Front Porch - September/October 2012

FRONT PORCHFRONT PORCHSept.-Oct. 2012

arfb.com

Celebrating an Arkansas literary treasure

MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS 323-HORSEPOWER BENEFITS.

1 Offer available through 4/1/14. Available on all 2011 and 2012 Chevrolet vehicles (excluding Volt).This offer is not available with some other offers, including private offers. Only customers who have been active members of an eligible Farm Bureau for a minimum of 60 days will be eligible to receive a certificate. Customers can obtain certificates at www.fbverify.com/gm. Farm Bureauand the FB national logo are registered service marks owned by the American Farm Bureau Federation, and are used herein under license from the American Farm Bureau Federation.

You choose Farm Bureau because you never know where life will take you. And now, with this $500 private offer1 good toward the purchase or lease of nearly any new Chevrolet vehicle, life can take you there in style. Don’t wait, get your personal authorization number now at fbverify.com/gm and visit your Chevrolet dealer today.

$500ON TOP OF MOST CURRENT OFFERS1

PRESENTING A PRIVATE OFFER FOR FARM BUREAU MEMBERS.

Farm Bureau members can get a $5001 private offer toward the purchase or lease of most new GM vehicles,including the Chevrolet Silverado 2500hD and 3500hD lineup. Visit fbverify.com for more details. They get tough jobs done with a maximum payload of up to 6,635 lbs.2 and a conventional towing capacity of up to 17,000 lbs.3And through the GM Business Choice Program,4 business owners receive even more when purchasing or leasing an eligible Chevrolet or GMC truck or van for business use. Visit gmbusinesschoice.com for details.

Bull Motor Company729 Hwy 64 W, Wynne

870-238-2800www.BullMotorCo.com

Smith Chevrolet-Cadillac Co.1215 Hwy 71 S, Fort Smith

479-646-7301

Crain Chevrolet, LLC9911 Interstate 30,

Little Rock501 255-5300

www.crainchevy.com

Landers Chevrolet19236 Interstate 30,

Benton501-315-2500

Lucky’s of Monticello 1215 hway 425 North, Monticello

870-367-6000www.autobylucky.com

Continuing the Hometown Experience

HUG

Central Chevrolet-Cadillac3207 Stadium Blvd,

Jonesboro870-935-5575

Everett-Maxey Buick-GMC

Moberly Lane, Bentonville

866-812-3307EverettMaxey.com

Stanley Wood Chevrolet Buick GMC Cadillac290 South Central Avenue, Batesville

870-793-840

Holt Auto Group905 Unity Rd., Crossett

(870)364-4424www.holtautogroup.net

Smart Chevrolet Cadillac Buick GMC

515 W 5th, Pine Bluff870-534-8122

www.smartdrive.com

Everett Buick-GMCI-30 Alcoa Exit, Bryant

501-315-7100EverettBGMC.com

Allen Tillery Auto4573 Central, Hot Springs

1-888-TILLERYwww.allentilleryauto.com

Everett ChevroletI-540 at

Elm Springs Road, Springdale

888-536-0352EverettChevroletNWA.com

Gerren Motor CompanyChevrolet Buick GMC

2190 US Hwy 165 W, England501-842-2527

Holly Chevrolet6601 Interstate 55 N,

Marion870-739-7337

Gwatney ChevroletGregory Street Exit

Jacksonville800-697-9586

www.GoGwatney.com

Gwatney Buick/GMC5700 Landers Road,North Little Rock

www.GoGwatney.com

Rhodes Chevrolet2800 Alma Hwy.-

Exit 2A/I-540Van Buren

1-866-679-2438www.rhodeschevy.com

Bale Chevrolet13101 Chenal Pky

Little Rock800-467-2253

www.balechevrolet.com

Russell Chevrolet6100 Landers Road,

Sherwood800-511-5823

www.russellchevrolet.com

1 Offer valid toward the purchase of new 2011, 2012 and 2013 Buick, Chevrolet and GMC models, excluding Chevrolet Volt.2 Requires Regular Cab model and gas engine. Maximum payload capacity includes weight of driver, passengers, optional equipment and cargo.3 Requires available 6.6L Duramax® diesel engine. Maximum trailer ratings assume a properly-equipped base vehicle plus driver. See dealer for details.4 To qualify, vehicles must be used in the day-to-day operation of the business and not solely for transportation purposes. Must provide proof of business. This program may not be compatible with other offers or incentive programs. Consult your local Chevrolet or GMC dealer or visit gmbusinesschoice.com for program compatibility and other restrictions. Take delivery by 4/1/2014.Farm Bureau and the American Farm Bureau Federation® are registered service marks owned by the

American Farm Bureau Federation, and are used herein (or by GM) under license.©2011 General Motors LLC

Exclusive $500 Member Private Offer is Available at any Arkansas

Chevy, GMC or Buick Dealer.

®

S

- GM Dealership locations - Select dealer contact info on the right.

in BENTON

Classic

Stanley Wood

Orr Bull

LandersEverett

Gerren

HugRhodes

CrainRussellGwatney ChevyGwatney

Buick/GMC

Bale

Central

Smart

Lucky’s

Holt

Holly

Allen Tillery

Everett

Smith

Everett-Maxey

$500PRIVATE OFFER

F R O N T P O R C H I arfb.com2

R E T I R E M E N T F O R F A R M E R SYes, farmers can retire. And by investing your assets in a Charitable Remainder Unitrust, you can significantly reduce your tax burden, generously provide for your golden years with regular income payments and leave a legacy that supports farming around the world forever. To learn more visit www.farmersforheifer.org or call us at (888) 422-1161.

3F R O N T P O R C H I arfb.com

EFRONT PORCH

September-October 2012

Created byPublishing Concepts, Inc.

Virginia Robertson, [email protected]

14109 Taylor Loop Road • Little Rock, AR 72223

For address changes, contact:Rhonda Whitley at [email protected]

Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation Farm Bureau Center

P.O. Box 31 • Little Rock, AR 72203-0031Fax: (501) 228-1557

Please provide membership number.

Edition 82

6 THE writers’ WRITERJay Jennings

3 Farm Bureau MattersRandy Veach

4 Food for ThoughtEwell Welch

14 Taste Arkansas Tara Johnson

24 In the Kitchen Tara Jonson

26 Health & Safety Jennifer Victory

FRONT PORCHFRONT PORCHSept.-Oct. 2012

arfb.com


wwrriitteerrss’’ HHEEWWRRIITTEERR

C O V E R

On the cover — We pay literary homage to the author of True Grit and one of the best novelists ever — Charles Portis. A compilation of the 79-year-old’s work, Escape Velocity, comes out Oct. 2.

Photo by Keith Sutton

Farm Bureau Matters

by RANDY VEACHPresident, Arkansas Farm Bureau

Send comments to:[email protected]

Even though it’s a presidential

election year, the extended drought

seems to be the biggest story of the year

so far. It’s certainly been that as far as

farmers and ranchers are concerned. It’s

been called the worst drought in the

United States since the Dust Bowl days of

the 1930s. The great majority of farmers

have suffered because of it.

The drought has caused Arkansas

ranchers to sell off much of their herds,

because they lack the necessary food

to feed their animals. Cattle numbers

here are at their lowest in 40 years. The

drought seriously stunted this year’s hay

crop making the cost to feed livestock

more expensive.

In August, Gov. Mike Beebe made $2

million available from the Governor’s

Disaster Fund to help ranchers adversely

affected by the persistent drought. We’re

supportive and thankful to the governor

for doing this. The response has been

tremendous with more than 5,000

applicants. More assistant is needed,

especially for our dairy farms.

What does the drought mean for you

at the grocery store? The U.S. Department

of Agriculture (USDA) expects overall

infl ation for this year’s food prices to be

3 percent. That’s normal. USDA is also

predicting an increase of 3.5 percent

in 2013; that half a percent above the

normal increase is attributed to the

drought.

