october 2010 issue neighbors magazine

ONE POTATO, TWO POTATOSweet Potato Growers Hope For More ’Taters On Table

Macon County’s Morris Eyes Top Farmer Contest

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N E I G H B O R S • O C T O B E R 2 0 1 0 3 w w w . A l f a F a r m e r s . o r g

Neighbors

One Potato, Two PotatoAlabama sweet potato farmers are hoping that a new ConAgra processing plant in Louisiana will

mean more ‘taters on the table this harvest season. • 16

Top FarmerMacon County’s Shep Morris will be competing

for the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year title this month. • 5

Sunbelt TimeFarm families looking for a break from harvest

time will find plenty to do at this year’s Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, Ga. • 6

Outstanding In The FieldTwo young DeKalb County families are profiled as

Neighbors takes a look at the winners in the Poultry and Hay & Forage Divisions of the Outstanding

Young Farm Family contest. • 20

Refuge ProposalA plan by U.S. Fish & Wildlife to expand the Cahaba River Wildlife Refuge meets strong

opposition from landowners. • 24

A Publication of the Alabama Farmers Federation

VOLUME 35, NUMBER 10

Tater Time — Brian Kress of Kress Farm in Cullman is hoping for a better-than-usual sweet potato harvest this season, thanks to good weather and the opening of a new sweet potato french fry processing plant in Louisiana.

— Photo by Darryal Ray

4 President’s Message

8 Federation Digest

26 Alabama Gardener

28 Country Kitchen

30 Classifieds

ON THE COVER DEPARTMENTS

OCTOBER 2010

w w w . A l f a F a r m e r s . o r g 4 N E I G H B O R S • O C T O B E R 2 0 1 0

Since 1946, one of the strengths of Alfa Insurance has been out-standing personal service. As a

company founded by farmers, we understand the value of a friendly smile, a firm handshake and people who keep their commitments.

That’s why our customers con-sistently rank Alfa among the best insurance compa-nies in the country when it comes to handling claims. It’s also why we have offices in all 67 counties, and why our employ-ees are active in the communities they serve.

At Alfa, our policyholders aren’t just numbers. They’re our friends and neighbors. We are part of the same civic clubs; we worship together; and we cheer for the same hometown teams.

But an increasing number of our customers not only want an Alfa office nearby, they also want to be able to do business over the Internet and even on their mobile phones.

So, in keeping with our com-mitment to provide exceptional customer service, last month we launched the My AlfaTM Web site feature on www.AlfaInsurance.com. We also introduced a new mobile application for the iPhone.

With My Alfa, customers can now view policy information, request changes and print auto identification cards online. They also can make payments using electronic fund transfer (EFT) or their credit card, with no fee. In addition, Alfa’s call center is now staffed seven days a week, 6 a.m. to midnight, at 1-800-964-2532.

Alfa2Go, the new iPhone app, includes an agent locator, accident checklist, tow service locator, glass claim report and a list of member

benefits. Additional functions are being developed for the second release of Alfa2Go, and applica-tions also are in the works for other smartphone devices.

Meanwhile, the Alabama Farm-ers Federation also has unveiled a new Web site that is designed to improve service to members. It features a members-only area that includes participation codes for member benefit programs, as well as frequently used forms, informa-tion about legislative issues, access to the DTN commodity markets page and instructions for sell-ing items using the Trade ‘N Post online classified listing.

The latest version of www.Alfa-Farmers.org also features a Mem-ber Spotlight area and new pages where counties can showcase their activities and events. There are also quick links to the Alfa Farmers’ Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages as well as a new page-turn viewer for Neighbors and Friend & Family magazines.

I have to admit, much of this new technology is over my head. Like many of you, I prefer doing business face-to-face, and at Alfa, you’ll always have that option. But we also understand that claims don’t always happen during office hours, and that providing great cus-tomer service means we’re “Right there with you,” whether you’re visiting a hometown office or log-ging in from across the country.

It’s all about making it easier to do business with Alfa and the Ala-bama Farmers Federation. After all, our number-one job is taking care of our members and customers. n

President’s Message

Jerry Newby

V O L U M E 3 5 , N U M B E R 1 0________________________________________

Darryal Ray, EditorDebra Davis, Associate EditorMike Moody, Graphic Designer

ALABAMA FARMERS FEDERATIONPaul Pinyan, Executive DirectorJeff Helms, Director of Communications

FEDERATION OFFICERSJerry Newby, President, AthensHal Lee, Vice President/North, HartselleDean Wysner, Vice President/Central, WoodlandRicky Wiggins, Vice President/Southeast, AndalusiaJake Harper, Vice President/Southwest, CamdenSteve Dunn, Secretary-Treasurer, Evergreen

DIRECTORSJoe Dickerson, LexingtonSteve Tate, HuntsvilleDonnie Garrett, CentreDarrel Haynes, CullmanJohn E. Walker III, BerryMarshall Prickett, WellingtonRichard Edgar, DeatsvillePat Buck, EmelleGarry Henry, Hope HullCarl Sanders, BrundidgeDavid Bitto, ElbertaSammy Williams, ColumbiaGloria Jeffcoat, GordonJeff Maze, Horton

Neighbors (ISSN 0162-3974) is published monthly by the Alabama Farmers Federation, 2108 East South Boulevard, Montgomery, Alabama 36116. For information about member benefits of the Alabama Farmers Federation, visit the Web site www.AlfaFarmers.org. Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Alabama, and additional mailing offices. Printed in the U.S.A.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Neighbors, P.O. Box 11000, Montgomery, Alabama 36191-0001.

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE: Paul Hurst, Hurst & Associates, Inc., P.O. Box 6011, Vernon Hills, IL 60061. Phone: 800-397-8908; Fax: (847) 438-8105. Classified ad and editorial inquiries should be directed to the editor at (334) 613-4410.

ADVERTISING DISCLAIMER: Ad vertise -ments contained in Neighbors do not represent an endorsement by the magazine or the Alabama Farmers Federation.

EDITORIAL MATTER from sources outside of the Alabama Farmers Federation is sometimes presented for the information and interest of our members. Such material may, or may not, coincide with official Alabama Farmers Federation policies. Publication of material does not necessarily imply its endorsement by the Alabama Farmers Federation.

ADDRESS editorial, advertising and change of address correspondence to Neighbors, P.O. Box 11000, Montgomery, Alabama 36191-0001.

www.AlfaFarmers.org

A member ofAmerican FarmBureau Federation


A grower of conventional cotton varieties, Roy “Shep” Mor-ris of Shorter uses a stripper

machine for harvesting, chicken litter for fertilizer, ridge tillage for planting and corn as both a rotation crop and cover crop. He has raised soil organic matter levels and pro-duced excellent dryland yields.

As a result of his success as a row crop farmer, Morris’ farming operation was selected last Febru-ary as Alabama’s Farm of Distinction winner, a title that qualified him to repre-sent Alabama in the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo South-eastern Farmer of the Year competition in Moultrie, Ga., this month.

He now joins nine other state winners from the Southeast as finalists for the award. The overall winner will be announced on Tues-day, Oct. 19, at the Sunbelt Ag Expo farm show.

A full-time farmer for 25 years, he currently farms 3,450 acres with 2,600 acres of rented land and 850 acres of owned land. His crop mix includes cotton on 1,500 acres yielding 800 pounds per acre, corn on 850 acres yield-ing 145 bushels per acre, and soybeans on 600 acres yield-ing 40 bushels per acre. He also raises timber on about 500 acres and has about 100 acres in pecan production.

“My grandfather was a farmer, and my father was an aerial applica-tor,” he recalls. “I wanted to farm from an early age. My grandfather started farming in 1913 and grew his last crop in 1978.”

Morris bought a tractor and used his grandfather’s equipment during his early years in farming. He grew his first crop of cotton at age 18, and then followed his dad by becoming an aerial applicator. Eventually, he gave up the aerial

application business to farm full time, but does his own flying.

“Crop rotation is one reason for our yields,” he says. “We grow no cotton where cotton grew the previ-ous year. We use chicken litter to build soil organic matter. We also use an implement called a One-Trip Plow behind our corn combine. It buries the stalks, builds a raised bed, and leaves a good place for growing cotton.”

He says his crop planting method is a version of ridge tillage. “Corn is our cover crop for cotton,” he adds. The One Trip Plow incor-porates corn seed missed by the combine. This seed germinates and provides a growing cover until it is killed by frost.

He farms both river bottomland and black prairie soils that hold moisture well. Planting on raised beds helps his crops escape damage from too much water. “If it is dry in the spring, I shave two inches of

soil from the top of the bed so I can plant into moisture,” he explains. “If spring conditions are wet, I plant on top of the bed.”

Morris volunteers his time and talents to a number of organiza-tions, including chairmanship of the Wheat and Feed Grains Com-mittee of the Alabama Farmers Federation.

