2008 annual report for arkansas farm bureau
DESCRIPTION
2008 Annual report for Arkansas Farm Bureau, an independent, voluntary organization of farm and ranch families united for the purpose of analyzing their problems and formulating action to achieve educational improvement, social advancement, promote the national well-being and increase awareness of the economic importance of agriculture. Farm Bureau is county, state, national and international in its scope and influence. Farm Bureau is nonpartisan, nonsectarian, nongovernmental and nonsecret in character. Farm Bureau strives to be the voice of agricultural producers at all levels.TRANSCRIPT
2008 a n n u a l r e p o r ta r k a n s a s f a r m b u r e a u f e d e r a t i o n
n e w d a y s n e w w a y s
2 president’sreport
3 executivevicepresident’sreport
5 newdays,newways
7 babedabbs:‘old dog, new trick’
9 jeremyallen: ‘one man’s junk’
11 patschaefers:‘if you build it, they will come’
13 andrewsharpley: ‘the science of stewardship’
15 terris&kimmatthews: ‘how sweet it is!’
16 boardofdirectors
‘Without change there is no innovation, creativity,
or incentive for improvement. Those who initiate
change will have a better opportunity to manage
the change that is inevitable.’ — c. william pollard
Thethemeofthisannualreport,New Days, New Ways,isparticularlymeaningfultoArkansasFarmBureauaswemovebeyond2008andintothecom-ingyear.
Asyouarelikelyaware,Ihavechosennottoseekreelec-tion,endingafive-yeartenureaspresi-dentand21yearsontheboardofdirec-torsofanorganizationwhosenoblecauseistoservetheneedsoffarmers,ranchersandruralcommunitiesacrossthisgreatstate.
Servingasyourpresidenthasbeenoneofmylife’smostrewardingexperi-ences.However,nowisthetimeforotherleadersinyourorganizationtohavethesameprivilegeofserviceIhaveenjoyed.
ArkansasFarmBureauisastrong,viable,grassrootsorganization,affect-ingeveryArkansan,manyinwaystheydonotevenrealize.Thisorganizationrepresentsthevaluesofintegrity,hardwork,communityinvolvement,familyandisthevoiceofreasonandcommonsenseinpublicdialogue.
ThetruepowerinFarmBureau,how-ever,doesnotresideinitsstateofficersorstaff,butinyou,themembership.
Yourorganizationenjoyedanothersuccessfulyear,inmyview.Weimple-mented,forthefirsttimeinourhistory,aVoluntaryIssuesFund,allowingmemberstheopportu-nitytocontributetoaperpetualfundthatwillbeusedtosupportanddefendFarmBureaupositionsinballotandjudicialmatters.
WealsorolledoutanewmemberbenefitinvolvingaprivateofferwithGeneralMotors,whereourmemberscansave$500onanumberofdifferentvehiclesinthebroadarrayofbrandsavailablethroughGM.Sinceimplementa-tion,ArkansasFarmBureaumembershavesavedmorethan$1millionbecauseofthisarrangement,especiallymean-ingfulintighteconomictimes.
WealsoutilizednewtechnologytohostaninteractivevideoconferencediscussionontheFarmBill.AccessinganadvancednetworkthattheUniversityofArkansasforMedicalScienceshasinplacetocommunicatewithlocalhospitals,weconnectedfarmers,agribusinessleaders,state
lawmakersandfederalofficialsforaninteractivediscussionaboutthedetailsofthisfederallegislation.
Sen.BlancheLincolnwasawardedtheGoldenPlowAwardbytheAmericanFarmBureau,inrecognitionofhertirelessworkinsupportoftheFarmBill,andthecommit-
mentshehasshowntothemenandwomenofAmericanagriculture.
Weledfact-findingmissionstoWisconsintoviewthatstate’sDiscov-eryFarmsproject.WealsowereabletotourMonsanto’slaboratoriesandhead-quarters,whereourboardmetwiththecompany’sseniormanagementtodiscussbiotechnologyissuesandhelpMonsantounderstandtheimpactitsproductshaveonthefarmingcommunity.
