05/10/2026
We would like to wish you and your family a happy Mother's Day. Mom's carry such a special place in families. Often times they do not get the credit that they deserve. This day is very bittersweet for our family this year. My mom passed away last month after a short battle with cancer. Her, along with my grandmother, have been the back bone of our family. What makes them so amazing is that they would never take credit for this!
If there was one word that described my mom it would be service. Growing up, my parents divorced when I was in the 4th grade. At this point, my mom essentially became a single mom. My dad was addicted to prescription pills most of his adult life. My father was ‘around’ but never really involved that much. By the time I reached high school, he was practically non existent. To provide for our family, mom worked a full time job during the week as a Case Manager for Intracorp, in addition to serving in the Air National Guard as a flight nurse. She was eventually called up to full time service and deployed overseas on two separate occasions. She went to Afghanistan for 3 months my freshman year of high school and Iraq for 4 months my Junior year. She always made sure that we had what we needed, even if it meant doing without herself. She’s one of the hardest working people I know. As a single mom, she had to wear many hats in raising my sister and I. She instilled in us a strong work ethic, morals, and the need for community involvement. I learned so much from her.
Like all kids, I never fully realized the extent of her sacrifices until I got older. 85% of youth in prison come from fatherless homes. I sometimes wrestle with why I haven't been a statistic. The first thing that comes to mind is God's grace and mercy on my life. The second thing is that part of His grace was giving me my mom. She was determined we weren't going to be a statistic.
While our family hurts here on earth, we rejoice knowing that mom's faith has became sight. Words can't express how grateful I am that Ginger Annas was my mom. I realize this is not our usual farm newsletter but she is one of the reasons why R and B Farms is what it is. I share this as a word of encouragement. Savor every moment you can with your friends and family. We believe that because of a good and gracious God, it doesn't have to be the end.
"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others as more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."
Philippians 2:3-4
Your Farmer,
Stewart
