Category: Uncategorized

WHAT IS A REAP GRANT:

The USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) is available for farmers and rural businesses. Grant money is available for energy efficiency improvements and renewal energy systems.

WHAT CAN YOU USE A REAP GRANT FOR:

Some examples of how REAP dollars can help include:

• Installing new grain complexes (new grain dryers and conveyance equipment).
• Solar panels to operate poultry operations, grain complexes and/or farm shops.

ELIGIBILTY:

• You are a small rural business owner or agricultural producer who receives at least 50% of gross annual income from your operations.
• Your farm or business is in a suburban or rural area with a population under 50,000.
• You do not have any outstanding federal taxes that are delinquent.
• You also do not have any delinquent debts or standing debarments or judgments.

HOW TO PURSUE A REAP GRANT:

The application process can be overwhelming and very time consuming. That’s where we can help by navigating your application from start to finish.  Below are examples of information our team will gather to get started:

• Short summary of the business/farm/entity (how long you have been farming / is it a family farm/ number of acres / crops)
• Organization operation agreement or similar documents
• Proof of property ownership or control
• Certificate of good standing (we can obtain from the Secretary of State’s office)
• Proof of funds (letter from bank stating the full amount of the contract to be paid)
• Tax returns (only for projects over $200,000)

We have experience in working with farmers across Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. For more information, contact Daniel Baldwin at 870-450-2653.

Ingredients

Coulis

4  6 oz. containers of fresh raspberries or two

12 oz. frozen raspberry bags (thawed)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup Swerve powdered sugar substitute

Plain low fat yogurt

Oatmeal Crumble

1½ cup old fashioned rolled oats

2/3 cup sliced almonds (raw)

¼ cup Truvia light brown sugar substitute

½ tsp. salt (optional)

6 tbsp. unsalted butter

Directions

Coulis

Place raspberries and powdered sugar in a sauce pan with the lemon juice. Mash the raspberries to release the juice.  Cook the raspberries until they are fully broke down.  Press the cooked raspberries through a sieve to remove the seeds.  Return the juice to the pan, making sure there are no seeds in it. Cook, stirring frequently, to reduce and thicken the coulis.  Remove from heat when the coulis is the consistency of a light syrup and add 1 tsp. of vanilla.  Set aside.

Oatmeal Crumble

Place ½ cup of the oats in a food processor and chop them until fine.  Place chopped oats in a bowl with the other cup of whole oats.  Add brown sugar, ½ tsp. of salt and 6 tbsp. of butter.  Mix everything together until oats are well mixed with the other ingredients.  Add the almonds and mix well. Coat an 8X8 baking dish with coconut oil, pour the coulis in the dish (reserving 1/3 cup to drizzle over the finished desert) and top with the oatmeal mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Serve hot, topped with plain yogurt and a coulis drizzle on top.

Ingredients

1 cup Kerrygold Butter
1/2 cup golden monk fruit sugar substitute
1 tsp. organic almond extract
1 tsp. organic vanilla extract
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds (skin removed)
70% to 100% dark chocolate (chopped)
Pinch of coarse salt (optional)

Instructions

Line a square pan with parchment paper and evenly spread ½ of the almonds over the parchment paper and set aside.
In a small saucepan, combine the butter and monk fruit and melt over low heat until butter is melted, and monk fruit is dissolved.
Stir occasionally until the mixture starts to boil.
Add candy thermometer to the center of the mixture.
Continue to stir every 30 seconds until the temperature reached 300 degrees (hard crack).
Remove from heat and stir continuously for 5 minutes to keep butter and sweetener from separating.
Pour evenly over the chopped almonds on the parchment paper and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Evenly distribute the chocolate over the toffee.
Tightly Cover with foil and let it sit for 5 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt.
Remove the foil and spread the chocolate evenly over the toffee mixture using a rubber spatula.
Sprinkle the remaining chopped almonds over the chocolate.
Very lightly sprinkle with coarse salt if using
Refrigerate overnight.
Remove from the refrigerator and break into bite size pieces.