Beef prices could rise, because the

overall U.S. herd is at its lowest level

since the 1950s. Even at higher prices,

beef is one of the best bargains for

providing protein in our diets. Prices for

products containing corn, soybeans and

other commodity crops could increase as

early as this fall according to a University

of Arkansas Division of Agriculture report

released in late August. For perspective,

though, a box of corn fl akes has about

5 cents worth of corn in it and a loaf of

wheat bread has about 7 cents worth of

wheat.

Only 14 percent of the combined

retail cost you pay for food at the grocery

store or when eating out is affected by

commodity prices. The other 86 percent

you pay is tied up in things like food

processing, packaging, food services,

retail trade, energy and transportation

costs, fi nance and other things that have

nothing to do with what the farmer gets

paid. Even if all commodity prices doubled

(which they haven’t), retail food prices

would increase by only about 14 percent.

Americans spend less than 10 percent of

disposable income for food, far less than

any other country in the world.

Farmers who were able to irrigate their

crops experienced major cost increases due

to the drought. Unlike other businesses,

farmers can’t compensate for increased

production costs by building a profi t into

their product before it’s sold. They don’t

get to set the price. Price is determined by

commodity markets. Farmers receive only

what the market is willing to pay on the

day they sell their crop. Take it or leave

it. It’s not a business for the squeamish,

especially in a drought year.

Farmers and ranchers are resilient.

They survived the Dust Bowl and will

survive this drought, continuing to

provide the most abundant, safest and

most affordable food, fi ber and shelter

for America than any other place in the

world.

God bless you and your families. God

bless the farmers and ranchers, and God

bless Arkansas Farm Bureau. �


GOffi cial membership publication of Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation.

Front Porch is mailed to approximately 212,000 member-families.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Included in membership dues.

ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU OFFICERS: President

Randy VeachManila

Vice PresidentRich Hillman

CarlisleSecretary/Treasurer

Tom Jones Pottsville

Executive Vice PresidentEwell WelchLittle Rock

DIRECTORS:Richard Armstrong, Ozark

Troy Buck, Alpine Jon Carroll, Moro

Joe Christian, Jonesboro Terry Dabbs, Stuttgart Mike Freeze, England

Bruce Jackson, Lockesburg Johnny Loftin, El Dorado

Gene Pharr, Lincoln Rusty Smith, Des Arc Allen Stewart, Mena

Mike Sullivan, Burdette Leo Sutterfi eld, Mountain View

EX OFFICIOSue Billiot, Smithville Janice Marsh, McCroryKirk Meins, StuttgartBrian Walker, Horatio

Executive Editor: Steve EddingtonEditor: Gregg Patterson

Contributing Editors: Ken Moore, Keith Sutton, Chris Wilson

Research Assistant: Brenda Gregory

ADVERTISING: Contact David Brown at Publishing Concepts, Inc. for

advertising [email protected]

(501) 221-9986 Fax (501) 225-3735

Front Porch (USPS 019-879) is published bi-monthly by the Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation, 10720 Kanis Rd., Little Rock, AR 72211.

Periodicals Postage paid at Little Rock, Ark. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Front Porch,

P.O. Box 31, Little Rock, AR 72203.

Publisher assumes no responsibility for any errors or omissions. All rights reserved. Reproduction without

permission is prohibited.

The Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation reserves the right to accept or reject all advertising requests.

FRONT PORCHArkansas Farm Bureau © 2012

Food for Thought

by EWELL WELCHExecutive Vice President, Arkansas Farm Bureau

Gov. Mike Beebe has joined other state

governors issuing letters and statements

urging United States Environmental

Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson

to temporarily waive the Renewable Fuel

Standard. The governor believes reducing

the fuel standard would bring much-needed

relief to the thousands of livestock farmers

in Arkansas and across the country who

experienced the effects of the nation’s worst

drought since the Dust Bowl days of the

1930s.

As a result of the governor’s request

(the governor of North Carolina also made

the same request) the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking public

comment on letters like Gov. Beebe’s

requesting a waiver of the Renewable Fuel

Standard (RFS) and matters relevant to EPA’s

consideration of those requests. Comments

must be submitted before Sept. 30. That’s

where you come in.

Whether you’re aware of it or not, the

RFS affects everyone who buys gas for their

vehicle. You’ve probably seen the stickers on

the gas pump that say “this product contains

10 percent ethanol.” Corn presently is the

primary crop used to make ethanol, and it’s

also one of the most important ingredients

in feed for cattle, poultry and swine. The

drought, which began last year, resulted in

poor hay crops throughout Arkansas and the

South. That shortage of hay has forced cattle

ranchers to buy much more grain than they

normally do to feed their cattle. With the

drought extending throughout the major

corn-producing regions of the country, lower

projected crop yields pushed corn prices to

a record high, causing fi nancial hardship for

cattle, poultry and swine farmers. That’s why

Gov. Beebe requested the waiver from EPA.

The Clean Air Act allows the EPA

administrator to waive the national volume

requirements of the renewable fuel standard

program in whole or in part. This can

occur if implementing that standard would

severely harm the economy or environment

of a state, a region or the U.S., or if it’s

determined that there is an inadequate

domestic supply of renewable fuel.

Arkansas Farm Bureau has no policy on

the governor’s waiver request, but many of

our members have strong feelings about the

RFS. To make it easier to fi le your comment,

you can go to arfb.com. The site also provides

more information about the issue.

EPA requests comment specifi cally

including (but not limited to) information

on:

• Whether compliance with the RFS

would severely harm the economy of

Arkansas, North Carolina, other states, a

region or the U.S.;

• Whether the relief requested will

remedy the harm;

• To what extent, if any, a waiver would

change demand for ethanol and affect

prices of corn, other feed-stocks, feed

and food;

• The amount of ethanol that is likely

to be consumed in the U.S. during

the relevant time period, based on

its value to refi ners for octane and

other characteristics and other market

conditions in the absence of the RFS

volume requirements; and

• if a waiver were appropriate, the

amount of required renewable fuel

volume appropriate to waive, the

date on which any waiver should

commence and end, and to which

compliance years it would apply.

I encourage you to let your voice be

heard.

4

�


TF R O N T P O R C H I arfb.com6

--

-

Gle

nn W

heel

er

“Mr. Portdecency.

“Char

“N

“His fiction is thave in min

the world in eashout, “G

was born and raised in south Arkansas, graduating from Hamburg High School. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War, earned a journalism degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, and became a newspaper reporter. He worked for the Commercial Appeal in Memphis, the Arkansas Gazette in Little Rock, and the New York Herald Tribune, eventually becoming London bureau chief. He left that job to return to Arkansas—where he still lives—and write fiction. He is the author of five acclaimed novels: Norwood, True Grit, The Dog of the South, Masters of Atlantis, and Gringos. True Grit was adapted into two award-winning films, the first in 1969 starring John Wayne and the other in 2010 directed by the Coen brothers.

lives in his hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas, where he is a freelance writer. His work appears regularly in the New York Times Book Review, and his writing has been recognized by the Best American Sports Writing annual and has been included in the humor anthologies Mirth of a Nation and The Lowbrow Reader Reader. His book Carry the Rock: Race, Football, and the Soul of an American City was named a 2010 Okra Pick by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance.

But

ler

Cen

ter

T7F R O N T P O R C H I arfb.com

The title of Escape

Velocity, the new collection of Charles

Portis’ journalism, short stories,

nonfi ction and drama that I edited, comes

from a line spoken by narrator Ray Midge

in Portis’ novel The Dog of the South: “A lot

of people leave Arkansas and most of them

come back sooner or later. They can’t quite

achieve escape velocity.”

It’s one of my favorite Portis lines,

and it’s fairly representative. It’s funny as

hell (I won’t drain the humor out of it by

trying to explain why) and surprisingly

poignant, and it’s both specifi c and

universal. It refers to the mysterious

gravitational pull of the particular

place called Arkansas, but you

don’t have to be from there to

appreciate the hold that everyone’s

home has on them. Also, it’s about

wandering off and returning, a

theme as old as the Odyssey.

