Louie Thompson
Louie Thompson was raised in Calhoun, Louisiana, near his father’s peach orchard. As a child, his family grew watermelon and peas, but peaches were what made their livelihood. He explains how his father got into the business: “He used to grow crop watermelons, and peas, stuff like that, and he thought there had to be something a little better. He planted peach trees because he thought he would be able to sell peaches. He made a good living out of peaches.” His father learned mostly on his own, with information from the Research Stations. Beginning in 1969, his father eventually farmed 25 acres of peach trees, and Louie has continued the peach farm with about 30 acres of peaches. He has been running the farm since around 1989. Learning mostly from his father and experience, he likes farming and working for himself, which why he’s still in the business. He changes his techniques according to changes in the Agricultural Department, being careful to follow EPA standards.
Peach season used to only last around two and a half months, but newer varieties allow for a longer season. Thompson’s peaches start in the middle of May and continue until mid-September. While some farmers have had problems with the oat root fungus, he says that he hasn’t had any problems so far, since his trees are on land that has been farmed for many generations. In fact, he reports, “I’m steady planting more trees every year.” He ships much of his crop to south Louisiana and Baton Rouge. He also sells to grocery stores, fruit stands, and peddlers. A half a dozen employees work on the farm picking and boxing his peaches.
Along with peaches, Thompson grows and sells potatoes, tomatoes, squash, watermelon, plums, and nectarines. In addition to participating in the Ruston Farmers Market and shipping his crops, he sells his produce from his farm at 2195 Hwy 144, Calhoun, LA. He also has gift packs available for purchase in 25-pound cases, which can be shipped to friends and family, often through the local Pack and Mail. He is usually open from 8 to 6 Monday through Friday, with variable hours on Saturday. The phone number is 318-644-0854. He encourages visitors to call ahead to get directions and find out what produce is available.
Thompson enjoys farming, because even though it is expensive, he is able to watch his work grow. According to him, “I grew up around farming. I was just raised up in it. I liked the farming part of it, kind of working for yourself. After it grows to you, it’s just kind of hard to get out of working for yourself like that. Because you get to see things grow, you get to see it produce, and you get to see the results of it. So that’s why I’m still in the business.”