Asalways,welookedforwaystoreachouttothoseoutsideofagricul-ture,redesigningtheeducationalmate-rialthatwemakeavailablethroughourAgintheClassroomprogram.WealsocreatedanewPublicServiceAnnounce-mentprogram,providingradiostationsacrossthestatewithnon-commercialradiospotsthathighlighttheimpactArkansasagriculturehasonourstate’seconomy.Wealsohavebegunplac-ingFarmBureauUpdateontheiTunesstore,makingthesevideostoriesavail-ableforfreedownload.
We,ofcourse,wereactivelyengagedwithourcongressionaldelegation,leadingacountypresi-dents’tourtoWashington,D.C.Also,forthefirsttime,ourYoungFarmer&RancherCommitteetraveledtoD.C.aswell,providingeducationalandleadershiptrainingforthosewhowillleadourorganizationinthefuture.
Understandingthatforeigntradeisthelong-termkeytocontinuedgrowthinAmericanagriculture,wehostedtheArkansas-Africatradeconference,bringinginforeignminis-tersfromnineAfricannationstodiscusswaysinwhichwemightcreatenewtradingopportunitiesbetweenArkansasagricultureandthosecountries.IalsowasinvolvedintrademissionstoPeru,BrazilandRussia.
ThoughInolongerplantoholdoffice,IplantobeinvolvedwithFarmBureau,andIknowFarmBureauwillalwaysbewithmeaswealllookforwardtoNewDaysandNewWays.
ArkansasFarmBureaucompletedanothersuccessfulyearonbehalfofitsmembers,implementingandenhancingprogramsandservicesthatbenefittheArkansasfamiliesthatmakeupourmembership.
Despiteachallengingeconomicenvironment,wewereabletoincreaseourmembershipto227,759Arkansasfamiliesandhad93.7percentofourexistingmembersrenewtheirFarmBureaurelationship,thehighestrenewalpercentageourorga-nizationhasseensince1974.Seventy-threeofthecountyFarmBureausmettheirmembershipobjectivefortheyear,aclearindicationthatstreet-levelactiv-itywasanintegralpartofreachingthisgoal.
Thisisthefirsttimeinfouryearsthatwehavebeenabletoreachourannualmembershipobjective.IthankthemanystateandcountyleaderswhoworkedsohardtoensurethatFarmBureauenjoysapositivepositionincommunitiesacrossthestate.Renewalpercentageisonewayinwhichwemea-suretheperceptionourmembershavetowardourorganization.
TheroleofArkansasFarmBureauistoenhancethelivesofourmembers,andItakeprideinthefactthatourstaffworksdiligentlytodeliverthatpromisetoourmembers.ThereissomethingwhollyanduniquelyfulfillingaboutworkingonbehalfofFarmBureaumembers,andhopefullythathasbeenonexhibitduringthepastyear.
Onthefinancialfront,asyouwellknow,thefinancialmarketshavenotbeenkindthispastyear.Ourinvestmentportfolioisnoexception.Accountingstandardsrequireustopresentourinvestmentsatmarketvalue,resultinginanunrealizedlossonourinvestmentportfolioof$1.477mil-lion.
Ourinvestmentportfolioisstructuredmainlywithfixedincomesecuritiesandcertificatesofdepositsthatwillbe
worththeirparvalueatmaturity.Ourcurrentstrategyistoholdtheseitemstomaturityandtorecouptheunreal-izedloss.Wedidendurearealizedlossofapproximately$32,000onourLehmanBrothersholdingwhichweliqui-datedbeforeitsbankruptcyfilingSept.15.Thislossissub-
stantiallylessthanitwouldhavebeenhadwebeenholdingtheinvestmentswhenLehmanBrothersfiledforbank-ruptcy.AsofourOct.31year-end,allfixedincomesecuritiesheldaninvest-mentgraderatingfromStandardandPoor’sandMoody’sratingservices.
