The Layne and Ryane Miles family of McGehee are the very definition of a modern farm family. A blend of tradition and technology helped earn them the distinction of being named this year's Desha County Farm Family of the Year. For the first time since 2013, the Desha County winner also earned the Southeast Arkansas District Farm Family of the Year Award. The Miles family will compete for state honors later this year.
THE FAMILY
Layne was born into a family steeped in farming tradition. The 26-year-old son of Matt and Sherrie Miles, Layne exemplifies what it is to be a part of a new generation of farmers who aren't afraid to immerse themselves in technology and reap the benefits that technology can offer.
Layne, along with sisters Sydney and Abby, were part of the 2004 Desha County Farm Family of the Year when the award was earned by his parents.
Layne married Ryane Bolin of Crossett and the couple has two sons, 4-year-old Luke and 1-year-old Owen. Layne, Ryane, Luke, Owen, and their dog Jinks live in a new home built next door to Layne's parents.
THE FARM
"Farmers aren't straw hats and overalls," said Layne, who has a keen eye for using technology to become a more successful farmer. That keen eye is appreciated by nobody more than his father and farming partner, Matt.
"Layne has grown up in a completely different technology age than I did," says Matt. "The information he can access so quickly assists him unmaking crisp, intelligent decisions."
With Matt's experience and Layne's love of technology, the family farm has seen unprecedented success while also never failing to respect the environment in the process.
This season, the 10,700 acres of farmland is spread over the four counties of Desha, Chicot, Ashley, and Drew. Eight varieties of soybeans cover 4,200 acres with 3,600 acres of corn, 1800 acres of cotton, and 1300 acres of rice.
Layne says he uses a number of technologies to help with his daily decisions on the farm including John Deere's Operations Center, Climate through Bayer, Aquarius to aid with moisture data, and Corteva Granular for fertilizing input.
"Technology is a passion of mine on our farm," says Layne. "I love all the bells and whistles that come with tractors these days. The change we have seen in the last ten years is amazing, and we'll continue to see changes going forward. Who knows? We may not even be in the cab of these things anymore. It may be like playing a PlayStation or Nintendo in ten to fifteen years."
Matt says he is continually impressed with Layne's grasp of new technology and how to use it to improve the farm's operations.
"He can get on his phone and be able to tell me what field was planted when, what variety, where a piece of equipment is, and even how much gas is in it," Matt said. "Layne has worked on building databases on past experiences we have faced and implements them into future years."
Layne, Matt, and agronomist Robb Dedman also operate Advanced Ag Products, an agriculture product and technology company. The Miles men along with six other farmers from around the country also operate XtremeAg with the company's goal of helping other farmers increase ROI and yields. Both Layne and Matt also currently star in the agriculture TV show, "The Podfathers."
CONSERVATION
From water conservation to installing solar panels on the farm's grain bins, the Miles family continually looks for new ways to create a more environmentally friendly and sustainable farm.
Their rice farm in Chicot County uses a 60 acre above ground reservoir and 32 acres of ditch reservoir water recoveries, creating a near picture perfect example of conservation.
Minimum or no till is practiced, along with tail water recovery systems on many of the fields, including flow meters and automated water level sensors.
On rural fields, the farm uses poultry litter as an alternate, organic source of fertilizer.
The family also holds winter floods for the approximately 38 species of water fowl that visit Arkansas each year.
COMMUNITY
Both Layne and Ryane understand the importance of giving back to both their industry and their community.
The two are active members of First Baptist Church of McGehee. Layne is a member of the National Corn Growers Association and was the organization's state yield winner last year. Layne also serves with the McGehee Men's Club, the Arkansas Soybean Association, the Rice Council, and other organizations. Ryane volunteers with the McGehee Women's Service League and worked with ASA Dupont Young Leaders.
CHALLENGES
While all farm families face challenges, it was an emotional challenge two years ago that Layne says was a turning point for him both personally and in his career. Matt's closest friend and farm manager Billy Garner was killed in a farm accident in June 2019.
"I was on my way to Gulf Shores when I got the call," said Layne. "I was in my truck alone as I sat in a Buckees parking lot, I cried and prayed."
Layne finished the drive to Florida, met Ryane, and they immediately returned home to the farm.
"My role in farming changed," said Layne. "No more farmer's son running a tractor with little responsibility. I was now the new Billy."
Matt admits that was one of the most emotionally challenging periods of his life, leaving him to question even his life as a farmer.
"Layne had to take over during that time or the farm probably wouldn't have functioned," said Matt.
"I spent two years basically riding in a pick-up with Billy learning from him," said Layne. "For me and Billy, we always thought I was being prepared in case something happened to Dad. We never expected it would be Billy. He expected things from me, he expected me to learn and grow and I didn't want to disappoint him."
Just days after the Miles family sat down with the Times-News for an interview in early June, Mother Nature would rear her ugly head, bringing storms, wind, and near record-breaking rainfall to many parts of the area. Parts of Desha County saw up to 17 inches of rain, damaging and destroying thousands of acres of crops.
"We were blessed as far as the amount of crops we had that were affected compared to a lot of farmers here," said Layne. "We had about 150 acres that were killed and had several acres on top of that which were badly affected, but this number is hard to quantify. Where we were hit the worst is in our corn crop. Our oldest corn was in peak pollination during all the rain, wind,and cloudy weather. The top half of our cobs did not fill out right. For example, we pulled a cob, one that was more severe than the others. This cob had potential for 42 kernels in a row, and only 26 kernels filled out."
As a result of the storms, Layne said they had to replant about 15 acres of soybeans and a 35 acre corn field was 90% killed.
Since the historic June damage, both Layne and Matt have attended several meetings with local, state, and federal officials to help bring aid to local farmers.
"I have multiple friends who have just started farming," said Layne. "I am just praying every day that they will stay above water during this storm they're facing. And I hope that each farmer, big or small, gets the assistance that they deserve."
"FARMILY"
What began as a spelling error in one of Sherrie's text messages quickly became the moniker for the Miles family's farming operation-- the "farmily."
"Everybody on this farm could do this just as good as Layne and I," said Matt. "That's why we're successful. The success is the whole operation. Those guys miss baseball games, weddings, they sacrifice for us. It's a family."
"If you're driving a tractor for us, you're just as important as we are," said Layne, adding that the dedication of the farm's employees after Billy's death was vital to the farm's success that season.
While Layne, Matt, and the farm team keep the field operations running smoothly, Ryane and Sherrie's roles in the "farmily" are filled inside the walls of the farm's offices.
Sherrie and Matt married in 1989, and Sherrie has played an integral role in the farm since day one, even cashing in a CD from her father in the early days to help Matt buy his first tractor.
Ryane admits she knew little about the farming industry when she began dating Layne at the age of 16. Her father worked in paper manufacturing and her mother in finance.
"I was expecting cows," Ryane said laughingly. "But it wasn't the Old McDonald I had pictured in my mind."
Ryane now works alongside Sherrie in helping to manage the farm's business operations and handles the family trucking business as well. Some days, Ryane says Luke and Owen come to work with her.
THE NEXT GENERATION
While Layne says as a child, he had no intention of growing up to be a farmer, he now knows it was his calling-- and for that, his father is visibly proud.
"Layne trusts God and family and is 'sold out' to making those things propel him to become a successful farmer," says Matt. "My goal in life has always been to leave a positive legacy for my children to build upon. Layne, being my only son, and working with me his whole life has exceeded my expectations times ten! There is hardly a day that goes by that someone associated with our industry doesn't reach out to me about the 'wow' factor he presents….he's a better farmer at 26 than I was at 40."
