Dodson Farms— A Family Affair

Looking for a special vegetable variety? You’ve come to the right place when you shop with Bonnie and Thomas Dodson at the Memphis Farmers Market. A third generation farmer, Thomas is a commercial grower producing sweet potatoes, wheat and soybeans on 300 acres of land in Forrest City, Arkansas. In the last four years, Thomas and his wife Bonnie have added boutique vegetable growing to their resume.

During the spring they cultivate collards, kale, green peas, lettuce, spinach, onions, broccoli and white and yellow (cheddar) cauliflower. During the summer there are tomatoes, peppers, okra and peas. And, of course, there are nutritious sweet potatoes, their specialty.

The Dodsons are unique in that they grow many different varieties of vegetables. This year they grew various pepper varieties such as serranos, jalapenos, and cayenne, and peas including brown crowders, zipper cream and purple hull pink eyes. They are also growing two newly developed, unreleased peas called ebony (black) and Holstein (brown and white). Developed by plant breeder Dr. Teddy Morelock at the University of Arkansas, they were created for their antioxidants qualities.

The Dodsons and Dr. Morelock were introduced by their youngest daughter Hallie, a masters degree candidate in horticulture and one of Dr. Morelock’s students. For the past two years, Hallie has been assisting in plant breeding projects. She helps field test new vegetable varieties, many on her parents’ farm. Hallie plans to continue her education by getting a PhD so she can become a plant breeder herself.

When Bonnie Dodson isn’t helping her husband and daughter grow vegetables, she’s a full-time public health nurse in eastern Arkansas overseeing four county health departments. The oldest Dodson daughter, Carolyn, is an artist in Memphis and mother of two young children who also helps the family business. She educates MFM shoppers about the nutritional virtues of her parents’ produce, with a special emphasis for children.

Four generations of Dodsons have farming in their blood. They make the world a better place by providing a wide variety of high quality nutritional produce.