Mississippi Farm Country November December 2011

M I S S I S S I P P I

VOLUME 87 NO. 6

FARM

N OVEMBER/DEC EMBER 2011

A Publication of Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation • MSFB.org

MISSISSIPPI FARM CO UNTRY Volume 87 Number 6 November/December 2011

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 Dr. Jim Perkins, Iuka Mike Graves, Ripley B.A. Teague, New Albany Bill Ryan Tabb, Cleveland Coley L. Bailey, Jr., Coffeeville Neal Huskison, Pontotoc Jeffrey R. Tabb, Walthall Bobby Moody, Louisville Wanda Hill, Isola James Foy, Canton William Jones, Meridian James Brewer, Shubuta Stanley Williams, Mt. Olive Lonnie Fortner, Port Gibson Moody Davis, Brookhaven Mike McCormick, Union Church D.P. O’Quinn, Purvis Gerald Moore, Petal Clifton Hicks, Leakesville Ken Mallette, Vancleave Betty Mills, Winona Noble Guedon, Natchez

CONTENTS

Features 8 VOTE YES ON #31 Farm Bureau members from across the state take a look at Mississippi’s need for strong private property laws. They plan to vote YES on Initiative 31 for eminent domain reform in the November 8 general election. They urge you to do so, also. Let your voice be heard on this matter.

2 4 SOLVE THE MYSTERY Which Rankin County town takes its name from the Choctaw word meaning “crooked creek?” Read the clues and make your guess.

2 6 COUNTRY GIRLS CREAMERY Kiahnell and Butch Smith of Wiggins operate a value-added dairy that bottles pasteurized milk and makes cheese, sour cream and yogurt. Come with us as we learn more “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

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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.

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About the cover

President’s Message Commodity Updates Counsel’s Corner Public Policy Notes Member Benefits Spotlight

Deniese Swindoll of DeSoto County stands in a soybean field while holding the American flag as a gesture of respect for our country. Swindoll and nine other Farm Bureau members talk about their love of our state, our nation, and Mississippi’s agricultural industry. They also speak out on behalf of eminent domain reform. Read their stories inside.

MISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY

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

Land: A Valuable Commodity

Every morning, long before the sun comes up, my father is out at the milking parlor. He is 78 years old, and I know that as long as he is able, he will farm. He loves it just that much, and he is not alone.

I am often invited onto the farms of our members, and I see the pride of ownership in their eyes. They tell me that farming is all they ever wanted to do. They tell me that they grew up following their father or another relative around the farm and knew from an early age that this is how they wanted to spend their lives.

I also hear their frustration, over the economy, rising input costs, land availability, and the public’s lack of understanding about agriculture. As a third-generation Mississippi farmer, I totally understand. I consider it a privilege and a trust to bring these experiences back to Jackson with me, where we use them to shape the course of the programs that we offer.

Farming isn’t easy. I would go so far as to say that it is one of the most difficult jobs in the world. But it is also one of the most rewarding. Farmers make a real difference in the lives of every single person on the planet, from the foods they eat to the clothes they wear to the shelter they enjoy over their heads.

Farm Bureau members and staff work hard every year to make sure that our farming industry remains strong. We know that one of the most important keys to this is good available land. You’ve heard me say this on more than one occasion, but it bears repeating. Land is the single most essential natural resource in a farmer’s attempts to make a living each and every year.

Recognizing the importance of our land, the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) established a Land Program in 2007 to address those issues faced by private property owners. Doug Ervin coordinates the program. Ervin is also the federation’s Commodity Coordinator for Dairy and our Regional Manager for Region 7.

In addition, we offer an Environmental Program. Begun in

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the 1980s, this program addresses environmental issues encountered by farmers and other rural landowners. The Environmental Program is an integral part of the Public Policy Department and is coordinated by Andy Whittington.

Each year, these programs work with other programs and staff to represent Farm Bureau members at the State Capitol and with state regulatory agencies on all issues related to land.

In recent years, we have dealt with private property rights relative to eminent domain, trespass protection for private landowners, CAFO regulations, and taxation issues, to name just a few.

We also explore land use opportunities. Farm Bureau recognizes that land and land use values are the single greatest sources of income and assets in Mississippi. Income potential exists in the areas of agritourism, mineral rights, hunting leases, recreational uses, and government conservation incentive programs.

I encourage you to become familiar with our Land and Environmental programs and to become better informed about the most valuable commodity of all — your land. You can gain access to Doug Ervin and Andy Whittington by calling the state office.

Let’s talk for a moment about eminent domain reform.

This time last year, approximately 120,000 registered voters signed petitions calling for an initiative to be placed on the 2011 ballot that will strengthen our weak private property laws. Initiative 31 is the result. When you participate in the November 8 general election, look for Initiative 31 and vote YES for eminent domain reform.

John Adams got it exactly right when he said: “The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God ... anarchy and tyranny commence.

Property must be secured or liberty cannot exist.”

Let’s stand together on this most important issue and put an end to eminent domain abuse for good.

See you at the polls.

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Eminent Domain Reform and Other Issues On the eve of the November 8 general election, Phil Bryant and Johnny DuPree, the Republican and Democratic candidates for the office of governor, were asked to present their views on eminent domain reform and other issues of interest to Farm Bureau. Here are their responses.

Phil Bryant Eminent Domain is the ability of the government to take private property for public use, such as roads and schools. Do you support taking private property with eminent domain for private development projects? If a company would provide jobs to the state, would you still support it?

No.

Agriculture is the largest contributor to the state’s economy, and our land-grant universities play a vital role in keeping agriculture viable.

Do you support keeping the agriculture units as separate budgets from IHL? Do you support

level to fully funding the agriculture units of Mississippi State University and Alcorn State University?

Within the financial realities of the state budget, yes.

Agriculture is a vital part of Mississippi, and one of the most recognizable aspects is animal agriculture. Several national organizations are working tirelessly to ban approved scientific practices for raising livestock. Do you support non-agriculture groups dictating livestock practices?

No.

Johnny DuPree Eminent Domain is the ability of the government to take private property for public use, such as roads and schools. Do you support taking private property with eminent domain for private development projects? If a company would provide jobs to the state, would you still support it?

As mayor, I’m intimately familiar with the eminent domain issue. The use of eminent domain for public use is sometimes necessary but should never be used lightly. That has always been my approach from the city’s standpoint. However, the use of eminent domain for private use should never be allowed. That is a line I would not cross, and it is a path fraught with dangerous precedent.

Hopefully, the constitutional amendment banning such a practice will pass in November.

Agriculture is the largest contributor to the state’s economy, and our land-grant universities play a vital role in keeping agriculture viable. Do you support keeping the agriculture units as separate budgets from IHL? Do you support level to fully funding the agriculture units of Mississippi State University and Alcorn State University?

I support keeping the units separate, just as I support fully funding agriculture units at MSU

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and Alcorn. Furthermore, I believe we must use our public universities as economic development catalysts to help create more jobs related to the processing and packaging of our agriculture products as well as helping to find ways for us to grow our export business of targeted agriculture products, such as timber.

Agriculture is a vital part of Mississippi and one of the most recognizable aspects is animal agriculture. Several national organizations are working tirelessly to ban approved scientific practices for raising livestock. Do you support nonagriculture groups dictating livestock practices?

I don’t believe any one group should dictate policy. As mayor of Hattiesburg, I have a record of bringing people on different sides of any given issue to the table to seek workable, commonsense solutions. As governor, I’ll do the same thing. If changes are necessary, then I pledge to work with the experts in that field, which in this case would include the livestock farmers in Mississippi. Likewise, I promise not to bend to political pressure to institute policies that will harm agriculture in Mississippi if no change is needed.

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COMMODITY UPDATE: CORN, WHEAT AND FEED GRAINS

This Season Presented Many Challenges Jan Hill, MFBF Corn, Wheat and Feed Grains Advisory Committee Chair Britton Hatcher, MFBF Commodity Coordinator for Corn, Wheat and Feed Grains

Mississippi farmers are working on getting another crop successfully harvested and hauled to storage or market. The 2011 season presented many considerable challenges to grain-crop producers, including historic Mississippi River flood levels and severe drought during the summer. Mississippi growers planted an estimated 860,000 acres of corn — a 110,000-acre increase compared to last year; 340,000 acres of wheat — 215,000 acres more than last year; and 40,000 acres of sorghum — an additional 28,000 acres more than last year.

