top of page

It doesn’t happen often, so it’s a good day when Dad comes to the farm.

While I’m not running my own operation, Delta Harvest provides technical advice for the farmers growing our varieties. I still get to go to the field.

Sorry for the bad audio sync. That’s what happens when you upload videos with no cell service.

#rice #agriculture #arkansas

Right now, Arkansas farmers often have to ship crops out of state or abroad to make a living—because there’s no local processing, no institutional buyers, no infrastructure that keeps the food loop regional.

If schools, hospitals, and public institutions committed to sourcing just a fraction of their food from local growers, it would create stable, high-volume markets.

But the same leaders who show up for the ribbon cuttings and tractor parades are the ones slashing the budgets that fund Farm to School programs, public nutrition services, and rural food procurement.

Programs like Farm to School work. But they need funding, political will, and leaders who actually show up for rural families, not just corporate donors and culture war clicks.

Substack in bio.

#farmers #food #localfood #arkansas

When we stop telling our own stories, someone else will tell them for us—and they’ll get it wrong. Substack link in bio.

#ruralstrong #arkansas #journalism #independentjournalism

Substack in bio.

Food is not a weapon.
Health is not a performance.
And farmers are not political pawns.

#Farmers #Health

Last month, I went to a town hall in Little Rock to speak about the Farm Crisis. By then, my equipment had already been auctioned off—and as I spoke, buyers were hauling away what was left of my farm.

I wasn’t the only one. That week, across Arkansas, more farms were being sold off, and more livelihoods were dismantled.

Not a single elected official showed up. No visits. No phone calls. No press conferences. Just silence.

Meanwhile, one of our U.S. senators was across town hosting a $7,000-a-plate fundraiser. While our farms were being emptied, he was busy serving himself.

This is the reality for too many of us. We’re working, scraping, losing everything—while the people in power cash checks and look the other way.

#ArkansasStrong #RuralStrong #Farmers #FarmCrisis

Took Papa and Max riding today at Mountain Harbor Riding Stables. Back in the day, my dad rode bareback bronc, and I did barrel racing, so we are old hat. This was Max’s first time, and of course, he’s is a natural.

#southernliving #arkansaslife

Y’all, growing rice is tough. Growing specialty rice? Even tougher. Every step—from planting to harvest, from storage to milling—has to protect the identity of that specific variety. One slip and the whole batch can get mixed up. Our current system is designed for speed and volume, not for precision or flexibility.

But if we invest in infrastructure that prioritizes identity preservation, we can unlock real value—quality, consistency, and premiums for unique varieties. That’s not just good for the industry, it’s a game-changer for farmers. Instead of gambling with the ups and downs of the commodity market, we’d be building something more stable, more profitable, and more sustainable.

#FarmHer #SpecialtyRice #KnowYourFarmer #DeltaStrong #RaisedOnTheLand

I put in my last season, but I’m not down.

As long as there’s a few farmers out there, we’ll keep fighting for them. -Willie Nelson during the 1980s Farm Crisis

#farmers #ruralstrong #persist

Right here in the Delta, we were planning to build a flash-freezing facility for sweet potatoes and other produce—an effort to add value to some of our region’s specialty crops. And then? Tariffs hit. Markets disappeared.

Tariffs may be designed to punish foreign competitors, but too often they end up punishing rural entrepreneurs—people who are taking risks, building local infrastructure, and trying to do things differently in places that desperately need new economic engines.

This isn’t just about sweet potatoes. It’s about building a new economy in a place that has given this country so much and been given so little in return.

#SpecialtyCrops #SweetPotatoes #RuralAmerica #RuralStrong #Tariffs #TradeWar

Substack link in bio.

I kept running into the same wall: the numbers just didn’t pencil out. Not because I wasn’t trying hard enough, not because I didn’t do my homework, but because the game had changed—and no one told the people playing it.

There’s a particular kind of heartbreak in watching something you’ve built start to slip away, not because of your own choices but because of decisions made far above your head.

I'm not the problem. The problem is policy made by people who've never had to bet their future on a field or a harvest or a hometown.

Substack link in bio.

#RuralAmerica #Arkansas #FarmCrisis #RuralStrong

The 1980s Farm Crisis destroyed farms, tore families apart, hollowed out rural communities, and made too many young people believe that the only future was one they had to leave home to find. Today, I fear we are walking into a storm we’ve seen before—but this time, we know better.