It’s tempting to extend the truth

of the line to Portis himself.

When he has allowed bios on his book

jackets (the fi rst editions of The Dog of the

South and Masters of Atlantis have none),

they summarize his career thusly: Born

and educated in Arkansas, he served

in Korea as a Marine and worked as a

journalist in Memphis, Little Rock, New

York and London, where he was bureau

chief of the New York Herald Tribune; he

moved back to Arkansas in 1964, and

except for road-trip research in Mexico

and elsewhere, he’s remained there ever

since, working as a freelance

writer.

Tom Wolfe, his colleague

at the Herald Tribune in the

early 1960s and now a well-

known book author himself

(Bonfi re of the Vanities,

The Right Stuff), famously

summed up Portis’ return

to Arkansas in an introduction to an

infl uential collection of reporting from

the 1970s called The New Journalism:

“Portis quit cold one day; just like that,

without a warning. He returned to the

United States and moved into a fi shing

shack in Arkansas. In six months he

wrote a beautiful little novel called

Norwood. Then he wrote

True Grit, which was a

best seller. The reviews

were terrifi c … He sold

both books to the movies

… He made a fortune ... A

fi shing shack! In Arkansas!

It was too … perfect to be

true, and yet there it was.”

Knowing Portis a bit

as I do, I suspect that he

gave appropriate notice to

his employers and that the

fi shing shack was actually a

cabin, but that’s Tom Wolfe

for you.

“In Arkansas!” Wolfe wrote, the

assumption being that Arkansas was

a kind of nowhere, and his italics and

exclamation point are a descendent of

Mark Twain’s tweaking of the state as full

of “lunkheads” (in Huckleberry Finn) and

of H. L. Mencken’s hyperbolic decrying

of its “miasmatic jungles.” In any case,

Portis set up his writing shop there, and

AD

PT


by Jay Jennings

ti f Ch l f th li t P ti hi lf

United States an

shack in Arkansa

wrote a b

w

b

…

fi

It

tr

as

gav

his

fi sh

cab

for

AD

PT

by Jay Jennings

For those who care about literature or simply love a good laugh (or both), Charles Portis has long been one of America’s most admired novelists. His 1968 novel True Grit is fixed in the contemporary canon, and his four other novels have been hailed as comic masterpieces. Now, for the first time, his other writings—journalism, travel stories, short fiction, memoir, and even a play—have been brought together in Escape Velocity: A Charles Portis Miscellany, his first new book in more than twenty years.All the familiar Portis elements are here: picaresque adventures, deadpan humor, an expert eye for detail and keen ear for the spoken word, and encounters with oddball characters both real and imagined. The collection encompasses the breadth of his fifty-year writing career, from his gripping reportage of the civil rights movement for the New York Herald Tribune to a comic short story about the demise of journalism in the 21st century. New to even the most ardent fan is his three-act play, Delray’s New Moon, performed onstage in 1996 and published here for the first time.

Escape Velocity will take you on a ride with Portis as he explores the rough roads of Baja California and anatomizes his hilarious experiences with cheap motels. You’ll laugh as he documents the absurd history of a land called Viborra and the “thirty-year contract” of a health club’s “Let’s Get Acquainted” deal. And you’ll smile at his touching portraits of his family in a lovely memoir of his south Arkansas childhood.

Whether this is your first encounter with the world of Portis or a long-awaited return, you’ll agree with critic Ron Rosenbaum—whose essay appears here alongside tributes by other writers—that Portis “will come to be regarded as the author of classics on the order of a twentieth-century Mark Twain, a writer who captures the soul of America.”

“Mr. Portis is a soft-spoken American genius and his work breathes pure decency. They ought to name a hotel after him, or at least a bus station.”

“Charles Portis is the goods: a deadpan reporter of human folly, a master of pathos, a compassionate portrayerof life’s absolute absurdity, and a man with a voice.”

“No living Southern writer captures the spoken idioms of the South as artfully as Portis does.”

s fiction is the funniest I know, but the last thing in the world his characters have in mind is putting themselves across as comical. They are taking on world in earnest. ... Lesser comic writers drag their characters onstage and

shout, “Get a load of this guy!” Portis’s characters just show up.”

Collected Nonfiction, Short Stories, and Drama by the Author of and

Charles Portis

But

ler

Cen

ter


if it wasn’t exactly a

jungle, it was a good

place to go to work, far

enough from both coasts

as to be invisible to them.

A writer in Arkansas,

especially in 1964, could

go peacefully about the

daily grind of making perfect novels without

the distracting noise emanating from literary

fashion in Manhattan or the movie world

in Hollywood. Here in Arkansas, Portis

produced fi ve: in chronological order,

Norwood (1966), True Grit (1968), The Dog of

the South (1979), Masters of Atlantis (1985)

and Gringos (1991).

How perfect are they?

Each fan has his or her own ranking,

but unlike, say, Robert Penn Warren, who

produced one generally acknowledged

great novel (All the King’s Men) and many

dismissible lesser works, Portis wrote at least

one great novel, True Grit, and four maybe

better ones. Ed Park’s essay on Portis that

originally appeared in the Believer magazine

in 2003 and is included in Escape Velocity’s

appendix (along with tributes by other

writers) sums it up this way: “He has written

fi ve remarkable, deeply entertaining novels

(three of them masterpieces, though which

three is up for debate).”

Although he has lived 70 or so years in

Arkansas, the state is not a fundamental

part of the imaginative world of his novels

in the way that Oxford, Miss. is for William

Faulkner or Los Angeles is for Raymond

Chandler. His fi rst fi ctional character,

Norwood Pratt, lives in east

Texas and merely passes through

Arkansas — slamming on the

brakes once, disastrously, to

watch a possum climb through a

fence — on his way to New York

and back. Mattie Ross of True Grit

fame is proudly from Yell County

but lights out for the Indian

Territory on her revenge quest before coming

home to spend her spinsterhood and

eventually tell her tale. Ray Midge of The Dog

of the South departs and returns to Little Rock

but seems more a citizen of

his own phlegmatic state of

mind than anyplace else as

he deliberately hunts his wife

and her paramour through

Texas and into Mexico. And

the word “Arkansas” makes

a lone appearance each in

Masters of Atlantis (“Moaler

was in his Arkansas duck

blind”) and Gringos, where

Jimmy Burns IDs himself as

being from the Arklatex, and

even then from Louisiana.

With each novel, Arkansas

recedes.

If Arkansas has a claim on

him, it’s as the place where

he learned to listen. We hear

about this in a rare interview

Portis did with his former

Arkansas Gazette colleague

Roy Reed, which was

originally conducted for the

University of Arkansas’ oral

history project on the Gazette

(and which is published

as an epilogue in Escape

Velocity). In it, Portis notes

that, though his mother

“liked writing and had a gift

for it, but never the time to

work at it much,” his father’s

side of the family “were talkers rather than

readers or writers. A lot of cigar smoke and

laughing when my father and his brothers

got together. Long anecdotes. The

spoken word.”

We read more about his family

in the one piece of direct memoir he

has written so far, “Combinations of

Jacksons.” In it, he describes how his

great-uncle Sat discoursed at length

and “may well have been the last

man in America who without being

facetious called food ‘vittles’ (‘victuals,’

a perfectly good word, and correctly pronounced

“vittles,” but for some reason thought to be

countrifi ed and comical).”

Portis’ ear was honed in Arkansas while

reading, too. He worked for the Northwest

Arkansas Times when he was a journalism

student at the University of Arkansas and

edited dispatches from “lady stringers in

Goshen and Elkins,” he tells Reed, and his

job “was to edit out all the life and charm

from these homely reports. Some fi ne old

country expression, or a nice turn of phrase

— out they went.” Ed Park suggests that he

created the voice of Mattie Ross in “penance”

for that act.