Floodwater rising during May, primarily in the lower Delta, destroyed or damaged an estimated 40,000 acres of corn. Farmers likely planted the vast majority of the damaged acres to soybeans and occasionally sorghum because these crops are generally better-suited for the exceptionally late plantings encountered after the floodwater receded. The floodwater timing also occurred just prior to wheat maturity and thus destroyed nearly 12,000 acres or precipitated premature harvest.

Hill

Hatcher

The exceptionally abundant rainfall system in the Ohio River Valley, which contributed to record floods, lingered into north Mississippi this spring as well. This rainfall caused substantial flooding along the Coldwater and Tallahatchie rivers in north Mississippi during early May. Most importantly, it delayed corn and other spring row-crop planting well into May throughout much of north and east central Mississippi. Thus, these late corn plantings were even more dependent upon midsummer rainfall to maintain productivity.

Considerable drought was prevalent across the entire state from mid-May through mid-July, when corn’s moisture demand is highest. This stress took a considerable toll on our dryland corn crop and severely strained our irrigators’ abilities and expenses to supply moisture to meet crop demand. Although areas of Mississippi were blessed with above-average rainfall during July, the northern region of the state was generally quite dry, producing significant drought stress for the late corn crop.

Midsummer temperatures were also exceptionally hot, further intensifying drought stress. In fact, 2011 ranks among the highest temperatures during the past 20 years, along with 2010 and 1998, when Mississippi had serious issues with aflatoxin contamination in corn.

Considering the exceptional drought stress predominant during the growing season, Mississippi growers are often producing better corn than anticipated. This season’s dry, warm weather proved very favorable for our primary winter crop, which is wheat. NASS estimates Mississippi growers harvested a new record yield of 64 bushels per acre.

This article was written by Dr. Erick Larson, Grain Crops Agronomist, Mississippi State University.

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COMMODITY UPDATE: SWEET POTATOES

Sweet Potato Consumption Broadens Grower Opportunities Randle Wright, MFBF Sweet Potatoes Advisory Committee Chair Samantha Webb, MFBF Commodity Coordinator for Sweet Potatoes

Along with an increase in No matter how you slice consumer demand, has come them, fry them, bake them, a vast increase in valueor mash them, sweet potaadded sweet potato products. toes are rapidly gaining the The biggest increase in the favor of U.S. consumers. industrial market for sweet This positive trend for the potatoes is currently in the sweet potato industry has frozen- and processed-prodresulted in increased sweet uct markets. With the busy, potato sales, expansive fast-paced lifestyle led by so market opportunities, many Americans today, havheightened sweet potato ing easily accessible, quickly production, and the develWright Webb prepared products is essenopment of endless creative tial. products to be made from The sweet potato industry has not fallen short in the develthis popular and healthful commodity.

In Mississippi, sweet potato growers are excited about the opment of tasty and nutritious products available to consumers. possibilities that lie ahead for their industry, and they have been Leading the charge is the continuously popular sweet potato proactive in jumping on board in an effort to take advantage of french fry; however, many other products made from sweet pothe opportunities coming their way. From 2009 to 2010, sweet tatoes, such as boxed and frozen casseroles and scalloped popotato purchases climbed 14 percentage points, causing the tatoes, tater tots, hash browns, bread pudding cups, muffins, sweet potato to become one of the highest-increasing vegetable and baking mixes are becoming favorite consumer choices.

In addition, the fresh market has included value-added items for year-to-year growth. Per capita usage of commercially produced fresh and processed sweet potatoes was 6.3 products to increase the convenience of preparation, such as inpounds in 2010, up from 5.2 pounds per capita in 2009 and 4.5 dividually wrapped microwaveable sweet potatoes, fresh-cutand-bagged sweet potato spears and cubes for steaming, and pounds in 2005.

In fact, 2010 marked the sixth consecutive year of steady foil-wrapped easy-griller potatoes. These diverse product opgrowth in per capita usage of sweet potatoes. One report even tions have appealed to consumers and boosted their likelihood showed that nearly half — 44 percent — of U.S. households of purchasing sweet potatoes and sweet potato products on a purchased sweet potatoes during the previous year. Addition- more frequent basis.

These trends in sweet potato consumption and product deally, it has been reported that, already in 2011, pounds of sweet potatoes sold through retail outlets rose by approxi- velopment are good for Mississippi’s sweet potato growers, mately 2 percent, with sweet potato retail sales dollars having who increased the state’s planted acres of sweet potatoes to nearly 22,000 acres in 2011. These growers not only sell their gained an increase of almost 1 percent.

Much of this growth in consumption may be attributed to product through the fresh market as whole potatoes, but also an increased public awareness of the health benefits that sweet sell their potatoes to processors who produce these processed potatoes bring to the table, as they have increasingly been food items.

Mississippi’s growers have been innovative and progressive praised for being high in fiber, beta-carotene, antioxidants, and vitamins A, C, E, and B6. In addition to their delicious taste and in seeking out unique market opportunities for their sweet posuperior nutritional qualities, sweet potatoes bring to the plate tatoes and have been pleased with the increase in available marsomething unique in color and consistency. These attributes ket outlets. Sweet potato producers statewide look forward to have allowed the sweet potato industry to grow, even as U.S. what appears to be a promising year ahead for the sweet potato industry. consumers are confronted with a depressed economy.

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VO TE

e v i t a i t i n on I

YES

31

Let Your

Voice

Be Heard

By Glynda Phillips

F

arm Bureau members are reminded daily that God shed His grace upon this great nation of ours ‌ from sea to shining sea. We are thankful that we live in a country where we can enjoy abundant natural resources and unprecedented rights and freedoms.

As a gesture of gratitude and respect, the Mississippians featured on these pages proudly display the American flag. They talk about their farming operations, their Farm Bureau memberships, and their great love of our state and nation. They also speak out in support of eminent domain reform.

These men and women believe that the government should be prohibited from using eminent domain to obtain property for private projects, and they know that Initiative 31 addresses this issue, strengthening our state’s private property laws. On Nov. 8, they urge you to vote YES on Initiative 31, the last measure on the ballot.

They urge you to let your voice be heard.

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DeSoto County

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We Want to Decide for Ourselves “My husband’s father worked on other people’s farms, saved his money, and was able to buy his own land,” said Deniese Swindoll of Hernando. “He made sacrifices, but he also possessed discipline and foresight. Our land is our livelihood, but more than that, it is our father’s legacy to us.”

The Swindolls grow soybeans, cotton and corn on land in Tunica, DeSoto and Tate counties. Within the last 10 years in this northwestern corner of the state, they have seen a lot of good available farmland disappear into shopping centers and housing projects. They say that all of this is slowly moving in their direction.

“If someone approaches you and you decide that you want to sell your land at a good price, then that is your decision to make and that is fine,” Deniese said. “But when someone tries to use the eminent

domain process to take your land for private purposes, that is something else again. We want to make our own decision about this and not be forced. We hope you do, too.”

The Swindolls worry that most people don’t realize how important an issue this is.

“If you own land, a home, or even a small business, this should concern you,” Deniese said. “We plan to make sure that the people in our area understand why we need eminent domain reform.”

In the general election on Nov. 8, Deniese and her husband Tommy urge you to vote YES on Initiative 31. They encourage you to let your voice be heard.

Deniese is chair of the Region 1 Women’s Committee. Tommy is president of DeSoto County Farm Bureau.

If you own land, a home, or even a small business, this should concern you.”

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Prentiss County

If our nation loses its farmers, then who will grow our food?”

A Strong Domestic Food Supply

“Farmers seem to be getting pushed farther and farther down our nation’s list of priorities, and that is scary,” said Clay Green, a member of the Young Farmers and Ranchers State Committee. Clay has farmed row crops and beef cattle in Prentiss County for 11 years.

“Our weak private property laws here in Mississippi are a perfect example,” he said. “If Mississippi loses its good available farmland to private use, then where will we farm? If our nation loses its farmers, then who will grow our food? America needs a strong domestic food supply. We can’t afford to become dependent upon another nation for our food.”

Clay believes in Farm Bureau’s work with issues like eminent domain reform. He knows that our organization has always done the right thing.

“Farm Bureau is the Voice of Agriculture® and our main support. I am so glad our organization is speaking out for eminent domain reform,” he said. “Farm Bureau has never disappointed me, and I don’t think it ever will.”

Clay urges you to become involved in this campaign. He says if the people of Mississippi don’t stand up and stand behind Farm Bureau, they will be sorry.

