Historical Significance of JV AgriIndustries, LLC
and
B&G Farming and Consultant Services, LLC
JV AgriIndustries, LLC bears the names of my parents – James and Vera Phills; and AgriIndustries represents the diversity of the company in terms of the various components of the agricultural industry for which it is involved. My parents were sharecropper farmers and actively farmed for most of their lives, but left the farm totally broke both in terms of money and in spirit. Thus, I formed the companies with them in mind, and with the fact that I wanted to demonstrate to small family farmers now and in the future that farming can be a very lucrative business venture if you chose the right crop to farm, and if you could create a level playing field from which to launch your business operations. JV AgriIndustries, LLC represents the processing and Seed production aspects of the companies. B&G Farms and Consultant Services, LLC bears the names of Bobby and Gilda Phills, and is the grower component of the two companies. It was established some 15 years ago as I approached retirement and wanted to change occupations and begin to practice what I had been trying to do for small limited resource farmers all my life but never had the time to devote full time to it because of too many administrative responsibilities that prohibited my devotion to it full time. Ironically, when I finally retired and came home to Louisiana, bought a small parcel of land (15 acres) to farm, and begin to consult with other small farmers on the art and science of farming, I was approached by several of my students and farmer professors to apply for the Chancellorship and Dean of the Center for Agricultural and Extension Center and Dean of the College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences. While I truly wanted to follow my dream of someday following in my parent’s footsteps and becoming a true small farmer, the opportunity to once again help educate young people in the varies fields of Agricultural and Family and Consumer Sciences coupled with the additional opportunity to guide and help build a nationally renowned research and extension land-grant program inclusive of research and outreach institutes through which pre-college to postgraduates could be trained was an opportunity that I just couldn’t pass up. The need for recruiting and training our future replacements was just too great to once again, put on hold and retire later in my career. So, I applied and was offered the job and stayed on for three- and one-half year years before I retired again. Now, I could devote full time to farming and assisting in training current and perspective farmers in commercial scientific agriculture. Since I wanted to be successful myself as well as teach/train other small farmers how to be successful, both operationally as well as economically, I chose what I truly believe to be the crop that offers the greatest opportunity in all categories for success – HEMP.
Thus, while a level playing field may not ever be the case for most African Americans and other people of color in the commercial farming business, I strongly believe that with the de-scheduling of the Hemp plant and placing it under USDA guidelines as an authentic commercial agricultural crop, their dreams can truly become a reality with some additional training. Thus, Hemp is the closest legally grown commercial agricultural crop that offers the greatest potential of economic prosperity for this specific demographic than currently exist worldwide. To this end, the following are a list of reasons that I feel that I will be able to make a significant impact on the agricultural industry as a professional Hemp Farmer and Business Entrepreneur.
Reasons to Partner with JV AgriIndustries, and B&G Farms,LLCs:
- It’s Owner and CEO (Bobby R. Phills), is a trained agriculturist, having received all of his agricultural training in agriculture from High School through Post Doctorate at Land-grant institutions Horticulture, specializing in plant breeding and genetics. During his professional career, he has worked as a full professor, research director, Dean, and Director of Agricultural Land-grant programs and recently retired from Southern University as Chancellor-Dean of the SU Land-grant Campus. These various professional experiences have afforded him an opportunity to grow and develop scientifically and administratively at all levels of the agricultural industrial chain. While at Southern, he was responsible for developing the medical marijuana research and development program where he gained extensive knowledge in the culture of Cannabis sativa which includes Hemp. Thus, following retirement, he decided to establish an agricultural hemp business enterprise where he could train and help educate small farmers and students at all levels in the business of agriculture using hemp as a model crop for this purpose.
