens, help can be on its way in minutes. The quarterly charge for Farm Bureau members is only $80.25, quite a bit less than other systems.

Prescription Drug Discount And finally, you should know about Farm Bureau’s new prescription drug discount program. This free program offers savings on prescription drugs for Farm Bureau members and their families. If you don’t have prescription drug insurance or your insurance doesn’t cover a certain drug that you use, this program offers substantial discounts that average 30 percent.

There are more than 56,000 pharmacies nationwide that accept this discount card. There are no forms to fill out. Simply take your card to a participating pharmacy with your prescription to qualify.

For more information on these and all of the other member benefits available to you as a Farm Bureau member, check out our Web site, www.msfb.org, call your county Farm Bureau office, or call Member Benefits Coordinator Dedra Luke at (601) 977-4169.

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Solve the

?

Mystery

Which Lafayette County town, located eight miles south of Oxford, is known for its friendly hometown atmosphere and large community of artists?

Read the clues and make your guess.

W

hich Lafayette County town, located eight miles south of Oxford, is known for its friendly hometown atmosphere and large community of artists?

Read the clues and make your guess.

Our mystery town boasts historic Victorian homes, turnof-the-century buildings, and lots of interesting art studios and galleries. Some 20 artists call this town home.

“Our art community actually started with Bill Beckwith, who is famous for his bronze sculptures of William Faulkner in Oxford and B.B. King in Indianola,” said Mayor Jim Hamilton. “Bill bought property here, and his friends soon came. Some of these artists bought Victorian homes and fixed them up. Some of them live in the houses, and some of them use them as galleries.”

Among the town’s resident artists are potters Obie Clark and Keith Stewart; sculptor Beckwith; photographer Jane Rule Burdine; furniture craftsman Marc Deloach and his wife Chris Schultz, who paints, crafts jewelry and takes photographs; potters Mike and Jenny Crowson; and painter Alice Hammell. The town is also home to Taylor P. O. Gallery and Gifts, which represents the work of some 40 artists.

22

Our mystery town offers a concept community called Plein Air. Built upon the town’s arty reputation, the community includes a fire station, in-season farmers market, Montesorri school, Olivia’s Corner Market, and Tin Pan Alley Art and Antiques. Over Tin Pan Alley are offices. Current tenants include a publishing company and writer Ace Atkins, who is working on a book.

Our mystery town is also home to the following: Taylor Grocery, a restaurant well-known for its fried catfish; Carter General Store, an old-timey country story that sells dry goods, sandwiches and sodas; and a cotton gin, one of the few still in operation in the state.

The town boasts a popular community center and Baptist and Methodist churches.

“We have a good mix of old and young residents,” said Mayor Hamilton, a longtime Lafayette County Farm Bureau member. “Some are descendants of the first settlers, and some are new. Some are retired farmers, and some still farm. We are pretty grounded in our heritage around here. And we are a close community.”

Speaking of heritage, this town was settled in 1832 by

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physician John Taylor and his wife Nancy. Taylor bought large tracts of land from the Chickasaws and built a mill on the Yocona River. Farmers began to cultivate the surrounding bottomland, and the town grew up around agriculture and the Mississippi Central Railroad, which came through in 1858 The area still boasts quite a few farms.

“We have a solid ag community, which is rare, considering our proximity to the city of Oxford,” Mayor Hamilton said.

This mystery town saw its heyday in the mid- to late-1800s, as it grew and prospered. But it also endured tragedy. The town was occupied by Union

troops during the Civil War. It experienced one of the worst train wrecks in the history of the state in 1870. A fire destroyed 13 buildings in the downtown area in 1910, and cotton farmers were devastated by the boll weevil in 1914. The town was hit twice by yellow fever epidemics in the late-1800s.

“We are a resilient community,” said Mayor Hamilton. “We appreciate our past and look forward to a great future, building upon a strong agricultural tradition and our wonderful community of artists.”

Name this town.

For more information about the art community, contact Mike and Jenny Crowson of Spirit Song Studio at (662) 202-6296 or (662) 202-4379; William Beckwith at (662) 234-0527 or email wbeckwith@bellsouth.net; and Marc Deloach and Christine Schultz of Taylor Arts at (662) 234-7958 or email chrisms@watervalley.net. You may also visit these artists’ Web sites.

