Earlier this year, 93-year-old cattle rancher Lloyd Reynolds of Lamar attended his last Johnson County Farm Bureau board meeting. Reynolds had served on the board for most of his adult life. He shared his thoughts about Arkansas Farm Bureau with us, along with stories from his full and fascinating life in agriculture.
Dennis Martin of Hickory Ridge followed in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps, farming row crops on land in Cross, Jackson and Woodruff counties. Now his daughter Jenna, fresh out of college, has decided she’ll continue the family tradition and work full-time on the farm alongside her dad. Watch as they share their story.
Peanut production has become more common in Arkansas. With a little help from Tommy Jumper and his vertically integrated business model at Delta Peanut LLC, cotton farmers in Lee and St. Francis counties have been adding peanuts to their rotation and harvesting better-than-expected yields. Jumper talked to us about his business and how he believes that the state will become a “major player” in the U.S. peanut industry when Arkansas’ first shelling facility begins operation near Jonesboro next year.
Jeff Edwards has been farming in the Sherrill-Pastoria community near Pine Bluff for most of his life. Like others in the Arkansas River valley, he lost cropland to the historic flooding earlier this year. He and his family have weathered challenges like this before, though, and Jeff plans to continue farming until, “the Lord calls him home.” Watch to learn more.
Arkansas Farm Bureau was once again one of the major sponsors of the Junior Livestock Auction at the Arkansas State Fair. During the premium livestock sale, we caught up with some of the young participants from around the state, who talked about the work involved in raising champion animals and their personal experience at this year’s Fair.
Farmers in eastern Arkansas like Caleb Jones are working hard bringing in this year’s cotton crop. Caleb took time to visit with us about his family’s multi-generational farm in St. Francis County and his concerns about this year's prices.
Cotton Incorporated and other industry representatives from across the country made what has become an annual visit to Lee County recently to learn about cotton production and the ginning process from local farmers and observe the fall harvest. We spoke to some of the attendees and to Marianna farmer Trent Felton about the visit and what they hope it accomplishes.
The cotton harvest is in full swing in Arkansas. St. Francis County farmers Jim and Caleb Jones of Palestine invited us to follow their pickers in the field to capture video of how it's done.
Cooler temperatures are bringing famlies and school field trips to Peebles Farm near Augusta in Woodruff County. Youngsters and grown-ups alike can explore the corn maze, pick pumpkins, take wagon rides or enjoy any of the numerous activities at this unique "agritourism" destination. Hear Katie Peebles describe how they prepare the maze and get the farm ready for fall visitors.
Derek Helms' family has been milking cows on his farm near Arkadelphia since 1907. The 5th-generation farmer has kept the family business going, despite challenges that have forced many in Arkansas out of the dairy industry. He leads the Clark County Farm Bureau and is working hard to ensure younger generations will have opportunities to farm and ranch in the state as well.