Totalincomefortheyear,includingthepreviouslymentionedadjustmentofinvestments,was$8.4million.Oper-atingexpensestotaledjustunder$9millionandincometaxexpenseswere$80,000,resultinginanetlossfortheyearof$700,000.Ifnotfortherequiredmarketvalueadjustment,netincomewouldhavebeeninthe$800,000range.
Aswithlastyear,wehavearequiredFinancialAccountingStandardsBoardadjustmentrelatingtopensionandpost-retirementbenefits.Thisyearthatamountwasabenefitof$283,000.Thisadjustment,withanetlossfromopera-tions,resultsinatotaldecreaseinun-restrictednetassetsofunder$400,000.YourcontributionstotheVoluntaryIssuesFundwere$42,000.Thisresults
inadecreaseoftotalnetassetsof$340,000fortheyear.ArkansasFarmBureauFederationremainsastrongorga-
nizationfinancially,approaching$19.5millioninassets,inspiteoftherequiredaccountingadjustments.
Throughoutthisannualreport,youcanreadabouthowFarmBureaumembersareadjustingto“NewDays,NewWays.”ThestaffofArkansasFarmBureauwillcontinuetosupportthoseeffortsthatkeepagricultureavibrant,activepartofourstate’seconomy,cultureandidentity.
Ilookforwardtocontinuedsuccessin2009onbehalfofthemembersofArkansasFarmBureau.
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‘Seventy-three of the county Farm Bureaus met their membership objective for the year. ... This is the first time in four years that we have been able to reach our annual membership objective.’
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p r e s i d e n t ’s r e p o r t e x e c u t i v e v i c e p r e s i d e n t ’s r e p o r t
Asagricultureheadstowardnewdays,thoseinvolveddaytodayinfeeding,clothingandfuelingtheworldhavefoundnewwaystoremainrelevant,competitiveand,mostimportantly,inbusiness.
Newdays,newwaysisthethemeofthisyear’sannualre-port,designedtohighlightsomeofthecreativeideasbeingputintoactionacrossthelandscapeofArkansas.
Thetighteningnationalandworldwideeconomyisfeltasacutelyinagricultureasanyotherindustrysector.Thispinch,though,hasbroughtoutnewwaysofdoingbusinessformanyArkansans.
AcrossthelandscapeofArkansasagriculture,innova-tionisbeingimplementedalongsideagriculturalprac-ticesthathavebeeninplaceforgenerations,amixtureoftried-and-trueandinnovativespark,resultinginexampleafterexampleof“newways”thinking.
We’veprofiledfiveexamplesofArkansanswhoareem-ployingcreativityandingenuityduringthistimeofnewbeginningsandneededadjustment.
•Consider79-year-oldE. R. (Babe) DabbsofHumphrey(ArkansasCounty),whohascutdownonwaterusageandpumpingcostsbyplantingsomeofhisricecropinrows,apracticenormallyreservedforsoybeans,cottonorcorn.Butrice?Thisolddoghaslearnedsomenewtricks.
•Trytocatchupwith28-year-oldJeremy AllenofBismarck(HotSpringCounty),whoisbuyingbulkcom-
modityby-productswhereverhecanfindthem,custommixingthoseforcost-effectivefeedstuffsforhisowncattle.Furthermore,he’sbuildingasuccessfulfeedbusi-nessbyconnectingdirectlywithothersalsolookingformoreefficientwaysoffeedinglivestock.
•Pat SchaefersofMayflower(FaulknerCounty)wasconvincedherfamilyneededtodiversifyitsfarmhold-ingsandlaunchedasuccessfulagri-tourismbusinessthatiseducatingothersabouttheroleagricultureplaysinhercommunityandourstate.
•Dr. Andrew Sharpley,professorofcrop,soilandenvi-ronmentalsciencesattheUniversityofArkansas,isdefin-ingnewwaysforArkansasfarmerstobegoodstewardsoftheland.Underincreasingpressurestomanagenutrientsinanenvironmentallysustainablemanner,agricultureisrelyingonSharpley’sresearchteamtodefinebestman-agementpracticesthatwillensureitscontinuedplaceinourstate.