Visit the Web site of Taylor P. O. Gallery and Gifts at http://www.taylorpogallerygifts.com/.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY

Correct Guesses

Mail guesses to Solve the Mystery, Mississippi Farm Country, P. O. Box 1972, 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 Web site 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 January 31.

November/December The correct answer for the November/December Solve the Mystery is Pelahatchie.

Bed and Breakfast Winner The winner of our Bed and Breakfast Trip for 2011 is Winnie Brecheen of Amite County.

MISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY

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YOUNG FARMERS AND RANCHERS NEWS

Young Farmers and Ranchers State Committee Welcomes New Members

By Kirsten Johnson, MFBF Young Farmers and Ranchers Coordinator

This fall, the Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) Program welcomed seven new YF&R State Committee members. Every region selects a young farmer and rancher to serve a two-year term on this committee, which works closely with the state office to plan, promote and run the Mississippi YF&R Program and its many facets.

The new members vary as widely in their backgrounds as does Mississippi agriculture, but they all bring a similar level of energy and enthusiasm to the table. New committee members work with second-year members to provide an exciting and valuable program to their peers.

The new members are: ● Region One: Jon Koehler Bibb and Shannon Rogers Bibb, Tunica County, Cotton and Soybeans ● Region Two: Nathan and Emily Hurdle, Marshall County, Soybeans, Wheat, Milo and Cattle 24

● Region Three: Preston Aust and Emily Roberts Aust, Humphreys County, Cotton, Corn and Soybeans ● Region Four: Matt and Heather Brignac, Lowndes County, Corn and Soybeans ● Region Five: John and Jennifer White, Madison County, Beef Cattle ● Region Six: Jason and Anna White, Covington County, Cattle and Poultry ● Region Seven: Billy and Dori Lowe, Lawrence County, Peanuts, Corn, Soybeans, Wheat and Poultry ● Region Eight: Heath and Amanda Steede, George County, Peanuts and Watermelons.

The second-year members include Region One: Garrett and Dawn Carver, Leflore County; Region Two: Clay and Kim Green, Prentiss County; Region Three: Ashley and Jill Grubbs, Simpson County; Region Four: Jason and Kelly Hill, Chickasaw County; MISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY

Region Five: Drew Pierce, Walthall County; Region Six: Tyler and Sarah Huerkamp, Noxubee County; Region Seven: Josh and Tiffany Smith, Greene County; and Region Eight: Blake New, Washington County.

The 2012 YF&R Leadership Conference will be held Feb. 10-12 in Tunica. We are planning an exciting program, and I encourage you to attend. This is a good opportunity for members to expand their knowledge through tours and speakers, while having a great time and meeting other young farmers and ranchers from across the state.

The YF&R Program shapes agriculture’s future leaders, but it is also a great networking opportunity. Many young farmers have made lifelong friends through their involvement in YF&R activities.

If you have questions about the upcoming conference, please contact either your regional manager or Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@msfb.org or (601) 977-4277.

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2011-2012 Young Farmers & Ranchers Foundation Recipients

Calendar of Events Jan. 3 Legislative Session Convenes Jan. 8-11 AFBF Annual Meeting Honolulu, Hawaii Jan. 23 Legislative Reception Jackson

Angie Lee Rogers of Perry County $1,000 Hugh Arant Scholarship, MSU

Daniel E. Dodson of Pontotoc County $1,000 Don Waller Scholarship, MSU

Jan. 23 - 24 Winter Commodity Conference MFBF Building Jackson Feb. 10-12 State YF&R Conference Tunica

Emerald DeNae Barrett of Attala County $2,000 YF&R Scholarship, MSU

Jessica Marie Wilkinson of Franklin County $2,000 YF&R Scholarship, HCC

March 1 Ag Day at the Capitol Jackson March 6 Women’s Day at the Capitol Jackson March 13 National Ag Day March 23 Women’s Leadership Conference Jackson

Kale Matthew Hatten of Stone County $2,000 YF&R Scholarship, MSU

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Taylor Anne King of Yazoo County $2,000 YF&R Scholarship, MSU

MISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY

April 24-25 Secretaries’ Conference Jackson

25

Taylor Grocery:

Unique Tration A

T

By Glynda Phillips

aylor Grocery is a North Mississippi tradition that has reached near-legendary status. The restaurant is known for its delicious fried catfish and devoted following, but it also possesses an oldtimey country store charm, with its creaking wooden floors, shelves of knick-knacks, graffiti-littered walls, and red- and white-checkered tablecloths.

