Plan Bee - Our CO-OP

July 2015
Plan Bee
Apiarists do their part
to help pollinators
survive, thrive
Also inside
Young siblings learn show skills at
Three Aces Cattle Company - p. 14
Smooth-stepping gaited mules reign at
Gordon View Farm in Shelbyville - p. 18
Boer breeders prove less is best when
producing top-tier goats - p. 22
Follow us on
PINTEREST LOGO ICON for Adobe Illustrator
Visit our official website at ourcoop.com
Sent to you compliments of:
contents
July 2015
Cover Story
bee
10 Plan
Apiarists like Charlie Parton are not only concerned with the livelihood of their own honey bee colonies but they’re also doing their part to
encourage the longterm survival of these all-important pollinating insects.
That’s why Charlie, president of the Tennessee Beekeepers Association,
and others in the apiculture and agriculture industries are working together
to implement a voluntary Pollinator Conservation Plan for the state. This
plan, still in its infancy, will be discussed at Co-op Farm Fest in August.
ON THE COVER: The queen is easy to identify in this frame of honey bees on the farm of
Charlie Parton in Maryville. She’s the one marked with the bright blue dot.
— Photos by Chris Villines
News and features
5
14 18
22
28
14
An industry on the ‘moove’
Annual luncheon in Nashville kicks off Tennessee’s June Dairy Month celebration.
Three for the show
Clinton’s Meir siblings of Three Aces Cattle Company get an early start as top-tier livestock exhibitors.
Smooth operators
High-quality gaited mules break the stubborn stereotype at Gordon View Farm in Shelbyville.
Less can be best
Boer goat breeders Jeff and Sheryl Pearcy prove smaller numbers can still bring outstanding results.
Zest for life
For more than three decades, Henry County’s Allegro Marinade has enhanced kitchen creations.
TenneScene
18
In every issue
4 As I Was Saying
Jerry Kirk reflects on TFC’s involvement in
the Cooperative Communicators Association.
4 Our Country Churches
Normandy Presbyterian Church in Bedford
County.
16 New at Co-op
Learn about six new products available at
your hometown store.
Antique tractors make their way through the University of the South campus in Sewanee
during the town’s 2014 Fourth of July Parade, which is planned this year for 2 p.m. on
Saturday, July 4. Many other such festivities are scheduled across the state. A great resource
for finding a celebration near you is the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development’s
website at www.tnvacation.com. — Photo by Allison Morgan
17 Neighborly Advice
Prepare small ruminants for breeding.
30 What’s cookin’?
Fresh, local foods star in summer recipes.
34 Every Farmer Has A Story
Meet the Seaton family, who uncovered 100
years of history to ensure their farm’s future.
July 2015
3
As I Was Saying
CCA awards are special in many ways
B
e sure to read the story on pages 26-27 of this Cooperator about the
array of awards staffers from Tennessee Farmers Cooperative’s Communications Department brought home from the 2015 Cooperative Communicators Association (CCA) Institute in Indianapolis last month.
The awards reflect TFC’s decades of commitment to excellence in communicating with its members and other audiences, and CCA has had a lot to do with
that. I’ve been seeing results for 42 years now.
When the late Bill Pease hired me as editor of the Tennessee Cooperator in
November 1972, among the few directives he threw out was for me to “join and
Jerry Kirk
become involved in the Cooperative Editorial Association.” The what?
Contributing Editor
“It’s CEA for short, and Dick Bailey [my predecessor as editor] was active in
it,” Bill said. “It’s a good thing. They have an institute every year, so I want you to get involved.”
Long story short, I joined CEA, the name of which was
changed in 1985 to Cooperative Communicators Association
to reflect its broadened scope. I attended the 1973 institute
at Atlanta’s Royal Coach Inn, was eventually elected to CEA’s
board, and with super support from all TFC levels hosted the
1979 CEA Institute June 3-6 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in
downtown Nashville. It was the first time the institute had
been in Tennessee, and for obvious reasons, we chose “CEA ...
Live from Nashville!” as our theme. With Mack Barrett from
TFC and Don Davis and Anne Yeiser from Dairymen’s Inc., in
Louisville, Ky., serving on the Program Committee, we managed to pull off an institute that many CEA veteran members
said was the best they had attended.
Since 1979, CEA has become CCA, and TFC has helped host
two other Nashville institutes — 1991 at the Sheraton Music
City Hotel and 2013 at Sheraton Nashville Downtown. I chaired
the ’91 meeting and current TFC Communications Department
For 18-month-old Brett Campbell in 1991,
members were organizers of the last one. It was after the ’91
happiness is a Nashville T-shirt and a big
institute that I received a prized piece of correspondence from
box of Goo Goos.
friend Dan Campbell, who at the time was with Blue Diamond
Growers of California. Saying he and his family enjoyed their visit to Tennessee and CCA, Dan sent a
wonderful black-and-white picture of his happy 18-month-old son, Brett, dressed in a Nashville T-shirt
and holding a box of Goo Goos. Dan, now editor of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s impressive
Rural Development magazine in Washington, says Brett was diagnosed at about age 21⁄2 with highfunctioning autism, also called Asperger’s Syndrome. “He’s 24 now, and his primary interests include
sports history, music, wildlife, the comic strips Garfield and Calvin & Hobbs, and dogs,” Dan says. His
son, he adds, has completed job training classes and recently started his first “real job” as an assistant
at Safeway “where he’s doing great!” Brett’s hope, his dad says, is to someday see a game in each of the
30 major league baseball stadiums. So far, he’s been to about 10.
As for the 1991 CCA institute itself, Dan says, “Of the 20-plus I’ve been to over the past 28
years or so, it was one of the best. Also, at the institute a year earlier, TFC’s Sandi Wiseman White,
dressed in her ‘cowgirl finest,’ lip-synched a song to invite us to Nashville in ’91. She was so darling!
And, as you know, a great co-op communicator and person whom we lost far too soon!”
You’re right, Dan. Sandi succcumbed to cancer in 2011 at age 46, and we still miss her!
Our Country Churches
Normandy Presbyterian Church
in Bedford County
Established in the late 1800s, Normandy Presbyterian Church was originally built on Lazy Branch
Road in the small community of Normandy in Bedford County. The current building at 108 Center
Street was constructed in 1910. The congregation
welcomes others to join them on Sundays at 9 a.m.
for worship service and 10:25 a.m. for church
school.
— Information submitted by James Troxler
4
July 2015
241th in a series to show where our
rural Co-op friends worship
July 2015
Volume 56, Number 7
Published by Tennessee Farmers
Cooperative in the interest of better
farming through cooperation and improved
technology, and to connect the Co-op
community through shared experiences,
common values, and rural heritage.
Editor: Allison Morgan
[email protected]
Assistant Editor: Chris Villines
[email protected]
Communications Specialist: Sarah Geyer
[email protected]
Contributing Editor: Jerry Kirk
[email protected]
Senior Graphic Designer: Shane Read
[email protected]
Graphic Designer: Jason Barns
[email protected]
Layout & Production Coordinator:
Travis Merriman
[email protected]
Editorial Assistant: Polly Campbell
[email protected]
Advertising Information: Keith Harrison
615-793-8585, [email protected]
The Tennessee Cooperator is distributed
free to patrons of member Co-ops. Since
each Co-op maintains its own mailing list,
requests for subscriptions must be made
through the local Co-op. When
reporting an address change, please
include the mailing label from a past
issue and send to the following address:
Tennessee Cooperator
P.O. Box 3003
LaVergne, TN 37086
Phone: (615) 793-8339
E-mail: [email protected]
Guest Subscriptions:
Guest subscriptions are available for
$12.95 per year by sending a check
or money order to Tennessee Farmers
Cooperative at the above address.
TFC’s website: www.ourcoop.com
Follow our social media sites:
www.facebook.com/
TennesseeFarmersCooperative
www.twitter.com/TNFarmers
www.pinterest.com/tnfarmers
www.youtube.com/
TnFarmersCooperative
TFC Board of Directors:
Chairman — Larry Paul Harris,
Wildersville, Zone 1
Vice Chairman — Johnny Brady,
Riceville, Zone 3
Keith Fowler, Martin, Zone 1
Richard Jameson, Brownsville, Zone 1
Clint Callicott, Only, Zone 2
Kenneth Nixon, Carthage, Zone 2
Stephen Philpott, Shelbyville, Zone 2
David Sarten, Sevierville, Zone 3
Mark Thompson, Cumberland Gap, Zone 3
Chief Executive Officer —
­­ Bart Krisle
NOTICE: This publication is for
informational purposes only. Tennessee
Farmers Cooperative, its affiliates,
subsidiaries, and member Co-ops are not
responsible for any damages or claims
that may result from a reader’s use of this
information, including but not limited to
actual, punitive, consequential, or economic
damages. Tennessee Farmers Cooperative
makes no warranties or representations, either
express or implied, including warranties of
merchantability or fitness of any product/
material for a particular purpose. Each
article, document, advertisement, or other
information is provided “AS IS” and without
warranty of any kind. Tennessee Farmers
Cooperative reserves the right to alter,
correct, or otherwise change any part or
portion of this publication, including articles
and advertisements, without detriment to
Tennessee Farmers Cooperative, its affiliates,
subsidiaries, or member cooperatives.
An industry on the ‘moove’
June Dairy Month celebrated at annual luncheon
Story and photos by
Suzanne Schultz
B
y the end of the 2015
June Dairy Month
Luncheon on May 29
in Nashville, attendees not only
walked away with ideas on how
to “Get More With Milk” — the
celebration’s theme — but also
how to get more out of life.
In his address to more than
100 farmers, students, and industry supporters gathered for
the dairy celebration at Ellington Agricultural Center, keynote speaker Carter Cardwell,
football coach at Boyd-Buchanan School in Chattanooga,
emphasized the importance of
hard work, education, and connections with others.
“You don’t coach players; you
coach people,” said Cardwell,
who has more than 35 years as
a teacher and coach in various
positions at college and high
school levels. “The thing that
kept coming back to me was
making the right decisions in
life and developing people who
can be leaders.”
Cardwell immediately connected with the dairy lunch
crowd by sharing humorous
stories and life lessons he said
he learned from his first farming
experience at age 14:
“Rule 1: Wear gloves when
hauling hay. Come prepared:
After my first paycheck, I went
to the local Co-op and spent it
all on a good pair of gloves. Rule
2: Never, ever agree to work for
the farmer until you’ve heard the
whole deal. My first official day
on the job started at 4:30 a.m.”
Such hours are normal for
producers like Randy Davis,
president of the America Dairy
Association of Tennessee, who
served as master of ceremonies for the June Dairy Month
luncheon.
“The dairy industry is
unique, and we are all proud
At the 2015 June Dairy Month luncheon, from left, Tennessee Commissioner of
Agriculture Julius Johnson and Master of Ceremonies Randy Davis thank keynote
speaker Coach Carter Cardwell of Boyd-Buchanan School for his inspiring address.
to produce nature’s most perfect product,” he said.
Other special guests included
Tennessee Commissioner of
Agriculture Julius Johnson, Tennessee Farm Bureau President
Lacy Upchurch, and Cheryl
Hayn, general manager of the
Southeast United Dairy Industry Association (SUDIA).
