Mercer named Polk County Farmer of the Year

A family tradition of bring part of the land, built one generation after the next is part of the story of Polk County's Farmer of the Year Charles Mercer Jr. His grandfather and grand uncle both held the title when he was young, and his father was a member of the soil conservation board.

Now it was Mercer's turn to be honored by fellow growers by being named to the title in 2016.

"We work hard all the time," he said. "I just appreciate the honor."

Mercer, who started in the business decades before, said he's seen a lot change over the years, from new machinery to fungicides and herbicides that are as good as cure-alls for his fields.

The biggest change of all, and one that could well threaten his way of life in the future, is financing.

Especially during hard years like this past growing season, where the impact of drought has hit hard.

"I think they have some changes coming on the line that will be good for us in the future," he said.

Mercer is also concerned about the need for greater attention on who will take to the fields in the future. He said its getting harder for younger farmers to get started in the business because there simply isn't enough money for small family farmers to make a profit.

"You can't hardly make it now unless you have some kind of backing," he said.

He previously kept cattle as his main business when he started in the 1970s, then switched to row crops in the 1980s. Mercer grows soybeans and corn mostly these days, and said that despite the drought he was still able to bring in a decent crop of corn for 2016.

"Beans just went downhill," he said.

Mercer said he'd suffered through time like this before and said that "you need to have a good banker" to get through hard years, but that the prudent farmer always saves to ensure that drought doesn't destroy the business.

"You've got to be diversified too," he said. "This coming year we're going to 100 acres of cotton. Hopefully, if it rains."

The other secret to his years of success, Mercer said, was soil conservation efforts. He grows cover crops and uses machinery that plants new seeds without having to till the soil, which allows plants to grow without any problems.

All of these things and more make Mercer the Famrer of the Year, and he’ hopes to keep going for years to come.

“I’d like to farm for at least 10 more years, or at least as long as I can,” he said.