As far away as his imagination travels,

Portis has stuck fast to Arkansas, where he

has obviously paid careful heed to those not

usually given close attention, whether they’re

passing through, native, or long deceased: he

has listened closely to salesmen, bar regulars,

Saturday night is alright for racing.

even sixteenth-century explorers

(“Those earnest enunciators who say

‘bean’ for ‘been’ should know that

Hakluyt, the Oxford scholar, spelled it

‘bin,’ as did, off and on, the poet John Donne,”

he writes in a piece about the Ouachita

River, originally published in the Arkansas

Times). He has learned from local historians,

Confederate generals, elderly people (“Don’t

you have any chirren to look after you?” says

one of the characters in his play, Delray’s

New Moon), random citizens (“We know a

man in South Arkansas who says ‘Pass those

molasses’ and ‘Those sure are good cheese’”),

and cafe waitresses (“That woman that runs it,

that was her sister that run it at night, and she

got married and moved to Shreesport”).

The ex-Marine and wannabe country

singer Norwood Pratt, from Portis’ fi rst novel,

isn’t the most reliable guide to life, but he

affi rms one truth in the face of pretension,

when his passenger to New York, Yvonne

Phillips, claims New Orleans rather than

Belzoni, Miss., as her home because, “If you

live someplace a long time you can count it as

your home.” He counters, “Naw you can’t. …

You could live in Hong Kong for seventy-fi ve

years and Belzoni would still be your home.”

Portis has always counted Arkansas as

home, and American literature is richer

because he chose to listen to the people he

encountered here.

Jay Jennings was born and lives in Little

Rock, where he is a freelance writer. His work

has appeared in Garden & Gun, the Oxford

American, the Wall Street Journal, Sports

Illustrated and the New York Times Book

Review. His book Carry the Rock: Race,

Football and the Soul of an American

City about Little Rock Central High School

was named a 2010 Okra Pick by the Southern

Independent Booksellers Alliance.


The Duke Portis on location with John Wayne during the fi lming of True Grit. Wayne won an Oscar for his portrayal of Sheriff Rooster Cogburn.

Para

mou

nt P

ictu

res

10 F R O N T P O R C H I arfb.com

A Portis family memoir

by Charles Portis

I was only eight years old but I

remember the day well, early in 1942,

when [great-uncle Sat] told me the war

would be over in ninety days

— that we would sink the

Japanese fl eet in no time, just

as we had taken care of the

Spanish fl eet at Manila Bay

in 1898, the work of a few

hours. He also told me that if

I would dip a brand of snuff

called Garrett Scotch, I would

never get TB, but that Garrett Sweet was

no good and I would do well to leave it

alone.

Uncle Sat shot deer the year round,

like Robin Hood, in season and out, as

the whim or the need moved him ... He

was a strong and fl uent talker with far-

ranging opinions. Attention wandered in

the family as he ran on, except when he

spoke from experience. There would be

bits of hunting lore (“A real turkey could

never win a turkey-calling contest.”)

and tips on growing unfashionable corn

(nonhybrid) and bumblebee cotton (hill

cotton — stunted, unfl uffy bolls) and on

the best ways of dynamiting fi sh

(“dinnamite,” he called it) in

the Saline River and Hurricane

Creek.

There was some sort of

family gathering on that day

at his farm, small but his own,

in the backwoods of Grant

County, Arkansas, and everyone

was scoffi ng and laughing at his

notions about the war. Always impatient

with him, groaning and rolling her eyes,

his sister Emma (my grandmother) could

be counted on to check him in his longer

fl ights with “Oh, why don’t you just

hush, Sat. All you know is what you read

in The Sheridan Headlight.”

Wounding indeed, if true.

From “Combinations of Jacksons”

(1999), in Escape Velocity: A Charles Portis

Miscellany

Escape Velocity: A Charles Portis

Miscellany ($27.95), published by Butler

Center Books (a division of the Central

Arkansas Library System), will be released

on Oct. 2 through local independent

bookstores (like WordsWorth and

River Market Books in Little Rock, That

Bookstore in Blytheville, and Nightbird

Books in Fayetteville), national chain

bookstores like Barnes & Noble, and

online outlets like Amazon.com and

IndieBound.org. On Oct. 9, the Butler

Center will hold a release party for the

book at the main library’s Darragh Center

(100 Rock Street, Little Rock); it will be free

and open to the public.

Family portrait Charles Portis, second from left, with his mother, father and brothers.

�


Life ChangingDenture AlternativeIf you’ve been tormented for years by bad teeth or dentures, now you can get a permanent solution utilizing the latest dental implant technology.

Call 1-888-778-3384 and set up your no-obligation consultation, which includes a computerized 3-D image of your mouth if necessary.

You know you’re going to be taken care of at Dental Solutions of Little Rock.

General DentistsDentalSolutionsLR.com Located on the Baptist Health Medical Campus

farmcredit.com 800-444-3276

the rural

• homes & home construction • land & acreage • farms of all sizes • livestock

trucks, vehicles & ATVs • recreational property •

refinancing • operating loans & MORE! •

financing experts!

lifestyle


From weather, to soil, to technology, you have a lot to keep up with. Thankfully, you’ve got real insurance

that keeps up with you. If there’s anything you need to know, just call us. You’ll always have questions.

Your Farm Bureau agent always has answers.

ARKANSAS-GROWN INSURANCE

FOR ARKANSAS GROWERSFarm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of Arkansas, Inc. Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance CompanySouthern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company, Jackson MS

One thing will always be true about farming:

Conditions change.

HALT INVASIVE TREES!

Call for FREE Information Kit! 1-888-208-5693www.DRTreeChopper.com

TOLLFREE

NEW!

The patented

DR® TREE-CHOPPER™

It’s like a pipe cutter for trees!You simply drive the Tree-Chopper™ into trees up to 4" thick. Circular discs slice through the trunk, while a rear trailing blade shears the stump fl ush to the ground.

7639

7X ©

201

2 C

HP

Used by ranchers, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, state and local agencies, conservation groups, hunting and snowmobile clubs throughout the country.

The Fastest, Easiest Way EVER to

is the only low-cost way to reclaim pastures, meadows, fence lines, trails and fi re-breaks from invasive trees!

CUTS HUNDREDS OF TREES PER HOUR while driving your ATV.

JUNIPER and other invasive trees that rob land of water and space, create allergens, and create fi re hazards.

fl ush to the ground so there’s nothing to trip over or regrow.

Para

mou

nt P

ictu

res

Size Prices From*

33x45x10 $7,39742x60x12 $10,89760x102x12 $21,897*Prices vary based on codes, loads and accessories.

1.800.643.5555 | heritagebuildings.com


Scan for Video

© 2

012

Goril

la G

lue

Com

pany

www.GorillaTough.com1-800-966-3458

Made inUSA

Wood GlueJust GotTougher

©2012 Morton Buildings, Inc. A listing of GC licenses available at mortonbuildings.com/licenses.aspx. Reference Code 641

A workshop where you can indulge your hobby, a garage to houseyour car collection, a storage building for your toys or just a placewhere you can relax and have fun with your friends and family—whatever your idea is of the perfect building, Morton can make it a reality.

For over 100 years, we have provided our customers exceptionalquality and customer service. At Morton Buildings, we work withyou from concept through completion, taking the hassle out of yourconstruction project.

To learn more and to get started, contact Morton Buildings today.

That Fit Your Style and BudgetCustom Buildings

#372

2/#6

2-44

96

Garages | Equine | Farm Storage | General Purpose

800-447-7436 • mortonbuildings.com

COUNTDOWNto $avings

Don’t miss discount pricing on your new building during our

off-peak construction season sale.Call today, limited building spots

are available.

®


TTailgate time anytime

Tailgating season is in full swing.

Football fans meet in their favorite

parking spots with tents, games,

grills and a number of different

dishes. Depending on the kick-

off time, the types of food differ

greatly. If it’s a morning kick-off,

you want breakfast food that’s

easy to prepare, because there isn’t

as much time before the game.