•And,Terris and Kim Matthews ofWynne(CrossCounty)haveengagedinavoluntarycertificationprocessthroughGLOBALGAP,enablingthemtoselltheirsweetpotatoesaroundtheworld,theonlysweetpotatofarminArkansastohavethiscertification.
Eachofthesubjectsprofiledinthis2008annualreporthavepursuedanewwayofkeepingagriculturealiveduringchallengingtimes.SuchingenuityandactionisanecessityinthisNewDays,NewWaysworld.
Welcomethenewdays.Embracethenewways.
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‘Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.’ — steve jobs
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Olddogscanlearnnewtricks.Seventy-nine-year-oldBabeDabbsknowsthatforafact.AlifetimecoondogtrainerandArkansasCoun-tyfarmer,Dabbslearnedanewtrickwhenhe
beganplanting“rowrice”threeyearsago.“Mynephew,Terry,wasdoingit,soItoldhimI’dtryit
ifhecouldgetmesomeseed,”Dabbssays.Dabbswasn’tconvinceditwouldwork.He’dheard
someonehadtrieditsome30yearsagowithlittlesuccess,sohewasn’trealoptimisticwhenTerrysuggestedhetryit.
RowricegoesagainstthestandardsystemofleveesandfloodedfieldsthatmostArkansasricefarmersuse.Thericeisdrill-seededondryground,muchlikeanyotherrowcrop.
Dabbssaysasandysoilthatdrainseasilyworksbest.Thecropisonlyirrigatedwhennecessary.Thiseliminatesmaintainingaleveesystemandcostlypumpingtokeepfieldsflooded.
Theresult,Dabbssays,isa25percentoverallcostsav-ings.Thosesavingscomeinlessfuelandwaterneededtogrowthecrop,andlesslaborbecausetherearenoleveestobuildandmaintain.
“Ilikenothavingtoworryaboutfloodsknockingoutmyleveesinthemiddleofthenight,”hesays.
Rowricerequiresahybridseedthatismoreexpen-sivethanregularriceseed.However,itonlytakes28-30poundsofseedperacretoplantitinsteadofthe90-100poundsperacretoseedconventionalrice.
Dabbssaysaconventionalriceyieldissomewherebe-tween170-190bushels/acre.Duringhisthreeyearstryingrowrice,Dabbs’yieldswere194bushels(dry),196bush-els(green)and165bushelswhengrownbehindwheat.Hefertilizeswithchickenlitter.
Hechuckleswhenherecallsriceyieldsof65-70bush-elsperacrewhenhebeganfarmingthesamegroundin1947.
“Wethoughtweweredoingprettygoodbackthen,”hesays.“Wedidn’tknowanybetter.”
Overall,hisfarmingoperationissplit50-50betweenriceandsoybeans.Rowriceisn’tfeasibleforallsoiltypes.Dabbshasthenecessarysandybasesoilthatdrainseasilytogrow47acresinrowrice.
Dabbshasjustaboutseenitallin61yearsoffarming.Yetashestandswaist-deepinafieldofrowrice,theplantheadsbendingundertheweightofabumpercrop,hesmiles.
“It’snevertoolateforanolddogtolearnnewtricks,”hesays.“Evenanolddoglikeme.”
old dog, new trick
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hroughthecenturies,majortechnologicaladvanc-eshavehelpedmakefarmingmoreproductive.
Thehoe.Livestock-drawnplowsandwagons.
Thetractor.Pesticidesandherbicides.For28-year-oldJeremyAllen,it’shiscellphone.Allen
can’tdowithoutit.It’stheenginethatdriveshisentirefarmingoperation.
Thephonerings.Allenanswers.“ThisisJeremy.“Yes,sir.“Yes,sir.“Ihaveatruckthatwillbeoutthatwaynextweek.I
canpickitupthen.Willthatworkforyou?“Yes,sir.“Thankyou,sir.”It’sanexampleofaconversationAllenhassome1,500
timesamonth.Hiscellphoneisalwayswithinarm’sreach.Hesaysthecallsstartdailyat6:00a.m.andoftengountil10atnight.