His wife, Marguerite “Rite” Morris, is the daughter of a cot-

ton farmer. They married in 1979. She helps out on the farm by scouting cotton for insects during the summer and hauling boll buggies dur-ing the fall.

They have three adult children. Their oldest, Shep, Jr., is a first lieutenant in the Alabama Army National Guard and is serving as a Chinook helicopter pilot in Afghanistan. He will return to the farm when his deploy-ment ends.

Their son, J. W., is in the Marine Corps Reserves and has served two tours in Iraq. He is a student at Auburn University at Montgomery and works for an engineering firm.

Their daughter, Beverly, lives on the farm and is a registered nurse employed by Baptist Hospital East in Montgomery.

As the Alabama state winner, Morris is now eligible for the $15,000 prize that will go to the overall winner. Other prizes for the overall winner include the use of a Massey Ferguson tractor for a year from Massey Ferguson North America, a custom-made Canvas-back gun safe from Misty Morn Safe Co., $500 gift certificate from the Southern States cooperative, a Williamson-Dickie jacket, $500 gift certificate and $500 in cash to the overall winner. n

Morris To Compete For 2010 Farmer Of Year


Morris will represent Alabama in Sunbelt Ag Expo.


Farm families looking to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the busy fall harvest

season will soon get that chance at the Sunbelt Ag Expo farm show Oct. 19-21 near Moultrie, Ga.

“The Sunbelt Expo is an annual extravaganza of agricultural tech-nology,” says Chip Blalock, the farm show’s director. “Now in its 33rd year, the Expo has become North America’s Premier Farm ShowTM. Our goal is to bring together more than 1,200 exhibi-tors and hundreds of thousands of visitors in our 100-acre exhibit area. During three days in the middle of the week, we provide a convenient venue that allows everyone to exchange ideas and see what’s new in the business of providing safe supplies of food, fiber and shelter for American consumers.”

The Expo also gained a repu-tation for Southern hospital-ity in welcoming exhibitors from throughout the U.S. and the world. “Most of our exhibitors come back year after year,” says Blalock.

Blalock says the Expo is distinct among agricultural trade shows because it gives farmers a chance to get up-close to check out new machinery working in the crop fields of a 600-acre research farm. Crops on the farm include cotton, peanuts, corn, soybeans and hay. The Expo offers rides on covered shuttle wagons to carry visitors to the fields where they’ll see a wide selection of equipment taking part in the harvesting and tillage dem-onstrations. Visitors will also be

able to drive some of the tractors, especially those equipped with automated steering and other preci-sion farming technology.

This year, Blalock is excited about the newly constructed Dairy Pavilion. “Dairy is a sector of our show which has seen continued growth each year. This new pavil-ion will provide a permanent home for those educational and commer-cial exhibits as well as seminars and demos targeted specifically towards the dairy industry.

“We will have seminar presen-tations and special exhibit sec-tions on beef cattle, horses, sheep and goats, alpacas, poultry, show pigs and fish ponds,” says Blalock. “Anyone interested in raising animals would benefit from a trip to Expo. New in our educational seminars series is our partnership with the Irrigation Association. The association has worked with several of their members to provide a half day of seminars on topics relating to irrigation and water management issues.”

One group of exhibits will feature portable sawmills and equipment used in forestry. Other exhibits will showcase irriga-tion equipment, livestock equip-ment, new pickups and all-terrain vehicles. Software and hardware that allows for crop yield monitor-ing, automated tractor steering and variable-rate application of farm chemicals will also be featured in precision farming exhibits at the show.

While most of the exhibits are

geared to the interests of commer-cial farmers, the Expo also provides family entertainment with events such as stock dog trials and antique tractor parades. The show’s hunt-ing and fishing exhibitors will return with tips on bringing in wild game and catching trophy-size fish. Family Living exhibits will offer a variety of cooking demonstrations, artwork by artist Jack DeLoney, a variety of food items, cookbooks and informational booths on travel and leisure. The Family Living Building will also be the new home of the Backyard Gardening Section.

The popular section offers semi-nars geared to backyard gardening and covers topics such as organic production, raised bed vegetable culture, fertilization and soil man-agement.

The farm show has also part-nered with agricultural colleges and universities from throughout the Southeast to provide information from the latest agricultural research that could benefit farmers in the region.

The Expo is on Georgia High-way 133, southeast of Moultrie. Gates open at 8:30 a.m. daily. Admission at the gate is $10 per person with children under age 12 admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Advance tickets are $8, but must be ordered by Oct. 7. A three-day pass is available for $20.

For more information, visit www.sunbeltexpo.com or call (229) 985-1968. n


Federation Digest

Perryman Fluker Mobley Jr., 88, of Shorterville, died Aug. 18 at his home.

A lifelong resident of Henry County, Mr. Mobley was engaged in farming most of his life, and was a lifetime member of the Alabama Farmers Federation. He was also a member of the Alabama Cattle-men’s Association.

Mr. Mobley served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He was an active member of the Haleburg United Methodist Church and a former member of the Henry County Hospital Board.

Survivors include his wife, Rose Ezzell Mobley; a daughter, Mar-lene Mobley Arnold and husband,

Dr. Ray Arnold; a son, Dr. Perry F. Mobley III and wife, Charlotte Hayes Mobley; a sister, Effie Leta Mobley, all of Shorterville; two grandchildren, Perryman Fluker Mobley IV and wife Dr. Jennifer Ingram Mobley of Verbena and Paige Mobley Watson and husband, Brandon Watson of Troy; three great-grandchildren, Hayes Watson, Harlan Mobley and Ellie Grace Mobley.

William Klindt Klingler of Shop-ton and Auburn, vice-president and board member of the Bullock County Farmers Federation, died Aug. 26 after a lengthy illness. He was 59.

Klingler, a cattle rancher and pecan producer, graduated Union Springs High School, attended Marion Military Institute and was an Auburn University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in animal science.

He was also a member of Mount Carmel Baptist Church.

Survivors include: wife, Sandra Elizabeth Klingler; two daughters, McLaurine Elizabeth Klingler and Mary Ashton Klingler of Auburn; two brothers, Harold Henri (Janet) Klingler, Jr., of Jesup, Ga., and James Edward (Jane) Klingler of Shopton; and numerous nieces and nephews. n

Obituaries

Ag Deans MeetDeans of Alabama’s three land grant universities met at the Alabama Farmers Federation headquarters in Montgomery recently where they discussed research projects and funding. From left are Alabama Farmers Federation Executive Director Paul Pinyan, Auburn Ag Dean Dr. William Batchelor, Alabama A&M University Ag Dean Dr. Robert W. Taylor , Federation President Jerry Newby and Tuskegee University Ag Dean Dr. Walter Hill.

Cotton FestivalScheduled Oct. 9

Cotton’s heydays have passed Eclectic by, but the Elmore County town will again cele-

brate its heritage during the Ala-bama Cotton Festival on Oct. 9, 8 a.m.-11:30 p.m.

The festival, originally called the Eclectic Cotton Festival when it began 18 years ago, will include a fun run, Rook tournament, antique car show, children’s activities, pet parade, puppet shows, Miss Ala-bama Cotton Pageant, games and the Stars of Alabama Artist Show-case competition featuring Ala-bama musicians.

For more information, call Tony Buenger at (334) 580-0155, email [email protected] or visit www.StarsofAlabama.org. n

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w w w . A l f a F a r m e r s . o r g 1 0 N E I G H B O R S • O C T O B E R 2 0 1 0

An Alfa agent consoles a policyholder whose teenage daughter has been in a car accident, then works into the evening making sure the paperwork is in order.

A customer service representative helps a mother and her sons save money on their car insurance by identifying discounts. An Alfa claims adjuster changes his weekend plans to help a policyholder in need. And an agent and his wife interact with their neighbors and customers at a fall festival.

These are the kind of real-world situations portrayed in Alfa’s new television commercials, which hit the airwaves Aug. 23. Director of Public Relations and Com-munications Jeff Helms said the new campaign’s honest depiction of Alfa’s extraordinary customer service is a refreshing approach to advertising.

“At Alfa, we don’t have to use elaborate special effects or cartoon characters to tell our story,” Helms said. “Our employees’ commitment to service speaks for itself. In fact, the scenarios depicted in the ‘Right there with you’ advertising campaign were inspired by testimonials from Alfa agents. As we sought to align the advertising mes-sage with Alfa’s vision for being the leader in personal service, it seemed natural to focus on the company’s strongest brand attributes.”

Research conducted prior to production of the new television spots revealed four hallmarks of the Alfa brand: agent relationships, claims service, community connec-tion and financial value. These strengths provided the foundation for the new campaign.

“I am really excited about these new commercials because they showcase the strengths of our company and dedicated field force,” said Senior Vice President of Marketing Services Carol Golsan. “Every day our agents, adjusters and CSRs are providing remarkable customer service in ways similar to the situations in these commer-

cials. It’s important to remind both existing and potential customers of this service so they fully understand the value of being a part of the Alfa family. These commer-cials do just that.”