Afternoon kick-off times are good

for your favorite snack recipes. I

think the best tailgating happens

when kick-off is at night. You can

spend all day cooking and making

memories with friends. I gathered

my favorite recipes for tailgating in

the morning, midday and at night.

For breakfast tailgates I like to bring

a loaf of banana bread. Usually, we also

have something like fried potatoes,

sausage biscuits or other warm dishes

that are all very good. However, I like the

banana bread, because you can prepare

it beforehand, and it’s an easy way to

provide more options for picky eaters. Not

to mention, it’s really good.

Banana Bread Ingredients

6 tablespoons butter, softened

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup sugar

3 ripe bananas, mashed well

1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 eggs

¼ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

2-¼ cups fl our

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Instructions

Cream butter, brown sugar and sugar.

Stir in bananas, sour cream, vanilla and

cinnamon. Beat in eggs, one at a time.

Sift in salt, baking soda and fl our. Fold

in nuts. Divide batter between two bread

pans sprayed with cooking oil. Bake at 300

degrees 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick

inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes two loaves.

Taste Arkansas From farm to table

Banana bread Moist banana bread is the perfect accompaniment to a morning tailgate that you can prepare before the day of the big game.

compiled by Tara Johnson


There are many recipes I use for a

midday tailgate. I’ve shared a few of

them on tastearkansas.com, like the

cheese ball, sausage balls, party dips and

many others. I’ve yet to share a classic

dip that’s always welcome at a tailgate,

guacamole.

Guacamole Ingredients

3 avocados, halved, seeded and

peeled

1 lime, juiced

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon cayenne

½ medium onion, diced

Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

1 clove garlic, minced

Instructions

In a large bowl, place the scooped

avocado pulp and lime juice, and toss

to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime

juice after all the avocados are coated.

Add salt, cumin and cayenne, and

mash using a potato masher. Then,

fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro

and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the

reserved lime juice. Let sit at room

temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

Ribs are definitely a labor of

love. It takes hours to pull together

a perfect rack of ribs, but it’s always

worth it. When kick-off is at night,

I can’t help but demand that ribs

are on the menu. Don’t let the time

commitment deter you. These ribs

are worth it.

BBQ Pork Ribs Ingredients

The Ribs

2 racks (2 to 2½ pounds each) St.

Louis-style pork ribs

vegetable oil, for grill rack

The Rub

2 tablespoons packed light-brown

sugar

2 tablespoons coarse salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

2 teaspoons hot paprika

2 teaspoons mustard powder

1 teaspoon celery seed

The Sauce

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 small yellow onion, finely

chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes

¼ cup tomato paste

¼ cup bourbon

1 cup strained tomatoes

½ cup cider vinegar

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

1 cup water

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons light-

brown sugar

Coarse salt and freshly ground

pepper

Guacamole Keep the dishes at your midday tailgate light and fl avorful. Make easy snack recipes like this tasty guacamole.


InstructionsPrepare the ribs: Place one rib rack,

meat side down, on a work surface. With

a knife, cut a small slit through the silvery

membrane at one end of the rack. Using

a paper towel, grip the cut portion of the

membrane, gently peel it from the rack and

discard. Repeat with remaining rack(s).

Make the rub: Combine sugar, salt,

pepper, paprika, mustard powder and celery

seed in a bowl. (If mixture is clumpy, pass

through a medium sieve.) Rub mixture

on both sides of each rack. Place ribs on a

rimmed baking sheet; cover and refrigerate

for at least two hours (or overnight). Let

stand at room temperature for 30 minutes

before cooking.

Make the sauce: Heat oil in a medium

saucepan over medium heat. Add onion

and garlic, and cook until onion is tender,

2 to 3 minutes. Add red-pepper fl akes

and tomato paste, and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in bourbon, scraping the pan. Stir in

tomatoes, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce,

water and sugar, and cook, continuing to

stir, until sugar dissolves.

Simmer the sauce: Bring the sauce to

a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until

reduced by one-third, about 30 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper. Let cool

slightly. Puree in a blender until smooth.

(You should have about 2 cups.) Use

immediately, or let cool completely. Cover

and refrigerate.

Set up the grill: Place a 9x13-inch,

disposable aluminum pan in the center of

bottom grill rack. If using a charcoal grill,

place a chimney starter on top grill rack, and

fi ll with about 60 charcoal briquettes (about

4 pounds). Stuff newspaper under chimney

and ignite. Heat briquettes until just covered

in ash. Wearing oven mitts, carefully lift

chimney, remove top rack, and pour coals

onto bottom rack along both sides of pan.

Top coals with one or two chunks of your

favorite smoking wood or wood chips that

have been soaked in water for an hour and

drained. Fill pan halfway with hot water.

Replace top rack. If using a gas grill, heat to

medium-low.

Grill the ribs: Let ribs stand at room

temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.

Fold a paper towel into a thick rectangle,

and dip it in oil. Hold towel with tongs,

and brush oil on top grill rack. Place both

rib racks, bone side down, on top grill

rack, directly over pan. Cover, keeping

top grill vents halfway open and bottom

vents completely open to maintain grill

temperature of 275 to 325 degrees. Cook ribs,

without turning, until the meat is tender

but not falling off bones, and has shrunk ½

inch from ends, 3 to 3½ hours, adding eight

briquettes to each charcoal pile every hour.

Baste the ribs: Transfer 1 cup sauce to a

small serving bowl. Brush both sides of ribs

with remaining 1 cup sauce. Cover, and grill

until ribs are glistening and deep mahogany

brown, about 15 minutes. Let stand for 10

minutes. Serve with reserved sauce.

Be prepared for every kick-off time and

plan your recipes accordingly. Don’t forget

to visit tastearkansas.com for more tailgating

recipes.

Tara Johnson is a contributor to Arkansas

Farm Bureau’s Taste Arkansas blog. For

recipes, videos and farmer profi les visit

tastearkansas.com today.

Ribs For evening kick-off times, slow cook a beautiful rack of ribs, and you’ll defi nitely be voted most valuable player.

1. Plan your menu and do prep work

in advance. Your tailgate will run

smoother if you have a plan and

minimize on-site preparation.

2. Food should be ready at least two hours

before the game starts. This gives

you time to eat and pack up before

heading into the stadium.

3. Freeze bottled water, and use that to

keep your cooler cold. You’ll have cold

water to drink without the mess of

melting ice.

Taste Arkansas Cont’d

�


Food, like nothing else, brings us together.

After all, everyone eats.

On Taste Arkansas, a new food blog

by Arkansas Farm Bureau, this simple truth

is connecting those interested in

food production with the farmers and ranchers

who provide us with an abundance

of Arkansas agricultural products.

Food, like nothing else, brings us together. TASTE ARKANSAS.COM

ngs us t

l e brings us togFROM FARM TO TABLE


MService to othersA legacy of service to farmers,

community and Farm Bureau

Keith

Sut

ton

Locally Owned and OperatedHome Services Inc.

Call 870-798-3807 • Toll-Free 1-877-256-7900

HOME SERVICES, INC. SAVES YOU MONEY!

