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WHAT IF YOUR LOCAL ANIMAL AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY DISAPPEARED?

What else would disappear with it?

Well, to start, the millions of dollars that livestock and poultry producers generate to help build and restore your local schools and parks.

Then there’s the locally produced meat that we trust to be part of the safe and healthy meals we feed our families.

And of course saying goodbye to your local poultry and livestock industries would also mean saying goodbye to the number one customer for U.S. soybean meal.

Animal agriculture helps our community thrive. That’s why it’s important that we continue to give them our support. Because a safe and secure food supply and a safe and secure rural community both come from the same place – inside the barns and out in the fi elds of America’s farmers and producers.

Soybean farmers helping livestock and poultry producers just makes sense.

I am proud that our Mississippi soybean checkoff serves as a partner with Growing Mississippi –Farm Families of Mississippi. The program’s goal, to educate and promote our state’s thriving agricultural industry, supports the state’s soybean farmers. The campaign speaks to the heart of agriculture in our state, the people who care for the livestock we raise and the crops we grow. Farmers and ranchers continue to make agriculture a thriving success in America.

As a soybean farmer in the Magnolia State, I am a proud member of the state’s number one industry–the value of being a farmer and hope the tradition will continue

82 counties and communities in our state through generating a

steady workforce and bringing much-needed tax revenue to help maintain safe roads, keep schools open and provide an overall better way of life. Together we strengthen our communities and the success of agriculture in our state.

We have many roles in agriculture, from caring for our livestock and their well-being to cultivating the rich, fertile soils on our farms. America’s farmers and ranchers are providing a safe, reliable and abundant food supply for your family. And we’re proud to do so!

Sincerely,

Keith Morton – ChairmanMississippi Soybean Promotion Board

Growing Mississippi

Keith Morton – Chairman

www.soybeans.msstate.edu www.animalag.org

Features

CONTENTSMISSISSIPPI FARM COUNTRY

Volume 86 Number 6November/December 2010

EDITORGlynda Phillips

Graphic Arts CoordinatorDanielle Ginn

Department Assistant/Ad Sales Rep.Angela Thompson

FARM BUREAU OFFICERSPresident - David Waide

Vice President - Donald GantVice President - Randy KnightVice President - Reggie Magee

Treasurer - Billy DavisCorporate Secretary - Ilene Sumrall

FARM BUREAU DIRECTORSDr. Jim Perkins, IukaKevin Simpson, AshlandB.A. Teague, New AlbanyBill Ryan Tabb, Cleveland

Coley L. Bailey, Jr., CoffeevilleDan L. Bishop, BaldwynJeffrey R. Tabb, WalthallDoss Brodnax, StarkvilleWanda Hill, Isola

Weldon Harris, KosciuskoWilliam Jones, MeridianMax Anderson, DecaturStanley Williams, Mt. OliveMark Chaney, VicksburgMoody Davis, BrookhavenBill Pigott, TylertownD.P. O’Quinn, PurvisWendell Gavin, LaurelClifton Hicks, LeakesvilleTom Daniels, GulfportBetty Mills, WinonaClint Russell, Cleveland

HONORARY VICE-PRESIDENTSLouis J. Breaux, David H. Bennett, and

Warren Oakley

Mississippi Farm Country (ISSN 1529-9600) magazine is published bimonthly by the

*Mississippi Farm Bureau® Federation.

EDITORIAL AND BUSINESS OFFICES6311 Ridgewood RoadJackson, MS 39211

TELEPHONE601.977.4153

ADVERTISING(National) Paul Hurst 1.800.397.8908

(Southeastern U.S.) Angela Thompson1.800.227.8244 ext. 4242

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.

*FARM BUREAU®, FB® and all Farm Bureau Logos used in thismagazine are registered service marks owned by the AmericanFarm Bureau Federation. They may not be used in anycommercial manner without the prior written consent of theAmerican Farm Bureau Federation.

Material in this publication is based on what the editor believesto be reliable information. Neither Mississippi Farm BureauFederation nor those individuals or organizations contributingto the MFBF publication assume any liability for errors that mightgo undetected in the publication - this includes statements inarticles or advertisements that could lead to erroneous personalor business management decisions.

ABOUT THE COVERThe Clark family of Vardaman hails from a long line of sweet potato growers.

Pictured are Norman and Sylvia Clark, their son Andy, daughter-in-law Laura

and grandsons, Matthew, 9, and Joshua, 4. Read their story on pages 8-9.

5 EMINENT DOMAIN Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation delivered

more than 118,000 certified signatures to Secretary of

State Hosemann on Sept. 30 so that eminent domain

reform can be placed on the November 2011 ballot.

Come with us as we learn more.

MISSISSIPPI SWEET POTATOESThe 2010 harvest season has shaped up to be a

bountiful one for Mississippi sweet potato growers.

Read all about this industry inside.

SOLVE THE MYSTERYOur Solve the Mystery Contest spotlights the county seat

of Franklin County. This town is the headquarters of

Cellular South and Herring Gas Company, Inc.

Read the clues and make your guess

SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTSThe 2010-2011 Young Farmers and Ranchers Scholarship

Foundation and 2010- 2011 Berta Lee White Scholarship

recipients have been announced. Read about them inside.

4 President’s Message

6 Commodity Update: Beef

7 Commodity Update: Equine

20 Counsel’s Corner

8

21

Departments

NO V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R M I S S I S S I P P I F A R M C O U N T R Y 3

27

s it comes to this time of

the year, I realize that my

days of being president of

Mississippi Farm Bureau

Federation are not exces-

sively long. Since announc-

ing my retirement in January, I have checked

off the things that I have done for the final

time as president. This will be my final arti-

cle as president of Mississippi Farm Bureau.

I cannot emphasize enough how important

I think the Farm Bureau is in the lives of

every rural Mississippian. It certainly

enhances the lives of our urban dwellers,

too, because the farm community, by and

large, produces the food and fiber that this

nation consumes.

As long as we keep agriculture strong, it is

the strength of Mississippi’s economy and

the strength of those things that will keep us

sovereign and free as a nation. Our country

faces numerous challenges as we continue

into the 21st century. Those challenges are

certainly ones that industrious and intuitive

people can succeed in solving.

The one thing that I have tried to

emphasize during my tenure as president is

that, as a nation, we can never afford to

become dependent on another nation for

our food supply. I can say unequivocally that

nations that cannot feed their populations

cannot have the independence and luxury of

being sovereign and free because they will

be beholding to the country that supplies

them with the necessities of life.

While I recognize that we have numerous

challenges as a nation, I firmly believe that

agriculture can be a huge contributor in

solving the economic woes that we have at

this time. It is the only entity that contributes

a positive trade balance to our foreign

trade deficit.

It is through the efficiency of the

American farmer that we not only have the

safest, most abundant food supply but we

are indeed the envy of the world in the ways

that we have managed to be innovative in

creating new economic opportunities for

all of those jobs that are dependent on

agriculture.

While we see a shift in some of the trade

areas in the world and some countries that

have been competitors of ours in world

trade, we will continue to be a huge contrib-

utor. If we as Americans do not allow our

farms to be regulated out of business or to

be forced out because we have not kept pace

with production practices, we will remain

sovereign and free forever.

I can assure every Farm Bureau member

that the positive impact Farm Bureau will

continue to have can only be had by the

organization’s volunteer leaders who are

willing to interact on behalf of agriculture.

