Where the roots run deep

Ben Webb was raised on his family’s tobacco farm, spending his days in the barns, riding in trucks, and later stripping tobacco. His two young daughters are beginning to experience the same joys of farm life. Ben, 36, works alongside his wife, Andrea, and father, Benny Webb, 65, in the business that spans five generations, 18 barns and is currently the largest tobacco producer in Clark County. “My family’s blood, sweat and tears are right here,” he said. That family legacy extends beyond blood to their longtime employees, who average a dozen at peak season. Fifteen years ago, the Webbs began participating in the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker Program, which allows U.S. employers to hire foreign nationals for temporary or seasonal agricultural jobs when enough domestic workers are not available. As part of the program, the Webbs provide housing, transportation and immigration legal fees while the foreign nationals seek U.S. citizenship. Hector Pineda, 37, from Puebla, Mexico, has the longest tenure of any Webb family worker, 11 years. “My boss and his family are very nice and very good people,” he said. “I am very grateful to be in this country.” Ben said he grew up alongside Hector and considers him like a brother. Ben and Andrea wake each day at 7 to get their daughters, Adaline, 3, and Clara, 1, ready for daycare. Then they head to the farm. Ben has taken over much of the business from his father, Benny, but still works with him every day. The three of them eat breakfast and lunch at the same restaurant nearly every day. The bond is strong between Benny and his son. “He’s my best friend, you know, he was in my wedding as my best man,” Ben said. For his part, Benny is equally appreciative of “getting what I got with my father, getting to spend 18 hours a day with your son, and watching the family grow. “We moved here in ‘70, and we grew up right here,” said Benny, about the farm headquarters on the Clark-Fayette county line. “We were staying in that house, and so we had a lot of family cookouts, a lot of family get-togethers. It really puts in perspective what’s really important.”