Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study

“Working with family makes what you do worthwhile, as you teach kids responsibility and the importance of life.” – John Devos, Fox Dairy

We love getting to see what working on the family farm means to each and every individual. Whether you are new to the family farming industry, or a seasoned professional, you can be a part of the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study.

The Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study is an extensive, in-depth, multi-year exploration of farm family life, the characteristics of farm families, and the relationship between living and growing up in a farm family and youth development, well-being, and outcomes.

To learn more: https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, there's no better time to recognize family farm-raised turkeys than now!

Howard Kauffman Turkey Farms, or Ho-Ka Turkeys, is one of the last remaining independent, family owned and operated turkey farms with its own dressing plant in the country. For over 80 years, the family farm has provided fresh dressed turkeys for families all across the United States.

The Kauffman family raises approximately 70,000 turkeys on their farm in Waterman, IL each year. Most birds are sold fresh just before Thanksgiving. . .

The Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study is an extensive, in-depth, multi-year exploration of farm family life, the characteristics of farm families, and the relationship between living and growing up in a farm family and youth development, well-being, and outcomes.

To learn more about the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study, visit us: https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/

To participate in the study: https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wSSgQz2wLXDy1T

Survey participation enters you to win 1 or 2 Tractor Supply gift cards.

For the Matthis family, farming is a family affair. Everyone has a part to play, and they work together to get things done. When it comes to farming, family is their favorite part about it.

Scott and Melanie Matthis, and their two boys, Chasen (18) and Colbey (15), grow hogs, cattle, turkeys and hay on their family's farm.

In 1990, the couple built two hog houses. Later, they would grow their farm to a total of 6 hog houses, 110 Simmental cattle, and lease a turkey farm. Melanie manages the turkeys while the boys do the cattle, hogs, and hay.

"I've learned responsibility," said Colbey and Chasen added that "I've developed a strong work ethic thanks to living on a farm."

(Source: NCFF)

To learn more about the Mississippi Farm Families and Youth Study, visit us: https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/

To participate in the study: https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wSSgQz2wLXDy1T

“I’m all about family and time with my husband and the boys,” says Celeste Senn of Southern Brothers Farm. “Farming allows me to do that. It takes all five of us throughout the flock to make it work.”

The Senns’ daily to-do list includes checking chickens, monitoring feed and water, and observing fuel usage. During summer, when preparing for a new flock, Ian, 14, Addison, 11, and Titus, 8, are called to action. . .

The Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study is an extensive, in-depth, multi-year exploration of farm family life, the characteristics of farm families, and the relationship between living and growing up in a farm family and youth development, well-being, and outcomes.

To learn more about the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study, visit us at https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/.

To participate in the study directly: https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wSSgQz2wLXDy1T

The Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study is an extensive, in-depth, multi-year exploration of farm family life, the characteristics of farm families, and the relationship between living and growing up in a farm family and youth development, well-being, and outcomes.

Participants in the study must be married, have 1+ child in middle or high school, and generate some income from farming. To learn more about the study, visit https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/

To participate in the survey directly: https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wSSgQz2wLXDy1T

Johnson Livestock is a Century Farm, owned and operated by David and Anne Johnson and their son and his family, Andrew and Laurie, Brielle, Maya, Desta, and Indy. JL has grown from the original 160 acres to over 8000 acres of hay and pasture land, and 900 mother cows.

According to Laurie Johnson, “People relate to you when you have the personal touch,” pointing to the fact that all four of the daughters are part of the operation and that Johnson Livestock is focused on being a family business. “This is our family, this is our lifestyle, and this is why we do what we do."

Their large land base allows the Johnsons to grow all of their own feed, which includes corn, alfalfa and barley silage, as well as grain and hay. On any given day, 17-year-old Brielle can be found baling or putting up silage, 14-year-old Maya might be bottle feeding an orphaned calf, and 12-year-old Desta could be administering dewormer or halter breaking the girls’ 4-H calves.