- The Hemp crop was selected to focus the business on because it has been used in agricultural enterprises for well over 10 Millenniums. It is by far the most versatile industrial crop that probably exists on earth. It currently has over 50 thousand commercial agricultural uses, largely because all plant parts from its roots to its leaves can be utilized in the making of agricultural products and by-products worldwide. It was Congressionally deschedulized in 2018 and signed into law and signed into law by President Trump who authorized USDA to provide guidance to States in regulating Hemp as a commercial agricultural crop. Most states began production in the spring of 2020. Currently, there are 48 states federally approved to grow hemp commercially.
- JV AgriIndustries, LLC and B&G Farms, LLC both founded by Bobby R. Phills together possess Louisiana State licenses in three categories: Grower, Process, and Seed Producer. Currently, he is the only African American possessing all three licenses in Louisiana. JV AgriIndustries is registered in both Louisiana and Arkansas and future plans to expand will include Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and eventually other southern states where large minority small farmers exist.
- The primary goal of these two companies are to contract with potential growers through B&G Farms to grow a minimum of 5 acres of Hemp and eventually Marijuana once it is deschedulized. JV AgriIndustries will provide upfront seed/plants/clones for the first 5 planted acres and plantings above the initial 5 acres will be sold at fair market value. We will work with other commercial seed providers to identify and sell select strains/seeds to contracted growers based on an as-needed bases.
- Growers will be taught how to grow, harvest, and market hemp through informal and formal educational programs via in-person, Zoom, and or other educational instructional platforms. Growers will receive a certificate of completion of each set of courses targeting specific growth and management areas. These courses will be structured to meet various specific training/learning modules and taught by professors and graduate students working in collaboration with 1890 land-grant institutions. Classes will include basic agricultural BMPs, and financial management, and succession planning among other courses designed to ensure basic agriculture knowledge essential for farming sustainability and succession planning. Advanced training will also be availability and include such things as processing, and genetic improvement, and varietal development. A major focus of our Companies’ vision and desire is to not only create wealth within the family farm but also develop an appreciation of farming as an economic enterprise from which a very profitable living can be made by parents and their children and children’s children. In other words, we want to create a knowledge of and desire to engage in succession planning. The success of this specific goal will reverse the current direction of land lost among people of color, especially among African Americans and other minority groups.
- The processing component of the company will provide for the development of specific products and byproducts from CBD oils for targeted medicines, foods and nutrition; fiber for building construction, hempcrete, cloths, etc.; and seed production where we will develop new and improved patented strains and varieties that offer a variety of industrial purposes. To develop IP strains will be worth billions to the medical industry and given the scientific equipment available on the market now, with our knowledge of plant breeding and genetics, this is very possible and as such will allow for the students of tomorrow to walk and even run in Dr. GW Carver’s footsteps.
- The educational component of the companies will allow for various levels of educational preparedness for students of all levels from precollege through post graduate school. This is based on the fact that if you provide a showcase of hands-on experiential learning, coupled with financial rewards for youth to grow and learn, they will develop a love of and an appreciation of the vast array of professional careers in the food and agricultural sciences that also offers financial rewards leading to a wholesome and satisfying professional career as well.
- Lastly, our successful development of an assortment of agricultural goods and services will be a beacon for people of all ethnic backgrounds and educational levels to want to pursue agriculture and related disciplines as a professional way of life from which new George Washington Carver progenies will be born, groomed and offered to the world of scientific agriculture and the diversity of its disciplinary educational career opportunities to help feed the continually expanding populations of the world.
I hope that this article will give you and future farmers and other agriculturists a better understanding of why I have elected to not only be a farmer myself but have the desire and almost mandate to instill in others, especially our youth to follow in our footsteps and become professional agriculturists and enter the vast array of agricultural disciplines and career opportunities awaiting those who dare to go beyond the ordinary into the future of UNFINISHED MICRELS that await them that dare to go beyond the known to the world of the unknown and create new knowledge for a better world for tomorrow youth and young adults to become a part of the cadre of professionally trained agricultural scientists and entrepreneurs destined to help develop some of these Unfinished miracles.
Thank you for wanting to know more about our companies and why we do what we do and how it may positively impact your life and economic well-being for you and your offspring.