The Pham Family Farm, Immigrants Making a Good Life in Mississippi

From USDA:

Posted by Judi Craddock, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Mississippi, on December 8, 2014 at 1:00 PM

Nancy and Hung Pham stand in front of one of their many fruit trees with branches so full they almost hit the ground. NRCS photo by Judi Craddock.

Just outside Hazlehurst, Mississippi, a community of 4,000 about 30 miles south of Jackson, lies a poultry farm owned by a Vietnamese farm family whose lives are an amazing story of survival and determination.

Hung and Nancy Pham are refugees who fled the former South Vietnam as teenagers in a shrimp boat during the fall of Saigon in 1975. They were rescued by the U.S. Navy and brought to America. Years after arriving in the United States, the two were reunited through family friends and soon married. Today, the Phams attribute their journey through hardships, their work ethic and positive attitude to the happiness and success they’ve enjoyed as poultry farmers.

“We spent most of our lives in the city after coming to America, but we have loved returning to a healthier, country lifestyle and taking care of the land,” Nancy said.

The Phams were living in Texas when they heard about an out-of-date 105-acre poultry farm for sale in Mississippi. Hung was already working on a poultry farm owned by a family member. After gaining some operational experience, attending poultry seminars and researching the industry, they bought the Mississippi farm in 2006.

“With the old chicken houses not up to modern standards, no compost to manage litter and so many repairs to be made, the place looked more like a junkyard than a farm and was in really bad shape,” Hung said.

A waste storage facility built last year is used to properly store poultry waste or litter. NRCS photo by Judi Craddock.

Luckily, some neighbors invited Hung to a local meeting where he heard about USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, or NRCS, as well as Farm Bill conservation programs. NRCS has played a vital role in providing technical assistance and guidance to the Phams in using and benefitting from the agency’s Environmental Quality Incentives Programs, or EQIP.

The Phams applied for and received financial assistance through EQIP and began implementing conservation practices on their farm. This included a waste storage facility, also known as a dry stack, which is used to properly store chicken waste or litter, and an animal mortality facility, which composts chicken carcasses to create organic fertilizer for pastureland and cropland.

At full capacity, the Phams can raise 200,000 chickens five times a year for a buyer, which provides the chicks, feed and medicinal requirements. The operational expenses are the Phams responsibility. Their poultry houses are built according to the buyer’s specifications. Every 58-65 days, the grown chickens are picked up, and new chicks delivered to the Phams.

With Hung being the handyman and Nancy keeping a close eye on their finances, they have turned the farm completely around, making it a successful family farm for themselves and their three children.

“The Phams are one of the best landowners and producers we have had the privilege of working with,” said Bill Russell, a supervisory district conservationist with NRCS, who helped the Phams apply for assistance. “They have readily taken every opportunity available from NRCS, plus invested so much of themselves to boost their productivity as well as become environmentally friendly.”

New, modern poultry houses on the Pham Farm. NRCS photo by Judi Craddock.

Following the Rails: USDA Tracks Agricultural Exports Across the Border

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Bruce Blanton, Director of Transportation Services Division, Agricultural Marketing Service, on April 24, 2014 at 11:45 AM

Until recently, there was no readily-available public data showing the entry points of U.S. agricultural exports to Mexico, modes of transportation, or how product were used at their final destination. Now, a USDA partnership with Texas A&M scientists provides insight into the movement of products from the U.S. to Mexico. Photo by Michael Matalis.

Driving down a rural road, admiring the expansive fields of corn and soybeans, I stopped at a rail crossing to wait for what seemed like an endless train of cars filled with grain.  My idle mind wondered, where are all those tons of grain headed, where was its final destination?  For anyone else, it may just be curiosity. But for me and those who work in my division within USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), it’s our job to answer those questions.

We understand that for stakeholders within the agricultural industry—farmers, grain mill operators, shippers and exporters—the answers are critical.  Sound business decisions require knowledge about what is happening with the transportation of agricultural products, both in the domestic and international marketplace.

