In early 2023, Diedra Levi was ready to make a change. After years of working for the public housing authority in Conway, Arkansas, she began to reflect on her life and goals for the future.
“One day, I realized that my entire life was dependent on the paycheck I received from the housing authority,” she said. “At that point, I decided I wanted something more – I wanted the freedom and independence to have something of my own.”
Levi then started seriously considering retiring and moving to the Central American country of Belize. She wanted to find property near the seaside and enjoy the peace that would come with living closer to nature. Then, she shared her plans with her cousin Polly Winfield, who lived in Chicago but spent the winters in southern Arkansas.
“Polly had recently purchased 22 acres in Jefferson County and started trying to sell me on the idea of buying property in Arkansas instead of in Belize,” Levi said. “I told her, ‘I don’t want any land that doesn’t have a body of water on it.’ Well, within two weeks she called me back, saying land was suddenly available with access to Lake Taloha.”
When Levi visited the newly available property and saw the lake, she was overcome with the sense of peace she had been searching for.
“Standing on the bank of that lake had a visceral effect on me,” she said. “I thought to myself, ‘This is baby Belize.’ I decided to go for it and partnered with Polly to purchase 60 acres with access to the lake.” Levi and Winfield then began working on what would soon become “PollyDee Farms.”
Enhancing the land through UAPB’s Keeping it in the Family Program
Looking for ways to maintain and improve their new land, Levi and Winfield contacted the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) Keeping it in the Family (KIITF) Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Program. The program provides educational resources and technical assistance to African American forest landowners to protect and retain their family land for future generations.
KIITF Program team members – including Levell Foote and Charley Williams, conservation consultants, and Joe Friend, UAPB forester – visited PollyDee Farms in October 2023.
“During the meeting, we tried to get an understanding of the plans and goals for the farm,” Foote said. “Later, we all got into an ATV and rode across the entire property. We explained the value and beauty of the white oak forest trees on the farm. We also provided a list of forestry consultants for assistance in developing a management plan and thinning the timber.”
The KIITF team also helped the landowners obtain a U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Number, which is essential when applying for Farm Service Agency (FSA) farm loans, disaster assistance and crop insurance. A farm number is also necessary to be eligible for Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP). Later, they provided a list of recommended enhancements they could make to the land through EQIP and the Conservation Stewardship Program.
“Levell and the UAPB team have been so helpful,” Winfield said. “They have helped us with knowing how to take care of our timber. They have also connected us with NRCS and FSA personnel.
Also, we always enjoy participating in educational programming hosted by UAPB, including agriculture field days.”
Levi credits Foote and Stefan Walker, UAPB Extension associate, with help in preparing to apply for operating loans that will allow them to purchase a tractor to make the roads on the farm drivable.
Developing an Agritourism Operation
Polly Winfield says the outdoors has always played a big part in her life. Though she grew up in Chicago, she spent a lot of time in Arkansas, both on her grandparents’ 40-acre farm and her father’s 10-acre farm. “I have always loved animals,” she said. “When I was a child, my parents gave me a pony for my birthday – they wanted me to be a rodeo girl.”
Winfield pursued a career as a daycare owner in Chicago but would regularly visit her family in Arkansas. In the last few years, she felt increasingly drawn back to the Arkansas outdoors.
“I started getting tired of Chicago,” she said. “Every time I would visit Arkansas, I would feel better physically and mentally. I felt more mobile. I started thinking about finding land in Arkansas, so I could enjoy the outdoors and be closer to my family. When my brother found land in the Jefferson County countryside, I thought, ‘This is it.’”
After purchasing 22 acres of land and convincing her cousin to swap dreams of Belize for land on Lake Taloha, Winfield began brainstorming ways to transform the land into an agritourism operation.
“I thought it would be nice to have a place where our family could spend time together, but also create something bigger – a place that the community in Pine Bluff could enjoy. Not all children are
interested in sports. I wanted to create a space where youth could have the freedom to discover a love for the outdoors – to see what it’s like working with animals, fishing and gardening.”
Levi said she is an example of a person whose perspective on the outdoors was transformed later in life by simply spending time outside.
“I didn’t have the exposure to the outdoors or animals like Polly did,” she said. “To me, the extent of my experience with animals was owning a standard poodle. But that has started to change for me as we have acquired goats, sheep, horses and a donkey.”
PollyDee Farms is located at a former Girl Scouts of America campground.
“Imagine my surprise when I found out that in addition to being a Girl Scouts campground, the property was once the site of the first Black resort in Jefferson County,” Levi said. “It was founded by Walter Wiley Jones, an ex-slave who went on to become one of the wealthiest African Americans in the South.”
After deciding to set up a unique agritourism destination, Levi and Winfield got to work on creating a place that would be accessible for families looking to escape to the peaceful outdoors. In addition to the pavilion that was already built near the lakeside, they added five campers for guests to stay in. As younger members of their family started visiting the land, they began to add amenities such as kayaks and float tubes for the lake and ATVs for the forest trails.
“Currently, PollyDee Farms offers a range of accommodation options, including tent camping and rustic cabins in addition to the RV rentals,” Levi said. “With access to the lake for fishing, canoeing and kayaking, we offer a peaceful and scenic retreat for those who want to connect with nature. We also have an event center and commercial kitchen, which caters to those planning events.”
Winfield and Levi are excited about the project’s next phase, which involves the construction of 70 luxury houses near the lake. They are currently working with a development group and the UAPB Industrial Technology Management and Applied Engineering Department to finalize plans for this undertaking.
“Polly and I have had the chance to create something that will outlast us and be there for our family,” Levi said. “The dream is that this business will continue to be passed down and taken care of by future generations.”
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