When asked to contact a legislator or a

congressman, a handwritten note is so influ-

ential to let them know how you feel about

an issue. I cannot emphasize that enough.

As gifted and talented as the Farm Bureau

staff is, it is not something they can do

without the support of the volunteer leader-

ship and members of Farm Bureau. We as

staff can always let our legislators and

regulators know exactly how we feel about

an issue, but if we are going to succeed with

that issue, it is going to be because those

individuals who gain their livelihood from

agriculture interact in addition to the staff.

As I conclude this article, my final

thought is, while we realize the importance

of having a bountiful food and fiber supply

to remain the best-fed, best-clothed,

best-housed nation on Earth, we must

also remember that our strength comes

because we have been a God-fearing nation.

To compromise our principles or allow

someone to impose something on us that is

not in keeping with the belief we have in our

Creator can cause our demise.

My prayer for every Farm Bureau

member is one of continuing health, one of

continuing prosperity, but, especially, one

that would guide us by faith in God

Almighty. For us to realize that only in Him

can we find happiness and contentment,

and only through Him can our salvation

be provided.

My prayer for everyone is that, as

members of this organization, we will pray

daily for the farm community and that we

will remember it is the American farmer

who has provided the best way of life that

any individual on Earth has ever known. It is

my sincere prayer that we will continue to

keep that faith in our Creator.

May God bless each and every one of you

in the days ahead.

A

MAY GOD BLESS EACHAND EVERY ONE OF YOU

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

By David Waide • President, Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Dec. 4-6 Annual MeetingHilton HotelJackson

Jan. 4 Legislature Convenes

Jan. 9-12 AFBF Annual MeetingAtlanta, GA

Jan. 20 Winter Commodity Conf.Livestock and Forestry Jackson

Jan. 20 Legislative ReceptionJackson

Jan. 21 Winter Commodity Conf.Row Crops and Aquaculture Jackson

4 M I S S I S S I P P I F A R M C O U N T R Y N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R


2010 MFBF ANNUAL MEETINGNationally known agricultural advo-

cate Trent Loos of South Dakota will

address the opening General Session

of the 89th Annual Meeting of the

Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation

to be held Dec. 4-6 at the Hilton

Hotel in Jackson. Loos is a farmer,

rancher and host of the radio show,

“Loos Tales,” whose new passion is

spreading the word about the many

positive things in production agricul-

ture, where it is "individuals, not

institutions, who make a difference.” “Loos Tales” TV programming

airs each weekend at 8:30 a.m. Central on Dish Network 9411.

The Miracles, a nationally recognized choir from The Baddour

Center in Senatobia, will be featured during the Sunday morning

worship service. Their mission is to praise God through music,

bridge attitude barriers that may exist towards persons with intel-

lectual disabilities, and share the mission of The Baddour Center.

Other convention highlights include the Farm Bureau General

Store and Young Farmers and Ranchers Silent and Live auctions;

State Ag Ambassador Contest; Safety and Environmental

conferences; Young Farmers and Ranchers State Discussion Meet

and State Achievement Award activities; and Women’s Recognition

Breakfast and Business Session. David and Sandra Waide will be

honored with a reception Saturday afternoon, beginning at 5 p.m.

Annual meeting activities will close Monday with the Business

Session, where policy will be determined for the coming year and

elections will be held for state officers and directors.

At presstime, the schedule looked like this:

Entire convention - YF&R Silent Auction (Saturday and Sunday)

& General Store

SATURDAY, DEC. 49 a.m. Ag Ambassador Contest

10:30 a.m. YF&R Discussion Meet Semi-finals

Lunch on your own

1 p.m. General Session

- Live auction

- Trent Loos, keynote speaker

2:30 p.m. Land/Environmental Conference

3:30 p.m. Safety Conference

5 p.m. Reception honoring David and Sandra Waide

6:30 p.m. General Session

- YF&R Discussion Meet Finals and Presentation

- Pennies for Mississippi Presentation

- Live Auction

- YF&R Achievement Award Presentation

SUNDAY, DEC. 57 a.m. Women’s Recognition Breakfast

9 a.m. Women’s Business Session

10:45 a.m. Worship Service

- The Miracles

2 p.m. County Recognition Program

6 p.m. Ag Image Campaign Fundraiser Dinner –

Ag Museum

MONDAY, DEC. 68 a.m. Business Session

12 p.m. Board of Directors meeting

FARM BUREAU DELIVERS EMINENT DOMAIN PETITIONS

Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation delivered more than 118,000

certified signatures to Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann on Sept.

30 so that the issue of eminent domain reform can be placed on

the November 2011 ballot.

After several failed attempts to get an eminent domain reform bill

passed in the Legislature, Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation

(MFBF) decided to go the initiative route and gathered the necessary

signatures to allow the people of Mississippi to speak on the issue of

private property rights.

“For three years, Farm Bureau urged legislators to protect

homeowners and landowners from confiscation of their private

property by eminent domain, but to no avail,” said MFBF President

David Waide. “The 2009 Legislature passed H.B. 803, which

prohibited the taking of private property under the guise of economic

development for private development or business. Both House and

Senate passed the bill, but Governor Barbour vetoed it.”

In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court held in a 5-4 decision in Kelo v.

City of New London that a Connecticut city could take away

people’s homes and turn the property over to a private party to

develop the property for its own profit. The court justified this result

because the increased tax revenue on the developed property

would benefit the public and the use of the property was, therefore,

a public use.

Farm Bureau and many others disagree with this decision. Since

2005, 44 states have strengthened their private property rights laws

to keep property from being taken by eminent domain and used

for economic development.

This initiative will give the people of Mississippi the right to vote

to ensure that eminent domain will be used only in the traditional

ways for public use such as roads, schools and utilities.

BEEF

6 M I S S I S S I P P I F A R M C O U N T R Y N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R

As a father, I know the impact of these experiences on my life and

career. I want to continue my grandparents’ legacy of faith, family

and deep love of agriculture for those I have the opportunity to

impact.

As beef producers, it is our responsibility to cultivate tomorrow’s

leaders. We must sow seeds in the young lives around us which will

allow the next generation to have the same experiences we have had

that drive us each day as cattle producers.

Many times, it would be much easier for me to go to the pasture,

fix the fence, check or doctor cattle alone; however, as a father, it is

the experiences that I can give to my children that will continue our

legacy as cattle producers to the next generation.

Just as we must fertilize our fields to improve the quality and

quantity of our forage crop to ensure the success of our herd, we as

Mississippi Farm Bureau members must recognize that the support

of area programs, such as local 4-H and FFA projects, is essential to

the continued growth of agriculture.

Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) strives to ensure the

future success of our young people in several ways:

• Purchasing animals in the Dixie National Sale of Junior

Champions;

• Donating a laptop computer to a state winner of the Heifer

Development Project;

• Purchasing jackets to be worn by state FFA officers;

• Making monetary contributions to the 4-H Foundation.

MFBF understands our role in leaving a legacy that supports

future industry and that is vital to the success of our economy for

many years to come. With our faith being the most important legacy

of all, I challenge you with a farming analogy used by Jerry Bridges

in his book, “The Pursuit of Holiness.”

Bridges points out that each season a farmer is dependent upon

God for causing the seed to germinate and for producing the rain

and sunshine necessary to produce a successful harvest. But the

farmer is also aware that, unless he diligently carries out his

responsibilities to plow, plant, fertilize and cultivate, he can’t

expect a harvest at the end of the season. In a sense, he is in a

partnership with God, and he will reap benefits only when he has

fulfilled his responsibilities.