(Source: Johnson Livestock, Grain News)

To learn more about the Mississippi Farm Families and Youth Study, visit us at https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/

To participate in the study: https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wSSgQz2wLXDy1T

Celina Young, a junior in Readlyn, Iowa, says that once she started helping with dairy cow production, her passion for agriculture intensified. She actively milks cows and assists with calf chores. Since working on the farm, she says, "It's made me want to work on a farm and have one of my own in the future."

(Source: Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)

If your family actively farms and is interested in participating in the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study, visit us at https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/

To directly participate in the study's survey: https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wSSgQz2wLXDy1T

Survey participants do not have to be living in Mississippi, but must be married, have 1+ kid in middle/high school, and generate some portion of their income from farming. Survey participation enters you to win 1 or 2 Tractor Supply gift cards.

The Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study is an extensive, in-depth, multi-year exploration of farm family life, the characteristics of farm families, and the relationship between living and growing up in a farm family and youth development, well-being, and outcomes.

Read more about Rebecca Bearden's story of growing up on a farm at https://www.farmprogress.com/growing-farm-shaped-life-personality

To learn more about the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study: https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/
Direct link to the study's survey: https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wSSgQz2wLXDy1T

Located in Franklin County, Alabama, Gannon and Kristin Nunley began their family farming operation in 2012. The working farm boasts six poultry houses - producing more than 100,000 chicks every 60 days - as well as cattle. Their kids, Cooper and Adalie, also take every opportunity to get in on the family business. "Cooper is my equipment man - anything that involves motorized equipment, he's all about it. He can run just about any of it," Gannon says.

(source: Franklin County Times)

To learn more about the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study, visit up at https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/
To participate in the survey directly: https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wSSgQz2wLXDy1T

Like many other teens across the globe, 15-year-old Reegan Charlton got to spend more time at home this year than in most years. When her school got put online due to the pandemic, Charlton and her four sisters got the opportunity to spend their time away from the classroom doing more work on their family's farm. The family farm, known locally as Elm Bend Farms, has 400 acres of corn, soybean, wheat, and hay, as well as 50 milking cows and other various livestock.

To learn more about Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study, visit us: https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/
To participate in the study: https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wSSgQz2wLXDy1T

(source: The Brantford Expositor)

Farm Family Friday with the Jones Family!

Located in Slayden, Mississippi, Jones Greenhouse, originally known as Oak Hill Nursery, began as a small family-run operation in 1965 and has since grown into a much larger, though still very much family-run business, with 40 greenhouses and five acres of blackberries in production. They serve close to 70 landscapers and garden centers within a 75-mile radius, including Memphis, TN, Corinth, MS, and Tupelo, MS. This wholesale business comprises over 95% of their business; the remaining

Despite her young age, Blake Bickham planted her very own crop for the first time this spring. It wasn't on just any field, it was the same 300 acres where her dad began farming in the 1980s. While she may have started driving a grain buggy at age 10, and worked every harvest since, she's now learning the full take on farming from the ground up.

Aside from managing her own operation now, she is also able to still work under her parents' business.

(source: Texas Farm Credit)

To learn more about the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study: https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/
To participate in the study's survey: https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wSSgQz2wLXDy1T

Jo Lawrence has swapped travel and nightlife for getting up at dawn - to help run her family's farm. At 19, she helps run the 200-acre sheep, beef, and crop business with the help of her parents and brother.

The land, which has been in the family for four generations, supports 580 Texel Cross Mule ewes, plus this year's flock of 980 lambs. There are also 12 pedigree Beef Shorthorn cows, young stock of the same breed, and Angus Cross dairy-bred calves reared on milk powder.

On top of tending to all the animals, Jo helps in the farm's wheat and oat production - seven days a week, 365 days a year.

For more on the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study: https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/
To participate in the study's survey*: https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wSSgQz2wLXDy1T

*Participants do not have to be from Mississippi to participate. Survey participation enters you to win 1 of 2 Tractor Supply gift cards

With fall in full swing, and Halloween just around the corner, we encourage you to go out and support your local family farms! Horticulture crops, including the fall staple of pumpkins, are a $106 million industry in Mississippi!

The Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study is an extensive, in-depth, multi-year exploration of farm family life, the characteristics of farm families, and the relationship between living and growing up in a farm family and youth development, well-being, and outcomes.

To learn more, visit us at https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/
If you are a part of a farm family, participate in our survey! (https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wSSgQz2wLXDy1T)

The Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study is continuing to look for survey participants! If you are interested in participating, visit the link below! As a reminder, the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study is an extensive, in-depth, multi-year exploration of farm family life, the characteristics of farm families, and the relationship between living and growing up in a farm family and youth development, well-being, and outcomes. Survey participation enters you to win 1 of 2 Tractor Supply gift cards! Feel free to comment or message any questions.

To learn more: https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/
To participate: https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wSSgQz2wLXDy1T

Located deep in the piney woods of southeast Mississippi, Mitchell Farms embraces approximately 1,500 acres near the Leaf River.
The family's farm was started by Dennis and Nelda Mitchell in 1960. Mitchell Farms has grown row-crops since the beginning, got into peanuts in the 70s, began vegetables in the 80s, and got into Agritourism in 2006.

Currently, they farm corn, wheat, soybeans, peanuts, & pine plantations. They also sell green and dry peanuts in the fall, and pumpkins in September and October. Today, the farm is owned and operated by Dennis and Nelda Spell Mitchell, their son Don Mitchell, his wife Jo Lynn Mitchell, and their children.

To learn more about the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study: https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/

To participate in the study's survey: https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wSSgQz2wLXDy1T

We would like to celebrate National Forest Products week by introducing the Stoner Family of Stoner Family Tree Farm! While this family is located in Vermont, Mississippi is also a key player in forest products production! Mississippi’s forest products industry consists of four major sectors:

1. Solid Wood Products which includes pine and hardwood lumber, plywood, poles, oriented strand board, and other “composite” forest products
2. Pulp and Paper which includes fine writing papers, “liner-board” used for cardboard boxes, tissue and absorbent papers, and market pulp
3. Wood furniture and related products which consists mostly of upholstered wood furniture such as couches, love seats, and recliners
4. Timber harvesting which includes the harvesting and transportation sector.

The total industry output of Mississippi's forest products industry generates an economic impact of nearly $17.4 billion annually and accounts for $7.1 billion annually in value added economic impact for the state.

(Source: American Tree Farm System & MSU Extension Service)

To learn more about the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study, and to participate, visit us: https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/

Pictured is the Broach family of Vandervoot, Arkansas. Richard and Jennifer Broach began farming over 20 years ago, at the time on 20 acres, which they used for hay fields. Today, with their three sons, Tyler, Trevon, and Tayden, the family produces on 465+ acres. Their farm consists of six chicken houses, 85 head of cattle, and hay. With more than 700,000 birds raised per year, the sale of poultry litter is important to their operation as it helps remove the 1,080 tons produced annually off the farm.

(source: TasteArkansas.com)

To learn more about the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study, visit us at https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/.
To visit the survey directly: https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wSSgQz2wLXDy1T

One rural Ohio family's commitment to sustainable farming has overflowed into a family business offering artisan goat milk soap. The Flour Child, owned by Matt and Becky Giesler, sells its soaps online and locally.

The Gieslers care for their goat herd and operate their 40-acre farm with the help of their children, 15-year-old Dylan, 13-year-old Nate and 11-year-old Gabrielle. The farm’s many French and American Alpine goats provide the family with milk for drinking and for the cheese, yogurt and ice cream that Becky makes on a regular basis. The milk also is used to produce soap for her family’s needs and for sale.

According to the family, the children have enjoyed growing up on a working farm where they have learned about crop production, responsible animal care, and sustainable farming.

Interested in learning more about the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study? Visit us at https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/
OR take the survey directly at https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wSSgQz2wLXDy1T

(source: Fremont News Messenger)

Happy Monday!
If you're new to hearing about us, check us out at https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/!

