Editor
The Beatles’ song “With a Little Help from My Friends,” sung by drummer Ringo Starr, came out on their 1967 album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. To this day, the phrase still resonates on many levels with all types of people.
I thought of it myself while working on the article, “This Is How We Roll,” on page 12. When North Carolina farmer, James Griffin, was diagnosed with cancer in September 2020 and ran into complications as he was poised to harvest his cotton crop, the local farming community rallied. They executed a plan that was nothing short of a “major cotton-picking event.”
Then, like déjà vu, it cropped up in my mind again when I was interviewing Arkansas crop consultant Chuck Farr for the Cotton Consultants Corner column on page 7. After wrapping up our conversation about plant bug control, we began chatting about the upcoming season in general, the huge crack recently discovered in the Memphis bridge and how important it is to know you have people who have your back.
“I don’t think there is any way any of us in the consulting world could do what we do for as long as we have done it without a great support system,” Farr says. “Not only do we lean on each other a lot, but I talk to consultants Danny Moore, Eddy Cates, David Hydrick, Tyler Hydrick and Blake Foust every week. And I have a good wife in Tami. She knows the kind of hours I keep and stands by me through thick and thin.
“For me, it’s also the Ray Youngs, the Roger Carters, the Grady Coburns, the Jan Streeters, the Billy McLawhorns, and probably 10 more I didn’t mention who are my backbone. They mentored not only me but other consultants, too. They brought us up to show respect and have a good work ethic. They taught us everything on the business side we needed to know moving forward. I am in awe that I even get to sit in the same room with those guys sometimes. They are true Southern gentlemen.”
And let’s not forget all the friends who have stepped up to support Hub Miller, Mississippi cotton consultant Tucker Miller’s son. He is making remarkable progress following a recent medical issue. The ongoing support of friends and family is a major contributor to Hub’s healing. We all wish him a speedy recovery! #hubstrong
“With a Little Help from My Friends” started out as a way for Ringo Starr to enjoy being featured as the vocal lead in one of the iconic English group’s repertoire. Today, it has evolved into a mantra to express appreciation to those who stand by us no matter what.
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