The restaurant is so popular it seems to form the hub of the downtown area of the town of Taylor itself. Like bicycle spokes shooting out in all different directions are a handful of art galleries and antiques stores, many of which open and close each day according to the restaurant’s busy schedule.

Famous Customers

“People come to Oxford for the university and as tourists, and they usually come see us, too,” said owner Lynn Hewlett. “We recently catered a wedding reception for two New Yorkers. The guy had taught creative writing at the university, and he and his fiancée were married at the Methodist church and had their reception here.”

Musician Jimmy Buffett is said to have written a poem on one of the walls—although it hasn’t been found

26

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in recent years—and a more recent guest was actor Steven Seagal.

“He was a very nice guy,” Lynn said.

On the Saturday night before a home ballgame at Ole Miss, the restaurant crowd really swells.

“You see solid cars, 150 to 200 of them, filled with folks just waiting to come in,” he said. “We also have a huge number of RV people who eat here before and after the Ole Miss-Alabama game.”

The restaurant offers a party room that can be reserved at any time except the weekend of a home ballgame. The Hewletts also have a special events catering business that not only specializes in fish but also serves barbecue.

Some History

Taylor Grocery is housed in a former dry goods store built in 1889 by Duff Ragland. Down through the years, the store changed hands several times and experienced different incarnations before becoming a true catfish restaurant under the management of Jerry and Evie Wilson in the 1970s. The Wilsons made it a household name, buying farm-raised catfish from a friend in Tchula and cooking it according to their own special recipe.

Mary Katherine Hudson eventually took over the restaurant/general store and sold other types of foods, but the fried catfish was the restaurant’s main claim to fame for some 17 or 18 years.

In 1999, Lynn and Debbie Hewlett, longtime Lafayette County Farm Bureau members, bought the eatery from Mary Katherine.

“I was in the barbecue business in Oxford, but I’d always wanted this place,” Lynn said. “When Mary wanted to sell, I decided to buy it. My great-granddaddy was a doctor and owned a drugstore next door. My granddaddy operated a general store where the drugstore used to be.

“I thought that owning this restaurant would carry on a family tradition, but I also thought it would be a very interesting venture,” he said.

“It has turned out to be both interesting and profitable.”

Lynn kept the menu about the same, but changed the way some of the foods, especially the catfish, were cooked.

“She did it her way, and we are doing it our way,” he said. “It’s all in the breading. Beyond that, we can’t change the menu substantially because this is what people want. You can’t tinker with success.”

Lynn serves locally grown vegetables in season and buys his farmraised catfish, which he also serves blackened and grilled, from Heartland Catfish of Itta Bena. The restaurant cooks 35 to 40 cases of catfish a week, and that is about 15 pounds of catfish per case.

Taylor Grocery serves lunch from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Dinner is served from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, and from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. on Sunday. Live music is offered at night.

The Hewlett’s daughter Sarah Margaret helps out and manages the lunchtime crowd.

“

You see solid cars, 150 to 200 of them, filled with folks just waiting to come in.”

For More Information

If you haven’t visited Taylor Grocery and would like to experience this unique tradition, take Old Taylor Road off Highway 6 at Oxford and drive for about eight miles until the road ends. Turn left. You can’t miss it.

For more information, call Lynn at (662) 236-1716 or email him at smhewlett@taylorgrocery.com or questions@taylorgrocery.com. You can also visit the Web site at www.taylorgrocery.com. For more information regarding catering, contact Butch Scott at (662) 801-9140, visit the catering Web site at www.taylorgrocerycatering.com, or email Butch at taylorcatering@bellsouth.net.

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MISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY

C

rafting A

L

rt

from Farm Implements

By Glynda Phillips

ee Washington was 45 years old when he was first called an artist. A decade later, the label still surprises him at times. He guesses when you realize rather late in life that you possess a unique talent or ability the discovery can be a bit unsettling.

What Lee does especially well is use a welder and his imagination to sculpt works of art from old farm implements. He crafts rotary hoes and tillers into bright sunflowers, disc blades into functional birdbaths, and shovel blades into colorful masks. But it is his cotton spindle art that generates the most interest. Lee takes cotton spindles and fashions them into stick figures that appear to be doing things. For example, 28

they strum guitars, or climb a light pole, or play golf, or push a wagon holding a single bale of cotton.