FOUNDATION PROBLEMS?Call us Today for a FREE Estimate

RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL

Piers to Stable Clay

Pressed Pilings to Refusal

Slab Repair

• DuraSteel Piers• Pilings• Mud Pumping• Raising & Leveling• Brick Repairs

Pier & Beam

• Sills Replaced• Joist Replaced• Rotten Floors Replaced• Raising & Leveling• Termite Damage Repair

Hunters do more to conserve habitat than any other group. And they have achieved great things for wildlife and wild places by supporting conservation organizations like Ducks Unlimited. With their support, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 12 million acres of habitat across the continent. Come share our vision of skies filled with waterfowl today, tomorrow, and forever.

hunter: another word for conservationist

To find out more go to www.ducks.org

Providing critically ill and grieving children, teens, and their families our

Kaleidoscope of Caring Services:

Peer Support Bereavement Groups Individual & Family Grief Counseling

Camp Healing Hearts Grief Camp Kids Club Social Activities

Supportive Care for Critically Ill Kids School-based Education

Professional Trainings

Kaleidoscope Grief Center is a nonprofit organization offering fun and rewarding

volunteer and sponsorship opportunities:

Hands-On Program Assistance Kaleidoscope Resale Boutique Assistance

Fundraising Marketing/Public Relations

Office/Clerical

Kaleidoscope Grief Center 1600 Aldersgate Road

Little Rock, AR 72205 501-978-5437 877-357-5437

www.kaleidoscopekids.org

Share Your Thoughts

www.facebook.com/ArkansasFarmBureau

www.youtube.com/arkansasfarmbureau

twitter.com/ARFB

www.arfb.c ow ‘Share This’


ALASKA CRUISEPlus West Coast Train Tour

13-Day Cruise and Tour from $1998*

Space is filling quickly on this unique and populartour departing May through Septembber. Fly toSeattle and board Norwegian Cruise Line’s Jewelfor your 7-night cruise to Ketchikan, Juneau,Sawyer Glacier, Skagway and Victoria, B.C. beforedisembarking in Seattle. Enjoy a city tour beforeboarding Amtrak’s Coast Starlight train. Travelthrough the Pacific Northwest to Napa Valley andSan Francisco.

Call for Open Dates & Low-Cost Airfare.*Price is per person, based on double occupancy Taxes & Services included. Airfare is extra.

(Add $150 for May, $250 for June, & $450 forJuly-August Departures.)

Departs May thru September 2013 J

Join other Arkansans on this Trip.For Details and Itinerary, Call 1-800-888-8204

®


T

w w w . g r o w i n g a r k a n s a s . o r g

Meet Lacy GloverFormer Miss Arkansas and Spokesperson for the Arkansas Foundation for Agriculture

JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ OOO BBBBBBBBBB SSSS

EEEEEEEEEE NNNNNNNNN VVVVVVVVV IIIII RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Arkansas Farm and Ranch Families Provide…

on for the Arkansas n for Agriculture

ArkansasFoundation for Agriculture

Safe, affordable food

24% of Arkansas Jobs

75% of Wildlife Habitat

Protecting the Environment

Amer

ica

was

built

on

farm

ing

and

for

over

dec

ades

, far

mer

s h

ave

relie

d o

n J

ohn

Dee

re e

qu

ipm

ent

to g

et t

he

job

don

e of

hel

pin

g to

fee

d t

he

wor

ld.

In tr

ibu

te, H

awth

orn

e is

pro

ud

to b

rin

g yo

u th

e Jo

hn D

eere

Exp

ress

.

Auth

entic

ally

det

aile

d wi

th

vint

age

grap

hics

& s

loga

ns

that

brin

g th

e tr

ain

& tr

acto

rs to

life

!Y

ou

’ll m

arv

el a

t th

e w

ealt

h o

f au

then

-ti

c d

etai

ls

and

cr

afts

man

ship

th

at

go

es

into

ea

ch

trai

n

car—

incl

ud

-in

g fl

at c

ars

feat

uri

ng

fully

-scu

lpte

d,

clas

sic

Joh

n D

eere

tra

cto

rs l

ike

the

Mo

del

501

0, G

P, B

, D a

nd

A t

o n

ame

a fe

w.

An

d y

ou

’ll d

elig

ht

in t

he

vin

-ta

ge

farm

scap

e im

ages

an

d c

lass

ic

adv

erti

sin

g s

log

ans

that

bo

ldly

dec

-o

rate

th

e tr

ain

car

s re

calli

ng

Jo

hn

D

eere

’s p

rou

d h

isto

ry a

s th

e w

ork

-h

ors

e o

f A

mer

ica’

s fa

rmer

.

Built

Tou

gh…

like

John

Dee

re T

ract

ors!

Mas

terf

ully

cr

afte

d

wit

h

a so

lid

met

al

chas

sis

and

g

leam

ing

b

rass

w

hee

ls,

yo

ur

Joh

n D

eere

Exp

ress

will

bri

ng

yo

u y

ears

of

enjo

ym

ent

as y

ou

wat

ch i

ts p

ow

erfu

l d

iese

l lo

com

oti

ve

and

car

s p

low

aro

un

d

the

trac

ks.

An e

xcep

tiona

l val

ue!

Beg

in

yo

ur

illu

min

ated

H

O-s

cale

tr

ain

co

llect

ion

w

ith

th

e D

iese

l Lo

com

oti

ve.

Yo

u w

ill b

e b

illed

the

firs

t of t

hre

e ea

sy p

aym

ents

of $

25.0

0*

bef

ore

it is

sh

ipp

ed. S

oo

n, y

ou

can

loo

k f

orw

ard

to

ad

din

g c

oo

rdin

atin

g

Joh

n D

eere

Exp

ress

car

s—in

clu

din

g h

isto

ric,

fu

lly-s

culp

ted

Jo

hn

Dee

re

trac

tors

—an

d t

he

FREE

tra

cks,

pow

er-p

ack

and

sp

eed

con

trol

ler

...

a $7

0 va

lue!

Th

ey w

ill b

e b

illed

sep

arat

ely

at

each

th

e sa

me

attr

acti

ve

pri

ce a

nd

sh

ipp

ed a

bo

ut

on

e ev

ery

oth

er m

on

th. O

ur

bes

t-in

-th

e-b

usi

nes

s 36

5-d

ay g

uar

ante

e as

sure

s y

ou

r sa

tisf

acti

on

an

d y

ou

can

can

cel a

t an

y t

ime.

LAST

CHA

NCE!

Act

now

!E

xtre

mel

y l

imit

ed q

uan

titi

es r

emai

n s

o y

ou

are

en

cou

rag

ed n

ot

to w

ait!

Sen

d n

o m

oney

now

. Ju

st m

ail t

he

cou

po

n t

od

ay!

Metic

ulou

s de

taili

ng

re-c

reat

es e

ach

hist

oric

tr

acto

r! Sh

own

is Jo

hn D

eere

’s c

lass

ic

5010

—th

e m

ost p

ower

ful

trac

tor o

f its

day

!Fi

ne

colle

ctib

le.

Not

inte

nded

for

child

ren u

nder

14

.

©

Haw

thor

ne

Vill

age

1

4-0

09

00

-00

1-B

I75

LC

Illu

min

ated

, R

eal

Wor

king

HO

-Sca

le E

lect

ric

Trai

n C

olle

ctio

nIll

lllluuuuummmmmmmm

iiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnaaaaaaaaatttttttttttt

eeeeeeeeddddddddddddddd,

RRRRRRRRRRRRRReeeeeeeaaaaaaaaa

llllllllll WWWWWWWWWW

ooooooooorrrrrrrrrkkkkkkkkkkkkkiiiiiiiiiiiii

nnnnnnnnngggggggggg HHHHHHHHHHHHHH

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO--SSSSSSSSSSSSSS

ccccccccaaaaaaalllllllllllllleeeeeeeee

EEEEEEEEEllllllleeeeeeee

cccccccccttttttttttttrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiii

cccccccc TTTTTTTTTTTTTTrrrrrrrrr

aaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnn

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCooooooollllllllllllll

lllllllllllllleeeeeeeeccccccccttttttttttt

iiiiiiiiiiiiiioooooooonnnnnnnn

The

JOH

N D

EER

E EX

PR

ESS

FEAT

URIN

G

AUTH

ENTI

CALL

Y DE

TAIL

ED,

FU

LLY-

SCUL

PTED

VIN

TAGE

JOHN

DEE

RE TR

ACTO

RS!

Ye

s! P

leas

e en

ter

my

orde

r fo

r on

e Jo

hn D

eere

Ex

pres

s ill

umin

ated

ele

ctric

HO-

scal

e tra

in c

olle

ctio

n,

begi

nnin

g w

ith t

he “

Dies

el L

ocom

otiv

e” a

s de

scrib

ed in

th

is a

nnou

ncem

ent.

