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2011 PROGRESS & REVIEW, SUNDAY, MARCH 6,2011 Long hours passed down through generations By KRISTIN PITTS Staff Writer Hertford farmer Mi chael Moore doesn’t re ally have a set schedule. He doesn’t clock in or clock out, doesn’t spend his day In a cubicle, and certainly doesn’t worry about a boss looking over his shoulder. ’What Moore does is a little more complex than aU that. On a typical day, Moore is up by 5:30 a.m. He spends his day on his 550-acre farm, where he works un til dark. Often, most nota bly during the narrow win dow in which he’s allotted to plant cotton, he works backbreaking hours. His workday is often out of his control. Most days, the weather calls the shots. As a result, Moore can’t sgy for certain what his day might look like two weeks from now, one week from now, or even tomor row. But he wouldn’t have it any other way. “A nine-to-five job just don’t appeal to me. Even through the bad years, fid stiU rather be farming,” Moore said. .Like most area farmers. STAFF PHOTO BY BRETT A. ClARK Michael and Antoine Moore talk about life on a family farm at their farm in Hertford, Tuesday, Feb. 8. Moore knows a thing or two about tough times. Al though there are rewards, he says that there are plen ty of risks — along with plenty of stress — that go along with living off the land. Despite that, Moore says it’s more good than bad. He watched his father go through the same ups and downs, and ultimately chose the same fiath for ll/» f C t ’e 1009 Badham Rd., EDENTON fl If lacy a 482-2525 LAWN & GARDEN Mon. - Fri. 8-5 • Sat. 8-4 • Sunday 1-4 ONE STOP shop for all your lawn & garden needs. Cold Weather Veggies & Seed • Fertilizer • Seed Potatoes ► Soil Amendments • Asparagus Roots • Mulches • Fruit Trees % »( ^ • Garden Tools • Onion Sets • Horseradish Bartlett Feed for Pet & Livestock Hertford Bargain [Center Come and SAV^ 400 W. Mb St, Hertford 252-426-1272 Hours: Mon-Fri -10am-5pm SaM0am-2pni BEDROOM SETS DINING ROOM SETS ACCENT PIECES BUNK BEDS • KID'S ROOM LIVING ROOMS SOFAS • SLEEPER SOFAS RECLINERS • SECTIONALS LEATHER • WING CHAIRS & MORE! ELECTRONICS REFRIGERATORS GAS & ELECT. STOVES WASHERS / DRYERS SMALL APPLIANCES & MORE! OLD FARM TOOLS NEW TOOLS (Craftsman, etc.) LAWN MOWERS (Gas / Electric / Self-Propelled) WEED EATERS & MORE! GLASS • COLLECTIBLES DECOR PIECES CRYSTAL & MORE! fell (Is Mat Ifou Are Looking for And If Not In Die Store, MUrnTLimYNAMINOlimmUSEII! himself. “Farming has always been in my blood,” Moore said. Moore is a third-gen eration farmer. His son Antoine, who works for AgCarolina Financial during the day and works alongside Moore in his off- time, is a fourth-genera tion farmer. “I don’t mind getting my hands dirty,” Antoine said. “It’s one of those things that has been passed down from (my dad).” Both have come to learn that there is no downtime in farming. During the off season, they’re repairing equipment. When they’re not busy outside, they’re focused on the business side of things. “There’s no off season. We always have something to do on the farm,” Moore said. Antoine says that the type of skills demanded of modern day farmers has made the title itself evolve. “You have to be more of a businessman. You have to know the econom ics. You have to study the weather, the markets and everything. So it’s not just farming, you have to be a businessman,” Antoine said. Jared Harrell, a Perqui mans County livestock agent and cattle farmer, can relate. Harrell has an array of duties, and like the Moores, operates on a full schedule. He’s up by 6 a.m. at the latest to feed his cattle. From there, he goes to work for a typical workday See GENERATIONS, 23 Financial services help boost farm production By REBECCA BUNCH Chowan Herald Financial services for farmers have their roots in agencies that can be traced back to the Great Depres sion in America. Over the past 25 years, some, like the U.S. Depart ment of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Farm Bureau have continued to grow and add services for farm ers. Others, such as the US- DA’s Farm Loan program, have experienced only mi nor changes. The FSA, established in 1933, created a loan pro gram that provided credit, farm and home manage ment planning, as well as technical supervision. Within the past 25 years. the responsibilities of the FSA have been focused on five areas, according to Julie Jones, executive di rector of the Perquimans/ Chowan FSA offices. Those include farm loans as weU as commod ity, management and state operations. “FSA places special em phasis on providing loans to beginning, minority and women farmers and ranch ers,” Jones said. The farm programs in clude a direct and counter cyclical payment program based on a farm’s acreage and yield, as well as a price support program that of fers loans to farmers. The FSA also offers farmers the opportunity to participate in its conserva tion reserve program that provides farmers with an- f/T/cowf ^ mcM 1 RENTALS - RESALES - LOTS COMMERCIAL - RESIDENTIAL J^ain/Street (ScuHtltna, 109 W. MARKET ST., HERTFORD NC Carole Medford or Maryann Whisman^^ ms. 426-9800 • 252-619-4413 nual rental payments and cost-share assistance. Through FSA’s conser vation reserve enhance ment program, a state and federal partnership allows farmers to receive incen tive payments for follow ing conservation practices to help decrease erosion and safeguard the water supply. "The agency’s disaster relief program provides farmers with assistance for losses incurred through natural disasters. The loan component of FSA’s services has changed very little over the past 25 years, according to Eddie Woodhouse, Public Affairs and Outreach Director for the North Carolina USDA Farm Service Agency “One positive change is that (Albemarle area) farmers and producers are benefiting from sub stantial increase limits in farm operating costs and farm ownership loans,” Woodhouse said. The foim- dation for the Farm Credit Service (FCS) was laid in the Farm Loan Act passed by Congress in 1916. According to the Farm Credit website, after much discussion. Congress agreed on setting up a co operative credit structure that was based on 12 feder al land banks. Lawmakers provided $125 million in government seed money. See BOOST, 22 JOWlfs-aBlf ..S ST.i Jhml/taJlm. Byram Hardware Co. Inc. GIFTS - CRAFTS - SHACK DOWNTOWN EDENTON 482-2131
The Daily Advance (Elizabeth City, N.C.)
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March 6, 2011, edition 1
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