One of two commercials that began airing in August is called “Get Well Soon.” It builds on the relationships Alfa agents have with policyholders by showing an Alfa employee working late at night and comforting a family whose child is in the hospital. His last bit of paperwork is a get well soon card to the teenage driver.

Also airing this fall is “County Fair.” Its focus is the connection Alfa personnel have with their communities. Set at a carnival, the advertisement shows an agent and his wife interacting with friends and neighbors — who just happen to be customers. The genuine interest the agent shows in his policyholders is typical of the way Alfa employees are involved in the communities they serve.

In January, the “Right there with you” tagline will take on deeper meaning with the debut of two more com-mercials, “Car Wash” and “Twins.”

“Car Wash” capitalizes on Alfa’s reputation for top-rated claims service by showing an adjuster taking a break from washing his car to help a farmer who’s had a wreck. The spot uses warm, compelling photography to tell the story in a humorous way while driving home the point that Alfa is there for its policyholders when they need it most.

Finally, “Twins” focuses on the competitive pricing and value of Alfa automobile insurance by highlighting several discounts available to drivers. The commercial takes advantage of a natural, good-hearted sibling rivalry to emphasize that no matter your situation, Alfa has a policy that’s priced just right.

In all four commercials, Alfa personnel are portrayed as responsive, helpful, knowledgeable and neighborly.

New ‘Right There With You’ Ad Campaign Debuts Alfa’s Dedicated Field Force Highlighted In New Commercials

N E I G H B O R S • O C T O B E R 2 0 1 0 1 1 w w w . A l f a F a r m e r s . o r g

Prior to production, numerous advertising concepts were tested with focus groups in Birmingham, Montgom-ery and Huntsville. Each group included Alfa, Allstate and State Farm customers, as well as additional participants with either Geico, Progressive, Farmers or another com-petitor. Some concepts that showed agents going the extra mile to help policyholders were considered “unrealistic” by customers of other companies, but in every group, Alfa policyholders vouched that Alfa does indeed provide extraordinary personal service.

This is a testament to the Alfa employees whose com-mitment, hard work and compassion have shaped Alfa’s brand image. It’s these attributes that “Right there with you” celebrates.

To ensure the campaign message is communicated clearly and consistently, photos, phrases and music from the television commercials are being used in print adver-tising, radio spots and Internet ads. Co-op advertising is also being developed based on the “Right there with you” campaign.

Alfa’s partner for the television campaign is Luckie and Company of Birmingham. Luckie won the account through a competitive bid process that started with about 20 Southeastern advertising agencies and concluded with three agencies presenting creative concepts to the Adver-tising Governance Committee. The director for the televi-sion spots was Charlie Cole, whose clients include Publix and Longhorn.

In addition to producing four television commercials that are more closely aligned with Alfa’s brand and cor-porate goals, the year-long advertising review also estab-lished benchmarks for marketing research and allowed the company to better utilize in-house creative and research capabilities. As a result, Alfa was able to sub-stantially reduce production costs and shift those resourc-es into television, radio, print and Internet placement.

Most importantly, the “Right there with you” cam-paign is true to the heritage, reputation and identity of Alfa. It elevates Alfa employees and celebrates their dedi-cation in delivering the company’s promise. n

votejancook.orgPost Office Box 124 Dozier, Alabama 36028

I want to thank the Farmersof Alabama for their support.


By Marc Pearson

Recent enhancements to Alfa’s Web site with the release of My Alfa™ mark the biggest

evolution of the site to date and allow customers more online capa-bilities than ever before.

The addition marks the second major Web site update in the last year and is one of the many ways Alfa is working to make doing busi-ness with the company even easier. The project involved nearly every department in the company, along with business partners including Cognizant, Oracle, Gartner and others.

This new release enhances the “My Alfa” customer service by adding the ability for customers to securely log-on to Alfa’s Web site, register and view policy informa-tion, request changes, make pay-ments, view their agent’s info and print auto insurance ID cards. This is just the beginning of a rapidly expanding project coinciding with a renewed company vision.

“One of our largest competi-tors commented in its most recent annual report that over 50 percent of new customers initial contact is through the Web,” said Steve Rutledge, executive vice president of business development. “The need for a robust Web site is not only driven by the pressure to ser-vice customers, but also for initial

awareness or exposure to our com-pany. This is especially important, as the current generation prefers everything be done online or with a handheld device.”

Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer John Jung said the new Web site marks a dramatic shift in the way Alfa communicates and conducts business online.

“Giving our customers the abil-ity to actually communicate with Alfa is the first step in a direction that will allow us to eventually quote, sell and service our custom-ers who choose to do business with us over the Internet,” Jung said. “We have to acknowledge however that the effort is not really a tradi-tional project; rather, it is the start of an entirely new way for us to provide sales and service functions for our customers. Customers who choose to do business with us over the Web will have ever-changing expectations and demands of Alfa. This channel will not remain static; our customers, our competition and emerging technologies will con-stantly be redefining the landscape of Web-delivered services.”

To begin, customers should go to www.alfains.com and click on the “Register Now” link located under the My Alfa log-in box on the home page. Policy and member numbers are required to get started. Required information for auto, property and other insurance poli-

cies (except life) can be found on policy declarations, billing notices, automobile ID cards or evidence of insurance forms. My Alfa registra-tion information needed for life insurance policies can be found on policy contract pages and the annual letter. Loan customers can find required information on their loan payment coupon. Customers have to register each policy and will receive a confirmation letter in the mail as an added security measure.

“The process of policy registra-tion is primarily designed to make sure that our customers’ private information is protected,” said Chris McCorkle, I.S. project man-ager. “This is always a paramount concern for us in everything we do. We know it will take a few minutes up front to register their policies but once that process is completed, they will have one log-on that they use to access all their information going forward.”

With the addition of new Web site features, additional support from the Marketing Resource Center (MRC) is critical. The MRC (1-800-964-2532) is now staffed to handle calls seven days a week from 6 a.m. to midnight (central time). Since customers using My Alfa will likely first call the toll-free number if there is a problem, the depart-ment has been heavily involved in testing and training and has the best tools available to assist customers.

My Alfa™ Enhances Customer Service On The Web


“The MRC is here to help our customers with this new functionality,” said Susan Adcock, vice president of marketing resources. “As custom-ers are setting up their accounts we do anticipate an increase in call vol-ume. The new features are just a part of an ongoing plan to improve the Web site and add value for Alfa’s customers, agents and CSRs.”

For Alfa’s field force, McCorkle said the chang-es should be welcome support for assisting customers with their insurance needs.

“I believe that as we enable customers to do many of these kinds of routine self-service tasks online, it will free up agents and CSRs to focus on sales and helping people with more complex issues,” McCorkle said. “I also believe that

the agent, call center and Internet channels will complement each other providing options for custom-ers to do business with Alfa in the way that is convenient for them.”

Rutledge says the future includes improved pricing for the best customers along with better billing and communications. In addition, the company plans in the near future, to allow payments with

credit/debit card any-where, anytime without a fee.

Paying online or by phone can now also be done for free. Effective Sept. 1, the $3.50 con-venience fee previously charged was removed. This is another important change in response to cus-tomers and their needs.

“When you consider an enhancement to cus-tomer service, you must first consider what it is that customers want,”

Rutledge said. “It is clear that customers want to buy and ser-vice policies online (especially the younger age groups). As we consider improvements in customer ser-vice, we must consider all portals that customers want to use (Web, service center, home office and call center) and create the best environ-ment possible.” n

2MANE0X

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By Marc Pearson

Alfa continues to rapidly adapt to the way customers want to do business today, deploying

its first ever iPhone application, Alfa2Go, last month.

The free app, now available through Apple’s iTunes app store, was the culmination of work between a cross-depart-ment team at Alfa and a part-nership with students at the University of Alabama’s Cap-stone program. Key features in version 1.0 include:• Find an Alfa Agent – Use

this feature to find an agent nearby.

• Accident Checklist – Helps users with specific steps to follow after an auto accident.

• Review customer member benefits — View membership benefits with links to provid-ers’ web sites.

• Easy Access to Alfa’s Call Center — Quickly connect to Alfa’s toll free call center.

• Locate a Tow Service — Use this feature to locate the near-est towing service.

• Report an Auto Glass Claim — Report a glass claim to Alfa using this feature.

“Alfa2Go was primarily the vision of Jody Carroll, a senior IT business analyst who is leading this part of the Inter-net strategy,” said John Jung, senior vice president and chief information officer. “Jody, along with a cross-functional team made up of the demographic who use this technology daily, Alfa’s Web Team and with IT students from the Cap-stone Program at the University of Alabama, created a series of small applications for our customers. Nothing we develop will remain static. Our customers, our competi-tion and the technology itself will continue to place demands on us

that will be unprecedented and will require us to continue to invest in this distribution channel.”