While this event recognizes
farmers and many industry
supporters, young people were
also recognized for their hard
work to promote dairy. Included
were June Dairy Month chairmen from 53 counties and the
2014 4-H dairy promotion state
(See Dairy Month, page 6)
News briefs
UT’s Summer Celebration is July 9
With 15 different garden talks, creative garden displays, and
a Master Gardener Plant Sale, growers will learn how to create
an interesting garden to attract beautiful wildlife on Thursday,
July 9, at the University of Tennessee’s 2015 Summer Celebration at the West Tennessee AgResearch Center in Jackson.
Themed “Bees, Birds, Butterflies and Bottles,” the lawn and
garden show offers a number of different educational sessions
that begin at 10 a.m. The 2015 bottle art collection will be on
display along with ornamental plantings. Attendees can also test
the pH of their soil through the UT Soil, Plant and Pest Center.
Entry for the celebration is $5 for adults; ages 17 and under
are admitted free. Additional $5 tickets will be sold to view the
UT Kitchen Divas’ cooking show, featuring squash. A wagon
tour of the AgResearch Center will also be offered.
For more information, visit west.tennessee.edu or contact
UT’s Ginger Rowsey at 731-425-4768.
Ag Museum offers Saturday events
Fun-filled activities for the family are on tap throughout
July during “Summer Saturdays” at the Tennessee Agricultural
Museum in Nashville.
Held July 11, 18, and 25, each event runs from 9 a.m. to 2
p.m. (Note that the museum will be closed July 4).
From wagon rides and horse shows to a grist mill and gardens, there will be different things for visitors to see and do
each weekend. Other offerings include grooming and riding
miniature donkeys, milking goats, making soap, or watching
sheep shearing and spinning wheels.
For a schedule and more information, call 615-837-5197 or
visit online at tnagmuseum.org/summer.html.
July 2015
5
Dairy Month
(continued from page 5)
winners. Promotion winners
were Madison Campbell, Greene
County, Division I; Abigail Ferguson, Claiborne County, Division
II and Best Use of Theme; and
Allison Parker, Sumner County,
Division III and Media Award.
Each received a cash prize and
earned funds for the Extension
program in her home county.
Champions of the Dairy Quiz
Bowl in the Junior Division
were Kendall Warpool, Jayme
Ozburn, Sydney Lamb, and Isaiah Osborne from Williamson
County. They are coached by
Julie Ozburn.
Lincoln County earned the
right to represent Tennessee
in Louisville, Ky., at the North
American International Livestock Exposition in November
by capturing first-place honors
in the Senior High Division.
Team members are Alex Tanner,
Erin Moore, Katie Peery, and
Justin Corbin. Their coach is
Dan Owen.
Another popular competition, the annual June Dairy
Month poster contest, encourages students to creatively
represent the theme “Get More
with Milk.” Each of the top
three winners received a cash
prize and earned a monetary gift
for her county Extension office.
Taking first place was Paige
Davenport of Macon County.
Second place was awarded to
Abigail Ferguson of Claiborne
County and third place to Lexi
Bailey of Bedford County.
A surprise guest, Travis Lane
of the Great American Milk
Drive, presented information
on a new project that is partnering with Tennessee 4-H.
Lane stressed the importance
of the initiative, which is the
first-ever national program to
help deliver nutrient-rich milk
to hungry families.
“The fact that milk is one of
the most-requested food items
is what drives this program,” he
said. “This opportunity is the
perfect way for 4-H members to
give back to their community.”
Making an impact is only
a computer click away; each
region in the state has its own
donation link that will track its
progress, leaving the winning
area to have their donation
matched – up to 1,000 gallons!
With easy access and a little
healthy competition among
Tennessee regions, Lane added
that “the ending goal is one that
could improve the lives of people
all over the state.” For more details, visit milklife.com/give.
In relation to giving, Courtney Brunetz, director of marketing for the Tennessee Secondary
School Athletic Association
(TSSAA), was named Outstanding Dairy Promoter of the Year.
In 2011, the Tennessee Dairy
Promotion Committee and SUDIA partnered with TSSAA to
make chocolate milk the organization’s official drink. Brunetz
was a strong influence in this
partnership.
“We truly feel it’s a win-win
opportunity for all of us when
we can provide a positive message to our athletes that they
can take back to their communities,” Brunetz said of the
successful alliance.
The 2015 Distinguished
Service Award was given to Bob
Strasser, longtime Davidson
County dairyman and ADA
board member.
“Usually the award goes to
someone on the process side
Senior High Quiz Bowl champions from Lincoln County are, from left, Alex Tanner, Erin
Moore, Katie Peery, and Justin Corbin. Not pictured is Coach Dan Owen.
In the Junior Division, Williamson County displayed their dairy knowledge best, taking
home first place. Team members are, from left, Coach Julie Ozburn, Kendall Warpool,
Jayme Ozburn, and Sydney Lamb. Not pictured is team member Isaiah Osborne.
of the business; however, Bob’s
dedication to the industry secured this personal honor,” said
John Harrison, Tennessee Dairy
Products Association president.
“All his life, he has been a great
spokesman for dairy.”
The 4-H dairy project state
winner, Allison Massy of Bedford County, was also recognized for her achievements that
include showing more than
1,280 head of Jersey cattle,
participating in judging activities, and having received the
state’s highest 4-H honor – the
Vol State Award. In the fall,
Massy, a nine-year 4-H member,
plans to major in agriculture
Creative displays on the 2015 “Get More with Milk” theme earned first place for Paige Davenport, left, of Macon County, second
place for Abigail Ferguson, middle, of Claiborne County, and third place for Lexi Bailey, right, of Bedford County in the June
Dairy Month poster contest.
6
July 2015
education at Austin Peay State
University in Clarksville.
Maury County native Aaron
Wolters was the food science
project state winner. The active 4-H member said he has
improved his food science
project over the past four years.
His other 4-H activities include
meat-judging and serving on the
State 4-H Council and as June
Dairy Month chairman.
“To go out, have your voice
be heard, and represent your
county and agriculture are
things that are very important
to me,” said Wolters, who plans
to major in agricultural communications at the University
of Tennessee at Martin. “We’re
representing 4-H, and you’re
representing all the amazing
things agriculture has to offer.”
His perspective complemented Carter’s message about
promoting understanding
among different generations
and the importance of “reinventing” yourself every few
years to keep up with demands
in society today.
“You’re going to fail. You’re
going to succeed,” said Carter.
“Every time you step out of that
door, your name is on everything you do. Remember that.”
SPECIAL SECTION
As Co-op in Tennessee celebrates its 70-year anniversary in 2015,
the Cooperator proudly highlights monumental moments and
milestones that paved the way to our becoming one of the nation’s
strongest federated cooperative systems. Look for seven facts in
each issue from now to December for a total of 70!
1
2
In 1983, the government’s payment-in-kind program caused farmers to cut back on corn, wheat,
and cotton production. Objective of the program
was to reduce production to boost prices, but the
drop in acreage dramatically affected Co-op sales.
3
In 1959, TFC became a part owner of FFR Cooperative.
Organized in the late 1950s and early ‘60s, Farmers
Forage Research began by focusing primarily on alfalfa and some grasses, but in the late 1960s and early
‘70s, it became involved in soybeans and hybrid corn,
and the name was changed to simply FFR.
4
TFC had some financial challenges in its earliest
days. In a Feb. 21, 1946, statement of financial condition, the new statewide cooperative posted a loss of
$936.46 for the period Sept. 27, 1945, to Feb. 21, 1946.
For the ’46 calendar year, loss was set at $4,800.59.
5
TFC’s board in 2012 approved a joint venture with
Winfield Solutions to combine both organizations’
retail operations under a new company, GreenPoint
Ag, LLC. The new entity encompassed the 11 locations of TFC subsidiary ADI Agronomy in Missouri,
Arkansas, and Kentucky and the 34 locations of
Winfield subsidiary Retail Agronomy Solutions in
Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
6
Terry Sellers discusses FFR corn at the West
Tennessee Field Demonstration Day in Halls
in October 1988. Terry, who was a Tennessee
Farmers Cooperative agronomist at the time,
now serves as chief executive officer of MidSouth Farmers Cooperative.
The “energy crisis” spawned a national speed limit
of 55 miles per hour on Jan. 2, 1974. The crisis was
also a major topic at TFC’s annual meeting that year.
TFC and 18 other major farm supply regionals formed
International Energy Cooperative, Inc., to negotiate
directly with oil-producing countries for fuel.
7
The first load of Co-op Gold Crest twine to be
transported by barge arrived in Tennessee from
New Orleans in 1966. Lower water transit costs
made it more convenient and cost-effective for
volume purchases of twine. Some 51,500 bales
— enough twine for 25 million bales of hay —
were in that first barge shipment.
An Engineering Department was established in 1951 to help TFC and member
Co-ops plan, develop, and construct facilities needed to serve customers. James
Smith was manager of the department.
July 2015
7
LIVESTOCK HANDLING • FEEDING EQUIPMENT
LIVESTOCK HANDLING
SEE YOUR LOCAL CO-OP TODAY!
TAEP QUALIFYING PRODUCTS
PRIEFERT
180-DEGREE PREMIER
SWEEP
ROUGHSTOCK
135-DEGREE SWEEP
WW 210 MODIFIED
PAINTED SWEEP
36240
36253
20373
TARTER SHEETED 180-DEGREE
TUB WITH 20-FT.
SHEETED ALLEY
19458
PRIEFERT S04 CHUTE
37200
POWDER RIVER
HOMESTEADER
DELUXE WITH 20-FT. ALLEY
20901 WOOD NOT INCLUDED
BEHLEN M1-V CHUTE
WITH SPLIT TAILGATE
WW BEEFMASTER CHUTE
WITH SPLIT TAILGATE
20157-ST
FOR-MOST
21805 HEADGATE SOLD SEPARATELY
21802 BEHLEN AUTO HEADGATE
TARTER CATTLE MASTER
WITH AUTO HEADGATE
COX 150-BU. CREEP
FEEDER WITH PENS
20646
19445
APACHE 150-BU. CREEP
FEEDER WITH PENS
MODEL 450 STATIONARY CHUTE
28132
SPLIT TAILGATE
28135
MANUAL HEADGATE
28114
PALP CAGE
28133
HEAD SWEEP
28141
See us online at ourcoop.com.
27409
GREAT EQUIPMENT FOR ANY OPERATION.
CO-OP SHD
HAY SAVER
FEEDER
156481
CO-OP SHD
HERDSMAN
MINERAL
FEEDER
B&W BIG
BLAZE
MINERAL FEEDER
12035
DURA-BALL
MINERAL FEEDER
15440
CO-OP 10-FT.
HIGH POLE
GATE
26710
CO-OP 12-FT.
HIGH POLE
GATE
26712
TRU-TEST
EZ WEIGH 5
PACKAGE
221741
Free platform with purchase of
above scale package.
8
July 2015
21159
2-IN. SHD
12-FT. X 6-FT.
CORRAL
PANEL
156534
GALLAGHER
SMART SCALE
210 PACKAGE
GAG210
VARIOUS SIZES OF
BROCK BINS
5-TON
TOBB
FEED BIN
25200
TAEP-QUALIFYING PRODUCTS AT THEIR BEST.
(AT PARTICIPATING CO-OP STORES.)
July 2015
9
Story and photos by Chris Villines
An Italian honey bee collects pollen from a white clover flower to take back to its colony for food. With
honey bee colonies declining at an alarming rate in the U.S., the push is on at both federal and state
levels to find ways to grow these numbers and promote the health of bees and other pollinators.
C
harlie Parton is on the
hunt as he lifts frames that
teem with Italian honey
bees from one of the 75 hives at
his Maryville operation, Parton
Apiaries.