If only I had a penny for every time my mom told me, “You never know who is watching…”

I smiled thinking of her and that phrase when I learned of Rick Brubaker’s recent surprise gift. Each week Rick can be found at Walmart working a “ Medicare booth.” He has become a familiar face for so many who come in and out of the doors. Rick takes great pride in being able to advise our community and enjoys the opportunity to make a stranger a friend every day. Last week, a complete stranger drew the pictured sketch of Rick. Why did this Walmart patron choose him? I think the answer is pretty simple if you know him. Rick has a genuine kindness and approachability about him. If you watch, he smiles at everyone and speaks to everyone. It feels authentic. No matter the day, no matter the circumstances, you will get the same smile. It’s not that Rick has it perfect or doesn’t have stress. None of us are immune to storms. Rick simply chooses his attitude. He chooses how he is going to approach each day and each person he encounters. He chooses to be positive. It’s not easy and usually practiced. But it is a choice.

A few reminders that can encourage the “Rick” outlook:

1. Stress is more about how you respond to what happens rather than what actually happens. A lot of stress is created by focusing on what you don’t want. Focus on what you want. Live a life you don’t need to escape from.
2. None of us are immune to the hard times. Difficulty comes to everybody’s life, but we need challenges to grow. Focus on what you can control and take action. Worrying about things you can’t control only causes fear and stress.
3. If there’s something you can do to make now better, do it. If you can lift your spirits even a little, that’s enough to move you into action. Newton’s first law of motion says that an object in motion tends to stay in motion, and an object that is stuck tends to stay stuck. That applies to us. If we can get enough energy or inspiration to take some action, we will get motivation for the next step and then the next step and the next. Once people get a bit of momentum, they can turn things around.
4. Ask for forgiveness. Missteps are a guarantee. When it happens, own the mistake, apologize and then choose to move forward. Remind yourself that everyone deserves a little Grace – you included.

Strive to be someone that others want to watch. Maybe not the context my mom originally intended for my brothers and I in our hay-day, but it sure is one we all know and can appreciate.

-Larry S. White, March 2023

OVERVIEW

Seeking a Business Insurance Advisor to help facilitate the continued growth of White & Associates. Partnering with premier insurance carriers, we offer a compensation package including salary and commission,  along with a  generous benefits package.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

You will be responsible for the cultivation of business relationships, lead generation and sales in our middle market segment. White & Associates Insurance partners with insurance carriers to provide our clients with the proper planning and solutions to solve their business insurance needs. Collaborating with our client service team, you will build lasting relationships and create exceptional client experiences for our customers.

SUCCESSFUL CHARACTERISTICS

• Highly motivated to develop relationships and create new business opportunities
• Strong attention to detail
• Genuine interest in and desire to serve others
• Fosters relationships through respect, trust, and consideration
• Positive attitude and proactive mindset
• Collaborative team player
• Open to accepting mentoring, direction, and instruction within the organization
• Excellent communication skills – verbal and written
• Accountable and responsive
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize, communicate effectively, and remain organized

TO APPLY

Please send resumes to Jan Jernigan, HR Manager: jan.jernigan@whiteins.net.

2023 is upon us and we cannot wait to start another year of wellness! Our employee wellness program offers $10.00 of rewards for every 1,000 points earned. The max value for our employees in 2023 is $615.00! In addition to our regular monthly and annual point options, we are challenging our team to participate in the both physical, emotional and mental health challenges below in 2023. We hope you will consider joining us!

Shortbread cookies are a favorite for Holiday get-togethers. This recipe gives you cookies that are free of both processed sugar and gluten, so they are perfect for everyone that you are blessed with to celebrate the season!

Ingredients

2 cups cassava flour

¼ tsp aluminum free baking powder

1/8 tsp iodized sea salt

1 cp Kerrygold Irish casein A2 butter (softened to room temp. I usually leave mine out overnight so that it is soft.)

¾ cup of Swerve confectioner’s sugar substitute

2 tsp. organic pure vanilla

1 tsp. almond extract

Zest of 1 orange or zest of 2 lemons (your flavor preference)

2 cups of unsweetened dried cranberries

Instructions

Mix cassava flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat butter and Swerve together until completely combined using an electric mixer.

Add vanilla, almond extract and zest to butter and Swerve.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and turn your mixer down very low and blend just until it all comes together.  Cassava flour is very dry.  The flour will fly up in a cloud if you don’t mix it slowly.  The batter will be very crumbly.

Mix in dried cranberries by hand.

Dump the batter onto a cutting board or wax paper.  Compress the batter into a tight ball and cut the ball in half.

Make two 7 to 8 inch long logs with the batter depending on how big you want the cookies to be.