“This is a very serious matter,” he said. “I don’t think most people have stopped to consider just how important it really is. Our right to own land is a basic Constitutional right.

We can’t have weak laws protecting that right.”

Clay encourages you to vote YES on Initiative 31 in the upcoming Nov. 8 general election. He urges you to let your voice be heard.

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Photo courtesy of MSU Ag Communications

Oktibbeha County

Our Freedoms are Precious

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“Our freedoms as Americans are precious,” said Warren Oakley, a Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation honorary vice president.

“One of our most important freedoms is the right to own and enjoy our own property.”

Warren inherited his farmland in Oktoc from his parents who, in turn, inherited it from theirs.

“I was born and raised in the house my grandparents built,” said the 88-year-old lifelong farmer. “That land means more to me than money because it has great sentimental value.”

Warren’s grandmother started a dairy on the farm. The dairy was passed down to Warren’s father, who passed it down to him. Warren operated the dairy for more than 50 years, until the day he retired well into his 70s.

Warren raised his family on the farm, and he is proud to say that his sons now farm the land in timber and beef cattle.

Warren joined Oktibbeha County Farm Bureau in 1946 and has served as a county president, state director, state vice president, and honorary state vice president. He believes in Farm Bureau and knows that the organization works hard to uphold the conservative values of its grassroots members.

Warren also believes deeply in America. He was quick to volunteer during World War II, serving in the U.S. Army under General George S. Patton. In the course of that conflict, he twice sustained injuries in the Battle of the Bulge.

Oakley is pictured displaying the American flag and his purple-heart pin with the extra oak leaf cluster that signifies he was injured in battle more than once.

Warren Oakley encourages you to vote YES on Initiative 31 in the upcoming Nov. 8 general election. He urges you to let your voice be heard.

One of our most important freedoms is the right to own and enjoy our own property.”

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“

Humphreys County

We need a large group of concerned citizens working together on this.”

We Must Draw a Line in the Sand “Everyone should be concerned about Mississippi’s weak eminent domain laws,” said Shea Whitfield, a former Young Farmers and Ranchers State Discussion Meet winner and a current member of the Young Farmers and Ranchers State Committee.

“If we don’t do something now to strengthen those laws, then the individuals who favor them will push a little harder each time,” he said. “We must draw a line in the sand, or we will find our nation moving away from its roots. This matter shouldn’t be dictated to us. We must be allowed to decide for ourselves.”

Shea hails from generations of family farmers. In the 1820s, his fourth great-grandfather on his father’s side came to Mississippi from the Carolinas and began farming land in what is now Hinds County. His second great-grandfather bought land adjacent to that property in Hinds County right after the Civil War, and Shea’s father is still farming it today.

“Eminent domain has the potential to affect our family land tremendously,” he said. “Already, some of our land is located around a golf course and some of it has been annexed by the city of Clinton. The threat of the government taking our land for private use is always with us. It hasn’t happened yet, but it could very

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well happen in the future.”

Shea uses this example to illustrate the importance of eminent domain reform: “What if someone were to drive by your property and say to themselves, ‘You know, that’s a beautiful place. I bet it doesn’t generate as much tax revenue as I could generate by building a factory there.’

“The next thing you know, your land is taken for a factory. That possibility concerns me,” he said. “It should concern you, too. I don’t mind having some of my land taken for roads, bridges and utilities because we all benefit from that. But private use is something else. That is not how the law was intended.”

Shea appreciates Farm Bureau coming out on behalf of eminent domain reform.

“We need a large group of concerned citizens working together on this,” he said. “Individuals don’t have the time, money or influence. But with everybody involved, it becomes a real movement.”

Shea encourages you to vote YES on Initiative 31. He urges you to let your voice be heard.

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Hinds County

Private Use — Not How the Law was Intended Peggy McKey and her husband Keith raise paint horses and grow timber and pecan trees on their Hinds County farmland near Edwards. They previously raised cattle. The land has been passed down by both of their families for generations and has been continuously farmed since 1827.

Keith’s family had a brush with eminent domain when the Natchez Trace Parkway came through the area many years ago.

“The Natchez Trace Parkway passed over their farm and divided it, and they were promised by the government that a pass-under would be constructed so that their cows could be driven from one side of the Trace to the other,” Peggy said. “That promise was never honored. Eventually, the isolated part of the farm was sold because it wasn’t practical to keep it.

“I still believe in eminent domain for utilities, roads and bridges but not for private use,” she added. “That is not how this law was intended.

“Our land has a lot of sentimental value, but farmers need land to farm,” she said. “The amount that the government is willing to pay for your land under a threat of eminent domain is usually not enough to equal the true value of the land, so it’s hard to find good quality farmland to replace the land that has been taken.”

Peggy’s family, the Cannadas, has long been involved in Farm Bureau. Her father helped to organize Hinds County Farm Bureau and was one of its early presidents. Peggy and her husband joined in 1975, and she has served as a county board member continuously since 1981.

Peggy is the Region 3 Women’s Chair.

“Farm Bureau has helped the farmers of Mississippi a lot,” she said. “We wouldn’t be aware of the important land issues and political issues connected with farming if it weren’t for Farm Bureau keeping us informed and up to date.”

Peggy encourages you to go to the polls on Nov. 8th and vote YES on Initiative 31, the last measure on the ballot. She urges you to let your voice be heard.

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“

I still believe in eminent domain for utilities, roads and bridges but not for private use.”

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Jasper County

America Must Safeguard its Freedoms

Lonnie Thigpen, a Jasper County timber grower, manages the timberland his father Chester managed so well that he was named Tree Farmer of the Year in 1995 for both the state and nation.

Lonnie appreciates that we live in a country where citizens are free to work hard, save their money, and purchase their own land. His father slowly bought old cotton and row crop fields, then spent half a century reclaiming the land and turning it into a working tree farm. Chester and his wife, Rosett, were able to earn income off the trees to send their children to college. They also enjoyed sharing the land with their family and friends.

Lonnie says we must remain vigilant in order to safeguard our right to own and enjoy property.

“If the government wants our land badly enough, they should be willing to pay a commercially fair price before using the eminent domain process,” he said. “I have been a supervisor in Jasper County for seven years, and we have always negotiated for the land we needed for roads, bridges and utilities. We haven’t had to use eminent domain yet, and I hope we never will.”

Lonnie says that when a few people begin deciding for the rest of us what we need regarding a basic right, then that is the moment when our country begins moving away from a true democracy. He says it is crucial that we speak up and let our voices be heard.

In the Nov. 8 general election, Lonnie encourages you to vote YES on Initiative 31, the last measure on the ballot.

Lonnie is retired from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, where he worked for 34 years. He will serve as a Jasper County supervisor until January 2012.

Lonnie Thigpen joined Jasper County Farm Bureau in 1972.

“

If the government wants our land badly enough, they should be willing to pay a commercially fair price before using the eminent domain process.”

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Smith County

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You should never have to be afraid that the government will use the eminent domain process to take your land and transfer it to a private party.”

Farm Bureau has Never Steered Me Wrong

James Ford of Taylorsville in Smith County is a retired vegetable grower and cattleman. His son now operates all of that, while Ford grows timber.

James has been a member of Smith County Farm Bureau for 50plus years. He has served on the Smith County Board of Directors for 48 years, and is presently the board’s oldest member. He also served two terms on the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors.

“Farm Bureau is the best farm organization period,” he said.

“Farm Bureau has never steered me wrong. With Farm Bureau, it’s not what the staff or the members can do to help themselves but what they can do to help others. That’s the way this organization has always operated. Farm Bureau has the best interests of all Mississippians at heart.

“Farm Bureau also works hard to educate non-farmers about what it takes to farm,” he said. “People don’t appreciate the presNOVEMBER/DECEMBER

sures, the sweat, the grind, the time, and effort. It is not easy being a farmer. We do everything right and sometimes see our hopes for a good crop wiped out by the weather or low prices.

“But for all the challenges, I have always loved being a farmer,” he said. “And I have always relied on Farm Bureau to help me with any issues that threaten my way of life and my livelihood.”

Regarding eminent domain reform, Ford encourages you to listen to Farm Bureau.

“If you own land, whether it has sentimental value or not, you have put a lot of effort and money into it over the years and you should have the right to manage it for the rest of your life … or until you decide the time is right to sell it,” he said.