His quest? To find the queen
bee, the heart and soul of the
hive and mother to all of its
inhabitants.
“Ah, found her!” says Charlie, pointing out an identifying
mark — a distinctive dot of blue
paint on the queen’s back. “If
you look underneath the frames,
there’s a queen excluder that
keeps the queen bee from coming through and laying eggs in
the honey supers. The worker
bees can squeeze through, but
the queen can’t.”
Maryville l
Charlie, president of the Tennessee Beekeepers Association
(TBA) and apiarist since 1980,
welcomes every opportunity to
educate people about these vital
insects that are the source for
the popular local honey he sells.
But, he stresses, their purpose goes far beyond producing
honey.
“Bees, dollar-wise, are more
important to agriculture for
their pollination of crops,” says
Charlie, a longtime member of
AgCentral Farmers Coopera-
10
July 2015
tive. “Honey bee pollination
is responsible for $119 million
worth of crops each year in
Tennessee and $14.6 billion
in the U.S. That’s significant.
Every third bite of food we take
is thanks to bees and other pollinators.”
But other startling statistics
are what concern Charlie, fellow beekeepers, and people all
the way up to the White House.
According to a survey led by the
University of Maryland, U.S.
beekeepers, for an array of reasons, lost more than 40 percent
of their honey bee colonies
from April 2014 to April 2015.
And over the last five years,
winter losses of commercial
honey bee colonies have averaged roughly 30 percent.
Scientific studies have
shown that a range of factors — from climate change to
viruses to loss of habitat — are
contributing to a worldwide decline in bee health. An emerging argument among environmentalists is that the overuse
of neonicotinoid pesticides, or
neonics as they’re known, may
also be contributing to the decline of bees. This new class of
insecticides shares a common
mode of action that negatively
affects the central nervous
system of insects, according to
the Environmental Protection
Agency.
“I have had
significant
losses,” admits
Charlie. “No
one thing is to
blame. To say it’s
a crisis would be
a pretty strong
word, but it
definitely makes
you sit up and
take notice. In
California, for
example, it was
a real struggle
for growers last
year in trying
to pollinate their
Maryville’s Charlie Parton is president of the Tennessee
Beekeepers Association, one of several organizations involved
almonds. They
with putting together a state Pollinator Conservation Plan.
just couldn’t get
idea is to plant many types of
enough bees.”
wildflowers — in lots of different
In May, the White House
areas — so that bees have more
released its “National Stratplaces to forage and nest.
egy to Promote the Health
This federally authored
of Honey Bees and Other
course of action has forced
Pollinators,” the culmination
the needle to move at the state
of a year-long investigation
level as well. In Tennessee, a
by a Pollinator Health Task
Pollinator Conservation Plan
Force co-chaired by U.S.
has been drafted “to foster
Secretary of Agriculture Tom
Vilsack. The strategy outlines cooperation among beekeepers, pesticide applicators, and
a comprehensive approach
agricultural producers for the
to “tackling and reducing the
purpose of preventing honey
impact of multiple stressors
bees and pollinators from
on pollinator health.”
the unreasonable exposure to
A key component of the
pesticides through education
strategy is to restore 7 million
acres of bee-friendly habitat that and stewardship recommendations in the state of Tennessee.”
have been lost to urbanization,
The plan’s stakeholders are the
development, and farming. The
TBA, Tennessee Farm Bureau
Federation, Tennessee Aerial
Applicators Association, Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Tennessee Fruit and Vegetable Association, University
of Tennessee Extension, and
independent crop consultants.
Tennessee Farmers Cooperative, Tennessee Agricultural
Production Association, and
Bayer have also been actively
involved in crafting the plan.
“Our mission is to develop a
voluntary program of cooperation among farmers, beekeepers, and pesticide applicators
when bees are located in or
near crop production areas
to ensure the compatibility of
crop production, apiculture,
and pollinator health,” says UT
Extension Apiculturist Dr. John
Skinner. “I think it’s important
to open up the lines of communication and understand one
another. I’ve been preaching
this for years.”
The plan, still in its early
stages of development, includes
considerations for beekeepers,
farmers, and pesticide applicators to execute on a voluntary
basis:
Beekeepers
• Hive identification — The beekeeper
should have a highly
visible placard listed on a prominent
hive within an
apiary that clearly
identifies emergency
contact information.
• Bee Aware flag
— A yellow-andblack-striped flag
should clearly
identify the location of honey bee
hives on a farm
property or near
crop fields and be
visible to applicators from the air
or ground.
• Apiary locations — Beekeepers
should discuss with farmers
proper hive locations on or
adjacent to farm property and
select apiary locations that use
natural barriers such as tree
lines to guard against insecticide drift, best facilitate entrances to hives from directly
facing fields, and are not too
close to immediate edges of
fields.
LEFT: Wearing protective gear, Charlie inspects a honey super frame in one of his hives. He has some 75 colonies with a total
bee population of around 35,000 and “constantly” reads and studies about bees and the issues related to them. RIGHT: With
his state-of-the-art honey-making facility, it’s clear that beekeeping is much more than just a passing hobby to Charlie.
Farmers/pesticide applicators
• Notification of ground and
aerial applicators of hive locations — Farmers should make
employees (or other contractual
parties) and aerial applicators
aware of all apiary locations.
• Timing of insecticide applications — When possible, especially when bees are actively
foraging, farmers should consider applying insecticides as
late in the afternoon as possible
on fields immediately adjacent
to hive locations to
help mitigate many
risks of bee losses.
• Wind direction — Insecticides
should only be applied when drift
onto beehives is
unlikely (winds
are blowing away
from hive locations).
“We don’t want
to build up
animosity among
beekeepers and
farmers because
we want to help
one another
make a living, so
it’s good to have a
plan like this to
spell things out,”
says Charlie.
“I’m not saying we
should ban all insecticides, but we do have to get
a handle on their use. It’s got
to happen, especially now with
the issues we’re having with
losing bees.”
UT Extension entomologist
Dr. Scott Stewart, who will
present an educational program
on the Tennessee Pollinator Conservation Plan at next
month’s Farm Fest on Aug. 11
and 12 at Tennessee Farmers Cooperative’s LaVergne
complex, says that many of the
plan’s components boil down
to two simple words: common
sense.
“The whole program is really
just about increasing awareness
of pollinators,” he says. “This
is a big issue at the federal
level. There’s legislation coming
down that will affect the way
we do business in agriculture,
and we need to be aware of
those new laws and of pollinator issues so we don’t create
unnecessary problems.
“A message that we must
get across is that you can’t
reduce the risk to honey bees
to zero. There’s always going to
be a threat of some kind with
pesticides. But we can mitigate
the effects and try to keep ourselves out of major problems
by doing some common-sense
things.”
Farm Fest only a month away
Dr. Scott Stewart’s program on
the Tennessee Pollinator Conservation Plan is one of several
educational sessions scheduled
for Farm Fest next month. The
lineup also includes an agronomy showcase featuring row crops
and forages, unmanned aerial
vehicles (UAVs or drones), sprayer
demonstrations, research and
innovations in livestock production, and cattle fencing, facilities,
and supplementation.
This year’s Farm Fest,
a follow-up to the highly
successful 2008 and 2010
editions of the event, will be
held Tuesday and Wednesday,
Aug. 11 and 12, at Tennessee Farmers Cooperative’s
LaVergne complex. Events are
planned from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tuesday and 8 a.m. until noon
on Wednesday.
In addition to the educational
sessions, the all-new Farm Fest
’15 agenda includes live demonstrations, equipment displays,
and more than 100 vendor
booths. Tours of TFC’s LaVergne
facilities — feed mill, metal
fabrication plant, fertilizer plant,
and distribution center — will
run continually each day.
Brand-new tractors and
trucks from local dealerships will
also be on display as well as an
antique tractor and truck show.
All attendees will be given
special Farm Fest welcome gifts,
and lunch will be provided.
Refreshments — water, soft
drinks, coffee, ice cream, and
watermelon — will be available
throughout the event.
Though Farm Fest is free, each
attendee must have a ticket provided by his or her Co-op. Tickets
are now available at Co-op locations statewide.
More information is posted
on www.ourcoop.com/FarmFest
and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FarmFest2015.
July 2015
11
12
July 2015
Loyal Co-op leader Clint Callicott loses
battle with cancer June 3
The Co-op system lost one of its most dedicated leaders on June 3 when Tennessee Farmers Cooperative director Clint Callicott died from colon cancer. He
was 66.
A lifelong farmer, Callicott had an extensive history of leadership in his community and local and state government, elected to four terms as District 61
state representative from 1988 to 1996, as a Williamson County commissioner
from 1982 to 1986, and county executive there from 1998 to 2002. Williamson
County Ag Expo Park’s main arena in Franklin was dedicated in Callicott’s name
in March 2014 in honor of his significant role in making the agricultural center
a reality.
Callicott was a member of both Williamson and Humphreys Farmers Cooperatives, where he served as a director before being elected by his peers to represent
Zone 2 on TFC’s nine-member board in 2009.
A fiercely loyal Co-op member, he said this in an October 2010 Cooperator
story: “I have always believed in the Co-op system, farmers coming together and
grouping their resources.”
Raised on a 700-acre farm off Highway 96 on the West Harpeth River in
Franklin, Callicott began his agricultural career in 1972 after graduating from
the University of Tennessee at Martin, where he met his wife of 43 years, Carolyn. They were both founding members of UTM’s Rodeo Team.
After college, Callicott trained bird dogs professionally and continued to live
and work on the family farm until the death of his father, Claude, in 1994. Then
he and his family moved to the tiny town of Only on the Hickman-Humphreys
county line and established a new 450-acre row-crop and beef cattle operation
where they produced corn, soybeans, and wheat along with alfalfa hay.
In addition to Carolyn, Callicott is survived by son Claude and wife Molly; son
Clayton and wife Lee Ann; grandchildren Sarah Beth, Nolan, Ella, and Marian;
brother Pled Duncan; sister Dorris Douglass; and nieces and nephews.
Though he had an admirable career of public service as a state
and local elected official, Clint Callicott was most at home on
his farm in Only with his beloved family. Callicott, who was
currently serving on Tennessee Farmers Cooperative’s board of
directors, died of colon cancer June 3.
July 2015
13
Story and photos by Chris Villines
Clinton’s Meier children — from left, Andrew, 10; Annie, 8; and Alyssa, 7 — show fine form with their red Angus as they practice
for an upcoming livestock show. This year, they will travel with parents Lydell and Holly to some 10 shows across the U.S.
N
ov. 8, 2014, marked
both an ending and a
beginning for Lydell
and Holly Meier.
That day, Gamble Angus held
a sale of its entire stock. Considering that the Meiers and
Holly’s father, John Gamble,
built the operation over a 15year span into one of the country’s most reputable producers
of the breed, the move raised a
few eyebrows in their hometown
of Clinton and beyond.
Clinton l
“It was a little surprising to
some folks,” says Lydell, who
in 2005 was voted national
Herdsman of the Year by his
peers in the Angus industry.
“When you hear that someone’s having a dispersal sale,
you tend to think they’re getting out of the cattle business
altogether.”
Not so in this case. The
book may have closed on
Gamble Angus, but a new one,
14
July 2015
Three Aces Cattle Company,
has opened. The three “aces”
represent the Meiers’ children
— Andrew, 10; Annie, 8; and
Alyssa, 7 — and these days the
operation centers on raising
kids as much as cattle.
