2008 a n n u a l r e p o r ta r k a n s a s f a r m b u r e a u f e d e r a t i o n

n e w d a y s n e w w a y s

2 president’sreport

3 executivevicepresident’sreport

5 newdays,newways

7 babedabbs:‘old dog, new trick’

9 jeremyallen: ‘one man’s junk’

11 patschaefers:‘if you build it, they will come’

13 andrewsharpley: ‘the science of stewardship’

15 terris&kimmatthews: ‘how sweet it is!’

16 boardofdirectors

‘Without change there is no innovation, creativity,

or incentive for improvement. Those who initiate

change will have a better opportunity to manage

the change that is inevitable.’ — c. william pollard

Thethemeofthisannualreport,New Days, New Ways,isparticularlymeaningfultoArkansasFarmBureauaswemovebeyond2008andintothecom-ingyear.

Asyouarelikelyaware,Ihavechosennottoseekreelec-tion,endingafive-yeartenureaspresi-dentand21yearsontheboardofdirec-torsofanorganizationwhosenoblecauseistoservetheneedsoffarmers,ranchersandruralcommunitiesacrossthisgreatstate.

Servingasyourpresidenthasbeenoneofmylife’smostrewardingexperi-ences.However,nowisthetimeforotherleadersinyourorganizationtohavethesameprivilegeofserviceIhaveenjoyed.

ArkansasFarmBureauisastrong,viable,grassrootsorganization,affect-ingeveryArkansan,manyinwaystheydonotevenrealize.Thisorganizationrepresentsthevaluesofintegrity,hardwork,communityinvolvement,familyandisthevoiceofreasonandcommonsenseinpublicdialogue.

ThetruepowerinFarmBureau,how-ever,doesnotresideinitsstateofficersorstaff,butinyou,themembership.

Yourorganizationenjoyedanothersuccessfulyear,inmyview.Weimple-mented,forthefirsttimeinourhistory,aVoluntaryIssuesFund,allowingmemberstheopportu-nitytocontributetoaperpetualfundthatwillbeusedtosupportanddefendFarmBureaupositionsinballotandjudicialmatters.

WealsorolledoutanewmemberbenefitinvolvingaprivateofferwithGeneralMotors,whereourmemberscansave$500onanumberofdifferentvehiclesinthebroadarrayofbrandsavailablethroughGM.Sinceimplementa-tion,ArkansasFarmBureaumembershavesavedmorethan$1millionbecauseofthisarrangement,especiallymean-ingfulintighteconomictimes.

WealsoutilizednewtechnologytohostaninteractivevideoconferencediscussionontheFarmBill.AccessinganadvancednetworkthattheUniversityofArkansasforMedicalScienceshasinplacetocommunicatewithlocalhospitals,weconnectedfarmers,agribusinessleaders,state

lawmakersandfederalofficialsforaninteractivediscussionaboutthedetailsofthisfederallegislation.

Sen.BlancheLincolnwasawardedtheGoldenPlowAwardbytheAmericanFarmBureau,inrecognitionofhertirelessworkinsupportoftheFarmBill,andthecommit-

mentshehasshowntothemenandwomenofAmericanagriculture.

Weledfact-findingmissionstoWisconsintoviewthatstate’sDiscov-eryFarmsproject.WealsowereabletotourMonsanto’slaboratoriesandhead-quarters,whereourboardmetwiththecompany’sseniormanagementtodiscussbiotechnologyissuesandhelpMonsantounderstandtheimpactitsproductshaveonthefarmingcommunity.

Asalways,welookedforwaystoreachouttothoseoutsideofagricul-ture,redesigningtheeducationalmate-rialthatwemakeavailablethroughourAgintheClassroomprogram.WealsocreatedanewPublicServiceAnnounce-mentprogram,providingradiostationsacrossthestatewithnon-commercialradiospotsthathighlighttheimpactArkansasagriculturehasonourstate’seconomy.Wealsohavebegunplac-ingFarmBureauUpdateontheiTunesstore,makingthesevideostoriesavail-ableforfreedownload.