“You should never have to be afraid that the government will use the eminent domain process to take your land and transfer it to a private party,” he said.

James encourages you vote YES on Initiative 31, the last measure on the ballot. He urges you to let your voice be heard.

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Jones County

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We Support this Issue

Carolyn Turner and her husband Wendel once raised 500 head of brood cows and some swine on their 400-acre farm near Ellisville in Jones County.

Now they grow pine trees.

“Our farm is a certified Centennial Farm,” Carolyn said.

“Wendel’s grandfather began farming this land many years ago. He was a cattleman from Texas, but he also grew broom straw and made and sold brooms. The old block building called The Broom Shop still stands on our property.”

Wendel, who has a degree in animal husbandry from Mississippi State University, inherited his father’s farmland, but he and Carolyn also bought a former dairy farm as they were starting out as newlyweds many years ago. Wendel also worked in commercial lending for a time, helping farmers with ag-related loans.

“We hope that our land will be around for our grandchildren to enjoy and benefit from for many years to come,” she said.

Hattiesburg is growing by leaps and bounds, and some property adjoining the Turners’ land was recently developed into subdivisions. The Turners say that a few of the other old farmsteads in the area have been purchased and developed into subdivisions.

“It is always on my mind, that Hattiesburg is drawing closer,”

Wendel said. “We feel we need stronger laws protecting private property rights.”

The Turners point to Howard Park in Ellisville as an example of how existing industrial parks around the state can and should be used for private industrial development purposes. The 600acre park already possesses the infrastructure necessary for private industry to locate there. A $56 million GE plant is slated to be built there in the near future, and the park is presently home to other industry and to an addition to Jones County Junior College.

The Turners joined Jones County Farm Bureau in the mid1970s. They became members of their county board in the early 1980s, where she served as county women’s chair and he served on the executive committee. She is currently the Region 7 Women’s Chair.

“We couldn’t operate without Farm Bureau,” Wendel said. “It has stood beside us and been there when we needed it. If Farm Bureau supports eminent domain reform, then we do, too.”

The Turners encourage you to go to the polls on Nov. 8th and vote YES on Initiative 31. They urge you to let your voice be heard.

We hope that our land will be around for our grandchildren to enjoy and benefit from for many years to come.”

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Amite County

“

No amount of money could persuade us to sell this land.”

Farm Bureau is a Forum for Farmers

Earl Gay and Betty Edwards raise cattle and grow timber on a little over 1,000 acres of farmland in Amite County. Earl Gay had finished cutting hay for the year, but on the day that I visited the farm, he ventured out into 100-degree August heat to cut hay for a Texas farmer impacted by drought.

The Edwards inherited some of their land and bought the rest.

The family farmland has been in Earl Gay’s family since 1921. He is a third-generation farmer.

The Edwards have been members of Amite County Farm Bureau since they were married. She has served as a county and regional women’s chair, and he has served as county vice president. He is also chair of the Amite County FSA Committee and serves on the local co-op board of directors.

“Farm Bureau is a forum for farmers,” Betty said. “Here in Amite County, we are doing wonderful things for our farmers and for many other area residents. For example, we support education through scholarships to local students. We also assist the local 4-H, forestry and beef organizations.”

On the subject of eminent domain reform, Betty says she thinks all property owners should have a choice. If they want to sell, fine, but no one should be forced to give up their home or land for private use.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

“We were approached by a business that wanted to buy three acres of our land so they could relocate. We said no,” she said. “No amount of money could persuade us to sell this land. It means far too much to us. But we do support public uses like bridges, roads and utilities. In fact, we donated some of our land so that a new concrete bridge could be built in our community.

“I guess that farmers are just a different breed. There’s just something about our land,” she said. “We already have a plan for how it will be handed down.”

One son and his wife already farm part of the land in cows and horses. The other son and his wife live in Starkville, where he is a fireman and works for an engineering firm in Starkville Earl Gay and Betty Edwards urge you to vote YES on Initiative 31. They encourage you to let your voice be heard.

MISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY

17

Jackson County

Farm Bureau does a lot for all Mississippians

“

Ken Mallette is a born cattleman.

It is evident that his gentle, soft-spoken way of working with his cows has earned him their trust and respect. They are also beautiful animals. Mallette raises Brangus crossbred cows and Angus sire bulls in a cow-calf operation in the Mallette Community near Vancleave in Jackson County. He and three other cattlemen market their cattle together in load lots on his farm.

Ken also grows pine trees.

He conducts prescribed burns annually, and at other times of the year, the cows graze on the undergrowth around the trees. Sometimes, farmers interested in purchasing cattle will visit the farm, see the well-tended trees, and become interested in their own timber options. He says it works out well.

Ken’s farm is a one-man operation since the deaths of his father, Conrad, and his brother, Kyle. He gets help once a year from a brother duo from Alabama, but most of the time, he works alone.

He doesn’t mind. He loves the freedom that farming offers him.

“This is all that I ever wanted to do,” he said. “I rarely go into town because I just enjoy working out here on the farm so much.

When you do what you enjoy at your own pace, you are blessed.”

Ken’s family members have long been involved in Farm Bureau.

His father served as a county president and a state director. Ken is serving his first term on the board of the directors of Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation. He is also vice president of Jackson County Farm Bureau.

Ken appreciates all that Farm Bureau does for the farmers and other citizens of our state. He is especially thankful for Farm Bureau’s hard work on the eminent domain reform issue, Initiative 31. He believes that our private property laws must be strengthened.

Ken thinks that people interested in acquiring land for profit should deal with the landowner just as any private person or business must do. He urges you to become well-versed about this matter and to vote YES on Initiative 31 in the Nov. 8 general election.

Ken encourages you to let your voice be heard.

I rarely go into town because I just enjoy working out here on the farm so much.”

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MISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

EMINENT DOMAIN Q & A

Q: What is eminent domain?

Eminent domain is the process that government uses to take property from individuals for public use. Historically, public uses have included parks, schools, roads, utilities, etc. The United States Constitution provides that property cannot be taken without just compensation. Government is only required to pay fair market value for the property, based on its current value.

Q: Why change the current law?

In 2005, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Kelo v. City of New London that private economic development qualified as a public use. Government can now use the eminent domain process to take property for private projects. Again, government is only required to pay fair market value for the property, based on its current value, and not the enhanced value that an economic development project might bring.

Q: What happened in the Kelo v. New London case?

The Pfizer Corporation wanted to build a research facility in New London, Connecticut, and wanted the city to use eminent domain to obtain the land that Pfizer wanted to use. The city forced 15 homeowners to sell their land to Pfizer so improvements could be made there. One of the homeowners, Suzette Kelo, filed a lawsuit alleging that the city’s actions were unconstitutional since economic development was not a “public use.” The case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in a 5-4 decision that economic development was indeed a “public use” since the increased tax revenue generated would benefit the public. However, the court stated that “nothing in our opinion precludes any state from placing further restrictions on its exercise of the takings power.” Since that time, 43 states have strengthened their eminent domain laws.

The will of the people should prevail on this important constitutional issue. Otherwise, as predicted by Justices O’Connor, Scalia, Thomas and the Chief Justice in the Kelo case: “The specter of condemnation hangs over all property. Nothing is to prevent the state from replacing any Motel 6 with a Ritz Carlton, any home with a shopping mall, or any farm with a factory.”

Q: What does this mean to me?

Because Mississippi has not yet strengthened its eminent domain laws, the government can use eminent domain to take your property and transfer it to a business to make a profit. Therefore, government can take your property and transfer it to a business wanting to expand, or to a developer wanting to build a shopping center, because that would generate more tax revenue than the current owner.

Q: What does Initiative 31 do?

Initiative 31 will strengthen Mississippi property owners’ rights and greatly reduce the chances that eminent domain will be used to take property for private projects. It will force any government entity that takes property for private projects to hold that property for 10 years before turning it over to any private party.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

Q: What does Initiative 31 NOT do?

Initiative 31 does NOT affect the traditional uses of eminent domain. Governments can still use eminent domain to acquire property for roads, bridges, utilities, schools, etc. Initiative 31 does NOT change the Bill of Rights in the Mississippi Constitution.

