FRANKLIN
Southampton County farmers have enjoyed another successful year of raising cotton and peanuts in 2014. Joey Johnson Farms produced a yield of 1,706.2 pounds of cotton per acre on 587.9 acres. Drake Farms made the Three-Ton Club with 6,057.9 pounds of peanuts per acre on 119.32 acres.

They and many other producers were recently honored for their achievements at an awards banquet in the Regional Development Workforce Center of Paul D. Camp Community College. Neil Clark, representing the Southampton Extension Service, handed out the plaques and trophies.

Richard Kitchen, who works with his father, Ben Kitchen on Plank Road in Sedley, said he intends to beat the cotton record next year.

“Everything came together,” ‘Pumpkin’ Drake said about his farm’s success this past year. He added that he’s optimistic about the next growing season.

Dr. Hunter Frame of the Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Suffolk said that cotton production had “a very good year.”

Dell Cotton of the Virginia Peanut Growers Association said this is the fourth year for yield of peanuts over 4,000 pounds to the acre.

“This is way higher than it used to be,” he said. “Ten years ago the state average was 3,000 pounds to the acre…This is something to be very proud of.”

Cotton, however, advised growers, “not to get greedy and overdo it. This is a time for everybody to learn.”

The other notable cotton producers for 2014 are:

• Ben Kitchen with a yield of 1,671.24 pounds per acre on 613.1 acres;

• Samuel B. Drewry Jr. with a yield of 1,638.98 pounds per acre on 236.5 acres;

• R.L. Smith with a yield of 1,578.11 pounds per acre on 583.8 acres;

• Carter Smith with a yield of 1,537.04 pounds per acre on 913.7 acres;

• Hancock Farms LLC with a yield of 1,590.84 pounds per acre on 359.2 acres;

• B.M. Francis Farms LLC with a yield of 1,580.42 pounds per acre on 430.7 acres;

• Kenny Edwards with a yield of 1,560.85 pounds per acre on 619.9 acres;

• Greg and Seth Edwards with a yield of 1,512.72 pounds per acre on 571.34 acres;

• Glenn and Jason Francis with a yield of 1,478.98 pounds per acre on 623.3 acres;

• Peter Copeland with a yield of 1,488.31 pounds per acre on 279.8 acres;

• Davis and Sons Inc. with a yield of 1,377.12 pounds per acre on 1,017.2 acres;

• J. Darden and Sons with a yield of 1,430.02 pounds per acre on 477.15 acres;

• Foxhill Farms, Inc. with a yield of 1,397.17 pounds per acre on 793.9 acres;

• David Worsham with a yield of 1,443.37 pounds per acre on 75 acres;

• J B Thorpe III with a yield of 1,397.99 pounds per acre on 196.5 acres;

• Drake Farms with a yield of 1,358.74 pounds per acre on 500.7 acres;

Rogers Farms with a yield of 1,345.18 pounds per acre on 454.1 acres;

• Sandy Ridge Farms Inc. with a yield of 1,331.77 pounds per acre on 434.4 acres;

• Edward S. Drake with a yield of 1,354.68 pounds per acre on 191.5 acres

• B&R Farms with a yield of 1,337.17 pounds per acre on 283.3 acres;

• Drewery Brothers with a yield of 1,295.15 pounds per acre on 678 acres;

• George T. Drake and Son with a yield of 1,327.72 pounds per acre on 302.83 acres;

• Richard, Roger and Roger Jr. Gray with a yield of 1,300.03 pounds per acres on 393.75 acres;

• Jim Williams with a yield of 1,302.41 pounds per acre on 295 acres;

• Parker Farms LLC – Wesley Barnes with a yield of 1,257.50 pounds per acre on 462.1 acres;

• Richard Cutchins with a yield of 1,250.88 pounds per acre on 381.1 acres;

• Earl Johnson with a yield of 1,218.73 pounds per acre on 547.65 acres

The other notable peanut producers for 2014 are:

• Davis and Sons Inc. with a yield of 5,845.6 pounds per acre on 195.3 acres;

• Joey Johnson Farms with a yield of 5,735 pounds per acre on 366.4 acres;

• Earl Johnson with a yield of 5,522.5 pounds per acre on 294.8 acres;

• B&R Farms with a yield of 5,739.6 pounds per acre on 114.7 acres;

• Rogers Farms with a yield of 5,581. pounds per acre on 166.6 acres;

• Lowe Brothers with a yield of 5,190.2 pounds per acre on 978.4 acres;

• Carter Smith Farms LLC with a yield of 5,335.7 pounds per acre on 224.1 acres;

• Foxhill Farms Inc. with a yield of 5,066 pounds per acre on 413.4 acres;

• Sandy Ridge Farms with a yield of 5,351.5 pounds per acre on 188 acres ;

• George T. Drake & Son Inc. with a yield of 5,430.1 pounds per acre on 67.14 acres;

• Jim Williams with a yield of 5,408.3 pounds per acre on 87.7 acres ;

• Blount Thorpe with a yield of 5,231.7 pounds per acre on 83.8 acres;

• Peter Copeland with a yield of 4,956.9 pounds per acre on 85.2 acres;

• Richard, Roger and Roger Jr. Gray with a yield of 4,897.7 pounds per acres on 113.2 acres;

• Parker Farms LLC – Wesley Barnes with a yield of 4,837.6 pounds per acre on 148.8 acres;

• Edward Stuart Drake with a yield of 4,781.3 pounds per acre on 157.4 acres;

• J. Darden and Sons with a yield of 4,475.3 pounds per acre on 203.2 acres;

• Richard Cutchins with a yield of 4,329 pounds per acre on 172 acres.

Sponsors for the evening program were: Dow Agrosciences, Phytogen Cottonseed – Chris Drake, Laurie Coulter; Colonial Farm Credit – Kevin Sutton; Bayer CropScience – Franklin Dowless; Helena Chemical – Larry Fowler; Commonwealth Gin – Johnny Parker, Tom Alphin; Suffolk Gin; Mid Atlantic Gin- Mark Hodges; J.T. Barham & Company; Monsanto – Glenn Rountree; Meherrin Chemical – George L. Thorpe Jr., Jim Davis; Berlin Farm Service – Rusty Lowe; Providence Ag – Eric Drake, Greg Applewhite; Dupont Pioneer – Jason Lipinski; Carolina Eastern – Scott Cale; Crop Production Services – Wes Chappell.