Furber Robinson has started cutting hay on his farm, but the harvest will mean much more to him than merely a way to feed his cattle for the winter.
It will be evidence of God’s blessings in his life — the fruits of faith that continue today, nearly two years after he reached out to Texas farmers in their time of need.
Robinson, 65, owns and operates a chicken farm just over the Mississippi state line near Quitman. His farming ventures also include the raising of cattle and the cultivation of hay.
When severe drought and subsequent fires hit Texas in late 2011, Robinson paid close attention. With hay rapidly growing difficult for the Texas ranchers and farmers to obtain, placing their livestock in jeopardy, providers from other areas began to gouge the ranchers, charging Texans as much as 10 times the going rate for hay.
As he continued to hear about the plight of the Texas ranchers, Robinson decided to act, discussing his concerns with members of his church, New Life Fellowship, Gilbertown, and also with the publishers of the local newspaper, The Choctaw Sun-Advocate. Publisher Tommy Campbell, also a member of New Life, provided Robinson with information that would lead him to a group of ranchers in that area.
Working through the Independent Cattlemen’s Association (ICA) of Texas, Robinson offered truckloads of hay to the ranchers who needed it. Through his efforts, the ranchers were provided with enough hay to see them through the remaining months of drought.
Although they offered to pay the going rate for the product, Robinson refused, explaining that it was his relationship with Christ that had prompted him to reach beyond himself to help those in need.
As the drought continued and the fires kept burning, Robinson continued to supply hay to the Texas farmers, sending several truckloads to the state in the weeks that followed.
Robinson’s generosity did not go unheralded by the ICA. In a touching tribute to his benevolence and his faith, Robinson’s story was featured in the organization’s Round-Up Review, a statewide publication distributed to cattlemen throughout Texas.
‘Never had this happen before’
“Furber Robinson is what every farmer and rancher should strive to be: dedicated to the land, trusting in the Lord and helpful to a neighbor in need, no matter the distance,” the article read. “His act of helping and kindness has provided the opportunity for many operations to keep going. Thank you, Mr. Robinson, for all you have done for Texas. God bless and hats off to you.”
The tribute to Robinson was only the beginning of the blessings that have come his way since 2011. Since then, God has poured out a harvest of hay on Robinson’s farm that has been unrivaled in years past.
“Since I gave them all that hay, I’ve had more that I can use,” he explained with obvious emotion. “I had 13 rolls left over at the end of that year.”
But the blessings didn’t end there. As he and his wife Ann began to cut their hay in 2012, the harvest grew even more remarkable.
“This past year, we really increased our number of cows, but we were able to put up so much hay that we still had over 400 rolls left over,” he said. “I’ve never had this happen before.”
Robinson said the hay harvest has been so great over the past year that he has not had to purchase feed for his livestock, raising them solely on hay, grass and salt blocks.
Robinson has also developed a strong relationship with the farmers he reached out to in Texas, sharing mutual business interests as well as building a personal bond of friendship. It is a bond he believes goes far beyond just a professional connection between farmers.
It is a bond made possible, he said, through faith in Christ who brought them together during a time of struggle.
“I’ve made friends with the people I would never have known before,” he said. “It’s been a blessing to me. If they find out we are having bad weather here, they call to check on us, to make sure we are OK, to see if we need anything.”
That growing friendship has proven fruitful to Robinson in his business ventures as well. When he and his wife decided to add purebred Hereford cattle to their herd, it was the farmers in Texas who helped him find them.
“I had trouble finding what I was looking for,” he explained. “But when I told my friends in Texas about it, it wasn’t long before the president of the Texas Farmers’ Association, Phil Sadler, called me and told me he had some purebred cattle for me [and] brought them to me.”
Robinson said although he has been awed by the blessings that have come his way since he reached out to the farmers in Texas, he would have reached out to them even if God had not chosen to bless him for it.
“If I had had to buy hay this year, if I had not had such a good year, it would still have been worth the blessing,” he said. “The Bible says that if you give to the poor, you are giving to the Lord. Those farmers were poor in hay, and I had plenty, so I knew God wanted me to give to them.”
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