Whether raising beef cattle or our children, tomorrow’s leaders,

what are our responsibilities and what legacy will we leave?

We Must Cultivate Tomorrow’s Leadersby Mike McCormick, MFBF Beef Advisory Committee Chair

Jon Kilgore, MFBF Commodity Coordinator for Beef

Mike McCormick Jon Kilgore

COMMODITY UPDATE

As I watch my children grow, I am grateful for their love of the livestock industryat such a young age. Recently, we took family pictures at my parents’ barn, whichbelonged to my grandfather. As I watched them jump on the hay bales and leanagainst the weathered siding, I was reminded of many Hereford production salesmy grandfather held in the ring and the countless hours I spent with my parentsfeeding cattle and raising club lambs to show as a member of 4-H and FFA.


EQUINE

This serves as a reminder. Even though the incidence of thedisease is very low, it is out there and a potential danger to otherhorses. Also, it is state law that each horse have a negative CogginsTest whenever leaving your farm. If you purchase a horse, makesure that, as provided by law, you receive a current negative CogginsTest for the protection of the rest of your horses.

Many of you are aware of the animal identification initiative thathas been ongoing for several years now. In February of this year,Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced the developmentof a federal rule that will require a Certificate of VeterinaryInspection and individual animal identification for livestock movingacross state lines.

There has been a lot of concern about what the identificationrequirements will be for horses, especially fears that microchips willbecome mandatory. As a result of a recent meeting with the horseadvisory committee, USDA has determined that identificationfor horses will consist of a description of the animal, i.e., name,age, sex and physical descriptions such as color, markings andwhirls. Digital photographs are acceptable as well. Permanentidentification such as tattoos, brands and microchips are encouragedbut not required.

Recent outbreaks of diseases such as Contagious Equine Metritis,Equine Viral Arteritis and, more recently, Equine Piroplasmosishighlight the need for an enhanced animal traceability program

within the United States. In recent years, especially post-Katrina,our agency has gotten very involved in emergency preparednessactivities. Disasters affect animals as well as humans, as was seenduring the response to Hurricane Katrina, where thousands ofanimals were displaced or died.

As a result, the Mississippi Animal Response Team (MART) wasformed as a way for volunteers to participate in an organized way todisasters involving animals. One of our more interesting trainingopportunities is the Technical Large Animal Emergency RescueTraining that teaches techniques for rescuing horses and otherlivestock that are trapped in ravines, iced-over ponds or overturnedtrailers. This course will provide emergency responders with theskills needed to address those situations.

The Board of Animal Health also coordinates evacuationactivities for horse owners needing to evacuate their horses fromlow-lying coastal areas as a result of hurricanes. If you are interestedin joining MART, please contact our office for more information.

Please remember that many contagious diseases are preventableby the use of vaccinations, so please contact your veterinarian foran appropriate vaccination program for your horse.

This article was written by Dr. Jim Watson, D.V.M., StateVeterinarian, Mississippi Board of Animal Health.

Update from Board of Animal HealthVirginia Mathews, MFBF Equine Advisory Committee Chair

Greg Shows, MFBF Commodity Coordinator for Equine

Virginia Mathews Greg Shows

COMMODITY UPDATE

This has been a busy year for the Board of Animal Health. For those not familiarwith our agency, we are charged with developing programs that deal with thecontrol of contagious diseases of animals. As an example, earlier this year, we wereinvolved with a disease investigation which uncovered a farm with multiple EquineInfectious Anemia (EIA) positive horses. Several horses from this farm were movedillegally to another state, resulting in transmission of disease to another horse onthe farm, resulting in four horses having to be euthanized.

By Glynda Phillips

Growing & Promoting

SWEET POTATOES

ears of hard work and dedication have given Norman and Sylvia Clark agood life as Vardaman sweet potato growers. The noble part of theequation is that, in the midst of their efforts, the two of them haveconsistently taken the time to give back to their church, communityand state.

Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation has benefited from Norman andSylvia’s leadership through the years, and we hope to have them for many

more. Since their son Andy and his wife Laura, also Vardaman sweet potato growers,serve on the Young Farmers and Ranchers State Committee, it would seem that the Clarkfamily tradition will continue well into the future.

Y8 M I S S I S S I P P I F A R M C O U N T R Y N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R

GROWING TATERSNorman Clark stands knee-deep in a field of sweet potatoes. The

sky is blue, the weather is hot, and the taters are growing right on

schedule. As if to prove it, Norman digs up a bunch and hands

them over.

“Beautiful,” you tell him, and he smiles happily. Mississippi, it

seems, is on course for a bountiful harvest season.

“We’re excited,” Norman said. “Our crop looks great this year,

and this is especially welcome after the devastating loss we

experienced in 2009. Sweet potatoes mean a lot to this area.”

Mississippi’s economic loss due to unharvested sweet potatoes in

2009 totaled $58.5 million. Calhoun County is the number one sweet

potato-producing county in the state.

Last year was bad, but Norman is confident the industry will come

back stronger than ever. Why? Because Mississippi sweet potatoes

are popular nationwide.

“Our Vardaman sweet potatoes taste great,” Norman said. “We

attribute this to the silt loam soil and climate. However, our success

as an industry can also be attributed to our faith in God and our

hardworking and dedicated growers.”

THREE GENERATIONSMississippi sweet potato growers benefit from the long line of

growers who came before them. Norman is a third generation sweet

potato farmer, whose family migrated from Tennessee to the area in

the early 1900s.

“Five families came down here because land was so affordable,”

he said. “It was just a blessing that they discovered this soil.”

Norman and Sylvia grew up helping out on the farm, and their son

Andy and his two siblings would ride the sweet potato digger in their

childhood years. Andy says his own 9-year-old would rather be in

the field than anywhere else.

“You’re just born with this in your blood,” he said with a smile. “I

don’t think I would have been happy doing anything else.”

A CHANGING INDUSTRYIn recent years, the sweet potato industry has really begun to grow

and change. Whereas, Norman’s parents grew 15 to 20 acres of sweet

potatoes annually, Norman grows about 100 acres each year. Some

farmers today produce as many as 300, 500 and even 2,000 acres of

sweet potatoes annually.

Equipment has become more sophisticated, research more

accessible, and processed sweet potato foods more varied and

popular. Most growers market their taters locally and through

brokers. Many sell to out-of-state processing facilities.

Because of last year’s loss from excessive rainfall … and because

of one other previous year of loss … most Mississippi sweet potato

farmers now diversify. Many have added crops like soybeans, corn

or wheat to their operations.

Andy ran an agribusiness this fall. He offered the public a corn

maze and sold sweet potatoes as part of the experience. He says it

takes patience to be a successful sweet potato farmer.

“You also pray a lot and have a lot of faith,” he said.

PROMOTING TATERSWhile Norman and Andy toil in the field, Sylvia and Laura work

to promote the industry. Sylvia is especially vocal in telling the sweet

potato story to the consuming public. For her efforts, she received

the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation’s prestigious Excellence in

Leadership Award in 2006.

“The sweet potato is very important to Calhoun County,” Sylvia

said. “This industry affects related businesses like the gas stations

that fuel our trucks; the dealerships that provide us with equipment

and parts; the grocery stores; and even the clothing stores.