SE

ND

NO

MO

NE

Y N

OW

.

Lim

ited-

time

Offe

r—Pl

ease

Res

pond

Pro

mpt

ly

*Plu

s $9

.99

ship

ping

and

ser

vice.

All

sales

sub

ject t

o ac

cept

ance

an

d pr

oduc

t ava

ilabi

lity.

Plea

se a

llow

4-6

wee

ks fo

r deli

very

.

LA

ST

CH

AN

CE

! EX

TR

EM

EL

Y

LIM

ITE

D Q

UA

NT

ITIE

S R

EM

AIN

!

9210

N. M

ARYL

AND

ST.,

NIL

ES, I

L 6

0714

-132

2

Sign

atur

e

Mrs

. M

r. M

s.Na

me

(PLE

ASE

PRIN

T CL

EARL

Y)

Addr

ess

Apt.

No.

City

Sta

te

Zip

E-M

ail

Certi

ficat

e of

Aut

hent

icity

and

36

5-da

y Un

cond

ition

al G

uara

ntee

917372-E15301

Sh

ipm

en

t O

ne

:D

iese

l L

oc

om

oti

ve

Sh

ipm

en

t Tw

o:

En

gin

e a

nd

FR

EE

Tra

ck

Se

t

Sh

ipm

en

t T

hre

e:

Fla

t B

ed

Ca

r w

ith

sc

ulp

ted

Cla

ssic

50

10

Tra

cto

r a

nd

F

RE

E P

ow

er

Pa

ck

an

d S

pe

ed

Co

ntr

oll

er

www.bradfordexchange.com

/JDtrain

LA

ST C

HA

NC

E

TO

OR

DER

!


YCALL NOW! Get a FREE DVD and Catalogwith complete details including model specifi cations, factory-direct prices, and Limited-Time 1-YEAR Hands-On Trial offer!

1-888-208-5693www.DRleafvac.com

TOLLFREE

THE HARD WORKING DR® LEAF and LAWN VACUUM collects leaves, grass clippings, pine

needles, pine cones, and twigs with an unstoppable 85 mph suction. What used to be a weekend chore can be accomplished in just a few hours, all from the comfort of your riding mower.

76396X © 2012 CHP

10:1 for large load capacity and less emptying!

Clears your yard of those nuisance branches up to 2" thick!

on our Patented Shark-Tooth® impeller!

for those hard to reach areas!

Self-Propelled models available!

Rest easy with the DR® LEAF and LAWN VACUUM

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION

FrontPorch

Magazine

#1 Largest Bi-Monthly audited circulation in

Arkansas

*Statewide 700,000 plus readership

*Interesting-Timely-Pertinent

*Invest your advertising dollars securely & wisely

*Circulation Audited by Verifi ed Audit

Circulation

Call or e-mail David Brown

1.800.561.4686

[email protected]



Pineapple Rice Delight

Ingredients• 1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple

• ½ cup sugar

• 1 (3-ounce) box of strawberry gelatin (or fl avor of your choice)

• 3 cups cooked rice (brown or white)

• 1 (16-ounce) carton small curd cottage cheese

• 1 (16-ounce) container non-dairy whipped topping

• ½ to 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

InstructionsIn a microwavable bowl, heat pineapple for 1 to 1½ minutes

and stir in fl avored gelatin with sugar until dissolved. Spoon

in cooked rice and mix thoroughly. Cool and fold in whipped

topping and cottage cheese. If desired, add ½ to 1 cup chopped

pecans. Chill until served. It makes approximately 16 servings.

Serve by putting mounds onto lettuce leaves as a salad or into

sherbet glasses as a dessert. Garnish with chopped nuts, sliced fruit

or mint sprigs.

Make it on the lite side by adding pineapple in its own juice,

lite cottage cheese, lite Cool Whip and sugar free Jell-O. The

regular recipe is 100 calories per ½ cup serving, and the lite

version is 60 calories. It can be stored in an airtight container up

to fi ve days. The color of the Jell-O can be changed for seasonal

use.

Tara Johnson is a contributor to Arkansas Farm Bureau’s Taste

Arkansas blog. For the rest of the Miss Arkansas Rice contest recipes

visit tastearkansas.com.

RRecently, I had the pleasure of judging

the Miss Arkansas Rice contest in Brinkley.

I was impressed by the class, poise and

confi dence each of the seven contestants

demonstrated. The goal of the Miss

Arkansas Rice program is to encourage

youth interest in rice promotion and

to publicize the importance of the

Arkansas rice industry to the state’s

economy. Contestants are judged on their

promotion activities, knowledge of the

rice industry and rice-cooking skills.

Each of the participants represented

their home county. Bailey Dillinger, Miss

St. Francis County Rice, was fi rst runner-

up, and second runner-up was Bailey

Davis, Miss Craighead County Rice. Other

county winners participating in the state

fi nals were Stephanie Palmerin Sanchez,

Miss Arkansas County Rice; Brooklyn

Devazier, Miss Cross County Rice;

Elizabeth Pack, Miss Lonoke County Rice;

and Ashtyn Lowry, Miss Monroe County

Rice. The girls were engaging, bright and

knowledgeable.

As you can imagine, I was particularly

interested in each contestant’s recipe and

ability to cook rice. Every single recipe is

incredible, I recommend trying them all.

The contestants’ use of fl avors, textures

and presentation blew me away. I had to

resist the urge to tell each contestant to

give me a second serving.

The competition was tough, but the

2012-13 Miss Arkansas Rice, Meredith

Williams, is a special young lady. She

was poised, knowledgeable and engaging.

Meredith is a joy to talk to and her recipe,

Pineapple Rice Delight, is an interesting,

versatile and delicious concoction that I

can’t wait to recreate.

Rice is nice for just about any part of a meal including this wonderful dessert, Pineapple Rice Delight, made by Miss Arkansas Rice 2012-13, Meredith Williams from Searcy.

by Tara Johnson

Winning rice recipeEat dessert fi rst for a nutritious rice dish

InTheKitchen

Keith

Sut

ton

�


C L A S S I F I E D S

Mobile HomeSuper InsulatedRoof Over Systems40 Year Warranty

Factory Direct From Roof King

1-800-748-0645

Mobile HomeOwners: ROOF KING

Establishedin

1982

Earn $75,000/yr Part Timein the livestock or equipment

appraisal business. Agricultural background

required. Classroom or home study courses available.

(800) 488-7570

Brooks, GA 30205 1-800-733-0324 isons.comFree Catalog

Grow half-dollar size Muscadines

and Blackberries. We also offer over

200 varieties of Fruit and Nut Trees plus Vine

and Berry Plants.

Ison’s NurserySince 1934

PO Box 190PO Box 190

a

Grower Direct

Smart Chevrolet Cadillac Buick GMC

515 W 5th, Pine Bluff870-534-8122

www.smartdrive.com


TTwenty fi ve years ago, a small group

of high school juniors and seniors

walked through the doors of the Pine

Bluff Area Health Education Center

(AHEC), excited and a little nervous,

not really knowing what the next two

weeks would bring. These students

would become the pioneer class of

M*A*S*H (Medical Applications of

Science for Health), the fi rst of more

than 5,500 students to participate in

this two-week introduction to health

professions. The need for this program

came because of a lack of health

professionals in rural areas. It was

established to help recruit rural students

to those fi elds. Introducing rural

students to health professions at an

early age and in a rural setting increases

the likelihood they will return to a rural

area to practice.

Since then, M*A*S*H has expanded

to include locations across Arkansas.

This summer more than 400 students

participated in 29 M*A*S*H camps. The

majority of the camps are located in

AHECs and rural hospitals. M*A*S*H

is designed to allow students who

are interested in a medical career an

opportunity for an intensive experience

in the medical fi eld. These students

engage in hands-on learning experiences

that introduce them to all areas of

health professions. Activities include

CPR and fi rst aid training, suturing class,

dissection, casting class and shadowing

physicians. Students also spend time

learning medical terminology, working

in the lab along with collaborative work

through team-building exercises.