ForJeremyAllen,oneman’sjunkishistreasure.TheHotSpringCountyfarmerfoundawaytotakewhat
otherpeopledon’twantandmakeitintosomethinguseful.CornglutenfromIllinois.Gintrash.Riceandsoybeanhulls.Twentytonsofrejectedboxesofcereal;atoyincluded
ineachpackage.“Ipaidsomehighschoolkidstotearopeneverybox
andseparatethetoysandpackagingfromthecereal,”hesays.“Thatwassomejob.”
Likesomemodern-dayagriculturalalchemist,Allenthenmixesthesebyproductsintofeedstockgold.Hekeepsthreetrucksontheroadregularlyandcontractstohaulwhateverbyproductsareouttherethatnooneelsewants.
Hemixesthedifferentitemsinamixerwagonmount-edonanoldcementtruck.Hebuysasmallpercentageofwholegrainsforhisfeedandgrindsthemwithagrindermixerheboughtusedfromanotherfarmer.It’spoweredbya1974Allis-Chalmerstractorwithabustedclutch.
Likemanyyoungfarmers,hecan’tbuynew,soAllenmakesdowithwhathecangethishandsonandfix.
Hismixesprovidethenecessaryproteintofeedlivestock,andhispricesareaffordabletosmalleroperatorswhocan’tbuyenoughcommercialfeedinbulktogetadiscount.
Afarmerarrivesandgets1,500poundsoffeedaugeredintoagiantfeedsackinthebackofhispickup.Hesaysthepriceisrightforthesmallcow-calfoperationheruns.
Whetheronthephoneorinperson,Allen’sdemeanorisalwayspoliteandrespectful.Hesayshecallspeopleeveryday,whetherheneedssomethingornot,justtoseehowtheyaredoing.
“Theyremembermewhentheyhavesomethingorhearofsomethingthatsomeoneelsewantstogetridof,”hesays.
Hisfeedandtruckingoperationsarejustonepartofhisfarm.Healsohasthreebreederhenhouses,runscattleandgrowshay.
Thephoneringsagain.“Excuseme,”hesays.“I’vegottogetthis.”ForJeremyAllen,thesoundofhiscellphoneringing
meansthere’smoneytobemade.
one man’s junk
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Negotiatingfarming’smanyvariablesisliketry-ingtomakeyourwaythroughamaze.
Weather.Commodityprices.Land.Bankloans.Debt.Personalhealth.
Addtothatalloftheotherday-to-daythingslifethrowsatyou.Startdownonepromisingpathonlytofindoutit’sadeadendandyouhavetoretraceyourstepsandchooseanewwaytogo.Youkeeptryingandwork-ingharder,butyouneverknowifyou’regoingtomakeitoutofthemaze.Yet,foroneFaulknerCountyfarmfamily,it’samazeofadifferentkindthatledthemdownaprofitablepath.
Forabout10years,PatSchaefershadanideashewantedtotry.Butlikesomanygoodideas,life’simmedi-ateneedsshovedhersasideassheandhusband,Bob,andtheirtwosonsstruggledtomaketheirfarmintheLollieBottomsalongtheArkansasRiverwork.
Soybeans,wheat,hay,corn,andbeefcattlekeptthemallbusy.ButPatnevergaveuponheridea–acornmaze.
Insteadofplowingallofthecornunderandbuildingabaseballfield,alathemovieFieldofDreams,shewantedtocutpathsthroughthecornandchargepeoplemoneytotryandfindtheirwayout;almostaswildanidea.Re-gardless,thesamepremiseoffaithwasatplay.
“Ifyoubuildit,theywillcome.”
“Theeconomywassobadbackthen—itstillis—andwehadtwosonsfarmingwithus.It’stoughtokeepthreefamiliesfarmingfulltimeonathousandacres,”Patsays.“Ifinallyconvincedthemtodothis.”
She’dseenpicturesandreadarticlesaboutmazesinfarmingmagazinesandthoughtitmightworkinaplaceclosetopopulationcenterslikeConwayandLittleRock.