Lydell and Holly, Anderson
Farmers Cooperative members
who both had sterling youth
exhibitor careers with multiple
national titles to their credit,
are now developing the budding cattle-showing talents
of the next generation while
producing top-quality red and
black Angus.
The family’s busy travelogue
will take them to some 10
regional and national events
this year.
“All three of the kids expressed interest in showing
at an early age — we encouraged them but never pushed
it,” says Holly, who started
showing when she was just
6 years old. “We elected to
get involved in the red Angus
business because it has no age
minimum or age requirement
for junior members to participate at national-level shows.”
Judging by the results in
their brief careers, the Meier
children are carrying on the
family tradition of competitive
show ring excellence. Andrew
began exhibiting in the fall of
2013; Annie and Alyssa followed suit in early 2014.
At last year’s North American Junior Red Angus Show in
Grand Island, Neb., Andrew’s
heifer was named overall grand
champion, and Alyssa and
Annie earned champion and
reserve champion honors in
Pee Wee Showmanship, respectively. At the highly competitive
National Western Stock Show
in Denver, which attracts close
to 350 exhibitors from across
the U.S. and Canada and is
considered the “Super Bowl” of
livestock shows, heifers shown
by Andrew and Alyssa won their
divisions. Alyssa, by the way,
was the youngest beef exhibitor
competing.
“It feels really good when
you win,” says Andrew, who
Lydell says can perform almost
any task around the show barn
or on the farm. “It’s like all
of the hard work you’ve done
has paid off, and you’re getting
what you deserve.”
His sisters, as youngsters
are apt to do, give one-word
but enthusiastic comments on
entering the winner’s circle.
“Great!” exclaims Alyssa.
“Awesome!” adds Annie.
Lydell says he and Holly
stress to the kids that while
washing, brushing, clipping,
feeding, and practicing to
prepare cattle for shows may be
tedious and taxing, the sweat
equity “can translate into winning.”
Notice he said “can.” This is
another reason the Meiers say
cattle-showing is an effective
teaching tool for their children
— it helps them understand
that finishing on top isn’t everything.
After completing their practice session, Andrew gives chase as the siblings enjoy
an impromptu game of kickball in the field next to the Meiers’ home.
“I’ve learned that winning
isn’t the only thing that makes
somebody good at showing,”
says Annie. “If you don’t win,
you just come home and work
harder for the next show.”
Holly, who balances show
schedules with her family’s
business, Holley Gamble Funeral Home, says she stresses
to Andrew, Annie, and Alyssa
that relationships formed with
other people are what have
stuck with her the most from
her years in livestock competitions.
“The friendships I’ve made
along the way mean more to
me than any win I’ve ever had,”
she adds. “Those friendships
and the time you spend with
your family at shows are priceless. Your friends become like
your family, too. You’re creating memories that will last a
lifetime.”
The siblings have indeed
formed a broad base of buddies
from their fellow competitors,
as Andrew will attest.
“I’ve made friends from
Oklahoma, Kentucky, Illinois,
Ohio, North Carolina, South
Carolina …”
That’s great, and…
“Virginia, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, Texas …”
Wow, what a list of …
“Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Georgia, and Alabama.
I think that’s it!”
With the trio on summer
break from Clinton Elementary
School, they have more time to
devote to honing their showmanship skills. Each, when
asked what it takes to become a
good showman, gives the same,
simple, single-word answer:
“Practice!”
“They come to the barn with
me every morning and start
a routine with the heifers —
washing them, brushing their
hair, and leading them,” says
Lydell, who in the past has also
served as a show judge. “Each
one of the kids has an experienced show heifer, but we’re
also going to start taking three
heifers that have never been
to a show. For several weeks,
those cattle will require a little
more one-on-one work.
“As the kids have gotten older and spent more time around
the farm, they know just about
every cow and are learning
Annie, left, and Alyssa, right, commend their cows for “licking the feeder clean” after the animals enjoyed a ration of Co-op Calf
Primer. With the girls are, from left, their parents, Holly and Lydell, and Anderson Farmers Cooperative Manager Jeremy Horne and
Assistant Manager Travis Dawson. The Meiers rely on the Co-op for feed and numerous other items.
LEFT: Alyssa, who will celebrate her 8th birthday later this month, carefully combs her show cow after washing and blow-drying
the animal. This is a daily routine for Alyssa, Annie, and Andrew as part of their show preparation. RIGHT: The Meiers’ herd
includes predominantly black and red Angus, like this heifer dutifully watching over her young calf.
what the beef cattle industry is
all about.”
Daily interaction with their
show cattle is needed, Holly
says, to translate to success at
show time.
“Over the years, we’ve had
families come here and spend
money on a heifer for their kids
to show, and we’d keep it in
our possession for them,” she
says. “Well, we would get to
a show, and the children can’t
show themselves out of a wet
paper sack because they’ve had
no contact with their animals.
Showmanship plays such a role
out there in that ring. You’ve
got to know what you’re doing.”
Another important aspect of
Three Aces Cattle Company’s
herd — which now numbers
150 head — is their daily feeding regimen. For nutritional
products and many other items,
including show supplies, crop
protectants, animal health
supplies, fencing, gates, and
hardware, the farm turns to the
Co-op. Specifically, the Meiers
trust in the performance of
Co-op Calf Primer products.
“It’s a high-fiber, moderateprotein feed that we get good
results from,” says Lydell. “We
give it to both our young and
mature cows and have seen
good weight gain, performance,
and palatability. The Co-op
feed has been a consistent winner for us, so we’ve stuck with
it. You don’t want to be contin-
ually changing rations because
that can be detrimental to your
cattle.”
Past summers have seen Andrew play baseball and the girls
participate in soccer. And they
don’t rule out doing so again.
But for now, their competitive
sights are set on showing.
“Our transition from Gamble
Angus to Three Aces Cattle
Company is a business and
family decision we’ve made to
show our commitment to our
kids’ show careers,” Lyndell
says. “There are a lot of exciting times ahead.”
For more information about
Co-op’s complete line of cattle
feeds, visit with the professionals at your local Co-op.
July 2015
15
New at Co-op
#1502416
Stinger Flat Panel Insect Killer
The Stinger Flat Panel Insect Killer (#6809834) uses an ultraviolet
light and a NOsquito octenol lure to attract and kill annoying flying
insects in areas up to 1/2 acre in size. Its flat panel design offers up to
50-percent more zapping area and features 24-hour operation and
durable, weatherproof plastic.
Other features include:
• Easy bulb replacement
• No assembly
• Plugs into 120-volt outlet
• Low maintenance
• No bags necessary
Armadillo Scram
Armadillo Scram (#6800371) is
the only natural repellent designed
and labeled just for the prevention
of armadillo damage. The unique
formula works via both taste and
smell to stop armadillos from digging
in lawns. The granular repellent is
easily applied, contains all-organic
ingredients and is even effective with
rainfall. Sold in 6-pound bags.
Harris Egg Kill
and Resistant
Bed Bug Killer
Harris Egg Kill and Resistant Bed Bug
Killer (#6804815) is an odorless,
non-staining, water-based product
that kills even the toughest bedbugs
that may have built up a resistance to
standard pyrethroid-based products.
This product kills the egg and breaks
the cycle.
16
July 2015
SportDog TEK 2.0LT
SportDog Brand was the first to combine GPS tracking with e-collar
training. Now, with TEK 2.0 technology, tracking and training are
more reliable and accurate than ever. Enjoy total control of your
dog, or even up to 21 dogs (by simply adding TEK-2AD collars) with
premium training features, along with feedback on their locations
up to 10 miles using HopTek Technology via preloaded, full-color
1:100,000 topo maps. The handheld device is waterproof and
submersible up to five feet. GPS collar is DRYTEK waterproof and
submersible up to 25 feet. Simply put, no other system lets you hunt
and navigate with such confidence.
Organic Oscar
Oatmeal Shampoo
Organic Oscar Oatmeal Shampoo
(#1414102) puts an end to dry, itchy skin
with soothing colloidal oatmeal. Soothe
your pooch by combating dryness and
itchiness with organic oatmeal and vanilla
extract. Formulated with anti-oxidant and
anti-carcinogenic goodness to calm irritation and restore shine, Organic Oscar
Oatmeal Shampoo utilizes the natural
healing properties of oatmeal to replenish
dry skin and keep fur soft.
Organic Oscar
Aloe Vera Shampoo
Organic Oscar Aloe Vera Shampoo
(#1414100) pampers your pup with
moisturizing organic aloe vera. The
rich formula is great for frequent baths
because it doesn’t dry the skin. Great
for dogs with dry or sensitive skin, it
nourishes your pet’s skin and creates a
coat that is smoother and softer.
Neighborly Advice Goats & Sheep
Supplement sheep, goats for better breeding
F
or
sheep
and
goat producers, long,
hot summer
days signal
the time to
begin preRoyce Towns
paring for
TFC Nutritionist
the upcoming breeding
season. How well they perform
their reproductive duties is a
major factor in determining the
profitability of the flock or herd.
A little bit of time and management effort now can result in a
more successful breeding season
and more live offspring later.
Both sheep and goats are
seasonally polyestrous — meaning the vast majority of estrous
cycles occur in response to
decreasing hours of daylight. As
fall approaches, females begin
cycling and males exhibit their
“rutting” behavior. The female’s
plane of nutrition during this
period can influence the number of eggs produced as well as
implantation rates of the fertilized embryos. This is a natural
survival mechanism, prioritizing
the female’s use of energy in the
diet. Reproduction is considered a low status or luxury item
that only takes place after other
more important body needs are
met. Only after their environment is perceived as plentiful do
the females prepare for breeding. While this system prevents
females from becoming pregnant during times when it’s not
in their best interest, it can also
be used as a management tool
to enhance reproduction.
The term “flushing” refers
to the practice of temporarily
increasing the energy content
of the diet, leading to increased
body condition, higher glucose
levels in the blood, and a resulting boost in the maturation of
eggs and embryo implantation
rates. The goal is to raise the
energy level in the diet with-
out causing digestive upset or
hampering the utilization of forages. There are multiple ways
to achieve this. While corn may
have been used in the past, it
may not be the best choice. Its
high levels of starch can depress
forage digestibility, resulting in a
lower-than-expected net gain in
total dietary energy.
To realize the benefits of
flushing, begin feeding a lowstarch, high-energy supplement
like Co-op 16% Pelleted All-Purpose Goat Feed-RUM (#93458)
three weeks prior to the initiation of breeding season. Feed
at the rate of 1 pound per head
per day and continue until four
weeks post-breeding. Always increase feed intake gradually and
provide adequate feeder space
to limit competition and ensure
proper intake by smaller, more
timid females.
Following the flushing
period, return to maintenance
feeding levels until the last third
of gestation, when increased
fetal growth and preparation for
birth and milk production again
dictate the need for supplementation.
Rams and bucks should also
be in optimum body condition
at the onset of breeding season.
Overly thin or over-conditioned
males will have neither the
drive nor endurance to service
females as expected. Mineral
nutrition is vital for male reproduction. Zinc, selenium, and
vitamin E all influence testicular size, sperm production, and
sperm motility/viability. Providing a balanced vitamin/mineral
supplement year-round is good
practice to avoid deficiencies.
A small investment in strategic supplementation prior to
breeding season can result in
improved reproductive performance and more kids and
lambs next spring. See the experts at your Co-op for help in
selecting the supplements that
can make your flock or herd
more profitable.
