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Corn And Soybean Farmer Of The Year
Pictured Left to Right: Terry Smith, Clay Smith, John LaRose, Sr.
Photo by John LaRose, Jr.
Terry and Clay Smith, Paragould, Arkansas, have been named the 2020 Corn & Soybean Farmers of the Year at the 23rd Annual National Conservation Systems Cotton & Rice Conference, Southern Corn & Soybean Conference, Southern Precision Ag Conference and the Delta States Irrigation Conference.
Farming duo, Terry and his son Clay earned Bachelor’s in Ag Business from Arkansas State University.
“The Smiths have become very interested in how they can optimize their farming ground. They have started using cover crops on some of their corn ground. They were able to see the rainfall demonstration to see how beneficial cover crops could be to their northeast Arkansas ground. They have fields that have four year continuous no-till and cover crops. They have not only been working to optimize their ground but to help the neighbor farmers to optimize their ground. The Smith’s first started with cover crops on very little acreage at the request of Dr. Steven Green, ASU soils professor. They operate the Arkansas State University Greene Co. farm, so they felt inclined to cooperate. Agronomically speaking they were doing everything right to produce maximum yields and didn’t see much need for a change in the production system. As they began to cooperate with ASU and upon their seeing the rainfall simulator, they quickly agreed that among other things this could help them water less. They quickly expanded from a small acreage to 95 percent of their corn and soybean acreage.”
“The Smiths’s have been extremely innovative in adapting cover crops to corn production. They have purchased and fabricated multiple pieces of equipment that includes strip tilling, irrigation furrow cleaners and planter adaptions. What makes them unique is their desire to share knowledge with their neighbors. They have been responsible for multiple producers making improvements in corn production and cover cropping. Most recently, they have brought NRCS and U of A Extension together to start a demonstration on row rice/soybean production. They just completed their first year of the Arkansas Irrigation Contest, Most Crop Per Drop, in the corn category. Yields were excellent and less water was used due to soil moisture sensors and cover crops. Clay and Terry both entered one field each in different classes in the National Corn Growers Association yield contest. Many people look to them to try and show success in different agronomic practices before trying themselves. This trust from the community has moved corn production and precision agriculture forward in Greene County and across the delta.”
“Their innovation is truly spreading across the community. They’ve worked with the local Conservation District and NRCS to implement a full suite of irrigation practices that include: advanced pump automation, soil moisture sensors, weather stations to help calculate evapotranspiration rates, flowmeters, surge valves, cover crops, underground irrigation pipeline and land leveling.” ∆
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