“It’s important that the sweet potato industry remains strong

and that the counties that depend upon it continue to thrive. I try to

do my part to promote sweet potatoes and, in my mind, I am also

promoting Calhoun County,” she said with a smile.

Sylvia says Farm Bureau and the Mississippi Sweet Potato

Council have played the biggest role in her learning how to market

sweet potatoes.

“The people who attend the meetings where I present my talks are

so receptive to learning about the industry and the products it

produces,” she said. “This has encouraged me to branch out into TV

and print advertising.”

Sylvia says she wants all sweet potatoes and sweet potato products

to receive consumer attention, but she wants Vardaman sweet

potatoes to be recognized, like Vidalia onions, as a quality product

that deserves a premium price.

“I think we have made a lot of progress in recent years promoting

our industry,” she said. “I’m well pleased with the promotions.”

Sylvia works with the School of Human Sciences at Mississippi State

University. Laura teaches at Vardaman Elementary School. Andy

and Laura have two children, Matthew, 9, and Joshua, 4.


FC

1 0 M I S S I S S I P P I F A R M C O U N T R Y N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R

ississippi sweet potato growers represent a tight-knit community.

Many of these families have worked together for four or more

generations. Farmers invest a lot of time and effort into growing and

promoting their industry, and they help each other out when

necessary, providing encouragement, equipment and labor.

At no time in recent history have growers needed one

another more than in 2009, when the industry

experienced one of its worst years ever. Excessive

rainfall, beginning in early September and continuing

through October, devastated what should have been an excellent

sweet potato crop.

“We lost about 75 percent of our sweet potatoes

and all of our soybeans,” said Randle Wright, who co-owns

N&W Farms with fellow grower Larry Nelson. “It

was tough.”

Mississippi’s total economic loss from unharvested sweet potatoes

in 2009 was approximately $58.5 million, a tragedy not only for area

farmers and their families but for all related industries. Calhoun

County, in particular, relies heavily upon the economic contribution

made by local sweet potato farmers.

INSURANCE COVERAGE“We worked hard and were successful in getting disaster assistance

for state sweet potato farmers,” said Randle, who is chair of the

Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation Sweet Potato Advisory

Committee and president of the Mississippi Sweet Potato Council.

Standard crop insurance coverage is not available for sweet

potatoes, but producers do have access to NAP, the Noninsured

Assistance Program administered by the United States Department of

Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency.

“Anything you get in a time of disaster helps. But, compared to

what we had invested in the crop, NAP funds were not adequate to

cover the loss that we sustained,” Randle said.

Randle says Mississippi sweet potato growers have talked with

Louisiana sweet potato growers about an insurance program those

farmers have put together. He says the program looks promising.

MSWEET POTATOGROWERS WORK TOGETHER

By Glynda Phillips

NO V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R M I S S I S S I P P I F A R M C O U N T R Y 1 1

“They’ve offered to let us come in with the program, but we

haven’t decided what we’re going to do,” he said. “We’re still

talking about it.”

Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) worked hard

during the 2010 Session of the Mississippi Legislature to get a

guaranteed loan program for sweet potato farmers in disaster areas.

Farm Bureau also worked on the national level to secure disaster

assistance for all crops impacted by excessive rain in 2009.

GROWING INDUSTRYIn the last decade, the whole dynamic of the state’s sweet potato

industry has changed. Innovative ideas and hard work have

transformed Mississippi’s sweet potato industry from a small

community of farmers marketing their field potatoes locally into

an industry that annually produces millions of bushels of potatoes

that are marketed as a variety of products nationwide.

It is an exciting time to be a Mississippi sweet potato grower,

and despite any challenges that might exist within the industry,

Randle wouldn’t do anything else. He put in his first sweet potato

crop in 1978, following the example of his grandfather and uncle,

longtime Vardaman sweet potato growers, and he hasn’t looked

back. Randle had worked for his grandfather during summer

vacations from school and had decided at that time that sweet

potato farming would be his future.

In 1983, Randle teamed up with Larry to form N&W Farms.

The men slowly grew their acreage and improved and updated

their packing line, which they added in 1994. Today, N&W Farms

grows about 1,100 acres of sweet potatoes each year and operates

one of only three state-of-the-art packing sheds in the area. They

truck taters across the United States and into Canada.

In addition to sweet potatoes, N&W Farms grows soybeans,

corn and wheat. The farm employs 40 people year-round and hires

an additional 80 to 100 people during harvest season. Randle says

sweet potato farming is labor intensive, but it’s a whole lot easier

today than when he was starting out.

“Back then, we had to hand-lay the potatoes when they were

bedded and pull the plants by hand when they were ready to be

transplanted in the fields,” he said. “We would harvest 50-pound

bushel crates and stack them one at a time in our storage facility.

“Now, we have modern equipment to help with the planting and

harvesting, and we use forklifts to stack the bins, which weigh

1,000 pounds instead of 50 pounds. Back in those early years,

we used one- and two-row transplanters. Today, we have six- and

eight-row transplanters.”

Randle primarily grows the popular Beauregard sweet potato

variety. He also grows the Evangeline and Covington varieties,

which he says he likes.

WORKING TOGETHERLooking toward the future, Randle says N & W Farms plans to

keep a slow but steady growth. He sees the same course of growth

as being desirable for the industry as a whole.

“I think we all want to see this industry grow, but at a

manageable rate,” he said. “We are working together to ensure

that it remains strong, despite any recent challenges we might

have experienced.”


FC


Mississippi is the second-largest sweet potato-growing state in

the nation, exceeded only by North Carolina. In 2010, Mississippi

boasted 19,200 acres of sweet potatoes, down somewhat from the

previous year’s approximately 20,000 acres because of poor

quality seed stock.

“We lost seed due to excessive rain last year,” said Dr. Bill

Burdine, area Extension agent, agronomic crops, Mississippi State

University’s Chickasaw County Extension Office. “Mississippi’s

economic loss due to unharvested

sweet potatoes in 2009 totaled about

$58.5 million.

“This had a far-reaching effect not

only on farmers but related industries

as well,” he said. “As sweet potatoes

go, so go area businesses such as auto

dealerships, trucking firms, depart-

ment stores and equipment and parts

stores. Sweet potatoes drive the

economies of Calhoun and Chickasaw

counties.”

Burdine says this year’s sweet potato

crop looks excellent overall, second

only to the 2009 crop before the rain

began.

“We’re hoping we won’t get all

of that rainfall again this year,” he

said. “If we don’t, we should harvest a

great crop.”

Sweet potatoes contributed $78

million at the farm gate in 2008.

FAMILY OPERATIONSAccording to the Mississippi Sweet

Potato Council (MSPC), Mississippi

boasts 96 commercial sweet potato

operations, most located within a 40-mile radius of Vardaman. The

state has a total of 24 sweet potato packing facilities.

“Mississippi boasts a good number of young, third- and

forth-generation sweet potato farmers,” said MSPC Executive

Secretary Benny Graves.

“These young farmers are working hard on their marketing plans,

which include brokers and other up-to-date marketing tools,” he

said. “As a result, I think we will see a steady upward growth trend

for the industry over time. Value-added products will fuel the

industry’s growth.

“Sweet potatoes are used in a wide range of food products

produced by Gerber Baby Foods, Allen Canning Company, Bruce

Foods, McCain Foods, Con Agra Foods, Heinz, Mrs. Paul’s and

many others. Fresh sweet potatoes and sweet potato products are

used in school lunch programs and by other institutions that serve

meals such as hospitals and nursing homes. You can even find sweet

potatoes in vegetarian dog treats. And all of that is expanding,”

Graves said. “We are excited.”

