Voices for Agriculture: P.J. Haynie III

Philip J. "P.J." Haynie III and his father, Philip J. Haynie II, work a wide swath of acreages around Reedville, the small Virginia community just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.

The Haynie farm reaches back to P.J.'s great-great-grandfather, Robert Haynie. Born on Virginia's Northern Neck in 1823 a slave, later becoming a minister, Robert in 1867 bought 60 acres, founding the family business.

P.J. Haynie has extended the business 1,000 miles south to Arkansas, where this year he is producing soybeans and rice. At Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Haynie has opened Arkansas River Rice mill, the only Black-owned rice mill in the United States.

Haynie's field-borne days often bleed over into the conference rooms of industry and government. He is board chairman for the National Black Growers Council (NBGC), multigenerational producers advocating for the best interests of Black farmers locally, statewide and nationally. NBGC sponsors summertime Model Farm Field Days, where production practices and technology are demonstrated and importantly, government programs are explained. The council also works with the ag industry and government on issues important to Black farmers. Land ownership tops that list.

Haynie is also a member of USDA's Equity Commission. In February 2022, USDA established the commission to develop recommendations addressing racial-equity issues in its programs and services.

These are labors of love, Haynie says of NBGC and the Equity Commission. "We are a small fraternity of Black farmers. If we don't tell our story, no one will."

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-- https://hayniefarms.com/…

-- https://nationalblackgrowerscouncil.com/…

-- Follow Dan on social platform X @DMillerPF

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