Carroll said the project is impor-tant because Alfa must be ready to service customers who choose to do business via mobile devices. He stressed that the new app is

the first phase with more features already on the drawing board.

He added that the team realizes the iPhone is not the only smart phone in use and that as we move forward we must include other devices like Blackberry and the Android. Future plans are to pur-chase software that allows Alfa to develop once and deploy it to these various smart phones.

A key to this work was the cross functional team.

“In December of 2009, we formed this team of Alfa employees that meets the demographics of mobile device users,” said Car-roll. The goal of this group was to outline Alfa’s response to this

growing technology and develop a strategic roadmap for Alfa’s mobile technology initiative. Though this roadmap is still in the development stage, the group did complete Phase One of this strategy and oversaw the initial development of Alfa’s mobile app (Alfa2Go).”

Walter Overby, vice president of corporate Internet and e-busi-ness, has been tasked with over-seeing the Web efforts at Alfa, including the smart phone appli-cations. He said it’s critical to be proactive in this rapidly evolving area of Web development.

“The one constant is the world is change,” said Overby. “Beyond our Agent/CSR, Call Center and Web channels, more and more business is being con-ducted via smart phones. We have committed to meet our compe-tition in this space. Our plans are to offer the same features on these smart phones as we offer through our Web site. As Jody mentioned, our initial approach was to establish a cross function-al team of Alfa employees who understand and use these devices, learn as we go and that’s why we have started with the iPhone. Our

plans are ultimately to develop and deliver the same Web site func-tionality to the same devices as our competition.”

Further updates to the app will be coming, but for now, be sure to go to iTunes, search for Alfa Insur-ance in the app store and download the Alfa2Go app on your iPhone today! n

Alfa Introduces First App For Apple iPhoneUsers Now Have Access To Several Useful Tools While On The Go


By Debra Davis

For Sally Leavelle, the rolling hills of west Tusca-loosa County where she and her husband Clyde raise soybeans, hay and cattle are a long way from

her home state of New Jersey. But after years of living on the farm, the former “city girl” feels more prepared than ever to share agriculture’s story with city folks.

The tools to do just that were handed out in heaping portions during the American Farm Bureau’s Women’s Communications Boot Camp, July 27-30 at AFBF head-quarters in Washington, D.C. The Tuscaloosa County Farmers Federation sponsored her trip. Only 16 appli-cants from throughout the country were accepted for this year’s camp, and Leavelle said she was honored to attend.

“We covered a lot of ground in a short period of time,” Leavelle said. “We learned how to give speeches, work with the media and how to use social media to help tell agriculture’s story. We also learned about the importance of being politically active, such as running for office or encouraging qualified candidates to seek public office, and we learned about giving testimony about legislation that affects farmers.”

Leavelle first learned of the boot camp when she attended the AFBF annual meeting in New Orleans a few years ago. She said it sounded interesting and when the Tuscaloosa County Farmers Federation agreed to sponsor her applica-tion, she decided to apply.

Leavelle, who had been inter-viewed by print and broadcast reporters in the past, said what she learned at the camp will help make her more prepared for future interviews.

“I learned things to help me approach the media about a story, not just waiting for a story to react to something,” she said. “I also learned some of the pitfalls to beware of when dealing with the media. I know now how important it is to collect your thoughts before you do an interview.”

The camp helped Leavelle hone her skills in other areas as well. As the wife of a retired Army colonel, she’s given many speeches over the years, mainly when troops were

being deployed, offering support for the families. But the speeches she was asked to make at the boot camp were a bit more challenging.

“At the boot camp, we were given several top-ics with information based on Farm Bureau’s policy,” Leavelle said. “We chose a subject and had to prepare a

2-3 minute speech. My topic was climate change. We were videotaped and then we had a one-

on-one critique by the Farm Bureau staff. That made it very personal.”

Similar training sessions were held with print and radio media settings, she said. “ I would highly recommend the boot camp to anyone interested in agriculture,” she said. “We’ve got to do a better job of telling our story.”

Leavelle said she plans to put the training she received to good use.

Tuscaloosa County Farmers Federation Women’s Leadership Committee Chairman Peggy Walker said her entire county is pleased Leavelle was chosen to participate in the program. “I know this will benefit all of us as she shares what’s she learned,” Walker said. n

Sally Leavelle of Tuscaloosa County, center, accepts her certificate of recognition for attending the boot camp from AFBF President Bob Stallman and AFBF Women’s Leadership Committee Chairman Terry Gilbert.


By Darryal Ray

There’s nothing that’ll bring folks to their knees like sweet potatoes.

Even at 5 a.m., before a merci-less late August sun began beat-

ing down, no less than a half dozen workers were

digging in the dirt with flashlights

at Kress Farm in search of Cullman County’s favorite ’tater.

Of course, sweet potatoes aren’t hard to find in Cullman County — this nine-acre field alone will yield about 108,000 pounds of potatoes before season’s end. But even that is only a fraction of what brothers Kerry and Brian Kress expect to harvest this year.

“We average about 300 40-pound boxes per acre,” said Brian. “This year, I think we’ll do more than

that. It’s been hot, but we’ve had moisture. Condi-

tions have not been

perfect, but they never are. But I’ll take this year. I believe we’re going to have a good year.”

Another reason for that opti-mism is the demand for sweet potatoes continues to climb. High in fiber and packed with beta caro-tene, Vitamin A and other nutri-ents, sweet potato consumption has grown by 21 percent over the last five years, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

It’s a demand that hasn’t gone unnoticed by ConAgra Foods, Inc. The company’s Lamb Weston Divi-sion is to open the nation’s only sweet potato processing plant in Delhi, La., this month, turning

out more than 20 fro-zen sweet potato

products —


most of them variations of french fries.

The $210 million facility with more than 240 workers can process 25 tons of sweet potatoes per hour, but it was built with expansion in mind. The company expects to double its workforce to 500 within five years.

“This plant will need about 22,000 acres of sweet potatoes,” said Arnold Caylor, director of the North Alabama Horticulture Research Center in Cullman, a sub-station of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station. “And that’s in addition to what’s already being grown. That’s probably one reason you are seeing a bump in acreage; some growers may have planted a little extra, thinking that they will be able to provide some of that.”

While his farm is 300 miles away from the plant, Brian Kress was aware of its plans when he boosted his sweet potato acreage this year to 100 acres, about 20 more than he’s ever planted. “This fall crop will be the first potatoes they’ll buy,” he said. “That’s a new market for us, and it’s going to help keep the price up.

“Sweet potatoes are our money crop,” Brian added. “We grow other things — corn, soybeans, wheat and Irish potatoes — but sweet potatoes are where we make our living.”

He said that Cullman County’s rolling farmland and loose, sandy soil make sweet potatoes a logi-cal alternative to row crops like corn and soybeans. “Sometimes, it’s aggravating doing these old hillsides,” he said. “But it’s got its advantages — like last year when it was so wet, Louisiana and Missis-sippi couldn’t get their potatoes out of the field. We were getting stuck,

but we were wallowing through it.”

This year, the Kress brothers began in late August digging just enough potatoes to fill orders, whether for Walmart or a roadside stand. “No order is too big or too small. You want one box or one ’tater, I’ll sell it to you,” said Brian. “Or, if you want a trailer load, we’ll do that too.”

Sweet potatoes have long been a mainstay for Cullman County farmers. For years, it was the state’s top producer but has since taken a backseat to Baldwin County, which will produce about 1,500 acres this season.

Baldwin is also where grower Leonard Kichler, who serves as president of both the Alabama Sweet Potato Association and the United States Sweet Potato Coun-cil, farms about 90 acres in Elberta. About 75 percent of his crop will go to Walmart.

Kichler, who has been farming sweet potatoes for four decades, says Baldwin County growers are also excited about the Louisiana plant. “A lot of guys are interested

in it, but it depends on what they’ll pay,” said Kichler. “The plant only wants potatoes that are two inches or larger in diameter — the bigger the better. We’ll have to see how that will affect the price.”

Even so, Kichler doesn’t see the state’s yearly production changing much. “I think it’s probably going to stay about the same because these new Good Agricultural Prac-tices regulations are scaring every-body to death. It’s a good thing, but it’s a nightmare with all the record-keeping.”

Caylor says the state’s produc-tion currently hovers around 3,500 acres, placing it fifth in the nation behind North Carolina (45,000-50,000 acres), California (20,000), Mississippi (18,000-20,000) and Louisiana (12,000-15,000).

“There’s no telling how many growers we used to have,” said Brian. “But every time one has quit or died, nobody has taken their place. Every time we lose one that’s just one lost. There’s nobody get-ting into it.”

Kress Farm uses local laborers to harvest their sweet potato crop.


