Lori Dabbs grew up on her family’s farm in Arkansas County, Arkansas

By Lorri Sloate, Arkansas County Executive Director

Despite her love for agriculture, Lori Dabbs never dreamed she would one day become the fourth generation to operate the family farm in Arkansas County, Arkansas.

Taking the Reins

Hargrove Farms Inc. was incorporated by Lori’s grandfather in the 1960s. When her father developed health issues in 1987, she and her mother became more involved in the operation. Her father retired in 1998, leaving Lori and her husband, Terry, as the operators of Hargrove Farms.

They now farm 3,000 acres of soybeans, corn, rice, oats and wheat.

USDA Assistance

Lori is actively involved in agriculture in her community. She is serving her eighth year as the minority advisor for the Arkansas County USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committee.

The farm is enrolled in FSA’s Agriculture Risk Coverage/Price Loss Coverage Program (ARC/PLC), which is a safety net program that provides revenue and price loss coverage for eligible commodities. Continue reading →

Leslie and Jarrod raise cattle and grow a variety of vegetables on their Henry County farm.

By Cassondra Searight, Alabama FSA Public Affairs Specialist

Jarrod and Leslie Dozier, owners of 3D Farms in Henry County, Alabama, work diligently to grow and sustain their family farm, which has been in Leslie’s family for over 100 years. What started as a cattle operation and pine trees, grown as part of the USDA Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), has now evolved into a thriving and diversified operation to include the production and sale of fresh produce.

Leslie and Jarrod became the co-operators of the family farm in 2009, after Leslie’s father passed away. Keeping up the 45-head cattle operation was no small task for them since they both work full time jobs off the farm, but they knew they wanted to do more. Continue reading →

The Schneider family worked with FSA and NRCS to improve wildlife habitat and conserve water on their 2,000 acre farm in Ovid, Colorado.

By Petra Popiel, Natural Resources Conservation Service

Donny Schneider is a second-generation corn farmer from Ovid, Colorado, whose 20-year partnership with USDA has provided him with resources and expertise to grow his farm from just 300 acres to nearly 2,000 acres of land.

A Strategic Start

“My wife and I had the chance to purchase the home and land where we were living and farming,” Donny said. “That was our first 160 acres, a quarter section of the entire property and as we could, we slowly purchased more and more.”

Today, Donny has been farming with his family for 30 years. He grows corn on 1,000 acres, with most of it going to a cattle feed operation. He also sells sweet corn locally and contributes to ethanol production to help meet the rising demand for biofuels. Continue reading →

A Farm Service Agency program helped the Grandons recover from bee and hive losses in 2016.

By Lauren Moore, Public Affairs Specialist 

Eric Grandon is an Army veteran who never dreamed of being a farmer. Eric and his wife, Mary, now own and operate Sugar Bottom Farm in Clay County, West Virginia, where they produce honey, vegetables, fruit, and molasses.

Battlefields to Bees

After joining the Army at 19, Eric served in four peace-time missions in the Middle East and two combat missions, Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom.

After retiring from his military service, he was introduced to the Veterans and Warriors Agriculture program, through the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, and eventually opened an agricultural operation of his own.

“When I retired from the National Guard, I had post-traumatic stress disorder and I didn’t do anything for two years,” Eric said. “I met James McCormick, the director of the Veterans and Warriors Agriculture program, and he recommended that I try agriculture. I loved it.” Continue reading →

Helen Huitink and her late husband, Dave, are affectionally known to the Orange City community as “Grandma and Grandpa Pumpkin.” Photo courtesy of Pumpkinland.

By Lauren Moore, Public Affairs Specialist 

Twenty-nine years ago, Helen Huitink and her late husband, Dave, started Pumpkinland, an annual event on their farm in Orange City, Iowa, where people can purchase autumn produce, take a turn through corn mazes, and visit farm animals. Known affectionately as “Grandma and Grandpa Pumpkin,” their farm has become a fall tradition for many in their community.