July 2015
17
Story and photos by Allison Morgan
A yet-to-be-named mule colt stands near his Tennessee walking horse mother, Cash in the Evening, at Gordon View Farm in Shelbyville. Farm owners Marty and Lorri
Gordon specialize in raising, training, showing, and selling high-quality gaited mules produced by foundation walking horse mares and a donkey jack.
S
tubborn as a mule? No,
“smooth as a mule” is the
phrase Marty and Lorri
Gordon prefer to use in describing the animals on their Gordon
View Farm in Shelbyville.
As producers, trainers, and exhibitors of mules bred to saddle
up and ride, the Gordons are on
a mission to break the stubborn
stereotype and educate others
about the positive attributes
of these often-misunderstood
equine.
A cross between a donkey jack
and a horse mare, mules display
traits of both parents. Their athletic ability comes from the horse
and intelligence from the donkey,
with hybrid vigor that gives the
mules distinct advantages. They
can carry more, go farther on
less fuel, and tend, on average,
to live longer than horses. What’s
perceived as stubbornness is actually the mule’s ingrained sense
of self-preservation and ability to
think independently, says Lorri.
Building trust can override the
mule’s reluctance to follow its
owner’s commands.
18
July 2015
“Our relationship with our
mules is more soulful,” she says.
“They’re smarter and bond with
you differently than horses. If
they trust you, they’ll do anything for you.”
The Gordons specialize in
“gaited” mules born to Tennessee walking horse mares, which
pass on their inherent smoothstepping pace to their offspring.
The 150-acre farm purchased by
Marty in 1990 is currently home
to 12 mules and five walking
horse mares used for breeding.
comfort, making them popular choices for pleasure- and
trail-riding. The unwillingness
of mules to place themselves
in danger is also to their rider’s
benefit, adds Lorri, who says she
prefers mules on the trail.
“A mule can see all four
feet — a horse cannot,” she
says. “The mule’s big eyes allow
it to see all around. When a
mule puts its foot somewhere,
it doesn’t miss. They’re a little
more sure-footed. So when you
put them in tough situations,
they do a whole lot better than a
horse.”
When Lorri met Marty on a
trail ride at Belvidere’s Circle E
Ranch in 2008, she introduced
her future husband to his first
gaited mule. Living in Charleston, S.C., at the time, Lorri
moved to Tennessee when she
and Marty married later that
year, and they began buying
Shelbyville
l
“The difference between work
mules and gaited mules is how
smooth they ride,” says Marty.
“These aren’t your old-fashioned
mules meant for the field. We
are using mares that are good,
foundation walking horses. The
disposition of the mare carries
on to the colt, and we get quality
mules in return.”
Gaited mules can be ridden
longer distances without dis-
Australian shepherd Missy and mule Maybelline are two of the animals that call the
farm home along with the Gordon family: from left, Lorri, Jody, Marty, and Justin.
LEFT: Emerging from the stable windows in unison are, from left, George, Bentley, Carlos, and Maybelline. Gordon View Farm has a dozen or so mules that the family
shows, trail-rides, and offers for sale. RIGHT: Riding his mule, Theodore, Marty won the 2012 World Grand Champion Walking Mule in the Amateur Male Riders class at the
Great Celebration Mule and Donkey Show in Shelbyville, the premier event for gaited mules. This year’s show is July 9-11 at the historic Celebration grounds.
other gaited mules and raising
their own at Gordon View Farm.
In 2010, Marty met renowned
mule clinician Steve Edwards of
Queen Valley, Ariz., and learned
effective training techniques that
further fueled his passion.
It was a new concept for
Marty, even though he’d grown
up working with mules on the
Wartrace farm of his grandfather, the late Ray Tenpenny, a
prominent, award-winning horse
trainer who is honored in the
Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Hall of Fame.
“He was my mule mentor,”
Marty says of his grandfather,
“but the mules he had were the
kind you work in the field —
not like the mules we ride and
show today. They weren’t bred to
saddle; they were bred to work.
Now, we are breeding mules that
are more refined.”
Marty says the availability of
affordable, high-quality mares is
an upside to the recent downturn in the walking horse industry due to negative publicity and
increased scrutiny by animal
rights activists and government
regulations.
“People aren’t breeding walking horses like they used to be,
so we’ve got access to them,” he
says. “There are a bunch of good
mares out there. I think that’s
making a big difference. People
see the transition from what they
thought was just an old work
mule to these that have a more
sophisticated, keen disposition.”
Even though padded walking
horse events like the Celebration have declined in popularity
and participation, the Gordons
say they’re seeing increased
interest in gaited mules to both
show and ride.
“All the shows we go to are
growing,” says Lorri, who also
exhibits flat-shod walking horses.
“This year, the gaited mule show
in Columbia [during Mule Days]
was the biggest it’s ever been.
We’re seeing many people get
away from horses and ride mules
instead. Through mules, we’ve
made friends all over the United
States, whether it’s showing
or selling them or trail-riding.
That’s the cool part about it.”
The Gordons’ next big
exhibition is the Great Celebration Mule and Donkey Show
July 9-11 at the Celebration
grounds in Shelbyville. Marty
and Lorri, members of the
American Gaited Mule Association, have won several World
Grand Champion titles at this
signature event.
To keep brood mares in topnotch condition and get newborn
mules off to the right start, the
Gordons rely on Co-op’s Pinnacle Mare and Foal feed (#331)
from Bedford Moore Farmers
Cooperative. They feed their
show mules crimped oats, also
purchased at the Co-op along
with other farm supplies.
“Just look how shiny their
coats are,” says Marty, pointing
at two of the farm’s mares with
new colts by their side. “The
Mare and Foal
feed keeps them
in great shape.
The weight stays
on them, even
while they’re
nursing.”
While equine
reign at Gordon
View Farm,
Marty also produces hay and
beef cattle with
a 50-head cow/
calf operation.
His agricultural
endeavors are
in addition to his 32-year career
at Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tullahoma,
where he works as maintenance
coordinator. Sons Jody, 20, a recording industry major at Middle
Tennessee State University in
Murfreesboro, and Justin, 25, a
civil engineer in Nashville, also
help out on the farm.
Lorri, a licensed American
Kennel Club judge, raises mini
and toy Australian shepherds and
runs the aptly named “Bed and
Biscuit” dog-boarding kennel on
the farm. She operated a similar business in South Carolina
before moving to Tennessee.
If all those enterprises aren’t
enough, the Gordons also offer
guest lodging, catering to horse
owners and equine enthusiasts
who travel to the Shelbyville area
for shows and training. These
overnight facilities often accommodate customers who visit the
farm to buy mules.
“The benefit we’ve seen is that
people can come here, stay, and
be with the mules they may want
to purchase for two or three
days,” says Marty. “They can
saddle up, ride them, bond with
them, learn how to handle them,
and truly see what these animals
are all about. We try to match
the person to the mule.”
“A guy from Oklahoma came,
and Marty went trail-riding with
him for two days,” adds Lorri.
“He ended up taking home two
mules!”
Whether it’s for trail-riders or
blue-ribbon hopefuls, the Gordons say they have a passion for
not only producing and developing high-quality gaited mules
but also educating others about
these exceptional equine.
“My biggest interest is teaching people about modern-day
mules,” says Marty, adding that
they give God the credit for the
farm’s success. “They’re not your
grandfather’s mules, and they’re
so different from horses in so
many ways. With the right training and handling, they can even
be better than horses.”
For more information on Gordon View Farm’s mules, kennel,
or lodging, contact Marty and
Lorri at 931-684-2275, email
[email protected], or
visit online at www.gordonviewfarm.com.
For more information on
Co-op Pinnacle horse feeds, visit
with your local Co-op or online
at www.co-opfeeds.com.
LEFT: In addition to the mule business, Lorri also operates
Gordon View Farm’s “Bed and Biscuit” boarding kennel and
raises Australian shepherds. ABOVE: Marty, right, and sons
Jody, left, and Justin, second from right, discuss their beef
operation with Bedford Moore Farmers Cooperative’s Tyler Ray.
The Gordons rely on Co-op for most of their farm needs.
July 2015
19
20
July 2015
July 2015
21
Story and photos by Sarah Geyer
Jeff Pearcy, left, owner of Sunshine Boer Goats in Parsons and member of First Farmers Cooperative, discusses with Co-op livestock salesman Dirk Hunt how providing
his herd unlimited access to Co-op Goat Grower (#93461) and Co-op Goat Mineral (#96554) has helped the breeder consistently produce award-winning animals.
T
o ensure each year’s
herd has enough superior show animals,
Boer goat breeders like Jeff
and Sheryl Pearcy of Parsons
typically depend on quantity to
produce consistent quality. Two
years ago, though, this awardwinning team bucked this belief
by reducing their herd numbers
while continuing to raise exceptional show animals.
“We’re still doing what has
worked for us for so many
years,” explains Jeff. “It’s really a
commitment to two things: outstanding genetics and superior
nutrition and health care. That’s
where the quality really comes
from, after all.”
The Pearcys, along with
business partner Jeremy Gurley,
started Sunshine Boer Goats
in 2002 on their 35-acre farm
in Decatur County. After only
a few years on the competitive
circuit, their goats were already
earning top honors in nearly
every event they entered.
The team was thrilled when
their doe, B.J.’s Girl, netted
the National Grand Champion award in 2008, but 2010
proved the pinnacle year on the
national stage for the three owners. Besides winning their third
consecutive grand championship at the American Boer Goat
22
July 2015
Association’s (ABGA) national
competition, the Pearcys were
named Premier Breeder of the
Year, the most prestigious award
given by the organization.
“We had topped out at
500 head then,” says Jeff. “To
qualify for the Breeder of the
Year award, we had to take at
least 30 goats that met our high
standards. To get that kind of
number, you have to breed a lot
of goats, birth a lot of babies,
and feed a lot of kids.”
l Parsons
For Jeff, a foreman at Teague
Sand and Gravel in Linden,
and Sheryl, legal secretary for a
health-care company, Jeremy’s
contribution was invaluable as
they worked full-time jobs and
continued to produce awardwinning goats. In 2012, the
breeders won their fourth national title and their first Junior
Buck Grand Championship.
“We were all running full out,
spending every spare moment
with the goats,” said Sheryl.
“We loved it, but we knew we
couldn’t keep that pace forever.”
Two years ago, the three
owners decided it was time to
slow their several-year sprint to
a brisk jog.
Jeff, Sheryl, and Jeremy have
“When we started, Jeremy
also reduced their presence
was in high school; by 2010,
on the show circuit. Instead
at our peak, he was married
of competing every weekend,
and working as an engineer at
they now attend 15 to 20 shows
Toyota,” explains Jeff. “When
a year. Their goats are still
he was promoted to supervisor
snagging first place and their
and welcomed a second child
competitors are still asking the
two years ago, we knew we
same questions: “Why don’t my
had to slow down. We had a
goats look like yours? What’s
system that worked, so instead
your secret?”
of altering how we did things,
“There’s no secret,” says
we just reduced our numbers.
Jeff, who is happy to share
We found a way to reduce the
quantity and still keep the qual- their knowledge with others.
ity we are known for.”
They began decreasing the number of
embryo transfers from
a high of 50 to around
15. Instead of producing 20-plus goats with
the excellent structural
correctness needed to
compete on the national
level, they now travel to
shows with six to 10.
“We haven’t changed
our standards for how
we breed and how we
cull; we are just doing
less of it now,” says Jeff.