The past 5 years have seen record agricultural exports, and expanding those market opportunities for American exports is vital to the continued success of our farmers, ranchers, and agricultural businesses.  Mexico is one of largest recipients of U.S. agricultural exports, including an average of 22.2 million metric tons (mmt) of U.S. grains, oilseeds, and related products per year from 2008 to 2012.  The average annual value of those exports to Mexico is $7.3 billion.  This continued trade growth has prompted interest in how these products are transported throughout Mexico.

Until recently, there was no readily-available public data showing the entry points of U.S. agricultural exports to Mexico, modes of transportation, or how product were used at their final destination.  That’s why AMS partnered with Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Transportation Institute scientists to track U.S. grain, oilseed and related product exports in Mexico. Now agricultural businesses can find a summary of the study on movements of these products in Tracking U.S. Grain, Oilseed and Related Product Exports in Mexico (Summary (.pdf) or Full Report (.pdf).

AMS has been gathering agricultural transportation data for decades.  It produces a wide array of publications that are available to everyone on its agricultural transportation website, including Study of Rural Transportation Issues that is currently being updated.  The publications include on-going research and analysis allowing researchers, growers, distributors, and exporters to determine trends, calculate projections, and make informed decisions.  Much of the data, including prices, deliveries, movements, sales, and freight rates, is available through market reports, such as the weekly Grain Transportation Report issued every Thursday.

Answering the question of how American agricultural products are transported to market is important.  AMS provides data on the four major transportation modes– trucking, railroads, barges, and ocean vessels– used to move food from farms to our tables and to ports for export.

That train did finally clear the rail crossing, and I continued on my journey—and so did all those cars full of grain.

Finding Success with Next Generation Farmers

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Ed Avalos, Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, on April 8, 2014 at 12:00 PM

Under Secretary Ed Avalos (left) listens to Carlos and Greg Chavez explain the ongoing effects of drought on farms in Texas. Greg, a next generation farmer, has worked to increase the sustainability and success of his family farm by implementing new technology and irrigation methods that decrease water consumption.

Not everyone goes to work every day knowing that they will be inspired by the people they meet—I’m very fortunate in that way.  From the federal agencies that I oversee to the farmers and ranchers I visit with, I am truly inspired by their dedication to serving the American people and their commitment to the success of rural America.  And many of the issues that they work on or face in their daily lives are the same issues that we are all concerned with—sustainability and conservation, short-term and long-term stability, and making sure our children and the next generation have paths to success.

During a recent visit to the Texas Panhandle, I stopped to have breakfast and visit with the father and son team who run the Chavez family farm.  Carlos and Greg Chavez farm 3,600 acres of corn, wheat and cotton, and run 1,200 head of cattle on winter wheat.  Greg, the son, has focused his attention on implementing new crop watering techniques, leveraging technology and conservation practices to combat the inherent dryness brought on by the strong Panhandle winds.

Working with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on this effort, Greg’s changes involve using a low nozzle-to-ground-height ratio to water his crops.  By reducing the distance the water falls, less evaporation occurs.  This means more water reaches the soil.  In an area that had single-digit inches of rainfall in both 2011 and 2012, finding more efficient ways to get better results and better crops—while using less water—is vital to the long-term success of the family farm.  As a next-generation farmer, Greg is constantly looking to new methods and new technology to boost the efficiency and sustainability of the farm.

Across USDA, our agencies and programs are also focused on projects that help support the next generation of rural Americans.  Through the Specialty Crop Block Grants (SCBG) program administered by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), we are helping encourage young and new farmers to apply technology and expand the variety of crops grown.  One SCBG project in Nebraska offered students hands-on classes and workshops that focused on growing and selling fruits and vegetables instead of traditional cash crops.  The coursework included business and marketing plans, and resulted in at least 50% of the students planning to pursue further education in agriculture.