We,ofcourse,wereactivelyengagedwithourcongressionaldelegation,leadingacountypresi-dents’tourtoWashington,D.C.Also,forthefirsttime,ourYoungFarmer&RancherCommitteetraveledtoD.C.aswell,providingeducationalandleadershiptrainingforthosewhowillleadourorganizationinthefuture.

Understandingthatforeigntradeisthelong-termkeytocontinuedgrowthinAmericanagriculture,wehostedtheArkansas-Africatradeconference,bringinginforeignminis-tersfromnineAfricannationstodiscusswaysinwhichwemightcreatenewtradingopportunitiesbetweenArkansasagricultureandthosecountries.IalsowasinvolvedintrademissionstoPeru,BrazilandRussia.

ThoughInolongerplantoholdoffice,IplantobeinvolvedwithFarmBureau,andIknowFarmBureauwillalwaysbewithmeaswealllookforwardtoNewDaysandNewWays.

ArkansasFarmBureaucompletedanothersuccessfulyearonbehalfofitsmembers,implementingandenhancingprogramsandservicesthatbenefittheArkansasfamiliesthatmakeupourmembership.

Despiteachallengingeconomicenvironment,wewereabletoincreaseourmembershipto227,759Arkansasfamiliesandhad93.7percentofourexistingmembersrenewtheirFarmBureaurelationship,thehighestrenewalpercentageourorga-nizationhasseensince1974.Seventy-threeofthecountyFarmBureausmettheirmembershipobjectivefortheyear,aclearindicationthatstreet-levelactiv-itywasanintegralpartofreachingthisgoal.

Thisisthefirsttimeinfouryearsthatwehavebeenabletoreachourannualmembershipobjective.IthankthemanystateandcountyleaderswhoworkedsohardtoensurethatFarmBureauenjoysapositivepositionincommunitiesacrossthestate.Renewalpercentageisonewayinwhichwemea-suretheperceptionourmembershavetowardourorganization.

TheroleofArkansasFarmBureauistoenhancethelivesofourmembers,andItakeprideinthefactthatourstaffworksdiligentlytodeliverthatpromisetoourmembers.ThereissomethingwhollyanduniquelyfulfillingaboutworkingonbehalfofFarmBureaumembers,andhopefullythathasbeenonexhibitduringthepastyear.

Onthefinancialfront,asyouwellknow,thefinancialmarketshavenotbeenkindthispastyear.Ourinvestmentportfolioisnoexception.Accountingstandardsrequireustopresentourinvestmentsatmarketvalue,resultinginanunrealizedlossonourinvestmentportfolioof$1.477mil-lion.

Ourinvestmentportfolioisstructuredmainlywithfixedincomesecuritiesandcertificatesofdepositsthatwillbe

worththeirparvalueatmaturity.Ourcurrentstrategyistoholdtheseitemstomaturityandtorecouptheunreal-izedloss.Wedidendurearealizedlossofapproximately$32,000onourLehmanBrothersholdingwhichweliqui-datedbeforeitsbankruptcyfilingSept.15.Thislossissub-

stantiallylessthanitwouldhavebeenhadwebeenholdingtheinvestmentswhenLehmanBrothersfiledforbank-ruptcy.AsofourOct.31year-end,allfixedincomesecuritiesheldaninvest-mentgraderatingfromStandardandPoor’sandMoody’sratingservices.

Totalincomefortheyear,includingthepreviouslymentionedadjustmentofinvestments,was$8.4million.Oper-atingexpensestotaledjustunder$9millionandincometaxexpenseswere$80,000,resultinginanetlossfortheyearof$700,000.Ifnotfortherequiredmarketvalueadjustment,netincomewouldhavebeeninthe$800,000range.