“Instead of having a
herd of 500 that included show, surrogate, and
market goats, we now
run a herd of about 300,
Jeff and Sheryl Pearcy started breeding show
including about 100
goats in 2002. They proudly pose with a doe they
hope will bring home a national title this year.
full-bred Boers.”
“I tell everyone who asks that
it takes three basics to produce
a good-looking animal: clean
water, good minerals, and a highquality feed. We only use Co-op
Goat Grower with Rumensin
[#93461] — our goats show just
how good the product is!”
When attending shows outside of Tennessee, the Pearcys,
members of First Farmers Cooperative, often share the feed’s
ingredient tag so fellow competitors can find a similar product
in their area, but many of them
don’t want an imitation.
“There’s quite a few of out-ofstate goat breeders we know who
have to feed the Co-op brand,”
says Sheryl, “even if it means
they have to travel hundreds
of miles to get it. If there’s a
breeder using Co-op goat feed in
another state, chances are they
heard about it from us.”
Jeff, who introduces kids as
young as 3 weeks to the Co-op
Goat Grower, which promotes
fast, steady gain, says that by
three months, the young Boers
usually reach 60 to 90 pounds,
their optimum show weight for
that age class.
“This feed has the ideal balance of nutrients, including
16-percent protein, to allow
rapid, healthy growth in kids
without overdeveopment,” explains Royce Towns, Tennessee
Farmers Cooperative nutritionist.
The Pearcys’ show goats
consume eight to 10 tons of feed
a month. They also have full
access to Co-op Goat Mineral
(#96554), which contains Zinpro
for hoof health. A multitude of
well-placed Ritchie automatic
waterers ensure the animals
always have clean, fresh water.
Even with fewer show goats,
the Pearcys are still taking top
honors. Most recently, they
brought home the 2015 Reserve
Champion Buck title in June
at the ABGA National Show in
Grand Island, Neb.
With such accolades, the
Pearcys say the number of
customers wanting to buy their
high-quality stock continues to
grow, especially among 4-H and
FFA exhibitors.
“One thing we’re doing differently now is selling our wethers
to students, too,” says Jeff. “The
animals in a market goat show
don’t have to be registered, so
we try to give the kids a chance
to show a quality animal without
the full-bred price.”
Selling wethers, or castrated
young bucks, has become a new
passion for Jeff and Sheryl, who
sponsor the Heart of Tennessee
Meat Goat Classic held each
October in Murfreesboro.
As expected, the wethers
purchased from the Pearcy
crossbred herd are winning top
awards for quality at this show
and others across the state.
“It’s a great program for the
kids, and we want to be a part
of it,” says Sheryl. “That’s the
year-end show for the kids who
have been competing all summer, and they can receive some
nice scholarships and prizes.”
The breeders are also committed to delivering a quality
product to their meat customers. The goats that don’t meet
the Pearcys’ high show standards are raised for meat, and,
like the show goats, have full
access to feed, minerals, Ritchie
automatic waterers, and monthly parasite control.
“Whether for show or meat, I
feed them well,” says Jeff. “When
my meat goats are 40 to 60
pounds and rating at No. 1, they
bring customers from a much
bigger market who will pay topdollar prices.”
The Pearcys’ goats are known for their
sleek coats and healthy, muscular builds.
As they transition to a smaller
herd, the owners of Sunshine
Boer Goats continue to produce
prize-winning show animals and
high-quality meat goats. And in
the process, they’ve found more
time to share that passion with
the next generation.
“I think goats are the perfect
choice for kids who want to show
an animal,” says Jeff. “They are
less intimidating than other livestock and are easier to manage
and maintain. I know I’m biased,
but I think goats are amazing.”
For more information, visit
www.sunshineboergoats.com
or call 731-415-9234. To learn
more about Co-op goat products, visit your local Co-op.
July 2015
23
24
July 2015
Expo exhibitors prepare cattle, sheep for July’s shows
For many kids, summer
means swimming, vacationing, and sleeping late, but
for 4-H and FFA members, it
means show season. Every year,
students from around the state
work hard to prepare their animals for the Tennessee Junior
Livestock Exposition, which
takes place this month in Murfreesboro and Cookeville.
At the state level, judging can
be intense, but students receive
a rewarding experience both in
and out of the ring. Whether it’s
reuniting with friends, exhibiting animals, demonstrating
showmanship prowess, or showing off exceptional knowledge in
the skillathon, Expo has something to offer every attendee.
Beef events kick off Monday, July 6, and run through
Wednesday, July 8, at the Tennessee Livestock Center on the
campus of Middle Tennessee
State University in Murfreesboro. Weigh-ins are Monday
with the prospect and finished
market steer shows, and showmanship competitions on Tuesday. Commercial and registered
heifer shows are on Wednesday.
The following week – Monday, July 13, through Wednesday, July 15 – sheep exhibitors
will show at Hyder-Burks Pavilion on the Tennessee Technological University campus
in Cookeville. Ewe and team
showmanship events are Monday, the registered and com-
mercial ewe shows are Tuesday,
and the market-type showmanship and market lamb shows are
Wednesday.
Co-op proudly supports Expo,
which has grown in recent years.
Compared to 2013, exhibitor
counties increased from 52 to
93 in 2014, with a total of 426
participants.
For more information, visit the
University of Tennessee’s Animal
Science website at ag.tennessee.
edu/animalscience.
Small Ruminant
Conference set
July 30-Aug. 1
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture and
Tennessee State University
will host a Small Ruminant
Conference Thursday, July 30,
through Saturday, Aug. 1, with
classes for both beginner and
advanced producers. The conference will be held at Brehm
Animal Science Building on
UT’s Knoxville campus.
Experts from UT, TSU, Tennessee Farmers Cooperative,
and Natural Resources Conservation Service will present
a variety of subjects, including
animal management, marketing, forage production, sales,
ruminant nutrition, reproductive physiology, farm safety and
biosecurity, genetic selection,
and more. These courses serve
as a qualifier for Master Meat
Goat Certification.
The conference runs from
8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday,
8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, and
8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
A trade show, portable fencing demonstration, and a vet
school tour will also be featured. Door prizes will be given
away, including $250 in Co-op
feed.
Conference cost is $100 per
individual or $160 per couple.
Fees cover training sessions,
educational manuals, other
instructional materials, and
lunches. Organizers request
that participants register by
July 17.
For more information, contact Rhea County UT Extension Director Jerry Lamb at
423-775-7808 or visit rhea.
tennessee.edu.
July 2015
25
Villines’ writing takes Indy’s checkered flag
‘Cooperator’ staffer named CCA Writer of the Year for third time
With Writer of the Year
Chris Villines setting the pace,
Tennessee Farmers Cooperative’s Communications Department captured 11 awards in
this year’s Cooperative Communicators Association (CCA)
national competition.
Winners were announced
and awards presented during
the 2015 CCA Institute May 30
through June 2 at the Hyatt
Regency Indianapolis Hotel.
Chris, a member of CCA’s
board of directors, was one of
three staffers representing TFC
at the institute. Also attending
were Communications Department Manager Allison Morgan
and communications specialist
Sarah Geyer.
The institute’s theme —
“Fueling High Performance”
— mirrored the versatility of
TFC’s staffers in competition
with dozens of communicators
who work for cooperative organizations across the country.
26
July 2015
Besides Tennessee Cooperator
stories and photos, winning
entries from TFC included
technical writing, headlines,
one-time publication, “words
and pictures” combinations,
and the Cooperator itself.
This marks the third time
that Chris, an eight-year veteran of the Communications Department staff, has won CCA’s
coveted “Writer of the Year”
award. And he did it this time
by snagging a perfect score
from the judge, who praised
his “great storytelling ability.”
The package of entries Chris
chose for the competition was,
the judge added, “a nice blend
of interesting topics told with
pizzaz — great ability to hold
a reader’s interest.” Writer-ofthe-year entries are judged in
five categories: clarity; creativity and originality; grammar,
mechanics, and style; interest
and impact; and meeting stated
objectives.
In accepting 2015 Writer of the Year honors, Cooperator assistant editor Chris
Villines, right, is congratulated by Cooperative Communicators Association (CCA)
contest co-chair Karen Knutsen June 1 at the CCA Institute in Indianapolis.
In addition to Writer of the
Year, Chris also placed third in
the Words and Pictures category for “History in the making,”
a spread in the October-November 2014 Cooperator spotlighting a student-led museum
at Scott High School that helps
teachers take learning to new
levels. He took second in technical writing for “Asset protection,” a comprehensive report
on how some West Tennessee
farmers are turning to cover
crops to maximize soil quality
and productivity. That feature
ran in July 2014. Rounding
out Chris’ individual honors
was “The sky is calling,” which
placed third in headline writing
and detailed how Cleveland’s
Jon Humberd captures breathtaking photographs from his
ultra-light aircraft.
Cooperator editor Allison Morgan left Indianapolis
with her share of honors, too,
including first place in Feature
Photo with “Sweet Shooting,”
showing Vanleer’s Hailey Dotson at clay target practice with
her father, Jesse, watching in
admiration. It ran in the April
2014 Cooperator.
Allison also captured second-place honors in Words and
Pictures with “New life for old
wood,” a February 2015 Cooperator feature about young entrepreneurs Harris Green and
Curt Chaffin, who transform
dismantled barns into rustic
furniture pieces. Rounding
out Allison’s awards were two
tied to the Cooperator’s popular “What’s Cookin’?” column
she compiles and illustrates for
each issue: third place in Photo
Illustration with “Chewy Nut
Clusters,” a taste-tempting shot
of the recipe-of-the-month in
the January 2015 edition and
honorable mention for “Stalk of
the town,” title for the April ’14
column, in Headline Writing.
Celery was spotlighted in that
particular recipe offering.
Judges gave an honorable
mention nod to “Goat in the
morning light,” a photo by Sarah Geyer that helped illustrate
her “Goats and guts” feature in
the February 2015 Cooperator.
The Cooperator and “Where
It Begins,” the comprehensive
informational/educational
booklet that was distributed at
TFC’s 2014 annual meeting,
each captured second-place
honors among publications
winners in the CCA competition. The Cooperator placed
second in the Member Newsletter/Member Newspaper/
Tabloid category, and “Where
It Begins” finished second in
Brochures, Pamphlets, and
One-Time Publications (Budget
More Than $5,000). Because
everyone in Communications is
involved in producing the publications, the entire department
is given credit for both projects.
LEFT: This photo
of Dickson
County’s Hailey
Dotson shooting
skeet with her
father, Jesse,
captured firstplace honors in the
CCA photo contest
for Cooperator
editor Allison
Morgan. RIGHT:
Sarah Geyer’s
striking photo of
a goat in morning
light garnered an
honorable mention
award in the photo
contest as well. It
was Sarah’s first
CCA award.
July 2015
27
Story and photos by Sarah Geyer
Allegro Fine Foods founders Dave and Betsey Wilcox started their Paris-based company in 1979 to produce its premier product, Allegro Marinade. Since that time, the
soybean-based sauce continues to dominate the top of Nielsen’s ratings chart in its category and remains a summer staple for grill enthusiasts nationwide.
W
hen Allegro Marinade was introduced to the culinary market in the early 1980s,
competition wasn’t the challenge — it was categorization.
“We had one of the first products of its kind, and placement
was our biggest obstacle,” explains John Fuqua, president of
the Henry County-based Allegro
Fine Foods, which manufactures
the marinade and numerous
related product lines. “Grocery
store buyers didn’t know what
category to put our product in or
where to place it in their stores.”
l
Paris
He says a 1984 Nielsen
ratings report listed only five
marinades on the market — two
of them under the Allegro brand
— and retailers simply didn’t
understand.
