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FinalCall.com News
National News
Houston Ministry of Agriculture caravans to historic Black-owned farmland
By Jesse Muhammad
Staff Writer
Updated Apr 25, 2007 - 12:22:00 PM
“What we must understand today is the importance of acquiring land of our own. In order to build a nation you must first have some land. The first and most important reason that the individual countries of Europe, Africa and Asia are recognized as nations is because they occupy a specific area of the earth.” -From the book “Message to the Blackman in America” by the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad
SULPHUR SPRINGS, Texas (FinalCall.com) - On March 24, members of the Houston Millions More Movement Ministry of Agriculture loaded a 15-passenger van and headed north to visit the 287-acre dairy farm owned by Black farmer Harry Lewis, the first person to produce organic milk in the state of Texas as a provider for Organic Valley. Led by the Minister of Dairy Kelvin Muhammad, the MMM delegation learned rich history and successes from Mr. Lewis and his family.
“I am honored to have you all here,” welcomed Mr. Lewis. “I am with the Millions More Movement because I have always wanted to see us all come together. We have to own land and be productive.” He was joined by his wife Mrs. Billye Lewis and their youngest child Wynton while he told the MMM delegation about his journey to becoming a provider of organic milk in the state for a brand that is shipped throughout the country.
According to Mr. Lewis, the United States government had purchased over 1,500 acres of farmland near Sulphur Springs in 1940 for nine Black families who would produce food for World War II troops. His father was one of those persons chosen, which came at a time when his father desired to develop a larger farm. “He got the land, the feed and the dairy cows,” Mr. Lewis recalled. “The only thing he had to buy was sugar and flour. My father and his farm were just as much a part of the war. It was a service.” During turbulent times in the 40s, 50s and 60s for small family farmers, Mr. Lewis left the farm life to attend Texas Southern University. But he and his brother Robert, who had moved away to California, eventually would return to work on the cultivation of the land that their father had maintained for decades. Robert passed in 2000 and Mr. Lewis married his wife and the couple raised their children, Annette, Angela, Erica and Wynton on the farm.
By 2001, like many farmers in his community and across the nation, Mr. Lewis was frustrated by fluctuating prices for the conventional milk produced by his 75-cow herd, as well as the increasing role of corporate America in agriculture, which threatened his independence.
“As big companies take over, we get back to the old control—we get back to the plantation,” Mr. Lewis said. “Corporations are not about emotions, respect and stability, they’re about profit, profit, profit.”
In 2002, representatives of Organic Valley visited Texas to recruit farmers to produce and sell milk in the region. Two men from Organic Valley—George Siemon and Wayne Peters—had surveyed Mr. Lewis’ beautiful stretch of land, which for years, in keeping with the practices of his father, had been farmed without herbicides or pesticides. The men told Harry it would be easy to transition his farm to organic.
“Something in me, said ‘this is it, this is the right thing to do,’” Mr. Lewis recalled. “Then they explained how I could do it. They didn’t lie, they didn’t manipulate me, and I liked that.”
By Jan. 1, 2005, his herd and land were certified organic and by April of that same year, his cows’ milk was being sold under the Texas Pasturesô label throughout most of Texas.
“I’ll do whatever I possibly can to get organics in Texas,” Mr. Lewis said. “My county was once called the ‘Dairy Capital of the State of Texas.’ My plan is to bring it back as the ‘Organic Dairy Capital of the State of Texas.’” On the Organic Valley website, he is referred to as a proud organic “ambassador” because he is spreading the word about the co-op, organics and its environmental benefits among his community and the state of Texas.
According to its web site, Organic Valley is North America’s second-largest producer of organic dairy products. The cooperative’s milk, butter, cottage cheese and soy milk are on the shelves of more than 10,000 stores from coast to coast. Despite this unorthodox approach, Organic Valley has helped revolutionize the food business over the past 18 years, and has changed the way Americans eat. Organic Valley is owned by a cooperative of 723 family farmers from 22 states. Today, the cooperative’s size and reach have expanded far beyond its Midwest origins, but its roots are sunk deep in the soil of the Kickapoo Valley in southwest Wisconsin, and the tiny town of LaFarge. Organic Valley opened a new $6-million headquarters there in July 2004. Even the office buildings reflect Organic Valley’s mission—they all employ state-of-the-art renewable and energy-efficient technologies, and the building materials were either recycled or sourced from local businesses. The grounds surrounding the headquarters include nature trails for visitors and employees.
“We put in our work, but we also put in joy,” Mr. Lewis said. “And that’s what we receive—a rewarding, wholesome organic lifestyle for my family and grandchildren, Joush and Kandis.”
Next generation farmer
At the conclusion of the dialogue, Mr. Lewis and his family took the MMM delegation on a tour of the land. Mr. Lewis allowed several of the youth to ride with him on the tractor to feed the cows while his son Wynton taught the others about the process involved in producing organic milk. Mr. Lewis is happy knowing that his son Wynton, 20, will someday take over the farm and can continue farming the way the family always has. Wynton explained to the delegation that he milks 100 cows twice a day and showed them the technological tools that are used inside of the barn that has been in existence since his grandfather started the farm.
He and his mother then showed the delegation the herd of goat that the family raises and sells while sharing her thoughts on the importance of agriculture. “The government does us a favor at times because they only give us just enough to make do with but we as a people know how to make do with a little and be productive. But there are others whom they give a lot to every year but are not as successful. Farming is very important.” She then dipped several cups into the large steel tank filled with the raw organic milk to allow the delegation to taste it. The sweet taste raised eyebrows and caused others to get seconds. Every two days the community sees an 18-wheeler rolling through Hopkins County to pick up a supply of their milk.
The visit ended with Mr. Lewis and Bro. Kelvin discussing a possible partnership between their farmland and the Min. of Agriculture in Houston. Before visiting the farm, Bro. Kelvin had started selling raw milk weekly to raise funds for the ministry along with eggs and butter. Several members of the ministry have also started urban gardens in their backyards with the planting of tomatoes and onions. Bro. Kelvin researched organic milk on the Internet and came upon the Lewis family accomplishments online. He made contact with them and arranged the visit. Mr. Lewis again expressed his joy over the Millions More Movement and registered his farm with the National Skills Bank. He agreed to talk further with the Min. of Agriculture about bringing his wonderfully produced milk to the city.
“I thanked him for fighting to keep his land and for maintaining this for so long that those of us who have been asleep to the importance of farming now have a chance to see what it takes,” stated Bro. Kelvin. “We have learned so much rich history and we are looking forward to working with Mr. Lewis and his family. This is what the Millions More Movement is about.”
Sixteen-year-old Akilah Muhammad shared, “I enjoyed the trip and learned a lot.”
Bro. Chadwick brought his two young sons along because he feels it’s important for children to know about farming at an early age. “We have to teach our children about land ownership and farming because agriculture is an absolute necessity to nation building and survival. We all must get involved in the Millions More Movement because it’s the answer to linking us all together.”
“As a young brother raised in the city, not knowing a lot about farm life and agriculture going to the farm to see how our people produce raw milk was a great educational experience. This heightened my desire to be apart of a movement that produces its own food,” said Deric Muhammad, Houston Min. of Justice Spokesman, who brought his daughter Nimah. “It was an exclamation point on the Teaching of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and I understand much better why we are taught to get out of the enemies’ kitchen and start to go into the earth to produce our own food and milk.”
It’s not a march—It’s a Movement!
(For more information on the Houston Local Organizing Committee, log on at www.mmmhouston.net or email [email protected].)