Circuit Court Judge Winston Kidd ruled as follows: Initiative 31 does not put forth anything which would change any portion of the Bill of Rights. Further, Initiative 31 does not conflict with the Bill of Rights. The initiative would merely prevent property taken for public use from being transferred to private citizens for 10 years. As such, the Court finds that Initiative 31 is a proper initiative as contemplated by Article 15 §273 of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890. Therefore, the plaintiff's action has no merit and should be dismissed with prejudice. Further, the Secretary of State should be allowed to proceed with preparation of placing Initiative 31 on the November 8, 2011, ballot.

Q: Is this going to stop economic development in the state?

No. This claim is being used in an attempt to deceive the voters. Economic development is not dependent on eminent domain, which can still be used, as in the past, for public use such as roads, schools, public parks, etc. Initiative 31 does not come into play until after the eminent domain proceedings are finished and title passes to the acquiring authority. Initiative 31 is not against economic development, which has not suffered in the other states that have enacted eminent domain reform. This is about private property rights, not economic development. Don’t be fooled by this claim.

Q: What does the 10-year provision mean?

Simply this: If your property is taken by eminent domain, it cannot be transferred to any private party for 10 years after it is acquired, thus discouraging taking private property for private development. That is the only way to do it under Mississippi law and even this is being challenged in court by the rich and powerful.

This is a people’s initiative to help protect their homes and farms.

Q: Would this stop eminent domain from being used at all?

No. This would only stop eminent domain from being used to transfer property to a business or a developer immediately. Traditional public uses will still be able to use eminent domain for parks, schools, highways, roads, utilities, etc.

Q: Where can I get more information about this?

You can go to www.savingmyland.org for more detailed information.

MISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY

19

COUNSEL’S CORNER

Thankful for Time in Another World

W

By Sam E. Scott, MFBF General Counsel

hen I was growing up in the 1940s and 1950s, it was not only another time, it was another world.

As I reminisce about it, I realize that in my parents’ life the world changed even more. They married in the Depression and never forgot it. Some of it I miss — such as family reunions — and some I don’t, mowing a big yard with a push mower or annual typhoid shots. I can hardly bear going back now, seeing the sad fate of small farming communities in the Delta. Thankfully, the memories abide.

During the summer, before I was old enough to drive a tractor, I was assigned numerous and miscellaneous chores by my parents. One of them was going to get the mail. I can still remember the simple post office box combination; but even more, I remember, when riding my bicycle and parking it on the sidewalk, there would usually be three or four amateur elderly philosophers sitting on the bench by the post office door, discussing, debating and, yes, often arguing the great issues of the day, including: • Who would gin the first bale of cotton?

• Was Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams or Stan Musial the best hitter?

• Was a John Deere model A tractor better than a Farmall model M? • Would a pointer or a setter find more quail?

• The relative merits of Ford V8s vs. Chevy straight 6s • Would the Y&MV RR train (a/k/a The Yellow Dog) be on time for a change?

All the while these great debates continued, the participants were smoking their pipes with Prince Albert, taking a chew of Brown’s Mule or rolling their own cigarette (an art in itself, especially when done with one hand). Meteorological questions were posed from time to time such as, if it rains at night in July will it be a “chunk floater?” In addition to the knowledge and oratorical skills, they also produced objects of art by whittling on cedar, creating not only beauty but sublime smell. Now whittling is a lost art.

Horses, teams of mules, and sundry other vehicles came to town on Saturday. The wide sidewalks in front of the stores were crowded and the stores stayed open late. Once, I operated a popcorn machine on the street and also sold tickets for the short-lived movie theater (a/k/a picture show). All of the parking places in front of the stores were filled until late in the evening.

Mobility in this community was spartan compared to today. There were no paved streets, no stoplights, stop signs, 20

etc. If you came to a place where one street intersected another, there was either an unwritten accepted code for who yielded, or you just took your chances. There were two exceptions to taking your chances — Mrs. Dr. Stone and Mr. E.W. Taylor. Both developed their driving habits late in life and were loath to change them. There being no signal lamps on cars then, a quite sensible method of arm signals had developed, arm straight out the driver’s window for a left turn and an arm bent 90 degrees upwards for a right turn; but both Mrs. Stone and Mr. Taylor refused to give or recognize them as though they were nothing more than modern frivolities. Also, though they each drove on only half the road, their half was right in the middle. But there was a very simple and logical resolution of this potential problem: everyone just got out of the way.

Church attendance in my family, as in many others, was de riquere, and in summer, men wore white short-sleeved shirts, hung their Panama hats in the foyer (now strangely called the narthex) and the ceiling and funeral home fans kept us alive, but just barely, if there was a long-winded preacher. Someone always had the preacher and his wife to dinner after church (I never knew about lunch until I went to college), and the hostess usually got out the best china and silver and real linen napkins. You could count on the preacher to say a good, if sometimes a bit long, blessing.

The food was wonderful, meat, vegetables, cornbread and homemade pie. The tea was cold and sweet, and obesity wasn’t one of the biggest health issues of that day.

If you were sick, the elderly Dr. House would come to your home and make you well. If you went to his office, he would come to the door and say “next” and everyone moved up a seat or two in an orderly manner. If anyone had a TV or swimming pool, it was community-accessible.

There were also many problems in that era, either unrecognized or ignored, wrongs never made right, but life was quiet and simple. We always tend to remember what was good and forget what was bad.

I could go on and on. I wouldn’t want to live that way today, but I’m thankful for my time in that other world.

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. Sometimes he gets sidetracked, as the above.

MISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

Calendar of Events Nov. 3 State Resolutions Meeting MFBF Building Jackson Nov. 8 General Election Nov. 21-25 National Farm-City Week Dec. 3-5 MFBF Annual Meeting

Hilton Hotel Jackson Jan. 8-11 AFBF Annual Meeting Honolulu, Hawaii Jan. 23 Winter Commodity Conference MFBF Building Jackson Jan. 24 Winter Commodity Conference MFBF Building Jackson Feb. 6-8 Washington D.C. Trip

22

PUBLIC POLICY NOTES

Eminent Domain Reform and Other FB Efforts

By Samantha Cawthorn MFBF Public Policy Director

Our heritage is something that every American is proud of, and that is why so many of our citizens chose to be American over their nationality. Our rights and our freedoms still drive people to risk their lives to come to America.

I am proud to be an American and proud to be a Mississippian. On November 8, I will cast my ballot for an issue that I feel very strongly about, eminent domain reform. I am not the only one who feels strongly about this. Approximately 120,000 certified signatures were collected by fellow Mississippians who feel the same way.

Eminent domain reform is one effort that Farm Bureau has worked on. Below are some of Farm Bureau’s recent legislative highlights.

Sales Tax on Farm Equipment Increases the rate on farm tractors from 1 percent to 1.5 percent and reduces the rate on sales of self-propelled equipment from 3 percent to 1.5 percent and parts and labor from 7 percent to 1.5 percent. The farmer must sign an affidavit saying he is a farmer to receive the sales tax reduction.

Right to Farm Revises immunity for certain agricultural operations from nuisance lawsuits and adds honeybees to the definition of agriculture operations in the Freedom to Farm Act.

Harvest Permits Extends the repealer on the provisions of law that authorize MDOT to issue harvest permits to owners and operators of vehicles hauling certain products through 2013.

Farmers Market Clarifies the sales tax provisions as relates to certified farmers markets through the Department of Agriculture and Commerce.

MISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY

Boll Weevil Warehouse Diversion Diverts the cotton warehouse tax to the Boll Weevil Management Board. The dollar assessment will go to help run the Boll Weevil Management Board and keep cost down for cotton producers.

Boll Weevil Reauthorization Streamlines the reauthorization of the Boll Weevil Management Program and creates a statewide program in the post-eradication phase.

Emerging Crops Allows for additional money for upgrading and retrofitting agribusinesses up to $200,000 interest-free. This program is administered by Mississippi Development Authority.

Livestock Burial Senate Bill 2838 allows county supervisors to bury dead livestock consisting of 10,000 Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) units when an emergency situation arises.

Animal Welfare Allows for a felony on the second offense within five years of the first offense when someone is: maiming, mutilating, torturing, burning, disfiguring, or starving a domesticated dog or cat. Each offense is counted as a single offense. There are exceptions for livestock, hunting, and grooming practices. The bill also cleans up the misdemeanor language for a domesticated dog or cat and the misdemeanor language for any living creature that was ruled unconstitutional by the Mississippi Supreme Court.

Farm Families Tag Creates a specialty tag for Farm Families of Mississippi, with the funds going to help support the Farm Families of Mississippi campaign. Call Greg Gibson at 977-4154.