During the past 25 years, M*A*S*H

has evolved into not only a learning

experience for the students, but also a

way for them to be involved in their

community. Yalanda Young Merrell has

been coordinating the M*A*S*H camp at

AHEC Northeast in Jonesboro for three

years.

“I have seen the demand and

interest for certain careers change. But

the one thing that stays constant is

the desire within each student to help

people,” Merrell said.

This year, the Jonesboro students

took part in their fi rst ever community

service project, a blood drive for the

American Red Cross. Organized by the

students, the drive was a success as

they were able to meet their goal of

collecting 22 units of blood.

“These high school students are the

future of health care,” said Merrell. “It’s

comforting and exciting to see their love

for people, healing and learning.”

During Pine Bluff’s 25th anniversary

celebration, J.E. “Eddie” Maples, Jr.,

director of the South Central AHEC,

spoke of the impact M*A*S*H has had on

rural communities in Arkansas.

“Over the past 25 years, M*A*S*H has

provided thousands of rural high school

students with an insight into the world of

health care that has solidifi ed the desire

to become a health-care professional.

Many of the M*A*S*H participants have

completed their chosen fi eld of training

and are now practicing in rural areas of

Arkansas,” Maples said.

With new hospitals being added

each year and the number of applicants

increasing, M*A*S*H is sure to continue

helping fi ll the need for health-care

professionals in rural areas.

Silver anniversary class Front row (left to right) Richaundra Randle, DaShara Pugh, Gabrielle Smith. Second row (left to right) Sarai Nicholson, Bess Jenkins, Sonam Balani, Alycia Brown, Haley Thompson. Back row (left to right) Curtis Burnley, Samantha Bearden, Mary Jane Lytle, Andrew Lee, Hunter Medsker, Alyssa Holland.

�

by Jennifer Victory

Health&Safety

M*A*S*H camps successful againPine Bluff camp celebrates 25th anniversary


Real service. Real people.

www.afbic.com

*Not all discounts are subject to semi-annual automatic review.*Discounts may vary, and do not apply to life insurance products.

More service. Same auto discounts.Any insurance company can offer “discounts”. But with us, you talk with your local agent face to face. That way, you know you’re getting the premium discounts you qualify for, from day one. And you know we’ll check for more discounts every six months. That’s why our customers stay happy. And we think you will, too. Call today.

AR

AU

PR

4159

6

Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. of Arkansas, Inc.Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Co. Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co., Jackson, MS

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING

OF THE MEMBERS OFARKANSAS FARM BUREAU

FEDERATION

Notice is hereby given that the annual meeting of the members ofArkansas Farm Bureau Federation

will be held at 8 a.m., Friday,November 30, 2012, in Horner

Hall at the Hot Springs ConventionCenter, Hot Springs, Arkansas.

The purpose of this meeting is to elect a Board of Directors for the

ensuing year and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the

meeting.

Ewell R. WelchExecutive Vice President

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING

OF THE MEMBERS OFFARM BUREAU MUTUAL

INSURANCE COMPANY OF ARKANSAS, INC.

Notice is hereby given that the annual meeting of the members of Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of Arkansas, Inc. will be held at 1 p.m., Friday, November

30, 2012, in Rooms A & B at the Embassy Suites, Hot Springs,

Arkansas.

The purpose of this meeting is to elect a Board of Directors for the

ensuing year and for the transaction of such other business as may

properly come before the meeting.

Tom JonesSecretary

Picture this!

Dust off your cameras and take part in Rural Reflections, FB’s Front Porch photo contest.

F arm Bureau members now have the opportunity to spotlight their creativity, their perception and their flair for the dra-matic — or the comical or even the tragic — in Front Porch’s

third Rural Reflections Photo Contest.This competition offers amateur photographers the chance to ex-

plore the many activities, seasons, triumphs, disappointments and faces of agriculture, our state’s key industry. The photos that win this competition will capture the image and spirit of agriculture, and Farm Bureau, in Arkansas.

The contest includes two divisions, High School (ages 14–18) and Adult (19 and older). The winner of each receives $250. In ad-dition, one entry will receive a Grand Prize of $500. The winners and honorable mentions may have their works published, with credit, in Front Porch and Arkansas Agriculture magazines, on Farm Bureau’s website, arfb.com, and in other publications.

Arkansas Farm Bureau has the final decision on any and all questions or concerns regarding rules, judging, eligibility, prizes awarded or anything else that may arise pertaining to the Rural Reflections Photo Contest.

RULES

arfb.com/get-involved/contests/

midnight Oct. 31, 2012

arfb.com

A free catalogyou should

about

Actual quotes from our customers. Printed with their permission.

YES! Please rush me a freeshop-at-home catalog. I understandthere is no obligation and I get FREE shipping.

Dr/Mr/Mrs/Ms

Address

City

State/Zip

Hearing Help Express105 North First St, Dept 23-379DeKalb, IL 60115-0586

✓

Don’t pay another dime untilyou clip and mail this coupon

for your free catalog!“People have stopped mumbling.I hear everything so clearly. Itfits so comfortably in my ear.”

M.V. – Eagleville, TN

“My hearing aids are wonderful,now my friends and family sayI’m back to my old self.”

J.C. – Andrews, TX

“Hearing aid is working fine!You would not know I am wearing it (it is so small).”

G.G. – Oil City, PA

“My wife is highly pleased withher new hearing aid. It worksso much better than her $2,000ones. It can hardly be seen.”

P.W. – Kansas

“They used to call me ‘grandmahuh’. Now I can hear real good– no more ‘what’ or ‘huh’!”

M.C. – Colton, CA

“I hear – No – I understandwhat I hear much better.”

R.H. – Ft Recovery, OH

Very discreet!

TinyIn-the-Ear

Reported byThe Wall Street Journal★ “Sound was crisp and clear.”

★ “With different tip sizesto choose from, this fitour ears the best, resultingin minimal feedback.”

www.HearingHelpExpress.com/WSJ

DisappearingHearing Aid

SAVE 80%UPTO

Great fit!

FREE Shop from Home Hearing Aid Catalog!

Choose from many high-quality hearingaids at remarkably low prices.

Order by mail from a family businesswith over 600,000 satisfied customersand 32 years selling hearing aids by mail.

World’s Best Hearing Value!★ Order with no money down

★ Arrives ready to use

★ Compare to hearing aids

costing $1,000 or more

★ Order from home and SAVEup to 80% ... you avoid bigmark-ups, long office waitsand salesmen.

★ Risk-FREE offer

CALL TOLL-FREE

ext. 23-379www.HearingHelpExpress.com/23379

FREECATALOG!

100%Money-BackGuarantee

© Hearing Help Express®, Inc

Existing Farm Bureau Bank recreational loans are excluded from this offer.*Rate disclosed as Annual Percentage Rate (APR) and is based on automated payments (ACH) and acquiring one of the following collateral protection products: Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP), Debit Cancellation (DC) or Major Mechanical Protection (MMP). Additional discounts do apply for purchas-ing more than one collateral protection product. The advertised APR of 2.99% is effective as of 5/18/2012. Final APR may differ from the loan interest rate due to additional fees (such as a loan documentation fee) which may be applicable.

payment date would be 3.17%, with payments of $554.62. To qualify for the disclosed rate, customer must be a Farm Bureau member. Finance charges accrue from origination date of

options are available. Non-member rates may be 1-3% higher than posted rates. This offer is not available in all states and rates are subject to change without notice. Banking services provided by Farm Bureau Bank, FSB.

One Simple Rate for New & Used Vehicles

AS LOW AS

36-MONTH TERM

APR*2.99%Save with one low rate on 2003 to new vehicle

and affordable protection plans. We made it so convenient, it’s always a good time to apply.

Contact your local Farm Bureau office to apply today!

Documents

Front Porch - September/October 2012