We need policymakers that will fight for what farmers need - not just more of the same.

-Support specialty crop production and small-scale farms
-Invest in regional food hubs, value-added processing, and rural entrepreneurship
-Protect farmland from corporate consolidation
-Prioritize local supply chains that keep dollars in our towns
-Make Arkansas a national leader in food system resilience

We don’t have to go down that road again. We can choose something better.

Substack link in bio.

I’ve been thinking a lot about where I come from and what it means to carry a legacy forward. The Shoffner family has been a part of Jackson County, Arkansas, for over 150 years. Our stories are rooted in the land, in farming, and community. They’re also rooted in a history that’s not always perfect—or easy. It’s a legacy that includes a deeply unequal system shaped by Jim Crow, economic hardship and agricultural crises, and the slow erosion of rural economies.

Today, we face a similar erosion. Rural communities are being hollowed out by disinvestment, loss of opportunity, and the ongoing challenges of a broken system. But I believe there’s power in knowing our story—because that’s how we begin to imagine a different future - a rural revolution worth fighting for. What are you willing to fight for?

#FarmHerHallie #DeltaRoots #RuralRevival #FamilyLegacy #ArkansasDelta #TruthAndHope

Got damn lucky today. No damage but that’s my warehouse in the background on the left. Video by popular storm chaser @coleoutlaw

#tornado #arkansas

#ruralrevolution #agriculture #newchapter #lifeupdate

Want an on-air shoutout? You’ll get one if you give and listen in to the KUAR Spring Fund Drive🎙️📻🎶 on Thursday, March 20th, from 4–6 PM with your hosts - @therootcafe owner, Jack Sundell, and me! We’ll talk food, farmers, climate, and the importance of public radio! @littlerockpublicradio

💚 Give now: donate.KUAR.org. #SupportPublicRadio #KeepKUARStrong #ArkansasFarming

New post up on farmherhallie.com

For decades, farmers have been told that if we work hard, manage wisely, and stay resilient, we will succeed. But the truth is, even the best farmers can’t outwork bad policy. In both Washington and Little Rock, policymakers have allowed corporate agriculture to dictate the rules, leaving family farms like mine to fend for ourselves in an unfair system.

-subsidies that favor the biggest players
-trade policies that undercut American farmers
-lack of support for diversification and local markets
-corporate influence in ag policy

The fight for family farms isn’t over. Make no mistake: we aren’t quitting. We may need to catch our breaths, but farmers are coming.

#Agriculture #Farmers #FarmCrisis #FamilyFarms #FarmBill #AmericanFarmers #AgPolicy #RuralAmerica #RuralStrong

Endlessly grateful to have so many in my corner, especially my hero, the OG farmer

#momsanddaughters #farmer

For the farmers out there in a tough spot:
We aren’t quitting.
We’re just resting.

#agriculture #farmer #arkansas

The future of rice production in the southern U.S. is in Quality, not Quantity—better flavor, nutrition, and sustainability. This means

-Higher profits for farmers
-Stronger consumer demand
-More efficient and eco-friendly farming

It’s time to move beyond yield.

#QualityOverQuantity #RiceInnovation #SustainableFarming #DeltaHarvest

It’s the end of an era, but not the end of the fight.

After 150 years of farming in my family, 30 years under my parents, and 10 years under my care, I’m heartbroken to share that our operation is closing. Like so many family farms, we’ve been hit hard by rising costs, unstable markets, and policies that ignore rural America. This farm crisis is real, and too many of us are being forced to make impossible choices.

We’ll hold an online liquidation auction on March 13th via Witcher Auctions —equipment, supplies, and more.

But this isn’t the end. Through Delta Harvest, I’m doubling down to create new opportunities for Arkansas farmers. And you’ll be seeing a lot more of me speaking out and fighting for rural communities. Our future is worth fighting for.

Thank you for your support—stay tuned. 💙 #ArkansasFarms #DeltaHarvest #FarmCrisis #RuralStrong

Big Grave Digger fans but super impressed by all the drivers tonight! @monsterjam

#monstertrucks #monsterjam #littlerock #arkansas #simmonsarena

“When you disagree on a national level, you still need to figure out if you’re going to put lights on that stop sign.”

