Sequicentennial Celebration: Hopkins Co. agriculture in the spotlight

By LYNN MONTGOMERY | East Texas Edition

Jim Russell's Hay and Sprig Farm was just one of the stops along the recent Hopkins County Ag Tour. Russell explained his production routines, and showed the crowd various pieces of equipment. -- Staff photo by Cope

July 20, 2004 -- "Agriculture production is, and I would imagine will continue to be, the largest economically-impacted industry in Hopkins County," said Larry Spradlin, Hopkins County Extension agent, following the July 10 tour of some of the county's top agricultural sites.

"The Texas Department of Agriculture sends ag-dollar statistics to my office periodically and Hopkins County is also one of the leading agriculture counties in the state, with dollars coming from the beef, dairy, equine, timber, produce, landscaping, wildlife, and a host of other areas that add to our agricultural base here," Spradlin continued.

The Hopkins County Ag Tour was part of the county's Sesquicentennial celebration.

The agricultural scene has changed during the last 150 years, with declines in some entities, and increases in others.

To showcase some of those entities, the tour group traveled from Mary Bonham's Rafter L Ranch where champion race horses are trained, to Jim Russell's hay and sprig production farm, to the Van Der Jact dairy.

Tour-goers were treated to breakfast at the first stop - Rafter L Ranch. Then, demonstrations of the care and conditioning of their championship race horses, and the process of preparing them for the racetrack, were given.

The ranch was also the site for the tour's conclusion, and lunch. As a special event for the sesquicentennial celebration, a staged "Memorial Horse Race" was conducted.

"Seeing the horses come out of the gates and running the track, that's always exciting," pointed out Jimmy Wayne Winfrey, who has been involved with agribusiness in Hopkins County for the past 40 years, and was one of the ag tour organizers.

"Mrs. Bonham has developed state-of-the-art race horse training stables and consistently enters her winning steeds at racetracks across the nation," he said.

Several years ago, Hopkins County agribusiness leaders and horse owners joined forces to promote the county as the next "Horse Capital" region. With their efforts, the number of horse farms in the county has grown, and many cite the sandy soil, good climate, and close location to a major interstate which connects Sulphur Springs to racetracks such as Hot Springs, Ark., Louisiana Downs, and Grand Prairie's Lone Star race track, and to major performance coliseums in Fort Worth, San Antonio, etc.

Tour-goers also visited one of the county's largest hay and sprig operations. Jim Russell, owner, said he operates under the motto: "We do the best we can ... and let people know we care."

Russell and his wife Carolyn received the Hopkins County Agriculturalist of the Year Award, given by the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce, in 2003.

Russell's biggest seller is Tipton 85 - which he bales for hay, and sells as sprigs.

Tipton 85 is proven for high protein content and good digestibility. Russell pointed out statistics which show stocker cattle will gain 70 percent more on Tipton 85 than grazing coastal forage.

He also said the 85 grows about three inches a day in the spring.

On about 350 acres, Russell produces 100 square bales of hay per acre, per cutting. Most years, the forage is cut three times for hay, but this year, with plenty of rainfall, Russell said he expects to get as many as six cuttings.

The producer said they used to farm 700 acres, "but we never got a day off."

Besides baling the Tipton 85, Russell also digs up the plant and sells the sprigs. He noted his customers are pleased that he uses a "stomper" to get in the trailer being loaded with sprigs so that a true trailer-load is sold.

Like other farmers, Russell has faced increased costs this year in the areas of fuel, fertilizer, and steel.

This year, with increased fuel costs, fertilizer costs jumped from about $125 a ton to $250 a ton. Increased steel prices have boosted the cost for the wire that binds the square hay bales. Usually the wire is about 10 cents per bale, but this year, it's about 15 to 17 cents per bale, the producer pointed out.

"It's an expensive business; but you can always sell good hay," he said.

Next, the tour group visited the Van Der Jact Dairy, where 600 cows are milked in three, eight-hour shifts. "It's around the clock," said Andre Van Der Jact, son of the farm's owner.

The Van Der Jacts came to Hopkins County about seven years ago from Holland where they had produced milk from about 30 cows, and pork from 1,000 pigs.

On their Hopkins County dairy, the Van Der Jacts grow their own forage (grass and corn) which is used in the dairy cows' rations. Each cow produces about 70 pounds of milk per day.

To run such a large operation, Andre said they employee six people for milking, a herdsman, and he and his father do the outside feeding and crop work. Sister Astrid, 18, and brother Bennie, 14, also have family farm chores on the dairy.

Andre told the tour group that all the cows are artificially inseminated; and about 30 percent of the herd is culled each year due to not breeding or foot problems. (A large portion of the nation's beef is obtained from culled dairy cattle.) Most of the current herd, and replacements, are purchased from Wisconsin and Missouri.

The milking herd is housed in freestall barns, and have access to cooling ponds.

Calves, because of their current high price, are sold at about 3 or 4 months of age, Andre shared.

One of the chief concerns on the dairy is water. Andre said they have attempted to drill more wells, but some were unsuccessful. Right now, they recycle some of the dairy barns' water to use on the crops.

In conclusion, the tour-goers were told each aspect of agriculture is significant to the growth and development of the county.

"Agriculture is a part of our community's heritage," said Winfrey.

"I am proud to serve in a county that holds such high esteem for those who produce not only food for our daily lives, but jobs for our community," added Spradlin.