Aswithlastyear,wehavearequiredFinancialAccountingStandardsBoardadjustmentrelatingtopensionandpost-retirementbenefits.Thisyearthatamountwasabenefitof$283,000.Thisadjustment,withanetlossfromopera-tions,resultsinatotaldecreaseinun-restrictednetassetsofunder$400,000.YourcontributionstotheVoluntaryIssuesFundwere$42,000.Thisresults

inadecreaseoftotalnetassetsof$340,000fortheyear.ArkansasFarmBureauFederationremainsastrongorga-

nizationfinancially,approaching$19.5millioninassets,inspiteoftherequiredaccountingadjustments.

Throughoutthisannualreport,youcanreadabouthowFarmBureaumembersareadjustingto“NewDays,NewWays.”ThestaffofArkansasFarmBureauwillcontinuetosupportthoseeffortsthatkeepagricultureavibrant,activepartofourstate’seconomy,cultureandidentity.

Ilookforwardtocontinuedsuccessin2009onbehalfofthemembersofArkansasFarmBureau.

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‘Seventy-three of the county Farm Bureaus met their membership objective for the year. ... This is the first time in four years that we have been able to reach our annual membership objective.’

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p r e s i d e n t ’s r e p o r t e x e c u t i v e v i c e p r e s i d e n t ’s r e p o r t

Asagricultureheadstowardnewdays,thoseinvolveddaytodayinfeeding,clothingandfuelingtheworldhavefoundnewwaystoremainrelevant,competitiveand,mostimportantly,inbusiness.

Newdays,newwaysisthethemeofthisyear’sannualre-port,designedtohighlightsomeofthecreativeideasbeingputintoactionacrossthelandscapeofArkansas.

Thetighteningnationalandworldwideeconomyisfeltasacutelyinagricultureasanyotherindustrysector.Thispinch,though,hasbroughtoutnewwaysofdoingbusinessformanyArkansans.

AcrossthelandscapeofArkansasagriculture,innova-tionisbeingimplementedalongsideagriculturalprac-ticesthathavebeeninplaceforgenerations,amixtureoftried-and-trueandinnovativespark,resultinginexampleafterexampleof“newways”thinking.

We’veprofiledfiveexamplesofArkansanswhoareem-ployingcreativityandingenuityduringthistimeofnewbeginningsandneededadjustment.

•Consider79-year-oldE. R. (Babe) DabbsofHumphrey(ArkansasCounty),whohascutdownonwaterusageandpumpingcostsbyplantingsomeofhisricecropinrows,apracticenormallyreservedforsoybeans,cottonorcorn.Butrice?Thisolddoghaslearnedsomenewtricks.

•Trytocatchupwith28-year-oldJeremy AllenofBismarck(HotSpringCounty),whoisbuyingbulkcom-

modityby-productswhereverhecanfindthem,custommixingthoseforcost-effectivefeedstuffsforhisowncattle.Furthermore,he’sbuildingasuccessfulfeedbusi-nessbyconnectingdirectlywithothersalsolookingformoreefficientwaysoffeedinglivestock.

•Pat SchaefersofMayflower(FaulknerCounty)wasconvincedherfamilyneededtodiversifyitsfarmhold-ingsandlaunchedasuccessfulagri-tourismbusinessthatiseducatingothersabouttheroleagricultureplaysinhercommunityandourstate.

•Dr. Andrew Sharpley,professorofcrop,soilandenvi-ronmentalsciencesattheUniversityofArkansas,isdefin-ingnewwaysforArkansasfarmerstobegoodstewardsoftheland.Underincreasingpressurestomanagenutrientsinanenvironmentallysustainablemanner,agricultureisrelyingonSharpley’sresearchteamtodefinebestman-agementpracticesthatwillensureitscontinuedplaceinourstate.

•And,Terris and Kim Matthews ofWynne(CrossCounty)haveengagedinavoluntarycertificationprocessthroughGLOBALGAP,enablingthemtoselltheirsweetpotatoesaroundtheworld,theonlysweetpotatofarminArkansastohavethiscertification.

