A look at the Spence Held Farm Partnership

Spence and Jenni Held keep busy on and off the job

By RALPH HARDIN Evening Times Editor

Spence and Jenni Held are Crittenden County's 2021 Farm Family of the Year. For 74 years, the Arkansas Farm Family of the Year Program has honored farm families across the state.

The Helds officially do business under the name Spence Held Farm Partnership, operating out of Hughes and with an office in Earle. Their farmland is in Proctor, making the operation a true countywide business.

Spence’s first year of farming, he worked 100 acres.

In the 16 years since, his partnership has expanded to include 5,500 leased acres.

This year, the Held operation includes 4,100 acres of soybeans and 1,400 acres of rice.

“All rice is put in Producer Rice Mills marketing pool and they market throughout the next 12 months,” said Spence.

“The beans are marketed by the partnership based on planting intentions and irrigated versus non-irrigated acres.” (about 2,600 acres of the Helds’ beans are irrigated.

Spence has focused on improving his land for more irrigation and letting unimproved, unproductive farms go. He has also worked on improving soil fertility for better yields and hopes to expand his irrigated acreage totals and improve drainage on his farm.

Long-term he seeks to employ a skilled workforce and upgrade his equipment in the effort to improve efficiency.

Spence says farming is a challenge but he is prepared and says knowing the land and having the necessary tools and knowledge are keys to success.

“Most of what we farm is heavy clay — gumbo — by adding track tractors to the operation, we were able to get crops in more timely,” he says. “Also, with tracks on combines, we do not destroy fields in wet harvest conditions.

We have discussed grain storage to make things more efficient.. definitely need to eliminate non-irrigation acres through improvement of existing land or new land. I don't think adding acreage is always a good thing but improving crop performance on existing acreage is advantageous.”

Spence also recognizes the advantages of conservation when it comes to sustainability and maintaining a successful operation “We have implemented multi-inlet on most rice fields and are using pipe planner with all row irrigation beans.” he said.

“We have updated all pivot sprinkler packages to conserve water, fuel and energy.”

Spence got into farming the same way many do: through a family connection.

“I worked on my Uncle's farm in high school,” he explains. “This first sparked my passion for farming and all it entails.

After getting a Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture from Arkansas State University, I spent six years in the seed, fertilizer and chemical industry. My Uncle, Jimmy Leach, has been farming for about 30 years. He offered me a little piece of land to farm to see if I was interested in expanding my career. I took his offer and then the journey began.”

And, of course, he brought his partner in life along for the ride. She and Spence are keeping busy on several fronts.

“My wife, Jenni has worked in education for 18 years and is currently the Library Media Specialist at Marion High School,” he said. “We sold our house at the beginning of the pandemic last April and have been living at Horseshoe Lake.

Currently, Jenni is working with the owners to purchase the cabin at the lake and the surrounding land. We are currently building a home in Marion, and Jenni is very involved in almost every aspect of this project, from helping with the overall design to all of the interior choices that will be made. We both love to travel, especially to Key West and other tropical locations. Jenni enjoys cooking and it truly makes her happy to share this love by feeding as many people as possible.

Throughout the school year, she spoils her coworkers by making lunch and making sure no one goes hungry. Her coworkers often put in requests over the summer because they miss her cooking so much! On the weekends during our busier times in the season, she will cook and deliver lunches to me and the entire farm crew.

Jenni has a fine eye for detail and plans every part of the lunch down to dessert. Her love for cooking benefits our dogs, as she makes homemade dog food for them.

Since I rescued our two dogs Earle and Turrell, who were found as puppies, running in the rice fields at our farm, Jenni has become active in several animal rescue groups. She regularly contributes and volunteers with a local animal nonprofit, the West Memphis Animal Alliance, and Little Rock-based foster group, Rescue Road. She has a soft spot for an animal in need and will jump in whenever necessary to make sure a needy pet is taken care of. Our dogs, Earle and Turrell, are an inseparable brother-sister pair and have a very social life. Before COVID19 hit, they were a staple at downtown eateries and love putting on their bandanas and hanging out with our friends. During the work week, they love riding with me around the farm and napping in the back seat of the truck on long days in the field.

They are true farm dogs and love when they get to go to work with me. Both dogs are spoiled at home by both Jenni and myself.”

Spence is an active member of the local farming community. He was Farm Bureau President in 2018 and 2019 and has also served on the Farm Bureau Scholarship committee for five years and on the Farm Credit Nominating Committee.

Jenni served on the Junior Auxiliary of Crittenden County from 2004 to 2009, and is a lifetime member of the National Association Junior Auxiliary.

She has been a West Memphis Animal Alliance volunteer and sponsor since 2018. She is also a sponsor of the Arkansas Rescue Road, a non-profit organization that provides transportation for adopted pets. She has been with the group since 2018.