Name: Michael Pinkerton
In Town: Michael Pinkerton is the owner of Pinkerton’s Front-End service, an automotive repair center in Lincoln, Ark. The shop has been in business for 32 years. Michael’s father owned it, and Michael said he’s owned it about 14 years.
In the Country: “We buy sell, raise and train horses. We have summer week-long camps for kids and teach them all about horses, riding; they stay a week at our house. Then we have an arena and a round pen that we use to train horses and people board their horses at our house. We give trail rides. We also have beef cattle. We’ve got about 60 head of beef cattle but we also raise bottle calves every winter, about 150 of them. Then we buy and sell horse trailers. My wife has a new company, The Pampered Pony. We go to all kinds of rodeos and horse shows and barrell racing events and she sells all kinds of high quality horse tack, horse products and products for riders. And we bale and sell hay.” Michael’s family farm is 203 acres.
What are the challenges of managing all your ventures?
“The paper work and not enough hours in the day! That’s the biggest challenge. There’s always something to do. We have so much going. Everyone helps, my mom and dad, and my really good friend, Brian Jones helps me a lot.”
Family: My wife, Mary; 14-year-old daughter Mary Kathryn; 12-year-old son Jared; two-and-one-half-year-old baby, Ava.
How could you improve business at the farm?
“I do a lot of with the ASCS (Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service). We do a lot of cost share programs. They have all kinds of programs you can get involved in. We’re getting ready to have another pond installed, we’re fencing off the river that runs through our place. (ASCS) helps a lot because you can get some free help and they tell you things you can do to make your program better.”