Burdine added, “We’re seeing the nicer to mid-price steakhouses

and some chain restaurants offering baked sweet potatoes and sweet

potato fries. McDonalds is even thinking about offering sweet

potato fries, and that would help our industry considerably.”

Most Mississippi sweet potato farmers sell locally and through

brokers, and many sell to out-of-state

processing facilities.

ConAgra recently announced it would

construct the first large-scale processing

facility in the world dedicated to high-

quality frozen sweet potato products

near Delhi, Louisiana. The company

said it would invest over $210 million in

a new state-of-the-art, environmentally

friendly facility, creating a minimum of

500 new direct jobs.

The first phase of construction for the

facility was to be finished in late 2010.

The second phase is slated to be finished

by early 2014.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONBurdine holds biweekly sweet potato

crop update meetings, where growers

get together for lunch and an opportunity

to talk. He also holds an annual spring

production meeting.

In addition, Burdine has put together

a Sweet Potato Insect Control Guide and

a full-color poster that features sweet

potato pests. He says many farmers hang

it on a wall for easy reference.

For more information, contact Dr. Burdine at 662.456.4269 or

email him at [email protected]. You may also contact

Benny Graves at 662.325.7773 or [email protected].

The Mississippi Sweet Potato Council is pleased to unveil its new

promotional poster. The original artwork features a nostalgic 1956

International truck filled with beautiful, nutritious sweet potatoes

and surrounded with a flowering vine.

The promotional poster will be on display at all Welcome

Centers in Mississippi as well as some well-known restaurants that

feature sweet potatoes on their menus. The new poster will also be

a centerpiece of this fall’s ad campaign.

Posters are $15 each. For a personal copy of the Vardaman Sweet

Potato Poster, call Bennie Graves or mail request and check or

money order to: Mississippi Sweet Potato Council, P.O. Box 5207,

Mississippi State, MS 39762.

MISSISSIPPI SWEET POTATOESBy Glynda Phillips


THE RICHARDS GROUPCLIENT: CHRYSLER GROUP LLC LIVE: 00 x 00 AD: xx PROOFREADING SIGNOFFPRODUCT: Farm Bureau /Ram HD TRIM: 14.5x 9 AB: xx

INITIALS: ______ DATE: _________

CHANGES: AD CODE: 136515A TITLE: WORK THE LAND BLEED: 00 x 00 AC: xx BROPHY #: 136515 r4

GA: VK/wasDATE: 06/24/10 5:30 PM SPECS: 280 PUB: KEYSTONE COUNTRY PP: P. ZMUD

*Must be a Farm Bureau® member for at least 30 days. Contact your local Farm Bureau® office for details. †EPA estimates based on 20 highway mpg. Farm Bureau® is afederally registered collective membership and a registered service mark of the American Farm Bureau Federation.® HEMI is a registered trademark of Chrysler Group LLC.


THE RICHARDS GROUPCLIENT: CHRYSLER GROUP LLC LIVE: 00 x 00 AD: xx PROOFREADING SIGNOFFPRODUCT: Farm Bureau /Ram HD TRIM: 14.5x 9 AB: xx

INITIALS: ______ DATE: _________

CHANGES: AD CODE: 136515A TITLE: WORK THE LAND BLEED: 00 x 00 AC: xx BROPHY #: 136515 r4

GA: VK/wasDATE: 06/24/10 5:30 PM SPECS: 280 PUB: KEYSTONE COUNTRY PP: P. ZMUD

*Must be a Farm Bureau® member for at least 30 days. Contact your local Farm Bureau® office for details. †EPA estimates based on 20 highway mpg. Farm Bureau® is afederally registered collective membership and a registered service mark of the American Farm Bureau Federation.® HEMI is a registered trademark of Chrysler Group LLC.

BakeryA UNIQUE HOMEGROWNBy Glynda Phillips



Next time you’re in Vardaman, stop by Sweet Potato Sweets and

enjoy a treat.

This unique “homegrown” bakery, located on Highway 8 as

you are passing through town, makes over 30 different products,

including candies, breads, pies, cookies, casseroles, marmalades,

and sausage balls, all using the Mississippi-grown sweet potato as an

important ingredient.

Sweet Potato Sweets was founded in 1996 by three sweet potato

farm couples as a means of promoting the Mississippi Sweet

Potato Industry. Today, it is one of the industry’s most important

promotional tools.

SOME HISTORYSweet Potato Sweets is presently owned by two of the original

founding farm couples, Paul and Daphna Cook and Randle and

Karen Wright. While their husbands grow the potatoes, Karen and

Daphna manage the bakery.

“Sweet Potato Sweets has grown and changed in the years since

it was begun almost 15 years ago,” Karen said. “We offer so many

different types of items now, and we are constantly trying to come

up with new products to add to our line.”

Sweet Potato Sweets enjoys visitors from all over the state and

nation. In addition, the bakery ships products throughout the United

States and outside of the country as well.

“We employ three full-time workers who are here every day, and

we couldn’t do this without them,” Karen said. “We add additional

help around the holidays.”

Advertising for Sweet Potato Sweets is primarily word of mouth.

As a promotional tool for the sweet potato industry, Karen and

Daphna distribute bakery items at food shows and other events.

Products from Sweet Potato Sweets are used in a tasting booth

hosted by sweet potato farm families during the annual Sweet Potato

Festival in Vardaman on the first Saturday in November of each

year. Over 10,000 folks attended the festival in 2009.

“In addition to our bakery and promotional work, we offer

made-to-order gift baskets, and we cater receptions and other special

occasions,” Karen said. “We make cheese balls, a congealed salad

and a sweet potato cake upon request.”

GROWING POPULARITYThe sweet potato, rated number one in nutritional value out of

58 vegetables by Nutrition Action Health Letter, is growing in

popularity because it is high in fiber, vitamins and minerals,

especially beta carotene.

“People are looking for a healthier choice,” Karen said. “They are

always amazed at how many products can be made using the

sweet potato.”

The women say they are also happy to note that many restaurants

and steakhouses now offer baked sweet potatoes and sweet potato

fries on their menus.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONFor more information about Sweet Potato Sweets, please call

662.682.9647 or 800.770.5035 or email [email protected].

Visit the Web site at www.sweetpotatosweets.com.

THE SWEET POTATO, RATED NUMBERONE IN NUTRITIONAL VALUE OUTOF 58 VEGETABLES BY NUTRITIONACTION HEALTH LETTER, ISGROWING IN POPULARITY BECAUSEIT IS HIGH IN FIBER, VITAMINSAND MINERALS, ESPECIALLYBETA CAROTENE.

FC

Our mystery town serves as the seat of county

government for Franklin County. Established in 1809,

two miles west of its present location, this town was

originally called Franklin, after the county.

When our mystery town became a county seat, it

adopted its present name from General Cowles Mead,

the second Secretary of the Mississippi Territory. Gen.

Mead also served as acting Mississippi Governor and as

Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives.

Formal incorporation was accomplished in 1860.

The present courthouse in our mystery town was

designed by Jackson architect Noah Webster Overstreet,

who designed many of the prominent buildings in the

state at that time. A bicentennial project for the town is to

renovate this 1913 county courthouse.