They’d ask, “Is it a sauce?” “Is
it a seasoning?”
John’s answer: “Neither.”
He says the Tennessee-made
product is a true marinade that
tenderizes meat when soaked in
Allegro’s unique combination of
citrus mixed with soy sauce and
seasonings.
“Even though Nielsen’s
numbers have exponentially
28
July 2015
increased over the years,
we’re still one of the only true
marinades on the market,” says
John, adding that marinade
options top 1,500 today. “What
makes Allegro the best product
of its kind is that it doesn’t cover
up the taste of the meat; it enhances the taste as it tenderizes.
When you eat steak marinated
in Allegro, you still taste the
steak, unlike other products,
where you taste the sauce.”
John has spent more than
32 years at Allegro, brought on
board to help founders Dave
and Betsey Wilcox market their
signature marinade that was
born out of necessity. As financially strapped newlyweds in
the early 1950s, the Wilcoxes
survived on cheap cuts of meat,
mostly 20-pound center blade
roasts, which they would boil
and eat throughout the week.
Betsey, who soon tired of the
bland boiled beef, used her
culinary flair to create a marinadethat would tenderize the meat
and add flavor. Dave grilled the
marinated meat on a makeshift
barbecue he built from a garbage can and a freezer rack.
As Dave spent two decades
climbing the corporate ladder,
working for TWA Airlines in
Champagne, Ill., Union Carbide
in Billings, Mont., and First
theme. Allegro means “happy,
National Bank in Dallas, Texas,
cheerful, merry, or glad” in ItalBetsey continued to tenderize
ian or “in a lively manner” in
the family’s much better cuts of
English.
beef in her special marinade.
Four years later, Dave, after
In 1964, Dave, Betsey, and
seeing charismatic 23-year-old
their three daughters moved to
John Fuqua on a local television
Paris in West Tennessee, where
special, offered the recent Tenhe served as chief financial ofnessee Technological University
ficer of the Mitchum Company,
manufacturer of the world’s first graduate a job — for $3.50 an
hour.
antiperspirant. Six years later,
“He said to me, ‘I’m the bigfollowing the unexpected death
gest dreamer you’ll ever meet,’”
of founder Mitchum Warren
recalls John, “‘but I’m a long
and the company’s subsequent
way away from that dream, and
sale to Revlon, Dave took an
I need you to help me get there.
early retirement and began
If you join me, I promise you
planning his next venture.
that I’ll build you a heck of a
Within a year, the Wilcoxes
future and me a heck of a retirelaunched Pagliacci’s, an Italian
restaurant with marinated steak ment at the same time.’”
Knowing that dreams can’t
as a featured entreé. Customers,
always pay the bills, Betsey
they say, raved about the flavor
sweetened her husband’s deal
and juiciness of the meat and
began asking to purchase bottles by offering free rent of the
of the family marinade.
In 1979, the
couple decided
to close the
popular 8-yearold restaurant
and focus
exclusively on
their marinade,
which they
named “AlleAllegro is a favorite choice of many cooks to marinate steaks
gro” in keeping and other meats. The soy-based marinade is often handed out
with the Italian as a promotional item by the Tennessee Soybean Association.
couple’s front bedroom, three
home-cooked meals every day,
and her laundry services. John
took the job.
After Betsey’s death in 1985,
Dave and John continued to
build the business she had inspired. In the late 1980s, Dave
retired from Allegro to follow
one last dream — living along
the Puget Sound in Washington State — although he would
return to Tennessee during the
holidays to visit family and serve
as chairman at Allegro’s annual
board meeting.
Under John’s leadership as
president, Allegro Fine Foods
grew to 12 full-time employees
and a line of marinades carried
by some of the nation’s largest grocery chains, including
Kroger, H.G. Hill, and Walmart,
which alone made up 20 percent of Allegro’s sales.
“We’re available in all 50
states,” he says, “but, if you
draw a line from Albuquerque to
Denver to Kansas City to Baltimore, everything south and east
of that line carries 80 percent
of our business. We consistently
rank in the top three in every
market in that area.”
While putting together numbers for long-term plans, John
says he saw a disturbing trend:
In five years, Walmart would
make up 35 percent of Allegro’s
business and in 10 years, 60
percent.
“That’s not a good business
plan — to have one customer
making up that magnitude of
your business,” he says. “The
writing was on the wall: We
needed to diversify.”
The strategy included expanding from one production
line to two — one cold pack for
Allegro marinades and one for
hot-pack products, including
new Allegro barbecue sauces.
“With the second line, we
knew we could diversify more
by bringing in contract work,
producing and bottling other
people’s products, which would
give us income not related to
sales at Walmart,” says John.
In April 2005, Allegro Fine
Foods relocated from its small
building near downtown Paris to
a 35,000-square-foot, Food and
Drug Administration-inspected
plant with its first contract, a
hickory smoke product, and a
second production line ready to
run.
John Fuqua, president of Allegro Fine Foods, was the first full-time employee hired by founders Dave and Betsey Wilcox, whose
photo is displayed in the company’s front hallway along with a hand-stiched banner by Betsey bearing the company logo.
ABOVE: Before workers pack the final product into boxes for
shipment to the distribution center, the bottles rotate through
several electronic inspection stations. RIGHT: Tyler Hurley
oversees the first step in the the company’s production
process: the sanitizing of every bottle.
That second line would gear
up sooner than expected, thanks
to Hurricane Katrina, says
John. The New Orleans plant
of Baumer Foods was damaged by the storm, and officials
from the company contacted
Allegro about bottling two of
their products: Figaro Liquid
Smoke and Crystal Hot Sauce.
Soon, the new production line
was running 18 hours a day, five
days a week and continued for
nearly two years. As soon as that
contract ended, John says, more
just kept coming Allegro’s way.
Dave died on Dec. 1, 2011,
at the age of 81. John says he
believes Dave would be proud of
Allegro’s continued growth, successfully diversifying its operation into three equal segments.
One-third of the business is
built on the Allegro line of
marinades and barbecue sauces,
while the other two-thirds are
split between contract packag-
ing and private-label production.
“With contract packaging, we
make products for a companies
that sell and distribute them,”
explains John. “The private-label
customers — major grocery
chains, for example — use
formulas and products we’ve
developed but package under
their store label and sell them in
their stores.”
With 70 full-time and 30 seasonal employees, Allegro Fine
Foods now runs four production
lines — cold-pack, hot-pack,
specialty, and portion-pack for
drink mixes and pre-packaged
slow-cooker sauces. In addition,
the company has purchased a
nearby warehouse to handle
logistics.
“In the next few months,
we’ll spend about a million
dollars upgrading our two main
lines, which will improve line
speeds and increase our produc-
tion by about 20 percent,” says
John.
Thirty-two years after accepting Dave and Betsey Wilcox’s
job offer, John says he’s ready
for his understudy, Thomas Harrison, executive vice president of
Allegro, to sit in the president’s
chair. Thomas got his start with
Allegro working as a college
intern and joined the company
full time after graduation.
“It’s time for me to let these
younger guys run with it for a
while,” says John. “I’ll still spend
more than half my time here
and stay on the board, but I’ll be
semi-retired. Taking time to volunteer for the faith-based relief
effort organization Eight Days
of Hope and spending time
with my granddaughter — that’s
what I see me doing for the next
10 to 15 years.”
For more information about
Allegro Fine Foods, visit
www.allegromarinade.com.
July 2015
29
What’s Cookin’?
Fresh
fare
These summer
recipes are ripe with
ingredients grown at
home, on local farms
S
ummer is a fresh produce-lover’s dream,
with gardens overflowing with homegrown
fruits, vegetables, and herbs and farmers’
markets bustling with vendors offering a wide
variety of local fare. Now is the time to make
the most of these foods while they last.
The idea of “fresh and local” is becoming more popular these
days as consumers seek a closer connection to the foods they eat
and feed their families. There’s been an upsurgence in gardening
as well as farmers’ markets in recent years. Our “What’s cookin’?”
column takes advantage of that trend to offer reader recipes that
use ingredients that can be grown at home or sourced from local
producers.
Andrea Bolden’s “Fried Okra Salad” features several fresh
ingredients combined into a unique, flavorful summer salad. In
making this recipe ourselves for the adjacent photo, the Cooperator staff shopped at the Rutherford County Farmers Market in
Murfreesboro. Andrea is our Cook-of-the-Month for July.
Other featured recipes are Broccoli Salad, Piña-Colada Zucchini Bread, Tomato Pie, Glorified Cabbage, Honey Bars, Veggie Lasagna, Basil-Garlic Green Beans, Fresh Blueberry Cream
Cheese Pie, and Carrot Croquettes.
Enjoy!
Battered and fried okra slices are a unique addition to this flavorful summer salad that
also features fresh tomatoes and green onions. The recipe for “Fried Okra Salad” was
submitted by Andrea Bolden of Unionville, our Cook-of-the-Month for July.
— Food styling and photo by Allison Morgan
Clip, save, and serve
Fried Okra Salad
July 2015 winning recipe
What you will need:
Directions:
•
•
•
•
Batter sliced okra in cornmeal and fry
until crispy; cool and drain on a paper
towels. Fry bacon until crisp; crumble. In
a large salad bowl, mix green
onions and tomatoes; add bacon
and fried okra.
Mix dressing ingredients
and toss with salad right before
serving.
3 pounds okra, sliced
Cornmeal for batter
1 pound bacon
1 bunch green onions,
sliced
• 3 tomatoes, diced
Dressing:
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 1⁄8 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1⁄2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1⁄2 teaspoon parsley flakes
Andrea Bolden, Unionville, Marshall Farmers Cooperative
30
July 2015
Broccoli Salad
2 cups cauliflower, broken
into pieces
4 cups broccoli florets,
finely chopped
1 medium red onion,
chopped
1 cup baby carrots, sliced
1
⁄2 cup pecans
10-12 slices of bacon,
cooked and crumbled
1
⁄2 cup raisins
Sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1
⁄4 cup sugar
Combine vegetables, pecans,
bacon, and raisins. Mix sauce
and pour over salad. Gently stir.
Refrigerate three to four hours
before serving.
Cheryl Rochelle
Nunnelly
Humphreys Farmers Cooperative
Piña-Colada
Zucchini Bread
Honey Bars
⁄4 cup vegetable oil
⁄4 cup honey
1 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped nuts
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
11⁄4 teaspoons cinnamon
1
⁄2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350º. Mix all
ingredients until evenly blended.
Press into a well-greased cookie
sheet pan; bake for 25 minutes
or until golden.
Icing:
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons honey
2-4 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
Mix icing ingredients until
well blended and thin enough to
spread. Spread on warm bars.
Cut bars and remove from pan.
Martha Jean Burris
Unionville
Rutherford Farmers Cooperative
3
1
2 cups self-rising flour
11⁄2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3
⁄4 cup oil
1
⁄2 teaspoon each coconut,
rum, and vanilla flavorings
11⁄2 cups shredded zucchini
1
⁄2 cup nuts
Mix all ingredients; pour into
a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350º
for 30 minutes or until done.
Brenda Conatser
Jamestown
Fentress Farmers Cooperative
T
Tomato Pie
1 (9-inch) frozen deep-dish
pie shell
2 large tomatoes, green or
red, peeled and thickly
sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried sweet basil
or 1 tablespoon fresh
chopped basil
1 tablespoon fresh chopped
chives
8 to 10 slices bacon, cooked
and crumbled
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated Cheddar
cheese
Bake pie shell according to
package directions; cool. Fill pie
shell with tomatoes. Sprinkle
with salt, pepper, basil, chives,
and bacon. Mix mayonnaise and
cheese. Spread over tomatoes.