For more information about these issues, contact Public Policy at 977-4226.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

Solve the

?

Mystery

Which Rankin County town takes its name from a Choctaw word that means crooked creek? Read the clues and make your guess.

24

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

O

ur mystery town was incorporated in 1904 and grew up around the Alabama and Vicksburg Railroad and a huge sawmill. It reached its zenith in the 1920s, when the lumber trade was very big. Back then, our mystery town boasted approximately 3,500 residents, a hotel named Lessel House, which was the largest in the area, and the first sewer, water system, and sidewalks in the county. This town was once the biggest town in Rankin County Today, our mystery town boasts a number of historic homes and churches. In addition, the historic Shiloh Methodist Campgrounds, established in 1832, can be found nearby. The 179th Annual Camp Meeting of the Shiloh Methodist Campgrounds was held this summer.

In recent years, our mystery town has begun to grow and change. Mayor Knox Ross says the town boasts a new library and city park/playground, a renovated city hall, a 5,000-square-foot town center and a city museum. Plans are on the drawing board for a large ballpark. You will find new streetlights, new street signs, and wireless Internet access throughout the town.

“The whole goal of my administration has been to make this town a place where people want to live,” he said. “We enjoy a tremendous partnership between the town and the county. Another goal is for the town to sustain itself.”

The mayor says our mystery town enjoys a good mix of older, retired residents and young families who want a small-town atmosphere and closer access to area schools, including the approximately 850-student East Rankin Academy and two public school systems.

Our mystery town boasts many thriving businesses.

Some of these include Rhodes and Robby Pharmacy, Holliday Woodworks, and Fairway Foods. The town has a dental office, dental lab, police and fire departments, and two barbershops. The industrial park is home to Multicraft International, Mississippi Baking Company, and Hydra Service Inc., to name a few.

This town is proud of Yogi on the Lake, which offers a lake, water park, cabins, RV hookups and campsites.

Our mystery town holds a Muscadine Festival each year that is well-attended.

This town was awarded the Municipal Excellence Award as Best Overall Town in Mississippi in 2011.

Oh and one more important clue … our mystery town is the hometown of Randy Knight, stocker calf, timber and dairy farmer and president of the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation.

Name this town.

A special thanks to Rankin County Women’s Chair Eddie Myrtle Moore and to Mayor Knox Ross for their help with this article.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

Correct Guesses

Mail guesses to Solve the Mystery, Mississippi Farm Country, P.O. Box 1972, Jackson, MS 39215. You may also e-mail 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.

MISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY

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 November 30.

September/October

The correct answer for the September/October Solve the Mystery is Tishomingo.

25

Value

Adding

to a

Mississippi Dairy C

By Glynda Phillips

ountry Girls Creamery near Wiggins is a successful value-added dairy that was begun two years ago for two reasons. Kiahnell Smith wanted to be able to continue to dairy even as the industry in Mississippi was experiencing a steady decline, and his son Butch wanted to join him in the family dairy business.

“Several years ago, I went to my father and told him that I wanted to help him. He said that there was no way the dairy could support his family and mine, too,” Butch said. “My dad’s been in the business for 30 years. His grandparents started the dairy and had a milk route.”

A chance meeting provided the Smiths with a possible solution.

Kiahnell and Butch were at the Neshoba County Fair when they happened to strike up a conversation with someone who knew Billy Ray Brown. Billy Ray operates a successful valueadded dairy in the Yacona Community near Oxford. Soon afterwards, Kiahnell read an article about Billy Ray in the Mississippi Farm Country magazine.

“We decided to visit the Browns, and we were most impressed,” Kiahnell said. “They are great people, and what they are doing is innovative and promising.”

At the time, Billy Ray was marketing bottled pasteurized milk at two local farmers markets. He was making $8 a gallon on 200 gallons of milk a week provided by six Jersey cows, and he was selling out of milk each week.

Kiahnell and Butch could see possibilities.

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MISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

Getting Started

Two years ago, the Smiths began meeting with experts at Mississippi State University and the Mississippi Health Department, learning how to make value-added milk products and how to develop a marketing plan for a creamery.

Today, Country Girls Creamery bottles pasteurized milk, churns butter, and makes cheddar, jalapeno, brie and mozzarella cheeses, sour cream, and yogurt. The business has three full-time employees, including Butch’s brother Mike.

When the Smiths began the venture, they had planned to sell only to local farmers markets. What they hadn’t counted on was that one of the larger dairy processing plants in the area would decide to stop delivering products to the smaller, locally-owned grocery stores, country stores and specialty shops in the area.

The Smiths picked up those customers and now deliver Country Girls products to 30 businesses within a 60-mile radius of their dairy. The Smiths have never solicited this type of business — all of the stores have called them.

Butch says these businesses believe in their products and are willing to push them.

The Smiths also sell at farmers markets in Ocean Springs, Long Beach and Biloxi. Butch says the farmers markets are very interesting.

“We start at 9 a.m., and as our customers arrive, they get in line and keep us steadily busy for two hours,” he said.

“We thought that this would be a supplemental income to the farm. We thought we would sell about 200 to 300 bottles of milk a week. As of March 2011, we were selling 1500 bottles a week, including 400 gallons of fluid milk and 250 gallons of milk in cheese.

“When you are doing something like this, your money is in the value-added products,” he said. “Milk is a staple.

Customers come for the milk then buy the other products while they are there.”

Daily Operations

The Smiths invite customers to visit their farm to see how well they take care of their animals, what goes on there, and how clean it is. The creamery gets some adult visitors but most are children.

“We invite school kids to plan field trips out to our farm,” Butch said. “We tell them about the cows and show them the processing room. We let them see the cows being milked. We let them wax a little piece of cheese and take it home with them to age. We do grilled cheese sandwiches, chocolate milk and fruit, and we eat out under the trees.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

“Our milk is fresh. It tastes better than the milk in stores and has a longer shelf life … over two weeks,” Butch said. “When we first started out, we thought that our customers would primarily be older adults who remember how it used to be, or younger families who want to eat more natural products. We have both of these types of customers, but we also have lots of youngsters who just like the taste of our milk and won’t let their parents buy the milk they had previously been purchasing in the grocery stores.”

Looking Toward the Future

Kiahnell and Butch say that a creamery takes a lot of work.

“If you get into this, just know that you will have to build a processing facility then hire more employees,” Butch said. “Plus, I don’t think every area of the state could support this. It’s good to be located near an urban area.”

The Smiths presently own 170 head of cows, but milk about 75 Jerseys a day. Kiahnell started out with 30 dairy cows.

“We added a processing facility to the dairy in 2010, with an addition in July 2010,” Butch said. “We have just ordered another pasteurizer, and we will make our last addition in November 2011, which will include a cheese cooler and bigger storage area.”

Butch and his family invite you to visit Country Girls Creamery, located on Sammy Jo Road, off Highway 26 near Wiggins.

You may also visit their Facebook page.

MISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY

27

YF&R State Committee:

A Job Well Done

A

number of Mississippi’s agricultural leaders were shaped by a past involvement in the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) Program. Many of these men and women served on the YF&R State Committee.

Each year, the YF&R State Committee helps to coordinate YF&R activities, including the Young Farmer Scholarship Fund and a variety of fundraising activities. The committee’s hard work and dedication benefit not only the YF&R Program but the Farm Bureau program as a whole.

The following young farmers are going off of the Young Farmers and Ranchers State Committee in 2012. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them for a job well done.

By Kirsten Johnson, MFBF Young Farmers and Ranchers Coordinator

The Edgars

Matt & Carrie Edgar

Matt is a fourth-generation Yazoo County row-crop and cattle farmer who farms wheat, corn and soybeans and runs about 100 head of commercial beef cattle. Carrie is a registered mammography technologist at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Matt and Carrie have two boys, Adam, 4, and Wyatt, 8 months. Matt serves on the Yazoo County Farm Bureau Board. They attend Parkview Church of God in Yazoo City.

Chris & Sylvia McLemore

The McLemores

The Guedons

Chris operates a six-house chicken farm and a poultry cleanout and litter sales business in Philadelphia, providing litter to fellow farmers around the state for use as fertilizer. Sylvia has a degree in Respiratory Therapy and works for the Rush Foundation Hospital’s Heart Station, performing Nuclear Cardiac Stress Tests. The McLemores have two boys, Quinton, 14, and Quade, 8.

William & Julie White

The Whites own a small commercial cowcalf operation along with William’s parents.