AGRICULTURAL AREAOur mystery town is located 30 minutes from

Brookhaven, McComb and Natchez. It has access to the

larger cities while maintaining its small-town Mayberry-

type atmosphere. The residents care for each other and

are among the friendliest in the state.

Each year, this town enjoys a St. Patrick’s Day Parade,

complements of the local Lions Club; a Homecoming

Parade; and a Christmas Parade, which takes place in

Bude then moves to our mystery town.

Franklin County is home to some 60 churches, many

of them historic, as well as numerous antebellum homes.

Our mystery town boasts an historical museum, the

Franklin County Municipal Library and the Franklin

County Memorial Hospital. It is home to a convalescent

home and the Summit Rehab and Wellness Center. This

town boasts one park, the city park tennis courts and

playground, and one school system that serves the

entire county.

The economy of our mystery town has historically

depended upon agriculture. Back in the early days, the

region’s massive yellow pine forests drew numerous

lumber mills, both large and small. The town had access

to railroad lines and the Homochitto River to ship out

logs, cotton and molasses. Farmers in the area still grow

timber, row crops and cattle.

In the mid-20th century, our mystery town boasted a

cotton gin, ice house, feed mill, co-op, movie theater,

combination grocery store/clothing store, dry goods store

and meat market. It was home to Mosby Dairy and

Western Auto. Back in those days, longtime residents say

you could find at least four auto dealerships and just as

many body shops.

Today, our mystery town boasts businesses that

include the Franklin County Farm Bureau, Georgeanne

Deli and Gifts, Toad House (a consignment shop), Feed

Meal restaurant, Dollar General, two banks, one

drugstore, and The Franklin Advocate, a weekly

newspaper established in 1891.

SOLVE THE MYSTERY



By Glynda Phillips

Our mystery town has historically had access to bountiful natural

resources, including the region’s Homochitto National Forest,

Homochitto River, Clear Springs Park and numerous lakes,

including the beautiful Okhissa Lake. The population of our

mystery town swells to about 3,000 folks each year when outdoor

enthusiasts converge upon the area.

HEADQUARTERS TOWNThis town is the headquarters of Cellular South, the nation’s largest

privately-owned wireless communications provider. The company

has close ties to Franklin Telephone Company, also headquartered in

this town.

Our mystery town is also the corporate headquarters for Herring

Gas Company.

FAMOUS FOLKSFamous folks from our mystery town include Gloria McGehee, a

movie star; state Senator Herman B. Mayes McGehee; state Rep.

Edward Turner; and U.S. Senator Dan McGehee from Little Springs.

Many of the current residents of this town are descendants of the

original settlers. A few of the common historical names include

Whittington, Halford, Seab, McLemore, Lehmann and McGehee.

Name this town.

A special thanks to Joy Foy with the Mississippi Development

Authority, Dorothy McGehee, a longtime resident and historian,

City Clerk Leslie Cupit and Franklin County Farm Bureau

secretary Eva Nell Milton for their help with this article.

CORRECT GUESSESMail guesses to Solve the Mystery, Mississippi Farm Country,

P. O. Box 1972, Jackson, MS 39215. You may also e-mail your

guesses to [email protected]. Please remember to include

your name and address on the entry. Visit our Mississippi Farm

Bureau Federation Web site at www.msfb.com.

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 December 31.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBERThe correct answer for the September/October Solve the Mystery

is Rolling Fork.

Pictured, opposite page, is Okhissa Lake near Bude. This page, from left, are Herring Gas headquarters and a Presbyterian church.


COUNSEL’S CORNER

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?* Sam E. Scott, MFBF General Counsel

Once upon a time, law students were

taught legal history and how important legal

concepts were developed throughout the

ages. It seemed not particularly interesting

at the time though experience has shown its

importance.

One of my favorite professors taught that

law has two important goals, justice and

certainty, and that those two goals were in

perpetual conflict with each other. One of his

favorite analogies was comparing the law as

developed by courts carefully over centuries

and laws passed by Parliament.

The law of the English courts, called the

common law, was a carefully, well-trimmed

and cultivated garden through which, from

time to time, Parliament tore like a gaggle

of mounted fox hunters requiring new

planting and cultivating but still subject

to later unpredictable damage by the

hunter legislators.

Precedent resulted in certainty, a norm by

which society could conduct its social and

business affairs by tradition and habit, yet it

had to be tempered by mercy so as not to

become static or inhumane.

From this mix, came the doctrine of stare

decisis, which, in Latin, means “to abide by,

or adhere to, decided cases” and its heart

is precedent. This is no ironclad rule,

and courts not only have made exceptions

in certain instances or, for what they

deem good reasons, modify or overrule

longstanding precedents; i.e., “separate but

equal” in public education, “one man,

one vote,” etc.

One may ask what are the standards by

which exceptions are made or the rule of law

changed? Recent events in California make

that question a bright line. In May 2008, the

California Supreme Court held that gay

marriage was legal in California.2 (This

article is not about the legality or morality of

gay marriage, but the legal process of how

the legal struggle has evolved.)

Thereafter, utilizing California’s initiative

law by which citizens may propose changes

in the law (varying from state to state), the

California voters passed Proposition 8 in

November 2008, which banned same-sex

marriages in that state. The campaigns for

and against Proposition 8 raised $39.9

million and $43.3 million, respectively,

becoming the highest-funded campaign on

any state ballot and surpassing every

campaign in the country in spending except

the presidential contest and resulted in

almost 13.5 million votes.

Proposition 8 was then challenged and the

issue came up to the California Supreme

Court again.3 That court, in a 99-page

opinion, held that the citizen voters had

properly exercised their rights under Cali-

fornia law and that the prohibition enacted

under Proposition 8 was legal and valid.

This decision could have been appealed to

the U.S. Supreme Court but was not.

During the time between the two

California Supreme Court decisions, over

18,000 same-sex marriage licenses were

legally issued in the state, which will not be

disturbed by the decision of this case. As

usual, in cases which involve questions of

public morality and law, considerable

publicity ensued.

Proposition 8 opponents filed in federal

court in San Francisco another challenge to

Proposition 8, primarily under the equal

protection and due process clauses of

the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S.

Constitution.4 The case was heard by a

single United States District Judge who

recently ruled that Proposition 8 was

unconstitutional in a 136-page opinion.

Now the tables turned and former victors

appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of

Appeals, which has held the ruling in

abeyance until it hears the case the week of

Dec. 6, 2010. Almost certainly, the loser

there will attempt to get the U.S. Supreme

Court to accept a further appeal.

Where does it all end? Just as is the

situation with criminal cases involving the

death sentence, some feel that in many civil

cases there are never-ending appeals and

new hearings going on for many years,

affirming the adage that “justice delayed is

justice denied” – not to mention expensive.

So how do you summarize these proceed-

ings? Has a courageous federal judge,

appointed for life by the president and

confirmed by the U.S. Senate, stood up for

the Constitution and judicially declared the

clearly expressed will of the people and

the Supreme Court of California denies

some of its citizens due process and equal

protection of the law? Or, has a single

appointed judge held himself to be superior,

morally and legally, to decisions by

thousands of his fellow citizens and the

California Supreme Court?