The reasons for that, he said, are labor and other input costs. “You can’t do it by yourself like soybeans or corn or cotton,” he said. “You can’t pick these up by yourself, and you can’t set them out by yourself. It takes a lot of labor to do it.”

At the peak of the harvest, the Kresses will employ about 25 work-ers, mostly local folks — retirees, housewives and others — who come back year after year. In February, they help bed the potatoes. From mid-May until mid-June, they help pull the plants and set them out. At harvest time, they pick up the potatoes, placing them in buckets or baskets that are then carefully emptied into wooden bins and taken to the packing shed for washing, sorting and boxing.

“This is pretty much my regular crew,” said Brian as he looked across his field. “When I’m setting plants and pulling plants, this is pretty much the ones I work year round. When we start digging every day, then I bring in the seasonal help. But this is the bunch that helps me pull

my plants and set them out. I like to keep something for them to do instead of bringing in other people.”

Of course, there are mechanical harvesters that can dig and pick up the potatoes, he said, but that’s not practical for his operation.

“Yes, it would be easier, but it’s

harder on the potato,” said Brian. “We’re not as big as Mississippi, North Carolina or Louisiana where a ‘little’ farmer is one with 500 acres. They can do so much more than we can, but we can beat them on qual-ity.”

It’s quality — defined as a “No. 1” by grading standards — that the Kresses strive for in their “fresh market” potatoes.

“When you go into a grocery store and you see them setting out there, that’s the market we shoot for,” he said. “I’ve got one place in Birmingham that supplies res-taurants, small grocery stores and schools. The rest usually go to gro-cery stores. We shoot for the fresh market. That pays more, and you’ve got to have a little better quality, do a little better job, than if you’re sell-ing to some of these other places.”

Still, he says, sweet potato farm-ers only get two chances to make the sales that’ll make the season worthwhile.

“If you are going to grow sweet potatoes, you need to load ’em up on Thanksgiving and Christmas. People will eat sweet potatoes on those two days and never eat them again until the next Thanksgiving and Christmas,” he said. “Thanksgiv-ing is our biggest day — you need to sell every potato you can. After that, it’s Christmas. Easter will pick up a little bit, and from then on out it’s just whatever you can do to get rid of them.”

But with baked sweet potatoes on more and more menus and the new Louisiana processing plant cranking out 25 tons of frozen sweet potato fries an hour, there are signs that America is ready for a ’tater love affair far beyond the golden arches. n____________________________________The Alabama Sweet Potato Association will host the 49th Annual United States Sweet Potato Convention on Jan. 23–25, 2011, at Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach. For more information, contact Arnold Caylor at [email protected] or (256) 734-5820.

Kerry and Brian Kress expect good year.

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9WB422 4.75x4.75:9UR401 8/30/10 2:53 PM Page 1

RULES • Prizes for each “We Care...” category - For Our Animals, For Our

Land, For Our Food - are: 1st Place, $300; 2nd Place, $200; 3rd Place, $100.

• All photos must have been taken in Alabama.• Each photographer is limited to three entries per category.• Prints must be 8” by 10” and should be packaged to prevent bend-

ing.• The entrant must include his or her name, address, phone number,

title of photo, name of category and Federation membership num-ber on a 4” by 5” card. Any persons in the photo must be identified on the card as well.

• Entries must be received by Nov. 1, 2010.• Ship entries to: “We Care…” Photo Contest, Neighbors Magazine,

2108 E. South Blvd., Montgomery, AL 36116. The Federation is not responsible for any lost or misdirected materials.

• Competition is open to amateur photographers living in Alabama who are members of Alabama Farmers Federation.

• Employees of the Alabama Farmers Federation and Alfa Insurance and their immediate families are not eligible.

• All entries must be original photography taken between Nov. 1, 2008 and Nov. 1, 2010.

• No retouching of photos or digital manipulation of images is permit-ted.

• Entrant acknowledges entry constitutes permission to publish the photo and has the right to grant permission for publication of photo as well as permission of any person or persons depicted in the photograph.

• Photos become the property of Neighbors magazine and the Ala-bama Farmers Federation and will not be returned.

• Decision of the judges is final.

Let your lens do the talking — and show us how Alabama’s farm families care in these categories ...

...For Our Animals...For Our Land...For Our Food

Win Cash Prizes In EACH Category$300 — First Place

$200 — Second Place$100 — Third Place

ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVEDNO LATER THAN

NOV. 1, 2010

SEND YOUR ENTRIES TO:‘WE CARE...’ PHOTO CONTEST,

Neighbors Magazine2108 E. South Blvd.

Montgomery, AL 36116


Sponsored each year by the Alabama Farmers Federation, the Outstanding Young Farm Family Awards Program recognizes young farmers between the ages of 17 and 35 who do an outstanding job in

farm, home and community activities. Division winners representing 10 commodities were selected in February. Of those, six finalists will compete for the title of overall Outstanding Young Farm Family for

2010. The winner, who will be named at the Federation’s 89th Annual Meeting in December, will receive a John Deere Gator, courtesy of Alabama Ag Credit, a personal computer package courtesy of ValCom/

CCS Wireless, $500 cash from Dodge, use of a new vehicle and other prizes. The winner also will go on to compete at the national level for a new Dodge Ram 3500. This month, Neighbors profiles the winners of

the Poultry and the Hay & Forage Divisions.

Turner Family Poultry

By Darryal Ray

Josh Turner says he “started from scratch,” as a 17-year-old “first-generation poultry farmer” who would slip away from school during lunch to check

on his two houses of chickens.“My mama was a secretary at the school. So if my

principal ever caught me, I would just call and tell Mama to check me out real quick,” he says with a laugh. “But the principal understood. He knew what I was doing — I wasn’t just off playing hooky.”

Those two broiler houses, leased from his grandfa-ther and his greatuncle, were only the start for Turner, who today has six houses and is the Poultry Division winner in the Alabama Farmers Federation’s Outstand-ing Young Farm Family contest, along with wife Jes-sica, daughter Harlee (6) and sons Griffin (4) and Jake (2).

“My daddy worked hard and gave me all he could when I was a kid, but I always wanted to farm,” Josh said. “While a lot of kids wanted toys and four-wheel-ers, I wanted land and cows.”

Today, he has 30 head of brood cows and helps his father-in-law with another 200 head in addition to cut-ting about 1,300 round bales of hay a year. “From the end of April until the first of June, we’re wide open in the hay field, getting out fertilizer and spraying weeds. I haven’t seen the end of spring, but the good Lord has blessed me on what I’ve been able to do here,” he said.

Farming, however, wasn’t exactly what his grand-father and great uncle had in mind when they made Josh the offer to lease their two poultry houses. “When I was a senior in high school, they came to me and wanted to know if I’d be interested in leasing the houses to help pay my way through college,” Josh recalled. “I’d been in those houses all my life, working around them. So I said, ‘Yeah, that sounds like a pretty good deal.’

“My daddy raised me that as soon as I was able to have chores, I worked,” Josh added. “I fussed about it when I was a kid, but I can see in life that it meant a lot now ... Daddy always raised me to be hard-working — anything worth doing is worth doing right.”

Within two years, however, his work ethic drew

Ex-Ag Teacher Took Young Turner Under His Wing


Josh and Jessica Turner enjoy raising their children — Griffin, Harlee and Jake — in the country.

the attention of Jerry Holcomb, a retired Section High School agriscience teacher who wanted to hire the young man as fulltime manager of his eight poultry houses.

“I wouldn’t take any less money than I was mak-ing. For 18 years old, I was doing pretty good with two houses, and my uncle and granddad weren’t charging hardly anything on the lease,” said Josh. “So, I figured up what I’d have to have, and he paid me $20 over, and he did it just as a salary.”

Perhaps, more important, were the lessons Turner learned from Holcomb, who has since passed away. “Every day was a day in ag class with him,” Josh recalled with a smile. “If you could remember your old ag teacher back in school … picky — ‘Don’t hammer with that! That’s not what it’s made for!’ — that’s what it was like. It would drive me nuts sometimes, but I really enjoyed working with him because he gave me the mentality that if somebody else can fix it, I can fix it myself. I owe a lot to him.”

Holcomb’s poultry houses were a classroom in another way, too. It was there that Holcomb’s wife, Joan, taught young Turner how to operate the houses’ computerized controls and monitor everything from heating to ventilation and water usage — a far cry from the older houses he had leased.

After three years, though, Josh figured it was time to build poultry houses of his own — and Holcomb was there to help. With a bit of help from Holcomb’s father-in-law who was on the board at the bank, he was able to build four 42-by-500-foot houses in 2003. Four years later, they added two 43-foot by 510-foot houses.

“When I built my houses, I put in the same control-lers that Jerry and Joan had because we were always on

top, always had good chickens,” said Josh. “I was able to just walk right in — it was just like stepping from one house into another. I didn’t have to learn all new controllers.”