William is the Facilities Coordinator for the Mississippi State University (MSU) Leveck Research Unit, where he works with over 500 head of registered beef cattle and horses. Julie is the MSU Extension Director for Oktibbeha County. William serves as chair of the Oktibbeha County YF&R Committee. Julie serves as secretary of the YF&R State Committee.

William and Julie have two children, Matthew and Morgan.

MISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY

The Grahams

Shea & Susan Whitfield

The Whitfields have a small row-crop operation. Shea works as a chemical salesman for Helena Chemical, and Susan is a parttime hair stylist and full-time mother to their two sons, Lije and Law, ages 5 and 4. The Whitfields have served on the Humphreys County Farm Bureau YF&R Committee, where Shea served as chair for two years.

Shea now serves on the county Farm Bureau board and is a past State Discussion Meet winner. He represented Mississippi at the National Discussion Meet in Seattle, Washington. They are active members of First Presbyterian Church in Belzoni.

Brad & Brittany Jones

The Jones grow 25 acres of watermelons and graze around 500 stocker calves each year. Brad works with the MSU Extension Service as a 4-H/Agriculture Agent in Stone County. Brittany teaches eighth-grade English at Stone Middle School. Brad served as a member of the county YF&R Committee and currently serves on the YF&R State Committee. The Jones are involved with their county Cattlemen’s Association and County Fair Board. Because of the nature of their jobs, they enjoy spending time working with area youth. They have one child, Tyler, 3.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

Young Farmers talk about their Experiences The broad base of knowledge we have gained from other farmers has helped us grow as individuals and as Mississippi farmers.

What interested you about the Young Farmers & Ranchers Program initially?

We became excited about the program after we became involved with our Adams County Farm Bureau. We were very interested in membership benefits other than just insurance. We enjoyed the aspect of learning what Farm Bureau can do for all its members, including how policy is developed from the counties up and how we can network with other members throughout the state.

We loved the idea of promoting agriculture.

I have been involved in this industry my entire life and love talking about how great it feels to help feed the world. I love being involved in an organization that is all about promoting agriculture.

- Noble & Fayla Guedon, Adams County The chance to give back and the fact that the scholarships helped us tremendously in college made us jump at the opportunity to give back and help so that this program will be there for others.

- Brad & Brittany Jones, Stone County

We were interested in learning more about farming, since we were new to the profession. We wanted to meet others like us, and we felt that it would be a great way to get more involved with the farming industry.

- Dee & Kimberly Steed, Tallahatchie County

What has been the most valuable thing you will take from your involvement with the YF&R State Committee?

The encouragement we received from Farm Bureau to become more involved and to take leadership roles and, of course, the lifelong friendships.

- Matt & Carrie Edgar, Yazoo County The broad base of knowledge we have gained from other farmers has helped us grow as individuals and as Mississippi farmers.

- Chris & Sylvia McLemore, Neshoba County

The Whitfields

Noble & Fayla Guedon

Noble and Fayla live in Natchez and have a row-crop operation that consists of rice, soybeans and cotton. He is a fifth-generation farmer, and Fayla works at the Natchez Regional Medical Center as a Medical Laboratory Technician. Noble says he has enjoyed his time as chair of the YF&R State Committee and encourages all young farmers to become involved in this program. Noble and Fayla have two children, Caroline and Grayson. Caroline is in the third grade, and Grayson is in first grade.

Dee & Kimberly Steed

In 2007, the Steeds began Random Shot Farms, a 3,500-acre row-crop operation in partnership with Kimberly’s parents. They produce soybeans, rice, corn, wheat and cotton. Dee is a board

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

The Whites

member of Tallahatchie County Farm Bureau, served on the YF&R Sporting Clays Committee, and previously served on the American Cancer Society Relay for Life Committee. Kimberly is a member of the Junior Auxiliary and has served as chair of the YF&R Scholarship Committee. They are alumni of the DuPont Young Leader Program. They have two sons, Lawson, 7, and Rolin, 3.

Jeremy & Beth Graham

The Grahams own Graham Dairy in Hurricane, Mississippi. Jeremy’s grandparents started the dairy in 1928. Beth works at Oxford Diagnostic Center in Oxford as an x-ray tech. Jeremy serves on the Pontotoc County Farm Bureau Board of Directors. He also serves on the board of directors for Midsouth Dairy Herd Improvement Association. They have a 1-year-old daughter, Mary Hatley.

MISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY

29

Serving on the YF&R State Committee has allowed us to make new friends across the state and to learn more about the different types of agriculture and the different methods, practices and issues concerning each. Also, we have learned about policy development from the grassroots level to the Legislature and how we can influence our elected officials.

- William & Julie White, Oktibbeha County The lifelong friendships we’ve made through the program will be the most valuable thing we take from this experience. We’ve also gained a broader view on how producers across our state are affected differently by laws and regulations.

- Jeremy & Beth Graham, Pontotoc County

What would you say to new members just getting involved in their county programs?

The Steeds

Get involved, go to meetings, attend commodity meetings, talk to your regional managers and don’t be afraid to use your voice. It is hard to make it to every meeting; however, going as often as you can is important.

- Brad & Brittany Jones, Stone County Get involved as quickly as possible and don’t be scared to jump in with both feet. I would say get in touch with whoever is in charge of these programs and volunteer for them. I think some people miss out while waiting on someone to ask them to get involved.

- Shea & Susan Whitfield, Humphreys County First of all, get involved! It is a great way to meet other farmers from across the state and learn from each other. But you have to be willing to “step out of your comfort zone,” so to speak.

- Dee & Kimberly Steed, Tallahatchie County

How do you think your involvement in the state YF&R Program has helped you grow as a farmer or rancher?

By getting to meet people from operations that are like ours and some that are completely different. We knew very little about the dairy and poultry business coming into this but now have a new respect for those guys.

- Shea & Susan Whitfield, Humphreys County Being on the YF&R State Committee has broadened our knowledge and perspective of agriculture as a whole and has shown us ways we could improve and build upon our current operation.

- William & Julie White, Oktibbeha County With the knowledge that we have acquired serving on this committee, we are making sounder financial decisions that will help ensure our future in farming.

- Chris & Sylvia McLemore, Neshoba County

Where do you hope to see the program in the future?

We hope to see a continued focus on this program, encouraging members from all parts of the state to become more involved.

- Matt & Carrie Edgar, Yazoo County

The Jones

We hope to see Farm Bureau continue to utilize former committee members to its benefit. After serving on the YF&R State Committee for two years, former members have been educated on many different beneficial aspects of Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation.

These former members could be utilized to help develop, construct and implement future policy. They also could be used to help communicate issues between county Farm Bureaus and state government.

- Noble & Fayla Guedon, Adams County The YF&R Program has seen many changes recently, and we hope to see the program advance, with each committee member serving with the main goal of developing leadership skills in agriculture.

- Jeremy & Beth Graham, Pontotoc County

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Member Benefits Spotlight Ford Discount and Other Member Benefits

By Greg Gibson, MFBF Member Services Director

We are excited to welcome Ford Motor Company to our Farm Bureau family. Members can now receive a $500 discount on select Ford cars and trucks. All vehicles are included in the program with the exception of the Edge SE AWD, Mustang Shelby GT500, F-150 Raptor, and the Taurus SE. This program replaces the Dodge discount that was discontinued earlier this year.

Your membership in Farm Bureau costs you a few dollars each year, but that membership fee allows you to participate in this and many other Member Benefits programs that can save you hundreds, perhaps thousands, of dollars.

Farm Bureau has signed agreements with many partner companies to provide products and services to Farm Bureau members at a discount. All of these services are available to you as a member, and all you have to do is provide your membership number or the special Farm Bureau code that is associated with that particular program.

Here are two more.

Hotels One of our most popular programs is the 20 percent discount offered by Choice Hotels. By reserving rooms on the Choice Hotel Web site and using Farm Bureau’s savings code, you can save 20 percent on every night you stay in a Choice Hotel, which includes Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality Inn, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Mainstay Suites, Suburban, Econo Lodge, and Rodeway Inn.

Affordable Hearing Aids Farm Bureau has signed a new agreement with Clear Value Hearing to offer Farm Bureau members significant discounts on hearing aids. Members can receive a free hearing test, free annual retests, free programming and maintenance, free case of batteries, and 25 percent off Starkey digital hearing instruments.