Tightly wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove batter from the plastic wrap and cut ¼ to ½ inch discs. Use a very sharp knife.  (your preference of thickness)

Place discs on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until set, but not browned.

Let the cookies rest until they are completely cooled. They will fall apart if you move them before they are completely cooled.

It looks like our first days of winter are going to come in like a lion!  Below are important reminders for dropping temperatures and winter weather:

Inside the House

1. Keep your house heated to a minimum of 65 degrees. The temperature inside the walls where the pipes are located is substantially colder than the walls themselves. A temperature lower than 65 degrees might not keep the inside walls from freezing.
2. Check the location for the main water shutoff in your home. And refresh your memory on—or learn—how it works, in case you have to use it.
3. Open hot and cold faucets enough to let them drip slowly. In severely frigid temperatures, keeping water moving within the pipes will help prevent freezing.
4. Check that fireplaces, wood stoves and electric heaters are working properly. Make sure there are no combustible items near the heat sources and watch them closely, especially the first time in the season you use them. A carbon monoxide detector is a good idea as well.
5. Keep your fireplace flue closed when you’re not using it.

Outside the House

1. Keep sidewalks and entrances to your home free from snow and ice. You don’t want anyone delivering Christmas packages to slip and fall.
2. Watch for ice dams near gutter downspouts. Ice dams can cause water to build up and seep into your house. Clear gutters of leaves and debris to allow runoff from melting snow and ice to flow freely.
3. If not winterized, run your swimming pool pump at night when the temperatures are expected to go below freezing. This will keep the water flowing through the pipes.
4. Keep your garage doors closed. This will prevent weather damage to whatever’s stored in there. Plus, if your garage is attached to your house, the home entrance door from the garage is probably not as well insulated as an exterior door so this will keep more heat in.
5. Double check for dead, damaged or dangerous tree branches and have them removed. Even if they looked sound earlier in the year, trees can be affected by ice, snow or wind. When stressed, branches can fall and damage your house or car, or injure someone on or near your property.

In the Event of Problem

1. Don’t wait for frozen pipes to burst. If your pipes are frozen, take measures to thaw them immediately, or call a plumber for assistance.
2. If your pipes burst, first turn off the water. You know now where the main water shut off is, right? Cut off the flow, then attend to the mess and …
3. Properly dry and repair any water damage. This will help prevent any potential problems with mold.
4. Call your insurance professional as soon as possible. He or she will help you understand what’s covered by your policy.

*Information in this article is sourced from the Insurance Information Institute. This article is intended for general purposes only.*

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil

2 cans of artichoke hearts in brine finely chopped (remove any tough outside petals are they don’t soften up when cooked)

4 cups of whole baby spinach firmly packed

2 cups mushrooms (I like to use a mushroom mix.  Kroger has
containers of mixed mushrooms)

1 bunch of green onions chopped

½ Tsp. pink Himalayan salt

1 Tsp. black pepper

½ Tsp fresh thyme

1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary (finely chopped)

1 can coconut milk (full fat)

1 large container of ricotta cheese

2 large free range or pastured eggs

1 cup of basil pesto (you can purchase this in a jar or you can make it fresh yourself)

1 Tsp. garlic powder

1 Tsp. paprika

½ cup Parmesan cheese (an additional amount to sprinkle over the top of the lasagna)

Zest of 1 lemon

1 large sweet potato ( I use a mandolin to make very thin slices of the sweet potato)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9X13” baking dish with olive oil.

Using a large nonstick skillet heat ½ of the olive oil over medium heat (add more olive oil as needed during cooking process).

Sauté the chopped artichokes, spinach, chopped green onions and chopped mushrooms (stir often and cook until tender).

Add the salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary and lemon zest and cook an additional 5 to 10 minutes until fragrant.

Add the coconut milk and reduce the heat to low and simmer until the mixture starts to thicken.

Cheese Mixture:

Combine the ricotta cheese, slightly beaten eggs, basil pesto, garlic powder, paprika and ½ cup of parmesan cheese and set aside.

Take the prepared baking dish and layer ½ cup of the mushroom mixture to start the layering. Next a layer of the thin sliced sweet potato noodles. Top with a layer of the cheese mixture. Continue layering in this order finishing with a layer of cheese mixture last sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese

Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil after 45 minutes and cook an additional 20 to 30 minutes or until the top of is nice and brown.

Remove from the oven and let it rest for at least 20 minutes before serving.