Still, he says, the older houses were also a training ground.

“In those old conventional houses, you had to do a lot of judging on looks,” he said. “I had one thermom-eter hanging in the middle of the house that told me the temperature, but I could look at those chickens and tell you if they were too hot, if they were cold, if they were comfortable. I catch myself doing that now. Even if I walked in and didn’t look at my controllers, I could tell you if they were too hot or if they were getting too much air. In those old houses, you learned to diagnose chickens by looks instead of going by the controller. It really helped me.”

Another help is Jessica. While her parents raised chickens when she was too young to help, she didn’t flinch at spending many dates with Josh working in the Holcombs’ houses.

“She’s one of a kind,” said Josh with a big smile, adding that she is his “farm manager.”

“I’ve pretty much done it all,” said Jessica. “I put out feed lids, rake hay, put out feed, pick up chick-ens when he needs to go deer hunting. Plus, I’m the Roundup girl – I love spraying Roundup around the place.”

“She can put out 50 gallons of Roundup in an hour,” Josh said jokingly. “I’m telling you: If you want something dead, she can kill it!”

“Even the flowers,” she added. “I’m not much of a green thumb.” n


Whitaker Hay & Forage

By Darryal Ray

When the days grow long and the nights even longer, Jeff Whitaker dials up his buddy,

Michael Brewer, to bale him out.“We’ll mow hay a lot of morn-

ings until 1 and 2 o’clock,” Jeff explained. “When we start getting sleepy, we’ll just get out our cell phones and talk to each other to keep ourselves awake and motivated. We’ll talk about anything as long as it keeps us awake. We have mowed hay as late as 2:10 a.m., but most times, we’ll quit ’round midnight. If it’s not been a good day, we’ll truck on. But if I’m nearly out of fuel, that’s probably a good time to quit rather than calling my wife at 11:30 and saying, ‘Bring me some fuel right quick’ and having her get two little boys up.”

Make hay while you can — that’s the lesson Whitaker has learned quickly. It was only three years ago that he got into the hay business in the DeKalb County com-munity of Henagar, but now he’s baling for the public and expects to reach 2,700 rolls this year. It’s a quick rise that enabled Whitaker, along with wife Randi and sons Aiden (7) and Keegan (5) to capture the Hay & Forage Division of the Outstanding Young Farm Family competition.

“This year was a battle with the rain. It slowed us down a lot,” Jeff said. “We sat for probably two weeks waiting on the right weather conditions. If you haven’t got the weather for it, you can’t do it. And I’m one who doesn’t like to start too early. We usually don’t start cutting until the end of May.”

But the rains didn’t last — and when they did come, they were scattered.

“Everybody made hay last year, and we carried over a bunch of it,” Jeff said. “But this year, we can’t make enough. We get two or three phone calls a week from people wanting to know if we’ve got any.”

With 200 acres of their own and another 50 rented acres, the Whita-kers grow only fescue and orchard grass for area cattle farmers. By mid-August, they had sold 900 round bales and baled another 900 rolls for his seven word-of-mouth customers, all of whom he deals with on a “handshake” basis.

“I have a list that I go by every year,” Jeff explained. “When I first

started out, there are guys who got with me, and they’re first on my list every year. About February of next year, we’ll start down our list again.”

He’s careful, however, to make sure he’s not causing any ill will before he takes on a new customer. “Anybody who calls me, I find out

who was baling their hay to make sure there are no hard feelings,” he said. “I might even call the person that was baling it before to make sure nothing had happened that might make me not want to do it. But everybody I bale for I know pretty well.”

Another thing he won’t do, Jeff said, is square bales.

“I prefer round bales where you sit in an air-conditioned tractor, you load ‘em on a truck and you go home at the end of the day and you aren’t give out,” said Jeff. “Now, my buddy Michael square bales and makes his own cattle feed. We’re about to do a Bermuda field of his, and I told him, ‘I sure do dread it.’ We bor-rowed a square baler, and I told him, ‘I’m going to square bale it, but when I get done, I’m going to the house. Good luck getting it loaded!’

“It’s a job getting square bales on a truck,” he added. “Michael’s lucky, though. He knows a bunch of high

school kids who play football and they’ll load the hay to work out, and that makes it easier. They’ll get out there and bow up on each other, and Michael and I will say, ‘Wait ’til they get 15 more years on them — they’ll figure it out.’ We did.” n

’Round Midnight, Whitaker Keeps Cuttin’

Jeff and Randi Whitaker with sons Aiden and Keegan.

The roads and highways in Alabama connect us to where we need to go.

They may take us to the beach for a well-earned vacation; or to the local

supermarket for tonight’s dinner. But some roads and highways take us to

where we work. Most of us drive cars, trucks and SUVs, but some choose a

different vehicle. They are farmers.

The many farmers of Alabama legally use the roads and highways to get

from barn to field with their tractors, harvesters and combines. Typically, these

vehicles travel well below the speed limit. This is where the sign comes in.

On vehicles that can legally share the road but cannot keep up with the

flow of traffic, you will find an orange-and-red triangle called a “Slow-Moving

Vehicle” sign. This tells you from a distance that the vehicle ahead of you is

traveling at a slow rate of speed.

Please be careful when you see this sign on a vehicle. Many accidents and

even deaths have occurred as a result of a fast-moving vehicle meeting a farmer

trying to get to work. Watch out for farmers. Good yields take time.

Good yields take time.

A message from the Alabama Department of Public Safety, the Alabama Department of Transportation and the Alabama Farmers Federation.

Farmer At Work

SA

FE

SL

OW

S U R V I V E

Where the farmer meets the road.

Watch out for farmers.


A Sign Of Progress

GOOD YIELDS TAKE TIME

Farmer At Work

Where the farmer meets the road.



A Sign Of Progress

GOOD YIELDS TAKE TIME


By Debra Davis

U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials who have proposed expand-ing a wildlife refuge in central

Alabama by acquiring thousands of acres of private land got an earful from property owners who attended a public hearing in Brent on Sept. 2.

The overflow crowd attended the public hearing as part of a com-ment period about the proposal made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services to expand the Cahaba River Wildlife Refuge from 3,600 acres to 106,415 acres. The service also wants to establish an addition-al 173,380-acre conservation area adjacent to the refuge by purchasing conservation easements and leases.

Seventy-eight people requested to speak at the hearing and, by far, the majority spoke against the proposal. Among them was Chil-ton County Farmers Federation President Jimmy Parnell who spoke

on behalf of the Alabama Farmers Federation and as a landowner and logger.

“I am here tonight representing the Alabama Farmers Federation, the state’s largest farmer organiza-tion with more than 400,000 mem-bers,” Parnell said. “We are opposed to this proposal and intend to use every means we have to stop it.”

The crowd interrupted Parnell with applause on three occasions as he spoke, and his remarks were entered into official testimony of the hearing. Parnell, who owns property within the proposed area, said if the goal of the service was to protect the proposed area, no evidence had been presented to indicate private landowners were not already doing a good job of that. “And there is no evidence that the federal government can manage it better than these private landown-ers,” Parnell said. Many there, including Parnell, questioned why an economic and environmental impact study was not conducted before the proposal got this far. Service officials at the meeting said it could be part of the plan once the public comment period was com-plete.

Fish and Wildlife Service offi-cials repeatedly told the crowd their goal is to acquire land from “willing sellers” and protect the area’s natural resources. However, they did concede that the proposal contains the government’s right to acquire property through the use of eminent domain. That portion of the plan seemed to draw the most ire from landowners, who repeat-edly criticized the service for not properly notifying area landowners of the proposal.

One angry landowner asked, “How can we trust the government to do what it says when it can’t even handle properly notifying the landowners about the proposal?”

The comment period that had been set to expire Sept. 7 has been extended to Dec. 6. After the comment period, the service will either draft a new proposal or move forward with the conservation and preservation plan in place. n____________________________________For a copy of the plan, visit www.fws.gov/cahabariver. Comments may be submitted to: Ms. Kimberly Eldridge, 1875 Century Boulevard, Suite 420, Atlanta, GA 30345.

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Refuge Plan Meets Opposition From Landowners

Chilton County Farmers Federation President Jimmy Parnell tells officials that there is “no evidence that the federal government can manage (land within the proposed refuge) better than these private landowners.”


By Darryal Ray

It begins more than 150 years ago with planting cotton by hand, and ends with a scene of round

roles and square bales of cotton sit-ting outside a modern gin.

America’s Cotton Heritage is the most complex watercolor Jack DeLoney has ever painted, but the Ozark artist says it’s also a “true labor of love” that he hopes will become a collector’s item.

“A lot of energy went into this one,” said DeLoney. “It took a long time to come together, but it’s a gorgeous piece of work, one of my very best I think. I would hope that it’s going to be a collector’s item. I feel like it will be.”

The work will certainly be one that will be hard to come by — it’s a limited edition with only 950 signed and numbered prints and 100 artist’s prints.