For more information on all of the Farm Bureau Member Benefits programs, call your county Farm Bureau office or visit our Web site at www.msfb.org and click on the Member Benefits link. Or you can call Farm Bureau’s Member Benefits Coordinator Dedra Luke at 601-977-4169.

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Jackson County

By Glynda Phillips

Jackson County Farm Bureau was chartered in 1924 and has served area farmers for almost 90 years. The first president was Edwin Booth.

Today, Perry Meyers serves as president, Ken Mallette as vice president, Debbie Hackler as women’s chair and Matt Mizelle as young farmer chair. Directors include Clyde Brown, Brian Rouse, Doug Winters, Carl Wyatt and Kerney Tilley.

Mike Tingle is agency manager. Lisa Taylor, Keshia Nash and Tammy McCollum are secretaries. Kevin Brown is Regional Manager for Region 8 and Commodity Coordinator for Horticulture and Forestry. Carolyn Turner serves as Region 7 Women’s Chair.

The office has a satellite facility in Vancleave.

Jackson County Farm Bureau has been named the Outstanding County in its region for

Perry Meyers and Lisa Taylor 34

Farm Bureau Spotlight

the past two years. It won the Women’s Achievement Award in 2010, and has won an Award of Excellence every year for the past four years. Debbie Hackler serves on the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation Communication Committee, which plans and carries out the Farm Families of Mississippi campaign.

“I am so proud of Jackson County Farm Bureau,” Perry said. “Our members work well together, and they are very responsive to the programs. Farm Bureau is like one big family.

It is just a great organization.”

Jackson County does something unique.

Every two years, members organize a farm tour to a different area of the state. Here’s why.

“We go to Farm Bureau meetings in Jackson where we vote on policies, and a lot of the time, we are unfamiliar with the types of farming enterprises connected with these issues,”

Perry said. “We wanted to actually visit the operations and see for ourselves what goes on there.”

For their first farm tour, the group travelled to the Delta to learn about soybeans, rice, cotton, corn, timber and farm-raised catfish. Participants toured GT &T Farms, Marvin Cochran’s farm, Tommy Nelson and King Farms, and Ken Middleton’s farm. The group also visited with Blake New with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) about soil conservation and erosion control and toured the Thad Cochran National Warmwater Aquaculture Center in Stoneville.

They met with Dr. Jimmy Avery to learn about farm-raised catfish research.

“Our tour members were astounded by the size of the Delta farms, the size of the planting and harvesting equipment, and the complexity of the technology,” Perry said. “We were fas-

Keshia Nash and Lisa Taylor MISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY

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cinated by the cotton gins and by the scope and types of irrigation systems used in the fields.”

This year, the group travelled to Neshoba, Covington and Choctaw counties to learn about swine, poultry and honeybees. In Choctaw County, they visited Bob Power’s 8,000-head swine farm.

“We were surprised by how large an operation it was and how clean it was,” Perry said. “We were also astonished by how many chickens Stanley Williams raises on his Covington County poultry farm and how clean those facilities were.

We watched, fascinated, as Stanley’s mother tended a huge commercial egg operation.”

The group visited beekeeper Kenneth Thompson of Neshoba County, who made biscuits with honey and homemade butter.

They were amazed by what they learned about honeybees. For example, the queen bee can’t feed herself and bees can be mailed. Thompson builds his own bee hives. The group also toured his cattle barn.

Also in 2011, the group invited those counties that had hosted them to visit Jackson County and learn about agriculture in that area of the state. Farmers from Jackson, Washington, Choctaw, Covington, Rankin, Stone and Harrison counties discovered that forestry and cattle are Jackson County’s two main agricultural commodities, but that the area also boasts nursery and vegetable production.

The group toured the Port of Pascagoula and noted the large volume of commodities shipped out all over the world through that port.

The group also visited research facilities and learned about the research being conducted and how this impacts and improves Jackson County’s agricultural commodities.

Also attending the Jackson County Ag Tour were Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) staff, MFBF President Randy Knight, and staff members from the Mississippi State Extension office, the Jackson County Forestry Association and the Mississippi Forestry Association.

“We really enjoyed the tour,” Perry said. “We are proud of our area. Y’all come on down, and we will show you around.”

Perry also encourages other county Farm Bureaus to conduct similar farm tours.

“This type of effort not only increases your knowledge of Mississippi agriculture, it makes you appreciate our state’s agricultural industry and the state as a whole.”

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Farm Bureau Events Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation board members and spouses toured agricultural enterprises and research facilities in the southeastern region of the state in August.

They are pictured with Butch Smith of Country Girls Creamery, Wiggins, and Dan Batson of GreenForest Nursery, Perkinston.

Mike Howell, the Mississippi State University Extension Service southeast district area agronomist, updated tour participants on area research then took them to research plots of cotton and edible peanuts in George County. The group also toured the Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi.

Patricia Mann of Smith County and Jenny Sowell of Oktibbeha County each received a $2,000 Berta White Scholarship from the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) Women’s Program. Both are students at Mississippi State University.

Pictured are, from left, MFBF President Randy Knight, Mann, Sowell, and State Women’s Chair Betty Mills.

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MFBF Annual Meeting Highlights The 90th annual membership meeting of the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation will be held Dec. 3-5 at the Hilton-Jackson hotel on East County Line Road in Jackson.

Saturday morning highlights include the Farm Bureau Ambassador Contest at 9 a.m., the Women’s Communication Workshop at 10:30 a.m., and the Young Farmers and Ranchers Discussion Meet Semifinals at 10:30 a.m. General

Session begins at 1 p.m. and will be followed by conferences on estate planning at 2:30 p.m., safety at 3:30 p.m., and environmental issues at 4:30 p.m.

The annual “Music and a Meal for Agriculture” fundraiser dinner will be held at 6 p.m. at the Ag Museum.

Sunday morning highlights include a Farm Bill Update program at 9 a.m., the Women’s

Breakfast at 7 a.m., the Women’s Business Session at 9 a.m., and the morning Worship Service.

This year’s worship program will feature LaDonna Gatlin, sister of the legendary Gatlin Brothers. LaDonna has spent her entire career empowering people to “sing their own song” through their words, deeds and actions. She has shared her message everywhere … from corporate powerhouses to the prison cells of death row.

LaDonna Gatlin

The County Recognition Program begins at 2 p.m. The Sunday evening General Session features presentations of the winners of the Young Farmers and Ranchers State Achievement Award and Young Farmers and Ranchers State Discussion Meet contests.

The annual Business Session will be held Monday morning at 8 a.m.

A Gift That Keeps On Giving Christmas is a time of giving.

At this year’s annual meeting, you will have several great opportunities to do your Christmas shopping while helping a good cause. The Young Farmers and Ranchers Program will again host silent and live auctions, and the Women’s Program will host the Farm Bureau General Store. Proceeds from these events will help students with tuition costs.

This year, the Young Farmers and Ranchers Scholarship Foundation awarded $10,000 in scholarships to deserving college students. The Women’s Program awarded the $2,000 Berta White Scholarship to two female college students.

Remember to bring your checkbook, do your Christmas shopping and give our ag students a gift that keeps on giving.

For more information, contact Young Farmers and Ranchers Coordinator Kirsten Johnson at 601-977-4277 or Women’s Program Coordinator Clara Bilbo at 601-977-4245.

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Chris Shivers will Serve Ag Safety Board

Chris Shivers has been work for a safer and healthelected to serve on the Inier agricultural workplace. ternational Society for Ag “Safe practices on Safety and Health (ISASH) farms and ranches also Board of Directors, forlead to safer and healthier merly known as the Narural communities,� said tional Institute of Farm ISASH President Marsha Safety.

Purcell, American Farm ISASH members include Shivers Bureau Federation. engineers, educators, insurChris is the Missisers, physicians, nurses, veterinari- sippi Farm Bureau Federation ans, statisticians, communicators, (MFBF) Safety Specialist in South business leaders, and others who Mississippi.

Public Relations Honors Public relations and communications professionals from state Farm Bureaus across the nation received recognition this summer at the annual American Farm Bureau Federation Public Relations Conference in Virginia Beach, VA. Mississippi took home several honors, including a first-place

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award for Best Pamphlet or Brochure (80,000 members and over category), Danielle Ginn, and a first-place award for Best Video Feature Story, Greg Gibson and Mark Morris.

Honorable mentions went to Gibson and Morris for Best Video News Story and Best Public Relations Campaign.

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