United by Family, United by Land
Embedded Files
Cara Penquite
Team Eisert
Story Summary
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Derek Whitlock, 50, picks up the mantle as the fourth–and potentially final–generation to run his family farm. Although Derek spent most of his life in the fields, his daughters’ lives have led elsewhere.
Derek focuses on the present soybean harvest with the continued help of his uncle who is retiring in the next year and his retired, but restless, dad. Derek hopes to continue working the land for decades, regardless of what the farm’s future holds.
Long hours during harvest leaves little time to see his wife, Ramona, who helps out with the grandkids when not at work. However, Derek takes time for his family after harvesting the last soybean field before transitioning into harvesting cotton in the next couple weeks.
Derek Whitlock, 50, collects soybeans dumped from the combine to take to trucks for transport at the Whitlock's soybean field near Rector, Ark. Whitlock finished the soybean harvest the next morning after waiting for some light showers to pass. The Whitlock's farm 2,800 acres of land including soybeans, corn and cotton.
From left, Gary Whitlock, Daniel Brasher and Derek Whitlock fill a combine with fuel on the Whitlock's soybean field in Rector, Ark. Gary, Derek's dad, is retired but helped his son and brother finish up the soybean harvest.
Glen, left, and Derek Whitlock change a tire on equipment on at the Whitlock's soybean field in Rector, Ark. Glen ran the farm for a few decades with Derek's dad, but plans to retire in the next year. Derek and his wife Ramona, 51, are buying his father's shares in the farm and plan to buy Glen's once he retires.
Daniel Brasher, left, and Derek Whitlock take a break after finishing the soybean harvest at his barn in Kennett, Mo. Brasher is a hired hand on the farm and comes over in the morning for coffee and cigarettes around 6 a.m. before they head to the fields.
Derek Whitlock, left, takes a knife from his wife, Ramona Whitlock to sharpen while Ramona makes dinner with their granddaughter, Paisley Atnip, 6, at their home in Kennett, Mo. Having finished the soybean harvest the previous day, Derek took the afternoon off and picked Paisley and her younger brothers up from a half day at school so her mom could go to parent-teacher conferences.
Derek Whitlock, right, looks over as his granddaughter, Paisley Atnip, draws on a notepad. Paisley stayed the night with her grandparents after her mom picked up her brothers. Derek and his wife, Ramona, help take care of the grandkids when not at work.
Derek Whitlock, right, plays with his grandson, Landon Glover, 4, after Landon woke up from a nap at Derek's home in Kennett, Mo. Derek and his wife, Ramona, have four daughters. Two of them live in the area with their own kids who are the fourth generations of Whitlocks in the bootheel.
From left, Derek Whitlock, Paisley Atnip and Ramona Whitlock climb into bed. While there are a couple extra rooms in the house for the grandkids to sleep in, Ramona said Paisley will usually end up in their bed at some point in the night.
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