Eachofthesubjectsprofiledinthis2008annualreporthavepursuedanewwayofkeepingagriculturealiveduringchallengingtimes.SuchingenuityandactionisanecessityinthisNewDays,NewWaysworld.

Welcomethenewdays.Embracethenewways.

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‘Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.’ — steve jobs

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Olddogscanlearnnewtricks.Seventy-nine-year-oldBabeDabbsknowsthatforafact.AlifetimecoondogtrainerandArkansasCoun-tyfarmer,Dabbslearnedanewtrickwhenhe

beganplanting“rowrice”threeyearsago.“Mynephew,Terry,wasdoingit,soItoldhimI’dtryit

ifhecouldgetmesomeseed,”Dabbssays.Dabbswasn’tconvinceditwouldwork.He’dheard

someonehadtrieditsome30yearsagowithlittlesuccess,sohewasn’trealoptimisticwhenTerrysuggestedhetryit.

RowricegoesagainstthestandardsystemofleveesandfloodedfieldsthatmostArkansasricefarmersuse.Thericeisdrill-seededondryground,muchlikeanyotherrowcrop.

Dabbssaysasandysoilthatdrainseasilyworksbest.Thecropisonlyirrigatedwhennecessary.Thiseliminatesmaintainingaleveesystemandcostlypumpingtokeepfieldsflooded.

Theresult,Dabbssays,isa25percentoverallcostsav-ings.Thosesavingscomeinlessfuelandwaterneededtogrowthecrop,andlesslaborbecausetherearenoleveestobuildandmaintain.

“Ilikenothavingtoworryaboutfloodsknockingoutmyleveesinthemiddleofthenight,”hesays.

Rowricerequiresahybridseedthatismoreexpen-sivethanregularriceseed.However,itonlytakes28-30poundsofseedperacretoplantitinsteadofthe90-100poundsperacretoseedconventionalrice.

Dabbssaysaconventionalriceyieldissomewherebe-tween170-190bushels/acre.Duringhisthreeyearstryingrowrice,Dabbs’yieldswere194bushels(dry),196bush-els(green)and165bushelswhengrownbehindwheat.Hefertilizeswithchickenlitter.

Hechuckleswhenherecallsriceyieldsof65-70bush-elsperacrewhenhebeganfarmingthesamegroundin1947.

“Wethoughtweweredoingprettygoodbackthen,”hesays.“Wedidn’tknowanybetter.”

Overall,hisfarmingoperationissplit50-50betweenriceandsoybeans.Rowriceisn’tfeasibleforallsoiltypes.Dabbshasthenecessarysandybasesoilthatdrainseasilytogrow47acresinrowrice.

Dabbshasjustaboutseenitallin61yearsoffarming.Yetashestandswaist-deepinafieldofrowrice,theplantheadsbendingundertheweightofabumpercrop,hesmiles.

“It’snevertoolateforanolddogtolearnnewtricks,”hesays.“Evenanolddoglikeme.”

old dog, new trick

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hroughthecenturies,majortechnologicaladvanc-eshavehelpedmakefarmingmoreproductive.

Thehoe.Livestock-drawnplowsandwagons.

Thetractor.Pesticidesandherbicides.For28-year-oldJeremyAllen,it’shiscellphone.Allen

can’tdowithoutit.It’stheenginethatdriveshisentirefarmingoperation.

Thephonerings.Allenanswers.“ThisisJeremy.“Yes,sir.“Yes,sir.“Ihaveatruckthatwillbeoutthatwaynextweek.I

canpickitupthen.Willthatworkforyou?“Yes,sir.“Thankyou,sir.”It’sanexampleofaconversationAllenhassome1,500

timesamonth.Hiscellphoneisalwayswithinarm’sreach.Hesaysthecallsstartdailyat6:00a.m.andoftengountil10atnight.