Interested in participating? Take the survey at https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wSSgQz2wLXDy1T. Survey participants have the chance of winning 1 of 2 Tractor Supply gift cards!

Farm Family Friday!
Featured here is the McKnight Family, owners and operators of Twin Ridge Farms in Cleveland, MS.

Are you a part of a farm family? If the answer is yes, participate in the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study today!

Survey: https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wSSgQz2wLXDy1T
More Info: https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/

Did you know that Mississippi agriculture, representing $7.72 billion, is the top industry in the state? It directly and indirectly employs approximately 29% of the workforce. More than 34,000 farms cover approximately 10.4 million acres of farmland, plus Mississippi boasts 19.7 million acres of forestland, 14,000 miles of streams, and 640,000 acres of ponds and lakes.

(Source: MS Dept. of Agriculture and Commerce)

Interested in learning more about the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study? Visit us at https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/

Link to survey: https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wSSgQz2wLXDy1T



photo credit: TheFencePost.com

How's fall harvest looking at your family's farm? We'd Love to hear about it!

If you are interested in learning more about the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study, visit us at https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/!
To participate in the survey directly: https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wSSgQz2wLXDy1T

Meet Katelyn Shoemake, one of Mississippi's few Native Americans showing livestock. The Choctaw Central High School senior credits her experience as a 4-H member since the age of 8, and her family’s involvement in agriculture, for her interest in livestock. After finishing high school, Shoemake plans to go to college, with the goal of pursuing a law degree and practicing agricultural law.

According to Katelyn, her mom talked her into a career in agriculture. "My ancestors in my tribe were also in agriculture, so it’s my way of giving back to them," she said.

Her family is one of few in the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians active in agriculture, raising horses and cattle.

(source: MSU Extension Service)

Interested in participating in the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study? Visit us at https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/ to learn more!

"What's it like to live on a farm?"

According to Jenna Howlett of Bridport, VT, "It’s a lot of fun. I get to work with family, learn responsibility, and time-management. I also get to meet new people through 4-H.” Jenna, who is 17, was raised the youngest of five girls on Champlainside Farm in Bridport, Vermont where her great-grandfather settled more than 70 years ago. When each of the girls turned eight years old, she’d get a calf to care for and could keep any heifers that cow went on to have, and so on. They were all taught how to drive a skid steer by around age eight.

“You can’t ask for a better thing than to raise kids on the farm,” says her dad, Tim. “Farming offers an opportunity to apply effort and learning comes whether you succeed or fail.”

(source: cabotcheese.coop)

To learn more about Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study: https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/

To participate in the study's survey: https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wSSgQz2wLXDy1T

*participants do not have to be in/from Mississippi to participate in the study
*survey participation enters you to win 1 of 2 Tractor Supply gift cards

To learn more about the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study, and to participate in the survey, visit us at https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/!

Direct link to survey: https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wSSgQz2wLXDy1T

Survey participation enters you to win 1 of 2 Tractor Supply gift cards!

Thirteen years ago, Michael and Carrie Higby decided to quit their day jobs and start operating a dairy farm in the town of Leyden, NY. Both had been raised on dairy farms, but neither stayed in their respective family businesses. Instead, Mr. Higby worked as a mason and Mrs. Higby provided childcare while they raised their two sons, Christopher and Andrew. After the birth of their youngest child the couple started talking about returning to their farming roots.

“We wanted to teach our boys something,” Mr. Higby said.

Now, the family farm owns over 100 milking cows and 120 young stock.

(source: nnybizmag.com)

Interested in learning more about, or wanting to participate in, the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study? Visit us at https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/

Farm Family Fact!
Not all family farms stretch back four or five generations. According to the USD, 18% of family farms in the U.S. have started within the last 10 years!

To learn more about the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study, and to participate, visit us at https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/

Ben Carlson, 18, of Iowa is an active helper on his family's farm. He helps with all aspects of crop production, livestock feeding and maintenance, and vaccinations. In the field, he helps plant, field cultivate, apply anhydrous, combining, hauling grain, driving the grain cart, and more. “It’s good work ethic,” says Ben's father, Jim Carlson. “It has taught him some of the responsibilities of taking care of the livestock and some of what it takes to grow a crop and work on the farm.”

