Farming is definitely a family tradition for this year's Farm Family of the Year.
Bell Planting Company is a family-owned farming operation by Larry Bell and his wife, Portia, and their sons, Becton and Ross. Becton's wife, Kaci, and daughters, Hadleigh and Whitley, and Ross' wife, Nickie, and daughters, Macy and Keely, round out the family farming operation.
Bell Planting Company is based in Bassett, and all the Bells live in Wilson.
The Farm Family of the Year is a cooperative program sponsored by Mississippi County Farm Bureau, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the USDA Farm Service Agency.
The Bells' farm is truly diversified, raising 1,500 acres of cotton, 1,000 acres of rice, 300 acres of corn and 4,200 acres of soybeans.
The Bell Planting Company has come a long way since Larry Bell's great-grandparents began farming in the area many years ago. Ross and Becton are the fifth generation to work the family farm.
The farm began with only 400 acres. The Bells now farm 7,000 acres, with the majority of it on leased ground.
Diversification is the key to the Bells' farm, Ross Bell explained. "We've got all the equipment you need for all crops," he said.
After an investment of a grain dryer and storage system in 2004, the Bells can hold their grain and sell it at the most opportune time.
"That give us a tremendous advantage," Ross Bell said.
Soybeans and corn are dried and stored, before the sale of grain to Consolidated Grain and Barge and Bunge. Rice is sold through Producer's Rice Mill and cotton is marketed through Staplcotn Cooperative.
The company also installed the storage bins to help make the most of their labor force.
"Our rice harvest was regularly at a standstill due to long lines and the elevator and the elevator's shut downs to catch up on their drying," Larry Bell said.
The facility can store more than 150,000 bushels of grain at one time.
The company also uses the latest technology to their benefit as well. "The biggest changes on the farm now are the use of GPS, (growth of) bio-crops and irrigation," Larry Bell said.
About 80 percent of the Bells' crops are irrigated using polypipe whenever possible. The Bells are also gradually converting their irrigation pumps to electric to help conserve fuel. Using polypipe to irrigate, rather than flooding fields, is much more efficient, Bell said.
The Bells also use grid sampling to determine the amount fertilizer needed in different areas, rather than just making a blanket application.
Bell's wife, Portia, is the company's bookkeeper. Granddaughter Hadleigh also likes to help out in the farm office.
The Bells are also involved in the community. Larry has served as a board member of Farm Bureau, the FSA County Committee and on the Joiner Road District Committee.
Becton serves on the county Farm Bureau board, as well as the FSA County Committee. He is a former Bassett alderman and serves as a volunteer cook for the Junior Auxiliary project along with his brother.
Both Kaci and Nickie Bell are involved in Junior Auxiliary, as well as Angel Tree, Coats for Kids and other projects.
The Bells also help the community by purchasing their seeds, chemicals and supplies for the farm locally whenever possible. "We try to stay in this immediate area if (the vendors) are competitive," Ross Bell said.
dhilton@blythevillecourier.com