ForJeremyAllen,oneman’sjunkishistreasure.TheHotSpringCountyfarmerfoundawaytotakewhat

otherpeopledon’twantandmakeitintosomethinguseful.CornglutenfromIllinois.Gintrash.Riceandsoybeanhulls.Twentytonsofrejectedboxesofcereal;atoyincluded

ineachpackage.“Ipaidsomehighschoolkidstotearopeneverybox

andseparatethetoysandpackagingfromthecereal,”hesays.“Thatwassomejob.”

Likesomemodern-dayagriculturalalchemist,Allenthenmixesthesebyproductsintofeedstockgold.Hekeepsthreetrucksontheroadregularlyandcontractstohaulwhateverbyproductsareouttherethatnooneelsewants.

Hemixesthedifferentitemsinamixerwagonmount-edonanoldcementtruck.Hebuysasmallpercentageofwholegrainsforhisfeedandgrindsthemwithagrindermixerheboughtusedfromanotherfarmer.It’spoweredbya1974Allis-Chalmerstractorwithabustedclutch.

Likemanyyoungfarmers,hecan’tbuynew,soAllenmakesdowithwhathecangethishandsonandfix.

Hismixesprovidethenecessaryproteintofeedlivestock,andhispricesareaffordabletosmalleroperatorswhocan’tbuyenoughcommercialfeedinbulktogetadiscount.

Afarmerarrivesandgets1,500poundsoffeedaugeredintoagiantfeedsackinthebackofhispickup.Hesaysthepriceisrightforthesmallcow-calfoperationheruns.

Whetheronthephoneorinperson,Allen’sdemeanorisalwayspoliteandrespectful.Hesayshecallspeopleeveryday,whetherheneedssomethingornot,justtoseehowtheyaredoing.

“Theyremembermewhentheyhavesomethingorhearofsomethingthatsomeoneelsewantstogetridof,”hesays.

Hisfeedandtruckingoperationsarejustonepartofhisfarm.Healsohasthreebreederhenhouses,runscattleandgrowshay.

Thephoneringsagain.“Excuseme,”hesays.“I’vegottogetthis.”ForJeremyAllen,thesoundofhiscellphoneringing

meansthere’smoneytobemade.

one man’s junk

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Negotiatingfarming’smanyvariablesisliketry-ingtomakeyourwaythroughamaze.

Weather.Commodityprices.Land.Bankloans.Debt.Personalhealth.

Addtothatalloftheotherday-to-daythingslifethrowsatyou.Startdownonepromisingpathonlytofindoutit’sadeadendandyouhavetoretraceyourstepsandchooseanewwaytogo.Youkeeptryingandwork-ingharder,butyouneverknowifyou’regoingtomakeitoutofthemaze.Yet,foroneFaulknerCountyfarmfamily,it’samazeofadifferentkindthatledthemdownaprofitablepath.

Forabout10years,PatSchaefershadanideashewantedtotry.Butlikesomanygoodideas,life’simmedi-ateneedsshovedhersasideassheandhusband,Bob,andtheirtwosonsstruggledtomaketheirfarmintheLollieBottomsalongtheArkansasRiverwork.

Soybeans,wheat,hay,corn,andbeefcattlekeptthemallbusy.ButPatnevergaveuponheridea–acornmaze.

Insteadofplowingallofthecornunderandbuildingabaseballfield,alathemovieFieldofDreams,shewantedtocutpathsthroughthecornandchargepeoplemoneytotryandfindtheirwayout;almostaswildanidea.Re-gardless,thesamepremiseoffaithwasatplay.

“Ifyoubuildit,theywillcome.”

“Theeconomywassobadbackthen—itstillis—andwehadtwosonsfarmingwithus.It’stoughtokeepthreefamiliesfarmingfulltimeonathousandacres,”Patsays.“Ifinallyconvincedthemtodothis.”

She’dseenpicturesandreadarticlesaboutmazesinfarmingmagazinesandthoughtitmightworkinaplaceclosetopopulationcenterslikeConwayandLittleRock.

“Westartedoffin2005notknowingwhatweweredo-ing,andjustlearnedaswewent,”Patsays.