Bake at 350º for 30 minutes or
until light brown.
Barbara Troxler
Normandy
Bedford Moore
Farmers Cooperative
T
Glorified Cabbage
1 head cabbage
1
⁄2 pound cheese, grated
1 onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
Cornbread, crumbled
3
⁄4 stick butter or margarine
Cook cabbage until tender;
drain and spread in baking dish.
Mix cheese, onion, and soup;
pour over cabbage. Mix cornbread crumbs with melted butter
and pour over top. Bake at 350º
until bubbly or golden brown.
Floradine Wilson
Ardmore
Giles County Cooperative
T
Veggie Lasagna
1 large eggplant
1 tablespoon butter plus additional for greasing pan
1 bell pepper
1 medium squash
1 medium zucchini
1 onion
2 carrots
1
⁄2 head each broccoli and
cauliflower
2 tomatoes
1 large jar garden veggie
spaghetti sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 packages shredded cheese
Dry bread crumbs
Slice eggplant lengthwise to
make 20 slices. Drop eggplant in
boiling water and cook five minutes. Dice remaining vegetables.
Place all vegetables, except tomatoes, in a skillet with 1 tablespoon
butter. Cook for 15 minutes.
Butter the bottom of a 9-x13-inch baking pan. Place 10
eggplant slices in pan. Layer
half the sauce, half the cooked
vegetable mixture, and half the
tomatoes. Sprinkle with cheese;
season with salt and pepper.
Repeat layers. Top with 2 handfuls of bread crumbs. Bake until
vegetables are tender, about 45
minutes, cut, and serve.
Betty Rhodes
Jackson
Mid-South Farmers Cooperative
Basil-Garlic
Green Beans
3 pounds fresh green beans,
trimmed
5 tablespoons reduced-fat
butter, cubed
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon dried basil
Place beans in a large kettle
and cover with water. Bring to
a boil; cover and cook eight to
10 minutes or until crisp-tender.
Drain and keep warm.
In the same pan, melt butter.
Add garlic; cook and stir until
golden. Add basil and beans;
toss to coat.
Mildred H. Edwards
Lebanon
Wilson Farmers Cooperative
T
Fresh Blueberry
Cream Cheese Pie
12 ounces cream cheese,
softened
2 eggs
1
⁄2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large graham cracker crust
Sour cream topping:
8 ounces sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Blueberry topping:
1 quart fresh blueberries
1
⁄2 cup water
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Beat cream cheese until
smooth. Add eggs, one at a time,
and beat until smooth. Add sugar
and vanilla. Pour into crust and
bake 20 minutes at 375°. Cool.
To make sour cream topping, mix sour cream, sugar and
vanilla. Spread on cooled pie and
bake five minutes at 400°. Chill.
To make blueberry topping,
combine blueberries, water,
sugar, and cornstarch in a large
saucepan. Cook and stir until
thick. Cool; spread on top of
chilled pie. Keep pie refrigerated.
Jenny Beavers-Milam
Decaturville
First Farmers Cooperative
T
Carrot Croquettes
4 cups cooked carrots
1
⁄2 teaspoon salt
1
⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup dry bread crumbs
Parsley sprigs
Mash or press carrots through
coarse sieve. Add salt, nutmeg,
egg, and butter; mix thoroughly.
Form into carrot-like shapes; roll
in bread crumbs and chill for several hours. Fry in hot deep oil at
380º until brown. Drain on paper
towels. Tuck a sprig of parsley in
top of each. Serve immediately.
Yield: Eight servings.
Earleen Stark
Dickson
Dickson Farmers Cooperative
Recipes with
a twist for
September
A snack-time favorite, pretzels come in all shapes, varieties, and sizes.
They’re much more than munchie food, however. Pretzels can also add a
crunchy, salty twist to a variety of recipes.
We’ll feature your favorite recipes using pretzels in our September
“What’s cookin’?” column. The person submitting the recipe judged best
will be named Cook-of-the-Month and receive $10. Others sending recipes
chosen for publication will receive $5. Each winner will also receive a special
“What’s cookin’?” certificate.
Monday, Aug. 3, is the deadline for your pretzel recipes.
Don’t forget: Only recipes with complete, easy-to-follow instructions will
be considered for publication. Several recipes are disqualified each month
because they do not contain all the information needed to prepare the
dishes successfully. Recipes featured in “What’s cookin’?” are not independently tested, so we must depend on the accuracy of the cooks sending
them. Always use safe food-handling, preparation, and cooking procedures.
Send entries to: Recipes, Tennessee Cooperator, P.O. Box 3003,
LaVergne, TN 37086. You can submit more than one recipe in the same
envelope. You can also e-mail them to: [email protected]. Be sure
to include your name, address, telephone number, and the Co-op with
which you do business. Recipes that appear in the “What’s cookin’?” column will also be published on our website at www.ourcoop.com.
July 2015
31
32
July 2015
July 2015
33
Every Farmer Has A Story Seaton Farm
Story and photos by Allison Morgan
Where your treasure lies
Quest for historical designation enriches Seaton family’s farming heritage
M
artha Jo Cook compares it to a treasure
hunt.
Two years ago, she and her
cousin, Bob Seaton, spent
countless cold winter days digging through dusty deeds and
bulky books of public records
buried deep in the archives at
the Whitfield County Courthouse in Dalton, Ga.
Their quest? To discover as
much as possible about the
Cohutta farm their grandfather,
W.W. Seaton, established in
1914 and earn designation as a
Georgia Centennial Farm.
Each hand-scribed document, yellowed news clipping,
and scrap of information they
found mapped the way to a prize
far more precious than gold —
preservation of their family’s
rich farming heritage.
“It truly was a treasure hunt
in more ways than one,” Martha
Jo says. “We’d flip through these
huge books, most of which
were handwritten, and find
a clue here and a clue there,
then go get another one and
look through it. Bits and pieces
began to fall into place, and the
tales we’d heard began to make
sense. It was a lot of work, but
well worth the time.”
Their efforts came to fruition
last October when the Seaton
family was among 18 others to
officially receive the Centennial Farm award. The program,
developed in 1993, recognizes
working agricultural operations
with at least 100 years of history — similar to Tennessee’s
“Century Farm” designation.
To achieve this goal, honorees
had to compile a narrative about
their farm and provide supporting documents proving its continual ownership in the family.
“We learned so much from
this process,” Bob says. “What
really intrigued us was finding
information about my grandfather’s farming days. If we hadn’t
done this, it could’ve been lost
forever.”
When W.W. and his wife,
Ethel, moved their family to
34
July 2015
north Georgia from Sevier
County, Tenn., more than a century ago, neighbors reportedly
described the original 150-acre
farm as “worn-out land” that
would never allow them to make
a living. They were wrong. Not
only did W.W. become highly
recognized as a progressive and
profitable producer, but nine
of the 10 Seaton children also
as winner of the 1930 Profitable
Farming Contest. In 1936, he
was named a Master Farmer by
the University of Georgia and
Progressive Farmer magazine, the
state’s highest agricultural honor
at the time. He also was noted as
the first in Georgia to grow corn
with 100-bushel yields.
“It took hard work and good
management,” Bob says. “In
As the fifth generation raised on the Seaton farm in Cohutta, Ga., from left, Ally Jo,
Jenny, and Charlotte Cook are showing an interest in things like backyard chickens
and horses that family members hope will help sustain their agricultural heritage.
received college educations
funded by farm income.
By the 1930s, the family
operated a registered Guernsey dairy; produced row crops,
grain, and hay; and raised horses, mules, beef cattle, sheep,
hogs, and guineas on some 600
acres. They used farming techniques that were revolutionary
for the early 20th century, such
as rotating crops, terracing to
prevent erosion, and fertilizing
to replenish soil nutrients.
“They embraced technology
and modern farming practices
beyond their time,” Martha Jo
says. “Education was important,
as well as involvement in civic
and community affairs. Our
family has always believed in
taking care of your land and
community where you live.”
W.W.’s management skills,
soil improvement methods,
and crop diversity earned him
recognition from the Georgia Power Company and the
Atlanta Chamber of Commerce
everything we read about his
awards and honors, that seems
to be the common thread.”
W.W. died in 1955, suffering
a heart attack in the hallway
of his barn. Ethel passed away
in 1949. After his death, sons
Millard and Winfred bought
and operated the farm in two
separate sections that now total
around 875 acres owned by the
third and fourth generations.
“My grandfather and all
his children had the mindset
that land was the best investment you can make,” says Bob,
Winfred’s son. “God isn’t making any more of it, so when it
becomes available, you ought to
buy it. And they did.”
As Millard’s only child, Martha Jo and husband, Charles,
farmed the “home place”
portion of the property and
raised their children, Mark and
Kim, in the cozy house built by
W.W. in 1916. Charles died of
cancer in 1993 at age 53, but
Mark continued to farm, rais-
ing crops, cattle, and hay while
working as a mechanical engineer at a carpet manufacturer in
Dalton. He and his wife, Kara,
live on the farm and encourage
their three daughters — Jenny,
8; Ally Jo, 6; and Charlotte, 3
— to appreciate the agricultural
lifestyle.
“I consider it a blessing to be
here and have this opportunity,”
Mark says. “I want to make
the farm better and pass it on.
For the last 20 years, it’s been
about what I want to do, but
that’s changing with my girls.
We’re doing things they can be
engaged in, like raising backyard chickens and riding horses.
They really enjoy it.”
Bob and his wife, Sharon,
raise beef cattle and hay on
the other tract of Seaton land
along with brother-in-law Dale
Bridges, husband of Bob’s sister,
Cecilia. The Bridges’ son, Stephen, also helps out as needed.
Today’s farming family members, customers of Southeastern
and AgCentral Farmers Cooperatives, are carrying on W.W.’s
tradition of excellence. Mark,
Bob, and Dale are certified by
the University of Georgia’s Master Cattlemen program and have
taken many steps to conserve
the land, advance productivity,
and improve farm efficiencies.
“I see us maintaining a core
beef cattle operation with some
row crops, but we’re never going to be big-scale,” says Mark.
“We just don’t have that much
property. But we will keep it a
working farm while doing things
that encourage the involvement
of the younger generation.”
The Seaton family says that
uncovering more than 100 years
of history not only helped turn
legends into legacies but also
strengthened their resolve to
safeguard the farm’s future.
And that’s priceless.
“After documenting this
heritage for our descendants, I
feel like we have an incentive
to make sure the farm is taken
care of,” Martha Jo says. “I’m
forever grateful we did it.”
Descendants of W.W. Seaton, who established
his family’s North Georgia farm in 1914, have
recently gotten the property designated as a
Georgia Centennial Farm. Standing outside the
house W.W. built in 1916 are, in back from left,
his granddaughters, Cecilia Bridges and Martha
Jo Cook; second row are grandson Bob Seaton
and great-grandson Mark Cook. In front are
Mark’s daughters, Ally Jo and Jenny, wife Kara,
and daughter Charlotte. Martha Jo and her late
husband, Charles, raised Mark and sister Kim
in this house. INSET: In front of the home when
it was brand-new are W.W. and wife Ethel with
four of their 10 children: daughters Jane and
Gladys and twin sons Hillard and Millard.
— Photo courtesy of Seaton family
July 2015
35