The Tidewater Soil and Water Conservation District announced last week that it has chosen to present Owen and Chris Pointer of Pointer Bros. Inc. of Gloucester with its 2024 Clean Water Farm Award.
Owen and Chris Pointer are fourth- and fifth-generation farmers who both grew up on the farm, according to a Tidewater SWCD release. Owen took over full-time management of the incorporation in 2018, about the same time his son, Chris, joined him full-time to assist with farm operations. Before they took over, Owen’s father, William Joseph, and his uncle, James “Jimmy,” had co-owned Pointer Bros. Inc. and they had incorporated it in 1997. Hence the name, Pointer Brothers.
Riverview Farm, as the home farm is known, sits on the banks of the York River in Gloucester County. Owen recalled his grandfather, Michael Harvey Pointer, growing potatoes there. After several years of just breaking even, he realized being a potato farmer was not for him. The farm was then turned into a flower farm that grew daffodils. The daffodils were harvested, bunched, placed in crates, and loaded onto a steamship at the Clay Bank dock to be taken to Baltimore to sell. Michael Harvey had purchased the first tractor that was ever used on the farm on Jan. 3, 1940. That old John Deere has since been fully restored by Chris, as his senior project (with a little help from his family), and remains operational to this day. Michael William Pointer was the patriarch of their family farming legacy. When asked “What is the most satisfying part of farming for you,” Owen replied, “Seeing the next generation taking it over,” as he beamed, glancing over at his son.
Riverview Farm has undergone a lot of changes over the years with the help of research and modern technology. The farm at one point was all conventional tillage with animals helping cultivate the land and pulling a cart to load the harvest while workers picked by hand. Pointer Bros. Inc. is currently a grain farming operation. They grow a two-year rotation of corn and soybeans and will sometimes grow a wheat commodity crop in the winter, too. When planting any crop, the Pointers use a no-till drill for the benefit of minimal soil disturbance and uniform placement, ensuring their plants get enough sunlight and nutrients to grow, and also giving the seed protection from pests and the elements as it is covered by soil when planted.
Pointer Bros. Inc. began the use of cover crops on their farm prior to the cost share program that pays an incentive to help alleviate the cost. Annually, they plant as many acres as they can with or without cost share assistance. They believe in drilling the seed to continuously establish a good stand. They also try to plant early to fully reap the benefit of having living roots in the soil, try nitrogen-fixing species, and are trying to increase soil organic matter. They have tried many different species of cover crops to include clover, rye, wheat, barley and radishes. Owen and Chris say the use of cover crops has contributed to positive changes in their soil and, in turn, their farming operation. Their nutrient management planner even noted the vast increase of organic matter shown on their soil test results. The increase in soil organic matter can also be attributed to their conservation tillage practice of no-till farming.
When planting corn, Pointer Bros. Inc. places in-furrow applications of nitrogen, phosphorus, and micronutrients that contain zinc, boron and sulfur to nourish the seed as it germinates. They also side-dress their nitrogen on corn to reduce nitrogen loss and increase their crop yield by making sure the crop gets the nutrients it needs when the plant needs it most. They also split apply nitrogen on commodity small grains through the winter for the same added benefits. Owen and Chris implement a nutrient management plan on all of their crop acres and execute an NRCS conservation plan to guide all of their conservation practices.
In addition to the practices listed above, Pointer Bros. Inc. has approximately 98 acres of timber they manage. Their farms that border waterbodies utilize grass buffers, a minimum of 50 feet wide, that help reduce soil erosion and filter sediment and nutrients out of runoff. It additionally provides habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects as well as wildlife. Pollinators’ ecological service is valued at $200 billion each year. Pointer Bros. Inc. plants buckwheat as a natural bee forage, as it provides a rich source of nectar and pollen for honey bees. The honey made from buckwheat is rich in vitamins and minerals, which bees use for winter food storage. Chris Pointer currently houses and manages two active colonies on their farm, which he says takes a lot of work because they are such a temperamental species.
On top of his contributions of conservation on their farm, Chris Pointer has been an active member of the Gloucester/Mathews Chapter of Virginia Farm Bureau since 2020 and has served as the chapter’s president since 2021.
“Tidewater Soil and Water Conservation District is honored to present the father/son duo, Owen and Chris Pointer of Pointer Bros. Inc., with the 2024 Clean Water Farm Award for their contributions implementing conservation practices on their farm and for the commitment to bettering the agricultural industry in the community where they live and grow,” the release concluded.