Another project—this time in Pennsylvania—supports a partnership between the state Department of Agriculture and AgChoice Farm Credit to help increase the chances of long-term success for young (below age 35) and beginning farmers (those with less than 10 years of experience). Over the next couple of years, they will offer these next-generation farmers scholarships to participate in the AgBiz Masters course. The course is a two-year learning process designed to provide sound business concepts and financial management skills for agricultural businesses. By creating business-aware, fiscally-minded farmers and ranchers, Pennsylvania hopes to increase the number of new farms and cost-savings for existing farms.

These are just a few examples of how I am inspired by all of the hard-working people who are helping ensure the future of American agriculture. At USDA, we will continue to support next generation farmers like Greg Chavez as they look to make their farms and businesses more sustainable.  And we will continue to work with states and communities across the country to support the next generation of American farmers and ranchers.

USDA-Funded Researchers Map the Loblolly Pine Genome

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Scott Elliott, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, on April 4, 2014 at 1:00 PM

During the month of April we will take a closer look at USDA’s Groundbreaking Research for a Revitalized Rural America, highlighting ways USDA researchers are improving the lives of Americans in ways you might never imagine, including research into trees that could fuel new energy solutions.

A team of researchers led by the University of California–Davis has mapped the complete genome of the loblolly pine. And if you don’t think that understanding the genetic makeup of loblolly pine is a big deal, perhaps you cannot see the forest for the trees.

Loblolly pine, the most commercially important tree in the United States, is the source of most paper products in this country and 58 percent of timber. On the surface, that might be reason enough for the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to invest $14.6 million in 2011 toward science that could increase the productivity and health of American forests.

Loblolly pine also looms large on the horizon as a feedstock for the next generation of American biofuel.  President Obama’s goal of reducing the United States’ dependency on foreign oil by 30 percent by the year 2030 will be met, in large part, by producing home-grown biofuel. According to Genome Biology, approximately 75 percent of that biofuel will have to come from non-grain, non-food sources called lignocellulosic biomass – and loblolly pine could be a major contributor to filling that need.

Mapping the loblolly genome, then, became an important part of the plan in terms of improving the health and sustainability of this important plant. But, mapping a genome is no easy task, and the loblolly pine proved to be the greatest challenge to date for this type of research. The loblolly genome is the largest ever sequenced and is about seven times larger than the human genome.

To sequence a genome, scientists must first examine the DNA of their subject and then “map” the location of each nucleotide (the “A, C, T, and G” bases) of the entire DNA chain. Scientists use this information to find the best traits, such as disease resistance, and develop better future generations.

The challenge of overcoming the sheer volume of loblolly data is a triumph of its own for the research team.  According to David Neal, team leader and professor of plant sciences at UC–Davis, the team could “read” the nucleotide letters, but only in short batches. The problem was putting together the 16 billion fragments in a way that would allow them to read the complete story of the loblolly pine.

Researchers met this task by employing a new technique developed at the University of Maryland.  Team members overlapped smaller sections of data to form larger chunks and then threw away the redundant information. The process eventually meant the computer had 100 times less sequence data to deal with. The success of this process may help speed up future genome-mapping projects.

The loblolly project team consisted of UC–Davis, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland, Indiana University–Bloomington, Texas A&M University, Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, and Washington State University.

Their complete articles of this research were published in the March 2014 issues of GENETICS and Genome Biology.

The Women of Agriculture: Paving the Path for a New Tomorrow

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by USDA Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden, on March 28, 2014 at 4:00 PM

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden looks over olive blooms with Sandy Oaks Olive Orchard owner Sandy Winokur in Elemendorf, TX on Friday, Feb. 28, 2014. USDA photo by Melissa Blair.

During this year’s State of the Union address, President Obama laid out an important call to action for our country:

“This year let’s all come together, Congress, the White House, businesses from Wall Street to Main Street, to give every woman the opportunity she deserves, because I believe when women succeed, America succeeds.”

As Women’s History Month comes to a close, I would like to call attention to the remarkable work of women of agriculture. Not only are women the heart of many family farming operations across the country, women are starting and growing their own agricultural businesses– creating opportunity and economic growth for their families and in their local communities.

