A field trip to the family farm

Sunday, October 18, 2009 3:05 AM  |  Printer friendly version | E-mail to a friend |

By Steve Huffman

shuffman@salisburypost.com

MOUNT ULLA — U.S. Rep. Howard Coble went looking for the future of farming Monday morning.

And, sure enough, he found her.

"Where'd the little redhead go?" Coble asked, scanning a crowd of a dozen or so who surrounded him on a Mount Ulla dairy farm.

A few people took a look around before someone spotted 7-year-old Brooklyn Hoffner darting in and out among the adults.

Coble took a look at the girl, then addressed her parents, Terry Lee and Susan Hoffner.

"I hope she takes over the farm one day," Coble said. "I hate to see the family farm abandoned."

So, said Brittney's parents, do they.

Coble visited Mount Ulla and a handful of other places throughout Rowan County Monday as a means, he said, of staying in touch with his constituents. He said while some refer to Congress being on "break," the more accurate term is "district work period."

Coble, who represents the state's 6th District, which includes a portion of Rowan County, has been in Congress since the mid-1980s. He said over the course of a year, as a means of staying in touch with voters, he'll on a number of occasions visit all of the six counties he represents.

Several times a year he makes stops like he did Monday, to simply chat and get feedback on what's expected of him.

Susan Hoffner said Coble's visit to their family farm was the result of her and her husband visiting the congressman in Washington in February as representatives of the N.C. Farm Bureau's Young Farmers and Ranchers.

"When we spoke, Mr. Coble seemed very concerned about agricultural issues," Susan said.

She said that before leaving the nation's capital, she and her husband invited Coble to stop by their 1,200-acre dairy farm whenever he liked. Susan and Terry Lee, as well as Terry's parents, Terry Sr. and Frances, raise about 200 dairy cows as well as a variety of crops.

"I'm sure he's very busy," Susan said of Coble. "I'm impressed he took the time to come see us."

Coble pointed out Monday that the part of Rowan County where the Hoffner farm lies is out of his district. He said that before traveling to Rowan County, he contacted U.S. Rep. Mel Watt, who represents the area, to make sure it was OK that he moseyed into his Congressional district.

Not a problem, Watt replied.

"I appreciate what you people do," Coble told the Hoffners and a handful of their farming neighbors. "I know you fight Mother Nature every day. I hope you win as many as you lose."

The Hoffners and their neighbors said there are only about 300 dairy farms remaining in North Carolina. There used to be, they said, many more.

Johnny Moore and his son, Brian, farm the dairy farm adjacent to the Hoffners. They visited their neighbors' property Monday to participate in the chat with Coble.

Moore said dairy farmers are paid per 100 pounds of milk. They're currently getting just $11.50 per hundred pounds, he said, though a farmer needs $18 to $20 for the amount merely to break even.

Subsidies, Moore said, in the form of Milk Income Loss Payments help make up the difference, but it's still a struggle for dairy farmers to make a living.

"We love what we do," Moore said. "That's why we stay in it. It's what we want to do. We love our jobs. We don't do it for the money."

Terry Hoffner Sr., the father of Terry Lee Hoffner, agreed, though he also noted that many farmers would leave the profession if their children weren't involved.

"If the kids weren't interested in taking over the farms, we'd sell out," Hoffner said. "There'd be no purpose in staying."

Jay Parker, national legislative director for Farm Bureau, accompanied Coble on his visit to Mount Ulla. He said his job is largely one of communication

"I try to speak farming to the congressman and I try to speak congressional to the farmers," Parker said.

After leaving Mount Ulla, Coble and his entourage drove to China Grove where they visited Wild Turkey Farms, an operation run by Lee and Domisty Menius. Lee was escorted around his farm by a not-yet-2-week-old sheep that bleated every few seconds. Menius referred to the creation as "my guard dog."

Menius then loaded members of Coble's group into his four-door pickup for a tour of the 50-acre farm. Along the way, he pointed out some huge hogs lounging in a field. The creatures didn't so much as stir as the pickup rumbled past.

"You can tell they're in a high-stress environment," Menius joked. "Oh, yeah, you can tell they're upset we're over here looking at them."

Menius thanked Coble for his visit, telling the congressman that federal regulations regarding farming are geared more toward big producers than smaller operations like his.

The visits to the dairy farm in Mount Ulla and the turkey farm in China Grove weren't the only stops that Coble made in Rowan County Monday.

He also visited:

- West Rowan High School to present awards to the school's football team for winning a state championship last fall. Members of the football team reciprocated by presenting Coble with a T-shirt and ball cap commemorating their championship.

- The Locke Fire Department, where he met with representatives of Locke, Bostian Heights and Rockwell Rural fire departments who have recently received grants to upgrade their services.