Marlo Beason Named 2017 Farm Woman of the Year
Neshoba County beef cattle and dairy farmer Marlo Beason has been named the 2017 Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) Farm Woman of the Year. The announcement was made prior to state convention activities in December. She was selected from among entries from around the state.
A dedicated volunteer leader, Marlo says she appreciates the many ways Farm Bureau supports our nation’s farmers, especially its efforts to carry the farmer’s story to the general public. Through the years, she has worked with the Women’s, Ag in the Classroom and Young Farmers & Ranchers programs, as well as the Farm Families of Mississippi Agriculture Promotion Campaign.
“I am always surprised at how many generations removed from agriculture people have become,” she said. “I expect that kids might not know that a milk cow must first have a calf before it can make milk. But I am always taken aback when a teacher doesn’t know that either.
“Being a part of a great organization like Farm Bureau helps farmers educate the public about what we do for them every single day,” she said. “Farmers provide American consumers with access to an abundant, safe and affordable supple of food, fiber and fuel. In turn, food security gives Americans a chance to choose to follow their individual dreams to be whatever they want to be. This is cause for celebration.”
Although she didn’t grow up on a farm, Marlo often visited her grandparents’ farms, which had cows and vegetable gardens. She learned to appreciate agriculture.
“I was a high-maintenance, girly-girl cheerleader who majored in business in college and planned to open a dress shop. I didn’t expect to farm for a living,” she said. “Fortunately, God had other plans for me, and I am so glad He did.”
When Marlo married Shelby Beason, she became a full-time farmer, and she can’t imagine a better place than a farm to live, work and raise their children. The Beasons have three kids: Cole, 20, Micaela, 17, and Landon, 9.
In recent years, the Beasons added a small dairy to their beef cattle and custom hay harvesting operation. The dairy pasteurizes and bottles whole white milk, chocolate milk, buttermilk, reduced-fat milk and cream, which are sold at approximately 35 locations in central Mississippi, serving restaurants and grocery stores as far west as Jackson, as far east as Meridian, as far north as Starkville and as far south as Magee, with a lot of places in between.
The dairy has grown from eight to 35 Jersey cows, milked twice a day, every day, come rain or shine. The Beasons have a total of 80 cows, including young heifers and dry cows. Beason Family Farm recently added two employees, one to help with milking and bottling and one to help with delivery.
Marlo has her farm chores, as do all of the Beason family members. But in recent years, she has also stepped up her agricultural volunteer work. On the day of her interview, Marlo had just read the 2017 Ag Book of the Year, “The Cow in Patrick O’Shanahan’s Kitchen,” to a classroom of area kindergarteners. She planned to read at kindergartens and daycares each morning for the two weeks leading up to the Neshoba County Ag Appreciation Day Expo to be held at the Neshoba County Coliseum in Philadelphia. The event was sponsored by the Neshoba County Farm Bureau.
Marlo is a longtime county Farm Bureau women’s chair, a former State YF&R Committee member and a regional winner of the YF&R Achievement Award contest. Shelby serves as vice president of Neshoba County Farm Bureau.
Marlo and her husband regularly host field days on their farm, where school kids learn all about dairying and agriculture. This Christmas, the Beasons will have a “Mooey Christmas” celebration, with Santa Clause arriving on a Saturday. There will be cookies and milk, a wagon ride and a book reading.
“We feel so blessed here at Beason Family Farm,” Marlo said. “I just wish my grandparents could be here now enjoying this farm life with me.”
The MFBF Farm Woman of the Year Award was established to recognize, encourage and reward the achievements of women farmers. The recipient personifies the highest level of professional excellence in agriculture. For more information, contact MFBF Women’s Programs and Ag in the Classroom Coordinator Clara Bilbo at (601) 977-4245. Or visit the Farm Bureau website at www.msfb.org.