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A Female Laotian Farmer in America
Hope you enjoy this story about how a young Laotian refugee migrated to this country after the Vietnam War and successfully took up the livelihood of farming.Have a good day,
Mani Phengrasmy
Indiana
A Successful Laotian Farmer
Samata N. Phanouvong, is a native of Laos and her first arrival in 1976 was in San Francisco after the Viet Nam war. She was in a refugee camp in Thailand for a year prior to coming to the United States . After living in San Francisco for a year, she moved to Texas where she worked for a meat packing company. From Texas , she moved to Elgin , Illinois with her family where they resided until the year 2000. Getting tired of working in factories, dealing with traffic in the big city and not having adequate time with her children, she knew it was time for a change. She was also tired of looking for a new job and plus she was getting older every day.
In the summer of the year 2000, Samata made a big move to Greenwood , Arkansas where the largest chicken production operation in the United States is located. Setting up her own chicken production farm, she is contracting chickens with Tyson Foods and OK Foods. Her chicken farm produces 52,000 chickens every eight weeks. In addition to her chicken operation, she actively pursues other farming enterprises on her 80 acres of farmland. Since it appeared that her farmland would not be too productive for corn and soybeans, she took advantage of the existing pastureland to establish a beef cattle herd of 46 beef cattle. Hay harvested twice a year helps maintain the cattle herd and excess hay is sold to her customers.
Roger Gold is a NRCS Technician at Fort Smith, Arkansas; he accompanied Mani Phengrasmy, District Conservationist from Indiana, Gary Watson (Outreach-Arkansas), Rose Webb (Human resources, Arkansas) and Virginia Lewis (EEO, Washington DC) to Samatas farm. We met at her chicken operation and did conservation planning with her while we were there. Her first concern is the run off from the chicken storage house which is close to the ditch which will in turn, affect the water quality. After the field visit, we developed a conservation plan map for two new and the two original chicken production barns. A conservation plan and practices are planned to adequately store and handle the chicken manure along with animal composting for dead chickens, manure application in the field, an animal crossing for her cattle and livestock fencing around the pond. She will build two new chicken houses this summer and expects to double her chicken operation this fall. We mentioned to her there is an environmental quality incentive program available to livestock producers at USDA offices in each county.
At the end of our visit, I asked her, how does she feel to be a farmer and live in a rural area she replied. She is proud to be an American farmer producing food for the American family to provide food for their table and around the world.
She is now her own boss and has quality time with her family. I asked her one more time "Isn't it hard work, for a single female to operate a chicken operation?" She replied "Today it is a new world of technology and everything is computerized from feeding, watering and temperature for her chicken operation. This is much easier than working in the factory and all you need to do is just check your chickens in the morning and evening to be sure the feeders and waterers are functioning properly." She also wanted to add that her best friend Khambay Khounmisay had assisted her in preventing malfunctions and providing safety in the chicken houses.
Before our departure from her farm, we asked her a final question; "Would you consider yourself a successful farmer?" She replied "I am getting there, proud to be able to produce food for our nation and for the world and I plan to purchase another 160 acres, after completion of her two new chicken houses this summer."