ShescouredWebsitesandreadasmuchasshecouldaboutthefamiliesaroundthecountrywhoweresuccess-fullyrunningcornmazes.Themazeisinitsfourthyear,andthegroundit’sonisamoneymaker.Everyoneinthefamilyhelps.Grandchildren,nephews,niecesandin-laws.Eachyear,theSchaefersimprovethemazeareawithnewactivitiesforvisitors;aplayground,tractor-pulledcart,hayridesandconcessions.Theiroldestsonanddaughter-in-lawrunayou-pickpumpkinpatchbusinessnextdoor.

Now,Patisaleaderinthefieldandisworkingwithanagri-tourismcommitteefundedbyaRockefellerInstitutegrantlookingtocreatemoreagri-tourismopportunitiesinArkansas.

PatSchaefersbelievedinheridea.Shebuiltitandtheycame.Andshe’sworkinghardtomakesuretheykeepcomingforyearstocome.

if you build it, they will come

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Goodscienceiscriticaltomakingdefensibleagriculturalmanagementandpolicydecisionsthatprotectthefarmingcommunityandtheenvironment.Withoutscience,weareblind,

naiveandsometimesaliabilitytounintendedconse-quencesofourdecisions.

Dr.AndrewSharpleyisaprofessorofsoilandenvi-ronmentalsciencesattheUniversityofArkansas.Heisdevelopingresearchanddemonstrationprogramsthatwillhelpfarmersoperateinacosteffectiveandenviron-mentallysoundmanner.

SharpleyispresentlydevelopingtheDiscoveryFarmPrograminArkansas.ADiscoveryFarmisanactualwork-ingfarm.ResearchersandtheExtensionServicepartnerwithfarmersandlandownerstodeterminetheeffective-nessofconservationpracticesdesignedtoreducenutrientandsedimentrunoffonthefarms.

Initially,fourDiscoveryFarmsareplannedforArkan-sas.Thegoalistoexpandto10–12.Thefarmswillbelocatedthroughoutthestatetoaddressproduction,waterquality,waterconservation,andeconomicissuesthatarepartofArkansas’diverseagriculturesystems.

“Theideaistoseewhichon-farmconservationpractic-esaremosteffective,”Sharpleysays.“Rightnow,farmsinnutrientsurplusareasarerequiredtohavenutrient

managementplans,butfarmersneedmoreinformationonhoweffectivetheseconservationpracticesareintherealworld.”

SharpleysaystheDiscoveryFarmswillhelpanswerthesequestionsinascientificallydefensibleway.

“Armedwiththisinformationandknowingwhereandwhichconservationpracticesdecreasenutrientandsedimentrunoff,farmerswillbeabletodocumenttheirroleinprotectingtheenvironment,”Sharpleyexplains.

Sharpleyisalsoinvolvedwithanothernewprogram.ItisthedevelopmentoftheWatershedResearchandEduca-tionCenter.ThefledglingCenterispartoftheUniversityofArkansas’DivisionofAgricultureinFayetteville.

Waterqualitymonitoringonthesiteisalreadyunder-way.Streamcorridorrestorationisalsounderwaytoshowwhatdifferenttypesofriparianbuffersareeffective.Plansalsocallforaneducationbuildingaspartofthe250-acresite.

SharpleysaystheresearchwillallowfarmerstotakeadvantageofthelessonslearnedattheCenter,aswellastheDiscoveryFarms.Thiswillhelpthemdocumentthebenefitsoftheirconservationpracticesonwaterqualityandshowcaseandpromotetheirenvironmentalsteward-shiptothenon-farmingcommunity.

the science of stewardship

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“Honeymooners”TVshowcomedianandHollywoodstarJackieGleason’ssignaturelinewas“Howsweetitis.”Intheyouthslangoftoday,ifsomethingisreallygood,

kidssayit’s“sweet.”Nomatterwhatgenerationyou’refrom,“sweet”isthekeywordtodescribeMatthewsRid-geviewFarmsinWynne.