Like A Journey Through Time which told the story of peanut farming in Amer-ica through a colorful tri-panel of historical scenes, America’s Cotton Heritage follows the progression of the cotton industry through multiple rows of individual scenes.

However, unlike A Journey Through Time, which was com-missioned by the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation in observance of its 10th anniversary, America’s Cotton Heritage was not commis-sioned by anyone but DeLoney himself.

“I was brainstorming about what to do for the upcoming cotton season, but it had taken me so long to put my ideas together that I only had a preliminary sketch when I went to the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show in Memphis,” said DeLoney. “I had been entertaining ideas about who may want to commis-

sion the piece, but on the way to Memphis I decided to release it on my own.”

As he began researching his subject, he was directed to Herb Wilcutt, an agricultural engineer with Mississippi State University who is considered an authority on the development of the cotton picker and other farm machinery. “He said, ‘I’ll be glad to help you, but I want you to know, I’m not an artist — this is all from the point of an engineer.’ He really knew the sequence, the progression of the cotton picker.”

Soon, however, DeLoney began to realize that the history of the cotton industry would involve much more than a cotton picker. “I got so carried away in my research and what Herb provided led to other things, and I thought, ‘Oooh, Jack! It’s going to be so complex!’ I wanted to include as many facets of the cotton industry as I could but still do justice to the making of the cotton picker,” he said.

“This piece took way longer than I anticipated,” he added. “I would make layout after layout trying to get this thing to flow, but even with Herb’s help, it took two months of research and four months of water colors. It took

over a month to draw it. I finally decided, ‘Okay, you’ve got a rough idea. You’ve got it sketched out. You know it’s going to be in a visual, follow-through sequence. So I just had to finally make myself put the paint down, I started on the painting instead of waiting on the drawing. I didn’t know where it was going for awhile, and I didn’t know how it would be received but I knew I had the passion to attend to it.

“I have really been blessed with the cotton industry and the chemi-cal companies and the seed produc-ers – they’ve kept Jack DeLoney alive,” DeLoney said. “I get asked all the time if I consider myself as documenting history – I will never say yes to that. I just paint from what I remember, and if it turns out to be historical, I’ll be happy to have the credit.” n____________________________________For more about DeLoney or ‘America’s Cotton Heritage,’ email [email protected], visit www.jackdeloney.com or stop by at his art gallery at 209 North U.S. Highway 231, Ozark. Phone 1-800-239-4177 or (334)774-6877. Alabama Farmers Federation members receive a 10 percent discount on everything in DeLoney’s gallery.

DeLoney Paints Tribute To ‘America’s Cotton Heritage’

DeLoney’s ‘America’s Cotton Heritage’ is limited to 950 prints, 100 artist proofs.

DeLoney


Alabama GardenerBy Lois Chaplin

While we usually associate citrus with South Alabama and Florida, there is a way

to grow it farther north: Choose cold hardy types suited to pots and protect them in winter. One of the most common is calamon-din, a hybrid of sour mandarin and kumquat. Its sour juice is used like lemon. The tree takes temperatures down into the 20s, so you can leave it on the patio for many months.

Here are a few others:Satsuma is a pretty tree that

bears sweet, seedless fruit in fall and early winter. The fruits peel and section easily, which is why most canned “mandarin oranges” are actually Satsuma.

Kumquats ripen from November to January. Meiwa is sweet, while Nagami has very tart flesh. To experience a kumquat properly, eat the peel and all. It is surprisingly sweet.

Meyer lemon is a lemon and orange hybrid; it’s larger than a lemon and turns a rich deep yellow-orange. Prized for seasoning and drinks, the flavor is tart but a little sweeter than lemon. It bears in fall, winter and spring.

Unlike most fruits that shrivel or fall to the ground soon after they ripen, citrus can hang for three to four months.

STARTING CITRUS IN POTSUse at least a 10-gallon contain-

er; as plants get bigger, they will yield more if you step them up to a bigger pot. A Satsuma in a 25-gal-

lon container can produce up to a bushel a year. If you buy a 3-gal-lon tree, start it directly in a 15- to 25-gallon container. It will fill the pot in three to four years.

After a year or two, transfer the plant to a larger container. Citrus has very fine feeder roots (visible at the top of the root ball) that accli-mate to a small space.

You should use professional quality potting mix that drains well. The pot must drain well, too. The number one killer of citrus in containers is over watering. It needs very good, fast drainage.

For fertilizer, use a specialty citrus food with iron and other micronutrients.

When the temperature is above freezing, the south side of the house or porch protected by an overhang will offer the best winter protec-tion. In freezing weather, move it to a greenhouse, indoors or cover it outdoors with a heavy frost blan-ket.

Most fruit is damaged at 28 degrees and a tree needs protec-tion from freezing weather even if the plant itself is hardy into the 20s or low teens. Cold tolerance also depends on whether or not the plant has been gradually accus-tomed, or “hardened off.”

During the winter, put your tree by a window in a warm room (65 degrees or higher), not a chilly one such as an unheated garage. The sun shines through the glass and warms the leaves, but the soil in the pot is cold (roots stop working a 55 degrees). Then, the roots can’t get moisture up to the tree and the leaves drop, a big problem with indoor citrus.

For some online help, try this forum (http://citrus.forumup.org) for a great community of passionate hobbyists and experts. n

____________________________________Lois Chaplin is an accomplished gardener and author. Her work appears here courtesy of Alabama Farmers Cooperative.

One of the great things about citrus — such as this calamondin — is that the fruit keeps on the tree for weeks without losing quality.

GET GROWING AT THE CO-OP. WWW.ALAFARM.COM


By Melissa Martin

Branded across televisions, throughout magazines and on thousands of billboards and

bumper stickers, the Army has chal-lenged soldiers and civilians alike to “Be All You Can Be” for more than 25 years. For scientist, soldier and teacher John Griffin, this charge was more than a suggestion – it has served as a guiding principle in his daily life.

Faced with the challenge of teaching in a public school located in a high-poverty area, Griffin con-sistently battles the elements result-ing from such an atmosphere. Since 1993, Griffin has witnessed Wellborn High School students grappling with the “accompanying ills of absentee-ism; lack of role models; living with single parents, grandparents, friends, relatives or in group homes; drugs; gangs; violence; pregnancy; and hun-ger.” Though many teachers would struggle to reach students in such

a difficult environment, Griffin has become the right man for this job.

“He never has any difficulty in motivating or teaching these stu-dents,” explains Mary Jones, Science Department Chair at Wellborn. “He

meets each stu-dent, each day and each subject with enthusiasm and high expectations.” It’s for his ability to find solutions to a multitude of problems that Grif-

fin earned the designation as Alfa’s Teacher of the Month for Octo-ber. As October’s honoree, he will receive $1,000 from Alfa Insurance. His school, a division of Calhoun County Schools, will receive a matching award from the Alabama Farmers Federation.

After building a strong founda-tion of leadership as an Army officer for 24 years, Griffin has expanded his leadership activities to include

co-chair of Wellborn High School’s budget committee and chair of the Math Department. He is also the lead math teacher for the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Ini-tiative (AMSTI).

Griffin received his bachelor’s degree in physics from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and his mas-ter’s degree in mathematics educa-tion from Jacksonville State Uni-versity. A member of the Alabama Education Association, he earned his educational specialist degree from the University of Alabama in 1995.

During 2010, Alfa Insurance and the Alabama Farmers Federa-tion are honoring one outstanding teacher from each of Alabama’s eight state board districts, two principals and two private school teachers. Application information is available under Ag Links in the Agricultural Resources section of AlfaFarmers.org. n

Wellborn’s Griffin Named Alfa Teacher of Month

Griffin

The Alabama Farmers Federa-tion and Alfa Insurance have partnered with the Alabama

Department of Education to reward some of Alabama’s top educators with the Alfa Teacher of the Month Award. This year, the program will honor one outstanding teacher from each of Alabama’s eight state board districts, two principals and two private school teachers with $1,000 cash awards. Matching awards of $1,000 will be given to each of their schools.

Applications for teachers in State School Board Districts 6, 7 and 8 should be submitted to the State Department of Education office by October 19. The winner from District 8 will receive his/her cash award in January, while winners in Districts 7 and 6 will receive their awards in February and March, respectively. Details of the application process and dead-

lines for other school board districts are available by clicking on “Ag Links” in the Agricultural Resourc-es section of www.AlfaFarmers.org. Teachers also may contact Ann Starks with the Alabama Depart-ment of Education at (334) 242-9700 or [email protected] for more information.

State School Board District 8 includes the following school systems: Athens City, Attalla City, DeKalb County, Etowah County, Fort Payne City, Gadsden City, Huntsville City, Jackson County, Limestone County and Madison County.