The 160-acre farm has been in the Huitink family since 1911.

“We have always grown corn and soybeans,” Helen said. “Back in the earlier days, we grew some alfalfa and oats. We also milked cows here for many years and raised hogs.” Continue reading →

Dirk McCormick has welcomed guests to Byrnside Branch Farm every fall for 15 years.

By Lauren Moore, Public Affairs Specialist

“It started with a six-acre corn maze and a few pumpkins,” said Dirk McCormick, a farmer who has welcomed guests to his Union, West Virginia, farm every fall for 15 years.

Adding a little more each year to his fall attraction, visitors to Byrnside Branch Farm can enjoy three mazes, a U-pick pumpkin patch, seasonal produce, bonfires, farm animals and farm tour by tractor.

“This is our 15th year, but it wasn’t very big when it first started,” he said. “A lot of locals and people from surrounding towns come out and visit.”

Dirk grows 18 acres of pumpkins, 14 types of winter squash and six varieties of gourds, which he sells directly to consumers during the autumn growing season.

“I worked on a neighboring dairy farm and my dad had a small farm, so I’ve been farming all my life,” he said. “I bought this farm in the early ‘80s and have been operating on my own ever since.” Continue reading →

Circle K Ranch is home to over 250 head of American plains and Canadian woods buffalo.

By Savannah Halleaux, Michigan Farm Service Agency

Orv Kabat is a rancher who raises bison in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. In its 30th year of business, Orv’s Circle K Ranch provides meat to about 30 restaurants and health food stores across the state, while ensuring cleaner water flows downstream.

Growing the Herd

Circle K Ranch is home to over 250 head of American plains and Canadian woods bison, or commonly called buffalo.

“We’re not very big at all. We probably process 50-60 animals a year, but we are growing,” Orv said. “The market is there for it. It’s just growing the herd, which is what we’re doing right now.”

Initially, the location of the ranch posed a challenge to Orv’s hopes to increase buffalo production. Continue reading →

Bill’s family began farming in Meeteetse, Wyoming, in the 1800s.

By Grant Stumbough, Wyoming FSA Public Affairs & Outreach Specialist

Bill Schlenker’s family has been farming in Meeteetse, Wyoming, since the 1800s. Bill and his family are carrying on the family legacy, successfully farming the arid and productive land.

Irrigation and Innovation

In 1893, the Schlenker family filed for water rights on the Greybull River and are considered one of the pioneers of crop irrigation in the country. More than a century later, Bill runs the farm with his wife, Jennie, son, Richard, and brother, Neil.

“I love to farm, and I deeply care about the land. I have wanted to be a farmer since I was a small boy,” Bill said. “I like to watch my crops grow with my son standing by my side. Every year, we want to grow a better crop than the year before.”

The Schlenkers grow sugar beets, dry beans, corn, malting barley, wheat, and alfalfa. According to Bill, it’s essential to their operation to irrigate the crops during the growing season, as the area only receives around 14 inches of annual precipitation. Continue reading →

The Sandnesses’ SCORE mentors help with succession planning and discusses ways to transfer responsibilities of their operation, Buell’s Orchard, to the next generation.

By Dana Rogge, Public Affairs Specialist

From agronomist to meteorologist, farmers and ranchers wear many hats. It takes diverse skills and knowledge to care for the land, perfectly time crop planting and harvesting, market livestock, everything that impacts the farms bottom line.

USDA has many programs and services to help farmers build a strong and successful farm. For the past year USDA has partnered with SCORE, the nation’s largest network of volunteer expert business mentors and resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration to provide agricultural producers an additional resource and guidance.

In Connecticut, Sara Kubick, New London County’s county executive director for the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), worked with the local SCORE mentor, Michael Del Vecchio, to let local producers know about the services SCORE offers. At a recent meeting, producers learned more about marketing their products and grant writing, as well as guidance on managing their farm finances. Continue reading →