- @caitlinistall on @thedailyzeitgeist

I’ve received three complete liquidation auction notices for Arkansas farms in February and eight for March.

To my knowledge, there is not a single bill proposed in the 2025 Arkansas legislative session that mentions or addresses the financial state of emergency for Arkansas farmers…not even from the many lawmakers from farm country. Ag is the state’s largest industry. We are the top rice producing state in the country. 1 in 7 jobs are in ag. They spend hours debating affirmative action and the value of the PBS Commission…at the expense of the farmer.

Get it together folks.

#farmcrisis #arkansas #farmers #agriculture #arkansaslegislature #farmbill

In 2025, farmers are facing a crisis, pushing many out of business.

- Volatile market prices: Increased global competition, oversupply, and underdemand.
- COVID-19 supply chain disruptions: Disruptions, causing inflation in input costs such as fertilizer, herbicides, and diesel.
- Land consolidation by predatory entities: Private equity firms and high-net-worth individuals engage in land consolidation, creating monopolies.
- High rent costs and crop-share arrangements: Farmers face high rent costs or enter into financially unsustainable crop-share arrangements with the aforementioned firms and individuals.

While Amazon, Google, and Meta, post record profits and the wealthiest man in the world accesses our personal data, American farmers are failing. The U.S. government is failing American farmers.

#Agriculture #AmericanFarmers #FarmCrisis2025

I think a passion for farming is like a gene that requires an environmental trigger - exposure to agriculture. I wonder how many little farmers are sitting in classrooms in cities and will never know their latent desire to dig in the dirt.

#putaginschools #agcurriculum #agriculture

Arkansas Senate Bill 3 would eliminate required minority recruitment and retention plans and reports from public school districts and higher education institutions and repeal language in state procurement proposals that encourage minority participation or require bidders to adopt an equal opportunity hiring program designed to increase the percentage of minority employees. It’s headed for the House floor.

#arkansas #sb3

Did you know that USAID, currently being shut down by Elon Musk, purchases about $2 billion a year of rice, wheat, lentils, and peas from American farmers?

Here’s the thing about reducing waste in any organization—if I needed to cut costs on my farm, I wouldn’t shut it down entirely. I wouldn’t even eliminate one crop in favor of another without careful consideration. Instead, I would analyze my budget and profit-and-loss reports line by line to ensure that no essential aspect of my operation is compromised. Any good businessperson understands this.

#usaid #foodaidprograms #farmers #americanfarmers

In 2023, China bought $15.06B of U.S. soybeans, followed by the EU at $3.45B. A trade war will hurt soy exports and put farms out of business. Farmers need to diversify into value-added specialty crops like fruits and vegetables. The 2018 farm bill gave a mere $85M/year to directly support specialty crop farmers through Specialty Crop Block Grants. @johnboozman we need billions.

#specialtycrops #agriculture #arkansas #delta

Women are DEI. Small farmers are DEI. Young farmers are DEI. Beginning farmers are DEI. I’m #DEI

.pro-gallery-wix-wrapper {display: block !important;} .pro-gallery-wix-wrapper .gallery-item-container {opacity: 1 !important; display: block !important;}

Podcast Feature: Extreme weather and Arkansas agriculture

Hallie Shoffner
Sep 10, 2022
1 min read

Last month, Lara Farrar of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette visited the farm to interview me for her podcast, Capitol & Scott. We had a great time slogging through our rice fields and talking about how climate change is impacting Arkansas's agricultural industry.

Listen here.

Check out PART 2 about the economics, risk management, and drought impact issues featuring John D. Anderson, head of the University of Arkansas's agricultural economics and agribusiness department and director of the Fryar Price Risk Management Center of Excellence.

Recent Posts

See All

boy selecting a cherry tomato from an adult hand

They praise the farmer but starve the program: why not feed our kids Arkansas-grown food?

We Need Our Storytellers Back: The Case for Reviving Rural Newspapers

John Shoffner examines a fresh crop of purple hull peas. close up of hands opening a purple hull pea pod to look at the bean inside.

The Danger of RFK Jr. and the MAHA Movement: When Wellness Becomes a Weapon

Comentários

bottom of page

​

Comentários