TerrisandKimMatthewsarelivingthesweetlifefarm-ing800acresofsweetpotatoesinCrossCounty.The2008CrossCountyFarmFamilyoftheYear,theiropera-tionisthelargestsweetpotatofarminthestate.Theeffortisallaboutgoodol’Americanhardworkandthecouple’ssavvyapproachtomarketing.

Beforethecouplemet,KimworkedforWal-Mart.Herworkinvolvedbuyingproductsforseveraloftheretailgiant’sstoresinTennessee.(That’showshemetTerris.)Theexperiencegavehergreatinsightonhowbigcompa-nieschooseproductsandtheproducerstheybuyfrom.

ThatknowledgeledtotheMatthews’decidingtogetthesweetpotatosideoftheirfarmingoperationGLO-BALGAPcertified.(GAPstandsforGoodAgriculturalPractices.)Thefoodsafetyefforttookaboutayearanda$100,000investmenttoensuregoodagriculturalandsafehandlingpracticesonthefarmandits150,000-square-footheadquartersandprocessingplantinWynne.

ThecertificationallowsMatthewsRidgeviewFarmstosellitssweetpotatoesinternationally.

“It’sopenedupawholenewgroupofcustomersforus,”Kimsays.“Theyneverwouldhaveconsidereduswithoutthiscertification.”

GLOBALGAPisathird-partyprivatebodythatsetsvoluntarystandardsforthecertificationofagriculturalproductsworldwide.Itcoverseverythingfromseedtofinishedproductandincludesannualinspectionsonceafarm’sproductiscertified.Thestandardreassurescon-sumersaboutthefood’son-farmproductionconcerningenvironmentalimpacts,reduceduseofchemicals,animalwelfare,andensuringworkerhealthandsafety.

“Thistypeofcertificationisessentialwhentryingtoattractmajorbuyers.Theywon’tdobusinesswithyouunlessyouhaveit.”Terrissays.“It’scriticaltoexpandingourmarketandthefarm’sbusiness.”

Terris,39,isafourth-generationfarmerwhostruckoutonhisownfromthefamily’sMatthewsBrothersFarmin2006.Likemostsuccessfulfarmstoday,diversificationiscriticaltothefarm’ssuccess.Thefarmalsogrowswheatandsoybeans.However,KimtookthatdiversificationalittlefurtherwhensheopenedStonesCustomCreationsatthefarm’sheadquarters.Thestorefeatureshercustomjewelryandwomen’saccessories.

That’llprobablybeasweetheartdealforTerrisandKim’sdaughters,Jaylie,7,andTaycie,5,whentheyreachdatingageandneedafewwardrobeaccessories.Dad,Ter-ris,though,isn’tcommentingonitjustyet.

how sweet it is!

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steve eddington

p r o f i l e s b y

gregg patterson

p r o f i l e p h o t o g r a p h y b y

james groves

s c e n i c p h o t o g r a p h y b y

david dodson

l a y o u t / d e s i g n b y

chr is wi l son

front row (fromleft) JoeChristian,Jonesboro; SusanAnglin,Bentonville;EwellWelch,ExecutiveVicePresident,NorthLittleRock;StanleyReed,President,Marianna;RandyVeach,VicePresident,Manila;JohnAndrews,Secretary/Treasurer,WalnutRidge;DeneldaMichaelis,Goodwin.

middle row TroyBuck,Alpine;LeoSutterfield,MountainView;TomJones,Pottsville;DennisRitchie,Nashville;ToddAllen,WestMemphis;JeremyAllen,Bismarck;BryanSwinney,Rison;JohnnyLoftin,ElDorado.

back rowRichardArmstrong,Ozark;RichHillman,Carlisle;TerryDabbs,Stuttgart;RustySmith,DesArc; AllenStewart,Mena;BillySharp,WarEagle.

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1 0 7 2 0 k a n i s r o a dl i t t l e r o c k , a r 72211w w w . a r f b . c o m