(source: messengernews.net)

To learn more about the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study, and to participate, visit us at https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/

High school student, Janessa Ackerman, is pictured here driving a grain cart in her family's soybean field. In the fall, she spends her time helping her parents, Joy and Kevin, with harvest at their family farm in North Dakota. According to Janessa, “It’s always been a part of me and something that I’ve wanted to be involved in.”

(source: HillsboroBanner.com)

To learn more about the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study, and to participate, visit us at: https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/

Ashton Sowers was young when she realized that farming was in her blood. She says she loved being around the animals and being in a farm family taught her the ethics of hard work. Currently, it is Ashton's job to make sure the chickens are fed and watered, that their bedding is OK, and basically “make sure they are comfortable.” Her family — including “Pappy” Cloyce Sowers, her father Alex Sowers, and her brother Cloyce Sowers — run and manage their 200 acres, as well as renting another 600-700 acres on which they raise cows, calves, and 250,000 chickens.

(source: LancasterFarming.com)

To learn more about the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study, and to participate, visit us: https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/

To learn more about the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study:
https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/

To participate in the study's survey: https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wSSgQz2wLXDy1T

Survey participation enters you to win 1 of 2 Tractor Supply gift cards!

Reyer Farms of Lena, MS
Owned and Operated by the Reyer Family

"Reyer Farms is a family farm that strives to exceed every expectation you have for beef. They raise grass fed heritage beef as well as specialty produce for the local fresh market. Their beef is custom cut and dry aged for quality and a consistently satisfying flavor. Uniquely, Reyer Farms raises beef exclusively from Pineywoods cattle, a Spanish Criollo breed brought to the Americas in the 1500’s. Shaped by the natural environment of the Deep South, these cattle thrive in the hot and humid weather to yield a remarkable beef experience."

To learn more about the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study, and to participate in the survey, visit us at https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/

Survey participation enters you to win 1 of 2 Tractor Supply gift cards!

(source: https://eatyall.com/products-2/reyerfarms/, https://www.reyerfarms.com/)

Double B Farms in Randolph, MS

"Double B Farms has been a family operation for the past three generations. The Bowen family is proud to call Double B Farms home as well as our business. Each one of our family members and employees play a crucial part in our endeavors, and our dedication to what we do is exemplified in our products. Being good stewards of God's land is our passion. We strive to cultivate the best crops on the market as well as excel in our other divisions. Our goals include being of service to others through feeding the nation. We recognize that while also striving to be the best at what we do, none of our success would be possible without our loyal clients."

(source: https://www.doublebfarms.com/)

To learn more about the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study, and to participate in the survey, visit https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/

Brown Family Dairy of Oxford, MS
Owned and operated by Billy Ray and Paula Brown since 2009

"Brown Family Dairy wasn’t made overnight. It took years of hard work to get the business to where it is now. This is as real as a family business gets. From the second you set foot on the farm, you are surrounded by a sense of family togetherness."

(from HottyToddy.com)

To learn more about the Mississippi Farm Families & Youth Study, and to participate, visit https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/

Williams Family Farms - Wiggins, MS

Williams Family Farm is family owned and operated by Neal Williams and his wife, Amber. Along with their children, they strive to provide quality food products for their family and yours. Neal grew up on this farm, working cattle alongside his Dad. So, it's really no surprise that he is now farming with his own family.

Today, the farm events including dove shoots, corn mazes, and pumpkin picking. They currently grow over 30 varieties of pumpkins, sweet corn, and raise and sell meats and eggs.

To learn more about the Mississippi Farm Family & Youth Study, and to participate: https://msfarmfams.weebly.com/

Krafft Beef of Phillipsburg, KS

When appropriate, the Kraffts include their children in ranch work and chores. For Jason and Myndi, being able to share their occupation and way of life with their children is "a dream come true".

(source: kansasbeef.org)