my turn

In 2022, it will have been 100 years since my great grandpaw, Gotleib Voigt, moved up here from Central Texas and bought some land on the South Plains. I am the fourth generation to farm the home place. Our family has always grown cotton, and it’s about the only viable crop option here in this region. In years past, I ... Read More »

In 1934, the Bakersfield Exchange Club sponsored a cotton picking contest with prizes. The event was held in Buttonwillow and had 30 contestants. On Oct.12, 1935, the Kern County Farm Bureau directors decided to sponsor a similar event. The committee set Oct. 25 as the contest date and selected a 40-acre cotton field belonging to W.H. Mettler near Shafter. The ... Read More »

After 32 years of crop consulting, you would think this business would run like a well-oiled machine. To the contrary, running a company with predominantly 18- to 25-year-old employees is much like running a house full of teenagers. Always expect the unexpected! The DonnyBrook! I’m sure many people have no idea what a DonnyBrook is or where it originated. I ... Read More »

I grew up in the little town of Ropesville, Texas,  population 435,  right in the middle of the “world’s largest contiguous cotton patch.” My maternal grandfather, Jerry Green, was a gin manager. My paternal grandfather, Wilburn Chambers, was a gin manager and shareholder in an Farm Center Gin and Elevator — an independent cotton gin between Lubbock and Ropesville. Fifty-five years ... Read More »

Old No. 2 died last night. I found her this morning in the “boot” pasture way over by the tree line. I knew it was coming for some time now, but somehow that didn’t lessen the disappointment. She had been having trouble getting to her feet and for a cow, not being able to do that is a death sentence. ... Read More »