Peach Living held a question-and-answer session with Jimmy Parnell, the newly-elected president of the Alabama Farmers Federation. Parnell works at Parnell Inc., his family’s timber and cattle business, in Maplesville.
PEACH LIVING MAGAZINE: Were you born and raised in Chilton County?
JIMMY PARNELL: Yes.
PL: How long have you worked with your father and brothers at Parnell Inc.?
JP: All my life.
PL: What year did your family’s business begin?
JP: My family has been involved in agriculture for as far back as I can trace our family history. We’ve been in Chilton County since the 1700s, I’m told. My father started this business in 1960, and I’ve been a part of the family business all my life. I was driving a tractor when I was 5 years old, and by the time I was 12, I was managing the farm’s payroll.
PL: Will you describe Parnell Inc. and what your role is within the business?
JP: Parnell farms in partnership with my father, James H. Parnell, and my brothers, Jeff and Joseph Parnell. The farm includes about 600 brood cows and a beef stocker operation, plus a timber and family logging business. Our logging business works in about a 50–100 mile radius of the town of Maplesville. Our goal is to produce 100 loads of wood or logs each day. We cut somewhere between 40 and 80 acres of timber every day in central Alabama and merchandise that timber to mills as needed.
PL: Growing up, did you know you wanted to do this as a career?
JP: Growing up, I never dreamed of doing anything other than farming. It was what I grew up around, and I’ve always enjoyed it. My parents provided me with a lot of opportunities in life, so I could have done other things if I had wanted to. I was the first one in my immediate family to go to college, and I couldn’t have done that without my parents. I was a student who was more focused on what was going on at home than at school. I was the kid who left Auburn on Thursday night every time possible and rushed home to help on the farm and help run the business.
PL: How many years have you been a member of the Alabama Farmers Federation?
JP: I’ve been a member since I bought my first insurance policy with Alfa. I was probably still a teenager. My wife, Robin, and I really became involved when former Alabama Farmers Federation Area Organization Director Tommy Martin visited us in 1988 and asked us to restart the Young Farmers program in our county. With his help and encouragement, we did that, and we’ve been involved ever since.
PL: How does it feel to have been elected to a two-year term as president of the Federation?
JP: I am humbled to have been elected president of the Alabama Farmers Federation. It is a big responsibility, but one for which I feel I am prepared. I’ve learned a lot through my years of involvement with the Farmers Federation. I don’t think I could be an effective president if not for my years of experience and involvement with the organization.
PL: What responsibilities have you assumed since becoming president?
JP: In addition to serving as president of the Alabama Farmers Federation, I also serve as president of Alfa Insurance, which along with its affiliates, provides insurance and other financial services to more than 1 million customers in 11 states. The Federation is a membership organization founded by Alabama farmers and has a local organization in every Alabama county. Alfa Insurance was created by this organization in 1946 to provide quality fire insurance to federation members, who were primarily farmers.
PL: What is your vision for the Federation as its leader now?
JP: I love to see things get bigger and better. The Farmers Federation is at a point in time we need to do that – get bigger and better.
PL: Will you describe your family?
JP: My wife, Robin, and I met when we were young children. Her dad moved to our community as a preacher. We’ve been married almost 25 years. She is an instructor at Troy University at Montgomery, where she teaches advanced nursing. Our son, James Robert, is in his second year at Auburn University majoring in agricultural business and economics. Our daughter, Anna Grace, is a 10th grader at Autauga Academy.
PL: What was your reaction when your family was named Alabama’s Outstanding Young Farm Family in 1999?
JP: Our family was excited and humbled to be selected for the award. There are hundreds of outstanding young farm families across our state, and to even be considered among them was quite an honor.
PL: What hobbies do you enjoy in your spare time?
JP: I don’t really have a hobby, but I love spending time with my family. Some families go play ball together or do other sports, but my kids show calves, and that’s something we all do together. There’s nothing like the time we spend together in the barn. It has kept us close.
PL: What’s next on your agenda?
JP: I want Alfa Insurance to become the most respected insurance company in the state again. We’re going to have to earn that one step at a time. We are going to have to find ways to say “yes” to our customers. There’s a way to do everything. Sometimes, you have to step back and refocus. We are at that point with the insurance company. As for the Farmers Federation, we want our membership to grow and for agriculture to expand and provide new economic opportunities for our state.
PL: What do you love about Chilton County?
JP: Chilton County is home to me, so it has always been special, but the people of our county are what I love the most. If you need help, you can count on a neighbor to be there to lend a hand. Last year when a tornado ripped through our farm, there were dozens of neighbors and people I didn’t even know who showed up to help us. You just don’t find that in some areas of the country. We’re blessed to have such great people.