It's amazing to step out onto the very green, lush, peaceful farm that’s been in the Frost family for 105 years, and five generations. “Since 1903,” said Bob Frost, a third generation farmer in the mountains of Johnson County, Arkansas. "My granddad, John Frost, bought 80 acres in 1903, and added 40 more at a later date. He built a small house they later named the weaning house. His son Hall Frost was born in 1906; they then built the big white farm house, which sits across from the smaller home. When Hall got married they moved into the weaning house. They both spent their whole lives on this farm," Bob said.
Bob grew up on this farm, and he said that there were always cattle, and for a while there were sheep. When Bob’s mom and dad died he and his family moved into the big white house and lived there until they built the new one up on the hill behind the original big house. It was this hill that had a huge rock that over looked the headquarters, and this was where Bob would run off to when he was little. “I could sit up there and see mama come out the back door; of course it didn’t occur to me that she could see me also,” smiled Bob.
As time went on, Bob started increasing his herd and he and Shirley added 55 acres to what they had. Then he bought bred heifers that were Brangus-Angus mix with a little Charolais and bred them to black Simmental bulls. He’s been saving replacement heifers for two years. Bob wants to start having Black Baldy heifers to improve on his herd.
Their herd is up to 180 mama cows and five bulls now, two Hereford, and three black Simmentals. They utilize pasture management in his operation by rotating them about once a month through five different pastures. Bob doesn’t cut hay off his own pastures, only the pastures he has leased.
“A hundred and eighty cows can get pretty hectic,” said Bob, “especially during calving season.” “And I don’t hire any help,” he said.
Bob puts his bulls in with the cows the first of December and pulls them out in three months. Then he puts them back in the first of June, which gives them a fall crop. And he keeps track of all of it, by using green tags for the spring calves, and white for the fall calves. Bob and his son, Craig, and the four grandsons, work the cattle once a year in November and then worm some of the cattle six months later.
"This is the cycle we are on, and we are in the low 90 percent calf rate. We came up with a record keeping system where we double number the cows, and every calf is numbered to reflect that cow," said Bob.
He weans his spring calves during this time, and preconditions them for 90 days. Bob usually sells these in March. I sell my cattle at the I-40 auction barn. Kent comes out and looks my calves over, and he lets the buyers know that these preconditioned calves are ready.
“What’s hurting us now is the cost of fuel and feed and fertilizer. We probably won’t be increasing the herd for awhile, we’ll just manage what we have," he said.
"I guess one or two of the best tools I use are the county agent, and the Cattlemen’s Association." Bob is an active member of his local cattlemen’s association He encourages others to follow suit, citing it’s a very worthwhile and helpful organization.