“Westartedoffin2005notknowingwhatweweredo-ing,andjustlearnedaswewent,”Patsays.
ShescouredWebsitesandreadasmuchasshecouldaboutthefamiliesaroundthecountrywhoweresuccess-fullyrunningcornmazes.Themazeisinitsfourthyear,andthegroundit’sonisamoneymaker.Everyoneinthefamilyhelps.Grandchildren,nephews,niecesandin-laws.Eachyear,theSchaefersimprovethemazeareawithnewactivitiesforvisitors;aplayground,tractor-pulledcart,hayridesandconcessions.Theiroldestsonanddaughter-in-lawrunayou-pickpumpkinpatchbusinessnextdoor.
Now,Patisaleaderinthefieldandisworkingwithanagri-tourismcommitteefundedbyaRockefellerInstitutegrantlookingtocreatemoreagri-tourismopportunitiesinArkansas.
PatSchaefersbelievedinheridea.Shebuiltitandtheycame.Andshe’sworkinghardtomakesuretheykeepcomingforyearstocome.
if you build it, they will come
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Goodscienceiscriticaltomakingdefensibleagriculturalmanagementandpolicydecisionsthatprotectthefarmingcommunityandtheenvironment.Withoutscience,weareblind,
naiveandsometimesaliabilitytounintendedconse-quencesofourdecisions.
Dr.AndrewSharpleyisaprofessorofsoilandenvi-ronmentalsciencesattheUniversityofArkansas.Heisdevelopingresearchanddemonstrationprogramsthatwillhelpfarmersoperateinacosteffectiveandenviron-mentallysoundmanner.
SharpleyispresentlydevelopingtheDiscoveryFarmPrograminArkansas.ADiscoveryFarmisanactualwork-ingfarm.ResearchersandtheExtensionServicepartnerwithfarmersandlandownerstodeterminetheeffective-nessofconservationpracticesdesignedtoreducenutrientandsedimentrunoffonthefarms.
Initially,fourDiscoveryFarmsareplannedforArkan-sas.Thegoalistoexpandto10–12.Thefarmswillbelocatedthroughoutthestatetoaddressproduction,waterquality,waterconservation,andeconomicissuesthatarepartofArkansas’diverseagriculturesystems.
“Theideaistoseewhichon-farmconservationpractic-esaremosteffective,”Sharpleysays.“Rightnow,farmsinnutrientsurplusareasarerequiredtohavenutrient
managementplans,butfarmersneedmoreinformationonhoweffectivetheseconservationpracticesareintherealworld.”
SharpleysaystheDiscoveryFarmswillhelpanswerthesequestionsinascientificallydefensibleway.
“Armedwiththisinformationandknowingwhereandwhichconservationpracticesdecreasenutrientandsedimentrunoff,farmerswillbeabletodocumenttheirroleinprotectingtheenvironment,”Sharpleyexplains.
Sharpleyisalsoinvolvedwithanothernewprogram.ItisthedevelopmentoftheWatershedResearchandEduca-tionCenter.ThefledglingCenterispartoftheUniversityofArkansas’DivisionofAgricultureinFayetteville.
Waterqualitymonitoringonthesiteisalreadyunder-way.Streamcorridorrestorationisalsounderwaytoshowwhatdifferenttypesofriparianbuffersareeffective.Plansalsocallforaneducationbuildingaspartofthe250-acresite.
SharpleysaystheresearchwillallowfarmerstotakeadvantageofthelessonslearnedattheCenter,aswellastheDiscoveryFarms.Thiswillhelpthemdocumentthebenefitsoftheirconservationpracticesonwaterqualityandshowcaseandpromotetheirenvironmentalsteward-shiptothenon-farmingcommunity.
the science of stewardship
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te
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“Honeymooners”TVshowcomedianandHollywoodstarJackieGleason’ssignaturelinewas“Howsweetitis.”Intheyouthslangoftoday,ifsomethingisreallygood,
kidssayit’s“sweet.”Nomatterwhatgenerationyou’refrom,“sweet”isthekeywordtodescribeMatthewsRid-geviewFarmsinWynne.