For the uninitiated, cotton spindles are the part of a cotton picker that extracts raw cotton from bolls. They are made of forged, hardened steels and are chromed for extra strength and a finished look. It takes five spindles to create one of Lee’s sculptures. All parts are joined using a MIG welder and are painted with clear lacquer. Each piece is dated and signed.

Some History

As a mechanics teacher at South Delta High School Vocational Center in Rolling Fork, Lee often makes chipping ham-

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mers from cotton spindles. One day, he placed some leftover spindles on a table, idly moved them around, and realized he had shaped a stick figure. Intrigued, he began working with it, cutting and welding it together then further refining his efforts so that it appeared to be doing things.

After much encouragement from other artists and friends, Lee began selling his art at crafts shows. From the very beginning, it caught on. Farmers and their spouses especially enjoy Lee’s work because the pieces bring back memories.

In 2002, Lee was invited to join the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi and was accepted on his very first try. Lee is now a guild fellow. What that means is that for nine consecutive years his work has been reviewed by the guild and found to be acceptable for membership.

Lee sells at events throughout the state, including the Chimneyville Crafts Festival in Jackson and the Deep Delta Festival in Rolling Fork. He has won several regional and one national Veteran’s Creative Arts competitions and has placed third nationally in the competition. (He is a retired U.S. Army sergeant.)

Lee was given the honor of representing Mississippi at a recent Chicago Blues Festival. He was also selected as one of 40 craftsmen to represent the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi in the national organization’s magazine in celebration of the

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guild’s 40th anniversary.

“The people in the craftsmen’s guild have been very supportive of me,” he said.

“You couldn’t ask for a better staff. And because they are so encouraging, I try to encourage other craftsmen and tell them to join.

“I also tell anyone who has ever thought that they might possess some artistic ability to just try,” he added. “I was 45 before I knew I had this gift. Sometimes you have to wait on a gift. Sometimes it doesn’t make itself known until later in life.

“Just keep doing what you love, and things will come to you,” he said. “I encourage my kids at school to become involved in the arts, but I don’t force it. When we introduce them to welding in the spring, I try to get them to be a little more creative with it.”

Lee’s latest interest is in making race cars, wreckers and trucks from the discarded license plates he picks up from the local courthouse or junkyard. He also makes unique artifacts from horseshoes, but he says horseshoes are more difficult to find.

For More Information

For more information about his work, call Lee at (601) 415-8690 after 3:30 p.m.

Or you may email him at leea_washington@hotmail.com.

Or simply visit Lee’s Cotton Picker Art Gallery on 149 Walnut Street in Rolling Fork.

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Stanley Williams, Shelby Williams and Phyllis Moulds

Covington County C

Farm Bureau Spotlight

By Glynda Phillips

ovington County was one of the first counties to apply for a Farm Bureau charter in 1923. More recently, they were among the first counties to sign the new Uniform Membership and Cooperative Agreement with the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation and the new County Service and Facilities Agreement with the Mississippi Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company.

Officers include Stanley Williams, president, Darrell Graham, vice president, and Shelby Williams, women’s chair. Stanley also serves on the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors, and Shelby is vice chair of the State Women’s Committee.

Other county directors include Virgil Walker, V. O. Campbell, Jack Flynt, Keith Bullock, Neil Campbell, Mitchell Rogers and 30

Matthew Burnham. The agency manager is Michael Bishop, and the secretaries are Phyllis Moulds (membership), Kathy Wheat and Hazel Bourgoyne.

The Covington County Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Program has produced several State Discussion Meet winners, including Shannon Campbell, Doug Rogers and Matthew Burnham.

Each election year, the county hosts meet-and-greet events for local and state political candidates. And each summer, it hosts one of three regional Ag in the Classroom teacher workshops at the Multipurpose Building in Collins.

In 2011, Covington County was one of three counties to host the Jackson County Farm Bureau Farm Tour. Participants visited Stan-

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Scenes from the Old Time Festival & Milk Program

ley’s poultry farm and his mother-in-law’s egg operation. Covington County leaders then toured Jackson County. They learned about the important agricultural commodities in that area, visited the Port of Pascagoula, and toured local research facilities.