Moreover, when is enough enough? Who

is financing this enormously expensive

litigation? What will it cost California

taxpayers? Has the doctrine of stare decisis

been tossed out the window? Does the law

mean nothing more than what the last court

which opines it to mean - a version of last

man standing? This reminds me of a quote

from an ancient English case in 1458 where

the chief justice said:

Sir the law is as I say it is, and so it has

been laid down ever since the law

began; and we have several set

forms which are held as law and so

held and used for good reason,

though we cannot at present remember

that reason.5

*Theme song from the 1966 hit movie “Alfie.” The opening

lines include: “Is it just for the moment we live …?”

2 In Re: Marriage Cases, 189 P3d 384.

3 Strauss v. Horton 207 P.3d 48

4 No. CO9-2292VRW Perry v. Schwarzenegger, U.S.D.C. N.D. CA

5 Y.B. 36 Hen. VI, ff. 25b-26 (1458) (as translated in 3 William

S. Holdsworth, A History of English Law 626 (3d ed. 1923))

Sam E. Scott is general counsel for Mississippi

Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) 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.


Have you heard?Your annual membership fee includes many valuable member benefits.

Highlighted below are a few of those benefits. To see a complete list,

visit our Web site at www.msfb.com. Take advantage of the benefits

available to Farm Bureau®

members ONLY. If you are not a member,

joining is simple. Contact the Farm Bureau office in the county where

you live, pay your membership dues, and start enjoying these benefits

today! For more information, contact Member Benefits Coordinator

Dedra Luke at 1.800.227.8244, ext. 4169.

www.msfb.com

CHILD SAFETY SEATSMembers can pick up order forms for $25 car

seats and $15 booster seats at their local county

office or visit our Web site at www.msfb.com.

BUDGET TRUCK RENTALFarm Bureau members receive a 15 percent discount on truck rentals

through Budget. For reservations, call 1.800.566.8422 and give the

Mississippi Farm Bureau code. You can also visit us on the Web at

www.budgettruck.com/mississippifarmbureau.aspx.

CHOICE HOTELS20 percent off the published rack room rate at any

participating Comfort Inn®, Comfort Suites®, Quality Inn®,

Sleep Inn®, Clarion®, Main Stay Suites®, Econo Lodge®, and

Rodeway Inn® based on availability.

2 2 2 2 M I S S I S S I P P I F A R M C O U N T R Y N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R

Bright and early on a typical morning at Hidden Arrows Farm in Rankin County, four brothers, David, Alex, Andrew and John Mark Huff,

head for the milking barn. Two of the boys feed the baby goats (kids) and two of them milk the mama goats then strain the milk and

refrigerate it. Hidden Arrows Farm presently boasts 30 to 40 Oberhasli and La Mancha dairy goats. The farm also has laying hens, llamas,

commercial meat goats, grass-fed beef cattle, and horses.

The Huff dairy isn’t a Grade A facility so the goat’s milk is not pasteurized. Family members drink raw goat’s milk and sell the rest to

customers who value its nutritional qualities. The milk is also used to make kefir (a type of strong buttermilk), cheese, soap and lotion.

The brothers say that goat’s milk is gentle and known for its richness as a moisturizer. They make scented and unscented goat’s milk soap

and lotion in a workshop in their home, molding the soap, designing the packaging and selling the products themselves. Their best-selling

scent is red clover tea. Magnolia and cotton blossom also smell great.

All of the goat’s milk products are sold from their home and at the Mississippi Farmers Market in Jackson. The soap and lotion are

also sold at select stores in Brandon and Jackson and at the Mississippi Craft Center in Ridgeland, home of the Craftsmen’s Guild

of Mississippi.

THE BEGINNINGSThe Huffs’ dairy goat operation was begun when David was 8 years old. (He will be 17 years old in September.) David needed

something to show in 4-H, and his parents, Mark and Debbie, wanted some type of livestock project that would help him develop a good

work ethic and a strong sense of responsibility. Debbie and Mark also wanted to incorporate the experience into David’s educational

curriculum. All of their boys are home-schooled.

“David was small for his age, and cows and horses intimidated him,” Debbie said. “We have friends in Brandon who show goats, and

we went with them to one of the shows. Mark and I talked and prayed about it, and we decided that dairy goats would be a good match.”

What they didn’t anticipate was how rapidly the goats would multiply. All of those goats began producing far more milk than the

Huffs could sell, so they were forced to come up with creative ways of using the extra milk.

“We had some close friends, the Willis family of Little T Farms in Southhaven, who had some children raising dairy goats as 4-H

projects. They were making and selling goat’s milk soap and goat’s milk lotion,” Debbie said. “They invited us to spend the weekend with

them, and they showed us the process. We have also learned by doing as we have expanded the business.”

Through the years, Hidden Arrows Farm has developed a loyal customer base. All advertising is word of mouth.

DAIRY GOATS ARE A REAL LEARNING

EXPERIENCE

By Glynda Phillips

“Consumers are interested in locally-grown foods

and value-added products,” Debbie said. “When

Mississippians leave home and live in other states for

awhile, they tell their relatives they can’t believe they

don’t have access to fresh goat’s cheese and milk.

“It is definitely a younger crowd interested in this,”

she added. “They are willing to pay for it, and they don’t

mind seeking out farmers markets to purchase their

foods. They want to eat clean, light and fresh.”

HARD WORKThe Huffs say it is hard to raise Oberhasli (Swiss) and

La Mancha (Spanish) goat breeds in the southern United

States because of the humidity and heat, the types of soil

here, and our wet, early springs. All of this lends itself to

problems with disease.

“We rotate pastures with them, and that helps,”

Debbie said. “We have six different pastures, ranging

in size from 2 to 7 acres each.”

Debbie and the boys say a dairy goat farm involves

intensive management and long hours. This type of

farming is definitely not for people who are afraid

of hard work and lots of it. Nonetheless, the boys

unanimously agree that they enjoy working with dairy

goats, especially the kids. They also love country life

and, although none of them plans to farm for a living,

each one of them acknowledges that raising livestock

will always be an important part of their lives regardless

of the career paths they might take.

David dreams of one day becoming a civil engineer.

Alex, 15, is a talented musician with a variety of interests,

who especially loves politics. Andrew, 15, is interested

in the military and journalism. He aspires to a military

academy appointment, specifically West Point. And John

Mark, 10, loves teeth. He expects to become a dentist

one day.

“They are growing into responsible young men,”

Debbie said. “Mark and I look forward to seeing what

God has in store for each of them. We just hope they will

be sensitive to the calling God has on each one of

their lives.”

In addition to their school work and farm chores, the

brothers are very involved in church (especially mission

work), sports and 4-H.

“We believe that their dairy goats project through 4-H

has been especially beneficial,” Debbie said. “The goats

have helped to positively shape their character and have

proven to be a real learning experience. We like to say

that we are raising dairy goats in order to raise our boys.”

The Huff family must be doing something right.

Hidden Arrows Farm was presented the 2008 Farm

Family of the Year award by the Rankin County

Chamber of Commerce. The Huffs are members of the

Rankin County Farm Bureau.

For more information about goat’s milk products,

contact Hidden Arrows Farm at 601.824.9255.


FC


A Great Christmas Display

ive yourself a treat this holiday season and visit the town of Woodland in

Chickasaw County. Last year, thousands of folks passed through to view the town’s

lavish display of Christmas lights and decorations. Limousines, buses, cars and

trucks were backed all the way to the highway.

“We had visitors from all over the state,” said Mayor Patti Watkins, a local

business owner and enthusiastic contributor to the production. “Some were just

passing through. They saw the lights from the highway and were curious. Others

made a point of stopping by. People took photos of the displays and of themselves

posing with the displays.

