Tina Takes the Wheel
Embedded Files
Sofia Navarrete Zur
Team Okamoto
Story Summary
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In Kennett, Mo., Tina Brown is a name that resonates with everyone. “If you want it done, talk to Tina,” said 59-year-old Cindy Wake, Brown’s long-time friend. “She does it all.”
At 59, Tina is deeply rooted in her community and has five generations of ties to the land. Despite a difficult childhood and the weight of being part of a family of three-time Gold Star veterans, Tina has become a driving force in her town.
Her days are a flurry of activity. She manages thousands of acres of farmland and cares for 11 South African migrant workers while keeping up with her energetic grandchildren, Baker and Woods. Tina also leads a project called Small Town Christmas, which aims to bring joy and connection back to a community in need.
Yet, beneath her busy exterior, Tina grapples with loss and change. The passing of her mother and the adjustments that come with retirement have stirred within her a quiet loneliness that accompanies her as she searches for connection.
“In Kennett,” Tina said, “retirement is death.”
Through her work, Tina strives to stay busy and uplift those around her while also continuously creating purpose for herself.
“I hope to inspire,” Tina said, “to make a difference.”
Tina Brown, 59, walks into one of her cotton fields on the first day of harvest season at Brown Brothers’ Farm in Kennett, Mo. Tina is in charge of feeding 18 workers twice a day during harvest season.
Tina gets ready at home for a busy day. Throughout the day, Brown took care of her grandchildren, went to the Brown Brothers Farm and built a float for the Delta Fair Parade.
Tina multitasks by writing a to-do list while driving her two grandchildren — Baker, 4, and Woods, 5 — to McDonald's for breakfast. She cared for them for a week while her youngest daughter moved homes in Tennessee.
Tina uses her overflowing keychain to open a storage locker downtown. She used the locker to store a Christmas-themed float that decorated with the Adelphi women’s club the day before for the Delta Fair Parade’s competition. This year, Tina aimed to promote and raise funds for her latest community project: Small Town Christmas, which strives to foster community spirit after a series of challenging years in Kennett, Mo.
Tina showcases her hula-hooping skills during a workout class she co-leads at WillPower Studio. Committed to her health, she works out with a close group of friends every day at 5:45 a.m.
Tina embraces Baker and Woods at John's Waffle & Pancake House in. She said she cherishes the time she spends every couple of weeks caring for them.
Tina walks through one of her properties while accompanying an inspector. This property houses five of the 11 H2A workers from South Africa who Brown employs at Brown Brothers Farm. She said she feels like a surrogate mother to the workers, managing their housing, medical appointments and daily meals.
Tina sits alongside Baker at the front of a combine during soybean harvest at Brown Brothers Farm. The pair accompanied one of her South African farmhands around the property. Behind Tina, expansive bean fields make up a sliver of the thousands of acres she owns.
Tolliver Brown, 58, left, and Tina relax at home after a long day of harvesting. As part of their nightly routine, the Browns watch TV together before heading to bed, preparing for an early start the next day.
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