“We plan to take commodity tours patterned after Jackson County,” Stanley said. “I invite other counties to do this, too. I think it not only makes you more aware of the issues that Farm Bureau works with on behalf of farmers, it opens your eyes about what is going on in agriculture in the different areas of the state.”

And speaking of learning about agriculture, Covington County Farm Bureau held their first-ever Old Time Festival this fall. People attending the event got an opportunity to learn about agriculture, while contributing to the county’s new scholarship fund. The scholarship is in honor of Wayne Thaxton, a longtime Covington County agency manager who served the area for 36 years.

The Old Time Festival offered two produce stands, quilts, antique tractors, a grist mill, boiled peanuts, goat milk products, finger painting for kids, a silent auction, the Farm Bureau Ag in the Classroom milk cow, wagon rides, live music, and Minnie Pearl (Carolyn Turner) and Willie Nelson (Jackie Ferguson).

“Over 400 people attended, and we were wellpleased,” Stanley said. “We’ve wanted to do this for a long time, and we thought it was a good way to get started.”

In 2011, Covington County Farm Bureau had a booth at Founders Day in Seminary. The county actively promotes the commodity of the month in its Collins office through colorful, informative displays. It has a very active safety program.

In conclusion, Stanley says Covington County Farm Bureau looks forward to a bright future, while never forgetting the past.

“We support progress, but we don’t ever want to forget where we came from,” he said. “Farm Bureau was organized by people who had our farmers’ best interests at heart. They were good, salt-of-the-earth folks who possessed strong moral values.

“These men and women made Farm Bureau the strong voice for agriculture that it is today,” he said.

“And when farmers from across the state can come together and speak with one powerful voice on issues that matter, we can move mountains.”

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MISSISSIPPI RICE: FROM FARM TO PLATE

Mississippi Rice Farmers Featured on Canadian TV

By Bonnie Coblentz MSU Ag Communications

A Bolivar County rice-farming family spent a week with television producers, showing viewers what it takes to get a rice dish from the farm to the table.

Diane and Marty Chenault of Chenault Farms in Beulah were recorded for an episode of “Pitchin’ In with Chef Lynn Crawford,” a Food Network Canada show.

The episode featuring the Chenaults showed viewers how rice is produced and then served. Laura Giaccaglia, Mississippi State University Extension Service Director for Bolivar County, and three other Bolivar County rice-farming women also cooked for the show.

“They call the show “Pitchin’ In” because, wherever she goes, Chef Lynn Crawford works there to see how it’s all done, then she cooks something with that food item,” Diane said.

While in Bolivar County, Crawford rode on a combine, pulled rice levy gates out of the field, cleaned and stored them, and emptied a grain pit by hand under the supervision of 12-year-old Bryce Chenault.

“We were near the end of harvest when they came to do the recording, so we left two to three days of work for them to

shoot,” Marty said.

On the show’s Web site, Crawford is described as traveling “to far-flung locations, doing whatever it takes to get at the best, freshest ingredients in the world ….

Throughout her journey, she’ll take on any challenge, relying on locals to show her how it’s done.”

For the show, producers also show extensive footage of the farm and Crawford working with Marty’s dad, H. M. Chenault, and his uncle, Norman Chenault. With just a few hired hands, the three men operate the entire 3,000-acre farm, consisting of about 900 acres of rice and 2,100 acres of soybeans.

“We don’t know really why they chose to use our farm, but I do know they were looking for farmers who still get out and do the actually farming, instead of hiring crews to do all the work,” Marty said. “I’m not going to send someone out to do something I won’t do.”

After the outdoor shots were complete, the cameras moved indoors for some cooking. Diane explained that they asked her and a few others to cook a variety of rice dishes.

“They shot footage of me at my house cooking brown gravy and white sausage gravy to go on the rice,” Diane said. “I

Dairy Conference Offers Producers Guidance

Southern dairy producers will meet at a January conference in Atlanta to address major issues facing the industry.

Stephanie Hill Ward, assistant professor of animal and dairy science at Mississippi State University, is chairing the Southern Dairy Conference planning committee. She said the objective of the Jan. 24-25 conference is to offer informative and thought-provoking presentations on all facets of the dairy industry.

“The conference will address production, processing and manufacturing. Topics include policy and legislation, milk prices, animal wellbeing, risk management, farm ownership and the next generation of dairy farmers,” Ward said.

