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12/10/2007 - Farmer of the year keeps fresh-smelling operation going

By Layne Holley
Progress staff writer


December 8, 2007

Far out on the western edge of Autauga County, toward Sel­ma, Chester "Check" Stephens Jr. has Christmas on his mind all year long.

Stephens Ornamental Tree Farm supplies Christmas trees and garlands -- one of the most delightfully fragrant of occupa­tions -- to area families. Ste­phens also raises other timber trees and runs a catfish farm on his spread.

Stephens' agricultural and environmental endeavors have not gone unnoticed. In addition to the many people who seek him out at Christmastime, the Autauga County Extension Service, working through a se­lection committee coordinated by the Prattville Chamber of Commerce, recently named him 2007 Farmer of the Year.

"I planted my first tree in 1947 in DeKalb County. I guess you could say that's where it all started," said Stephens, 86.

Born and raised in Chatta­nooga, Tenn., Stephens entered Auburn University, then Alaba­ma Polytechnic Institute, in 1940 as an agriculture student.

"We'd always owned land and farmed. I wanted to know more," he said.

But his degree would have to wait.

"The war (World War II) started, and I got my commis­sion as Second Lieutenant from Auburn ROTC in 1941."

Trained in field artillery at Fort Sill, Okla., Stephens went on to England in 1944 in prepara­tion for the Normandy invasion. He landed at Omaha Beach 13 days after D-Day and served as an officer in the U.S. Army's Eu­ropean campaigns.

It was 1947 before Stephens completed his degree in agricul­tural science at Auburn.

He moved to Selma as the Ralston Purina Company's dis­trict sales manager for west Ala­bama, a job he held from the time he graduated college until 1960.

In 1960, Stephens and two business partners pioneered what would become the state's multimillion-dollar catfish in­dustry, documented in Karni Perez's book Fishing for Gold (1996). The trio founded STRAL Company, which started out as a hatchery and fingerling suppli­er for state farmers, quickly grew into a food commodity business.

The business led Stephens to launch of the state's first catfish processing plant. STRAL merged with agrigiant ConAgra in 1969. He worked another four years before retiring in 1972.

Retirement brought Ste­phens to Autauga County, near Statesville, where his now-de­ceased first wife's family owned property.

"I'd been planting Christmas trees since the 1950s," he said. "I started a farm here, and I put in more catfish ponds and started another hatchery and fingerling operation. I've also got some timber."

About five years ago, he mar­ried his second wife, Margaret. The two met at church in 1943, and, with their respective spouses, forged a friendship over the years. They have set­tled comfortably into the life of a blended family, each with their own children and grandchil­dren.

The Christmas tree farm used to be about 100 acres, but most of that land is used for tim­ber, hunting and cattle," said Stephens.

But those 20 acres, scented with Leyland cypress and Arizo­na cypress trees, bring a lot of joy to Stephens and his wife, as well as to the community.

"We get a lot of people who come out here with the whole family, kids and dogs and all," said Margaret Stephens.

Stephens' two employees, 20-plus-year veteran Joe Lewis Forge, and Earnest Nixon Jr., say they love their jobs.

Forge spends hours this time of year weaving miles of ever­green garland, and Nixon pulls branches and prepares them for Forge.

"These are two of the best men I've ever had. I wish I had four more just like them," said Stephens. Nixon, he said, is the best wood splitter in the coun­try.

Stephens takes his jolly oper­ations seriously, though. He fol­lows the principle of diversity and considers himself a true en­vironmentalist. Whatever land he clears, he replants.

This year's drought devastat­ed his hardwood crops and pas­tureland. But the Christmas tree farm, because of his work in agricultural development and the kind of trees he has chosen to grow, was little injured.

"The Arizona cypress is drought resistant thanks to where it comes from," said Ste­phens. "And I'm working with Bill Murray, a past president of the National Christmas Tree As­sociation from Georgia, to devel­op Murray X, a drought-resis­tant Leyland cypress. We've cloned two of the Arizona trees and produced the Blue Pyramid and the Carolina Sapphire."

Drought is not the only dan­ger today's farmers face, how­ever, according to Stephens.

"The biggest problem is the federal government and the en­vironmentalists," he said. "Take, for instance, the wild­fires in California. If we had proper controlled burn opera­tions, a lot of that wouldn't be happening. As for the environ­mentalists, farmers are much better for the environment than they are."

Another obstacle to the sus­tainability and growth of farm­ing is development. He said sky­rocketing land values are driving farmers out of the mar­ketplace.

"Property appraisals are sky high," he said. "People can't af­ford to buy and hold onto land for farming."

These strong values and ideals, as well as his work ethic, surely contributed to Stephens's most recent honor. But 2007 Farmer of the Year is not his first badge -- not by a long shot.

In 1990, he was inducted into the Auburn University Ag Alumni Gall of Honor. He is a current member and past presi­dent of Autauga County Farm­ers Federation, past chairman of Autauga County Rural Area Development, past director of the Alabama and National Christmas Tree Association. In addition to being the recipient of an Autauga County Treasure Forest designation, he was also named Outstanding Conserva­tionist by the Autauga County Natural Resource Conservation District Board.

Stephens is also a communi­ty activist, serving in leadership positions in the Rotary Club and the Presbyterian Church in ev­ery community he has called home.

After retiring form the Army Reserve with 35 years of service and the rank of full Colonel, Ste­phens was inducted into the Field Artillery OCS Hall of Fame.

He is active in the Autauga County Republican Party and serves as a member of the State Republican Executive Commit­tee.

This nature lover and Au­burn football fan can often be spotted by those traveling the roads of rural Autauga County tooling around his spread in his John Deere gator with his wife on the seat beside him.

"We have a lot of fun, don't we?" asked Margaret Stephens.

"We sure do, a lot of fun," Ste­phens said.

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