State School Board District 7 includes the following school systems: Colbert County, Fayette County, Florence City, Franklin County, Haleyville City, Jasper City, Lamar County, Lauderdale County, Lawrence County, Marion County, Muscle Shoals City, Rus-

sellville City, Sheffield City, Tusca-loosa City and Tuscaloosa County, Tuscumbia City, Walker County, Winfield City and Winston County.

State School Board District 6 includes the following school sys-tems: Albertville City, Arab City, Blount County, Cullman City and Cullman County, Decatur City, Guntersville City, Hartselle City, Hoover City (shared with District 4), Jefferson County (shared with District 4), Marshall County, Mor-gan County, Mountain Brook City, Oneonta City, Pell City, St. Clair County (shared with District 3), Vestavia Hills City, Leeds City and Trussville City.

Since the program’s inception in 1998, the Alfa Teacher of the Month program has awarded more than $296,000 to deserving educa-tors and their schools. The Depart-ment of Education coordinates the application process. n

Applications Sought For Alfa’s Teacher Of Month Program


Country KitchenBy Janet McCoy

Gordie Cartwright has earned a slice of national fame, corn-bread slice that is.

The 10-year- old Alabama 4-H’er won this spring’s 2010 4-H Corn-bread Cook-Off, a competition that is part of the National Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburg, Tenn. For Cartwright, from the small town of Gantt near Andalusia, it was the first big contest he ever entered, and as a first-year 4-H’er, he set his sights high.

He created his winning recipe, sweet potato cornbread, after watching his mom eat a sweet potato. “I’d never made cornbread before, but I got to thinking about it and thought I’d give it a try,” he said.

“The first couple of times, it didn’t taste right, but we worked on it and came up with a recipe we liked,” added Cartwright, who is president of his 4-H club.

Cartwright learned about the contest from 4-H Agent Assistant Tanya Bales, who leads clubs of fourth-graders at Straughn Elemen-tary School. Bales told the young-sters about the national contest and worked with them on the specific rules of the competition. “The rules are strict, and Gordie did a good job doing exactly as instructed,” she said.

Only 10 finalists were selected nationally from about 200 who submitted recipes in the annual 4-H cook-off, open only to fourth-grad-ers. “The national cornbread com-mittee, which consists of cornbread and cooking professionals, as well as Tennessee state 4-H staff, judges the recipes and narrows them down

to the top 10,” Bales said.Once selected, Cartwright, Bales

and others worked to raise money for him to attend the contest in Tennessee. To help pay for the trip, Gordie, Bales and others spent sev-eral Saturdays at the Tractor Supply Company store in Andalusia raising money, offering slices of his corn-bread for a donation.

Once there, Cartwright and the other contestants had to cook in front of the judges as well as talk to them about his recipe. “I wasn’t too nervous when I was cooking,” he said. “But the judges came up to my table, and I had to tell them what I was doing and mainly why my recipe was original.”

For his efforts, Cartwright won a $400 cash prize and a gift bag filled with Lodge cast iron and Martha White products.

Cartwright has become a local celebrity – the Covington County Commission has honored him, and plans are being made for other rec-ognitions in the community.

The Cartwright family has an

interest in cooking. Parents Rick and Christy previously owned a res-taurant and still cater occasionally. “I saw my mom and dad cooking and liked it, and they would let me help sometimes,” he said.

Cartwright is not old enough for statewide competition, but he’s looking forward to state 4-H Com-petitive Events Day in the future.

In the meantime, you can find Gordie’s Sweet Potato Cornbread below, followed by several other recipes from the United States Sweet Potato Council.

GORDIE CARTWRIGHT’S SWEET POTATO CORNBREAD

1 (7-ounce) package Martha White Sweet Yellow Cornbread Mix

1 teaspoon cinnamon1/2 cup milk1 cup mashed cooked (in microwave)

sweet potatoes1/4 cup brown sugar1/4 cup melted butter1 large egg1 pinch nutmeg

Mix all ingredients in order. Pour into a greased cast iron skillet, and bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until done (light brown).

SWEET POTATOPARTY PUNCH

1 quart cooked sweet potatoes, pureed2 quart orange sherbet 2 quart cold ginger ale1 (46-ounce) can apricot nectar 1 (46-ounce) pineapple juice 1 (16-ounce) 7-Up

Combine sweet potato puree and apricot nectar, mixing well. Chill everything. Just before serv-ing, combine sherbet, sweet potatoes and apricot nectar mixture in punch bowl. Gently stir in other ingredi-ents. Makes 2 gallons.

Gordie Cartwright now calls himself a ‘cast iron chef.’


GARLIC MASHEDSWEET POTATOES

2 pounds fresh sweet potatoes quartered2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 6 tablespoons butter, divided1/2 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon salt 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Cook unpeeled sweet potatoes, covered, in boiling salted water, 20 to 30 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, sauté garlic in 1 table-spoon butter for 2 minutes. When potatoes are fully cooked, drain thoroughly. Peel and dice and return to pan. Add sautéed garlic, remain-ing butter, sour cream and salt. Mash thoroughly. Fold in cilantro. Transfer to serving bowl and garnish with additional cilantro, if desired. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

SWEET POTATO PINWHEELS4 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes4 cups sugar, divided 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 2 cups chopped nuts 1 cup shortening3 eggs, well beaten 4 cups self-rising flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda Yellow and red food coloring (optional)

In saucepan, combine sweet potatoes, 2 cups sugar and spice, mix well. Cook over low heat until thick, about 10 minutes. Add nuts, cool. Cream shortening and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, continue mixing until well blended. Add flour, salt and bak-ing soda, mix well. If desired, add 8 drops yellow and 4 drops red food coloring, mixing until well blended. Divide dough into 3 parts. On lightly floured foil, roll each into an 8-inch by 12-inch rectangle, spread with 1/3 of filling mixture. Starting from wide end, roll as for jellyroll. Wrap in foil. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Place in freezer several hours or overnight. To bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Unwrap rolls, cut with sharp knife into 1/4-inch slices. Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Makes 7 to 8 dozen cookies.

SWEET POTATOCHEESE BALL DIP

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 cups cold mashed sweet potatoes 1/4 cup finely chopped onion 2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno

pepper 1 teaspoon seasoned salt1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce1 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce 1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce 1/4 cup chopped pecans Assorted crackers, breadsticks or raw

vegetablesIn a mixing bowl, beat cream

cheese and sweet potatoes until smooth. Add the next seven ingre-dients; mix well. Cover and refrig-erate for 4 hours or until firm. Roll in chopped pecans (optional). Serve with crackers, breadsticks or veg-etables. Makes about 3 cups.

Note: When cutting or seeding hot peppers, use rubber or plastic gloves to protect your hands. Avoid touching your face.

SWEET POTATOBON-BON CANDY

1 pound dried apricots or peaches, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups cooked, sweet potato puree4 cups coconut1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed

milk2 cups chopped pecans, toasted 2 pounds powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients in large bowl. Chill 2 hours or until firm enough to shape into 1-inch balls. These can be served with a pecan on top or dipped in white chocolate to coat. Store tightly covered in refrigerator.

NORTH CAROLINA’S FAVORITESWEET POTATO PIE

2 1/4 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes

3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/2 cup packaged French vanilla instant

pudding 3/4 cup evaporated milk2 large eggs, room temperature 6 tablespoons butter or margarine,

softened 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract 1 9-inch unbaked pie shell

In a large bowl combine all fill-ing ingredients and beat at medium speed until well blended. Spread evenly into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 4 minutes longer or until set. Cool on wire rack. If desired, garnish with whipped cream, raspberries and mint leaves. Makes 8 servings. n

Editor’s Note: Recipes published in the “Country Kitchen” are not kitchen-tested prior to publication. Look for more “Country Kitchen” recipes online at www.AlfaFarmers.org. Janet McCoy is a program coordinator with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System’s Alabama 4-H.

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M I S C E L L A N E O U S

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PIANO TUNING & REPAIR — Rev. Hicks, Rt. 1, Coy, AL 36435. (334) 337-4503.

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www.vacationsmithlake.com — Beautiful lake living; two gas log fireplaces; affordable — $75 per night; $500 per week. (256) 352-5721.

LOG CABIN RENTALS IN MENTONE — Hot tubs, king beds — (256) 657-4335 www.mentonelogcabins.com.

Neighbors ClassifiedsClassifieds Facts

For just $2 per word, your clas-sified ad in Neighbors reaches more than 95,000 subscribers. Ads must be received by the first day of the month prior to publication. NO changes after closing. PRE-PAYMENT REQUIRED FOR ALL ADS. Minimum 10 words per ad. No fax, phone orders or credit cards accepted. For questions, call Paula Culver at (334) 613-4410. Send your ad with payment, payable to Alabama Farmers Federation, to:

Neighbors ClassifiedsP.O. Box 11000

Montgomery, AL 36191-0001

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october 2010 issue neighbors magazine

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