The conference is sponsored by the Southern Extension and Research Activity 15 (SERA15) regional committee. The conference is planned by the Southern land-grant universities: Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana State, Mississippi State, Missouri, North Carolina State, Texas A & M and Virginia Tech.

For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.southerndairyconference.com.

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also made a hot chicken salad with rice.”

Giaccaglia said the Toronto-based company was not able to stay for the annual National Rice Month Luncheon in the area.

“We prepared dishes for them that we would be taking to the luncheon,” Giaccaglia said. “Chef Lynn selected which one she thought was the best.”

Giaccaglia made the winning dish for the unofficial contest, a stuffed squash with ground beef, rice, tomatoes and cheese sauce. The recipe earned her an interview for the show and an invitation to cook the next day when Crawford prepared a special rice dinner on-camera.

The Bolivar County Extension Office also got a turn in the spotlight. Crawford used its elevated demonstration kitchen with its homey feel as the setting to cook her own rice dishes.

The rice episode is scheduled for the third season of “Pitchin’ In.” The show is currently in its first season, and the rights to the second season have been purchased.

The show can be seen on the Food Network Canada.

Marty and Diane Chenault were the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation’s Young Farmers and Ranchers State Achievement Award winners in 2003.

Extension Equips Offices with Canner Gauge Testers All county Extension offices in Mississippi are now equipped to test pressure canner gauges to ensure food safety for home canners.

Paula Threadgill is state program leader for Family and Consumer Sciences with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. She said the economy and the desire to control food quality are reasons more people are canning their own foods.

Threadgill said staff members in all 82 Mississippi counties have been trained to test gauges. Extension gauge testers will be calibrated annually to ensure accuracy.

For more information on home canning or pressure gauge testing, contact the county Extension office nearest you.

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Farm Bureau Events MFBF State Resolutions Committee Meeting

The Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation State Resolutions Committee met in November in Jackson. Each year, this committee issues a report on county resolutions to voting delegates at state convention Resolutions approved at state convention become Farm Bureau’s official policy. Tom Rosenblatt, president of Wilkinson County Farm Bureau, served as chair.

21st Annual National Rice Month Luncheon

The 21st Annual National Rice Month Luncheon is a great way to promote Mississippi-produced rice. The event is held on the campus of Delta State University in Cleveland and features hundreds of rice dishes. Pictured are Farm Bureau Ambassador Mattie Carter, above, and a few of the rice dishes and guests.

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SPCC Date Change On October 13, 2011, the U.S. EPA amended the date by which farms must prepare or amend and implement their Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) plans to May 10, 2013. What are the compliance dates for farms?

MSU’s Poultry Science Names Beck as New Head

Mary Beck has been selected as the new head of the Department of Poultry Science at Mississippi State University.

Beck has served as a professor at Clemson University’s College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences since 2001.

While there, she had held various leadership positions, including chair of the Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences. Prior to her position at Clemson, Beck worked as a professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Beck serves as the executive secretary of the Southern Poultry Science Association and is a section editor of the journal Poultry Science. She is a past president of the Poultry Science Association.

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State peanuts growers get highest yields Timely rains in early September made a smooth harvest for Mississippi peanuts, a crop that is in high demand due to drought in other peanutgrowing areas.

As of Oct. 1, the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast 2011 crop yields at 3,600 pounds per acre for Mississippi, the highest prediction for any of the peanut-producing states.

Harvest began in mid-September and was 70 percent complete by mid-October. Producers were working as fast as they could to get the crop out of the ground after cold temperatures ended peanut maturity.

Mike Howell, Mississippi State University Extension Service peanut specialist, said the high yield is good news for producers because prices for peanuts have at least doubled in the past year. However, growers may not benefit until it is time to contract for next year’s crop.

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“Most of the prices are $1,000 per ton, due strictly to supply and demand,” Howell said. “When cotton prices started going up last winter, the peanut prices didn’t move as fast, and nationally, we lost a lot of acres to cotton.

“Peanuts are down 30 percent in acres planted nationwide. Mississippi is down about 25 percent. Also, we thought we had enough peanuts in storage for this year, but we ended up having quality issues with the 2010 crop, so there aren’t as many peanuts in the system,” he said.

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As a Farm Bureau member, you have access to many programs and benefits. To learn more, visit our Web site at www.msfb.org. Or see the Member Benefits information on pages 20 and 21.

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