I have had the privilege of meeting many of these women.  Just last month, while in Texas, I met Sandy Winokur.  Sandy is a Ph.D., an artist, a farmer and a businesswoman.  Sandy decided to leave a career in the arts to move back to Texas and start an olive orchard, inspired by her time in the Mediterranean.  Today, Sandy’s orchard is home to thousands of olive trees, and her business sells everything from olive almond brittle to lip balm.

Pam Schreiber on her farm. USDA partnered with Pam as she received her organic certification.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Pam Schreiber, owner of Eight Mile Creek Farm, while traveling in New York.  In 2005, Pam set out to build her own diversified agricultural business, all while raising her three children.  She had no previous background in farming, but it was her deep connection to the land that inspired her to get started. She now produces more than 30 different kinds of fruits and vegetables, certified organic grass-fed beef, organic pork, organic heritage chicken, and cage-free organic eggs.

This month, I met with a new farmer from Georgia, Casey Cox.  Casey grew up in my hometown of Camilla, Ga., and returned home after college to work for the Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District.  She’s also working on her family farm – learning the ropes in her family’s vegetable, grain, peanut, and timber operation.  Casey’s passion is not just cultivating crops but also enhancing the process of agriculture by innovating in the field.

USDA continues to partner with these women to help them get started and grow their businesses. Women’s History Month is a great time to shine light on the hard work women in agriculture do each and every day. Agriculture is an incredibly rewarding career path and I hope these stories will inspire more women to enter into the field of agriculture in the future.

Casey Cox on her family farm. USDA partnered with Casey’s farm through the EQIP and AWEP programs, which (among other things) helps farmers optimize water use through emerging technologies.

Hunters with Disabilities Enjoy Annual Hunt on National Forests in East Texas

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Ernie Murray, U.S. Forest Service, Texas, on March 27, 2014 at 3:00 PM

U.S. Forest Service employees Michael Sowell (right) and Lanton Chumley plan where to locate hunter blinds. The goal is to ensure sites are accessible to accommodate hunters with varying disabilities. (U.S. Forest Service/Mandy Chumley)

For some people with physical limitations, being able to participate in hunting season is a distant memory. But thanks to the Angelina and Sabine national forests employees and retired agency volunteers in East Texas, a group of local hunters have an opportunity to create new memories each December as part of an annual two-day hunt.

“For the past five years, we’ve enjoyed being a part of the Angelina Wheelin’ Sportsman hunt for deer and hogs,” said Jason Engle, a district wildlife biologist for the Angelina National Forest who leads the event planning efforts for the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas. “We want to ensure these eager hunters enjoy a great hunting experience, and we’re here to help them enjoy their national forests.”

The hunt is on more than 7,000 acres of land including portions of the Angelina, the Stephen F. Austin Experimental Forest, Texas Parks & Wildlife Alazan Wilderness Management Area, and private land owned by Simon Winston.

“We carefully plan where to position each hunter blind,” Engle added. “It’s more complicated when dealing with hunters who have varying disabilities so we’re trying to make sure the sites will be accessible for each hunter.”

Hunter Emily Penn beamed as she posed with her nine-point buck for a photo. Penn, who uses a walker, was carried to the deer blind on her brother’s back.

“Not only was I the only girl hunter who shot a buck, but I had the pleasure to meet so many wonderful people with physical disabilities who loved hunting and the outdoors at this event,” she said. “The volunteers were all gracious with their time and expertise. They were always ready to help me. What an incredible experience I had … I will be back next year!”

Penn and 23 other hunters participated in the event, which included instruction, transportation and plenty of food during breaks for meals. There were three opportunities for hunts, a wild game dinner and a lunch. For the program, now in its fifth year, enthusiastic supporters and many local businesses partner with the Forest Service by donating food, door prizes and other items.

National Forests and Grasslands in Texas hosts the event in partnership with the Pineywoods, Gulf Coast and April AWOL chapters of the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Texas Parks and Wildlife.