TerrisandKimMatthewsarelivingthesweetlifefarm-ing800acresofsweetpotatoesinCrossCounty.The2008CrossCountyFarmFamilyoftheYear,theiropera-tionisthelargestsweetpotatofarminthestate.Theeffortisallaboutgoodol’Americanhardworkandthecouple’ssavvyapproachtomarketing.
Beforethecouplemet,KimworkedforWal-Mart.Herworkinvolvedbuyingproductsforseveraloftheretailgiant’sstoresinTennessee.(That’showshemetTerris.)Theexperiencegavehergreatinsightonhowbigcompa-nieschooseproductsandtheproducerstheybuyfrom.
ThatknowledgeledtotheMatthews’decidingtogetthesweetpotatosideoftheirfarmingoperationGLO-BALGAPcertified.(GAPstandsforGoodAgriculturalPractices.)Thefoodsafetyefforttookaboutayearanda$100,000investmenttoensuregoodagriculturalandsafehandlingpracticesonthefarmandits150,000-square-footheadquartersandprocessingplantinWynne.
ThecertificationallowsMatthewsRidgeviewFarmstosellitssweetpotatoesinternationally.
“It’sopenedupawholenewgroupofcustomersforus,”Kimsays.“Theyneverwouldhaveconsidereduswithoutthiscertification.”
GLOBALGAPisathird-partyprivatebodythatsetsvoluntarystandardsforthecertificationofagriculturalproductsworldwide.Itcoverseverythingfromseedtofinishedproductandincludesannualinspectionsonceafarm’sproductiscertified.Thestandardreassurescon-sumersaboutthefood’son-farmproductionconcerningenvironmentalimpacts,reduceduseofchemicals,animalwelfare,andensuringworkerhealthandsafety.
“Thistypeofcertificationisessentialwhentryingtoattractmajorbuyers.Theywon’tdobusinesswithyouunlessyouhaveit.”Terrissays.“It’scriticaltoexpandingourmarketandthefarm’sbusiness.”
Terris,39,isafourth-generationfarmerwhostruckoutonhisownfromthefamily’sMatthewsBrothersFarmin2006.Likemostsuccessfulfarmstoday,diversificationiscriticaltothefarm’ssuccess.Thefarmalsogrowswheatandsoybeans.However,KimtookthatdiversificationalittlefurtherwhensheopenedStonesCustomCreationsatthefarm’sheadquarters.Thestorefeatureshercustomjewelryandwomen’saccessories.
That’llprobablybeasweetheartdealforTerrisandKim’sdaughters,Jaylie,7,andTaycie,5,whentheyreachdatingageandneedafewwardrobeaccessories.Dad,Ter-ris,though,isn’tcommentingonitjustyet.
how sweet it is!
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steve eddington
p r o f i l e s b y
gregg patterson
p r o f i l e p h o t o g r a p h y b y
james groves
s c e n i c p h o t o g r a p h y b y
david dodson
l a y o u t / d e s i g n b y
chr is wi l son
front row (fromleft) JoeChristian,Jonesboro; SusanAnglin,Bentonville;EwellWelch,ExecutiveVicePresident,NorthLittleRock;StanleyReed,President,Marianna;RandyVeach,VicePresident,Manila;JohnAndrews,Secretary/Treasurer,WalnutRidge;DeneldaMichaelis,Goodwin.
middle row TroyBuck,Alpine;LeoSutterfield,MountainView;TomJones,Pottsville;DennisRitchie,Nashville;ToddAllen,WestMemphis;JeremyAllen,Bismarck;BryanSwinney,Rison;JohnnyLoftin,ElDorado.
back rowRichardArmstrong,Ozark;RichHillman,Carlisle;TerryDabbs,Stuttgart;RustySmith,DesArc; AllenStewart,Mena;BillySharp,WarEagle.
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1 0 7 2 0 k a n i s r o a dl i t t l e r o c k , a r 72211w w w . a r f b . c o m