“It was just a whole lot of fun,” she said. “The kids and the elderly seemed to

enjoy it the most."

The great thing is that each display is put up for the enjoyment of everyone, and

there is never a charge for viewing.

GBy Glynda Phillips

Jo Bullard, Mayor Pattie Watkins and Linda Dendy invite you tovisit Woodland during the Christmas season. On the opposite page,is a sample of the types of displays decorating the town.


FC

SOME HISTORYWoodland has for years decorated for Christmas. But last year, residents

decided to amp up their extravaganza when Drs. Clint and Laura

Washington donated a huge amount of Christmas decorations and lighted

scenes to their hometown. They even offered their valuable time

and knowledge to help get everything put up.

“We like the holidays around here,” Patti explained. “We go all out for

every holiday, but we really outdo ourselves at Christmas. Last year, we

put up close to a million lights.”

Among the displays, which are gigantic and lighted, are flags, trains,

roller coasters, underwater scenes, Christmas trees with presents, a

30-foot cross, poinsettias, deer, stars, angels, Cinderella’s Castle, toy

soldiers, 16-foot Christmas trees, Candyland, Noah’s Ark, a carousel, a

Cane House and a tunnel covered with snowflakes, to name a few. Many

of the scenes are animated and some of them are even set to music.

“Each year, we try to add some new things,” she said.

Last year, a live Santa stood alongside Woodland volunteers at the

town’s one main intersection, handing out candy canes every Friday and

Saturday night and every single night during the week of Christmas. Santa

intends to visit the town again this year.

This year, the town is working on a new scene to celebrate the birth of

Jesus. They are even making a huge birthday cake!

“Our fire department plans to have carriage rides this year, but you must

call and make an appointment,” Patti said. “You must also pay for this

because it is an effort to raise funds for the fire department.”

Woodland takes everyone's suggestions to make improvements. Hot

cocoa and cookies are also in the works.

Y’ALL COMEMayor Patti and the town of Woodland extend to you an invitation to

visit, especially during the Christmas season. Lights will be turned on

Thanksgiving night and will shine until New Years.

“Come bring your kids,” she said. “Enjoy the lights, and have a nice

night out.”

For more information or to schedule a time for the fire department

carriage ride, call Talitha Hudson at 662.456.4315 or email her at

[email protected].

Woodland received the Mississippi Municipal Association's Overall

Excellence Award last year for its community spirit. Woodland’s motto is

“The Little Town that Can.”


RECIPESWEET POTATO CASSEROLE2 c. mashed sweet potatoes

1 stick margarine

1 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

¼ c. milk

1 c. coconut

Mix these seven ingredients and pour into long casserole dish.

Topping:

1 c. brown sugar

1 stick margarine

½ c. flour

2 T. water

1 c. chopped pecans

Mix topping ingredients and spread over potatoes. Bake 45 minutes

at 350 degrees.

Charlotte Wallace, Pike County

These recipes were taken from

“Country Cooking, Volume IV,”

which is available at most county

Farm Bureau offices. The cost

is $15. If you order from the

state office, it will cost you $15

plus postage. For more information,

contact Women’s Program Coordi-

nator Clara Bilbo at 1.800.227.8244,

ext. 4245.

2010-2011 Young Farmers & Ranchers Foundation Recipients

2010-2011 Berta Lee White Scholarship Recipients

Jason Camp of Calhoun County$2,000 YF&R Scholarship, MSU

Angie Rogers of Perry County$1,000 Don Waller Scholarship, MSU

Christopher Baker of Calhoun County$2,000 YF&R Scholarship, MSU

Jennifer Williams of Hinds County$2,000 YF&R Scholarship, MSU

Michael Andrew Tucker of Leake County$1,000 Hugh Arant Scholarship, MSU

Thomas Wagnon of Jones County$2,000 YF&R Scholarship, JCJC


Kelsey Diane Unruh of Noxubee County and

Jennifer Kelly Williams of Hinds County

were each awarded the $2,000 Berta White

Scholarship by the Mississippi Farm Bureau

Federation (MFBF) Women’s Program. Both

girls are students at Mississippi State

University. Pictured are, from left, Shelby

Williams, State Women’s Vice Chair; Betty

Edwards, Region 5 Chair; Kelsey; Deniese

Swindoll, Region 1 Chair; Betty Mills, State

Women’s Chair; Joan Thompson, Region 6

Chair; Jennifer; Wanda Hill, Region 8 Chair;

MFBF President David Waide; and Carolyn

Turner, Region 7 Chair.

YF&R Competitions Offer Great PrizesThe American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Young Farmer

and Rancher (YF&R) competitions will offer great prizes in 2011.

The Achievement Award recipient will win a 2011 Dodge Ram

pickup, courtesy of Ram Trucks, as well as a paid registration to

the 2011 YF&R Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida, on

Feb. 5-7, 2011. Each of the four runners-up will receive a Case IH

Farmall tractor from CASE IH.

The Discussion Meet winner will receive a 2011 Dodge Ram

pickup, courtesy of Ram Trucks, as well as a paid registration to

the 2011 YF&R Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida, on

Feb. 5-7, 2011. Each of the three runners-up will receive a $6,000

U.S. Savings Bond and a Farm Boss on behalf of Stihl.

Winner of the Excellence in Agriculture Award will receive a

2011 Dodge Ram pickup, courtesy of Ram Trucks, as well as a paid

registration to the 2011 YF&R Leadership Conference in Orlando,

Florida, on Feb. 5-7, 2011. Each of the runners-up will receive a

$6,000 U.S. Savings Bond and a Farm Boss on behalf of Stihl.

Winners will be determined during AFBF’s 92nd Annual

Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, January 9-11, 2011.

Jackson Named MSU Extension DirectorGary Brown Jackson has been named

director of the Mississippi State University

Extension Service. He will assume his

duties Jan.1, 2011, pending formal approval

of the Board of Trustees, State Institutions

of Higher Learning.

Jackson earned bachelor’s and master’s

degrees in agricultural and extension

education at Mississippi State. He holds

a doctorate from Pennsylvania State

University, with a major in agricultural education and a minor

in communication.

Jackson began his professional career as an agricultural educator

for the Starkville School District. He has been a member of the

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences faculty since 1990 and

has served as assistant and associate dean of the college, as well

as director of the School of Human Sciences and interim state

leader for Extension’s Family and Consumer Sciences program.

In 2010, he assumed the duties of interim associate vice-

president of academic affairs in the Office of the Provost and

Executive Vice President at MSU.


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To advertise in this magazine, please contactour national ad rep Paul Hurst at

1.800.397.8908 or our southeastern U.S. adrep Angela Thompson at1.800.227.8244.ext. 4242,or [email protected].

FLEET VEHICLES FOR SALEIf you are interested in a used federation vehicle, please visit our Web site at www.msfb.com for more information. Click on the About Us link, then click the Fleet Vehicles for Sale on the drop down menu or contact Merlene Partridge at

1.800.227.8244, ext. 4233. These vehicles arelate model, usually one - two years old. NADA retail, wholesale, and loan values are used to

calculate price.

Farm Bureau membershipcomes with many benefits.

To learn more,visit our Web site at

www.msfb.comand click on the Member

Benefits link.

Members of the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation are a part ofone of the most influential organizations in the world.

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November/December 2010

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