A lot of farmers don’t look forward to the times that they have to work their cattle. That’s not the case for Randal Bonds of Cecil, Ark. In fact, he even does it for other farmers all over the Franklin County area. He uses his team of Catahoula dogs and a horse to quickly accomplish a task that takes hours for some. Often, it only takes Randal 10 to 20 minutes to gather a herd that is used to being driven by horses and around an hour for those that aren’t. “My dogs gather the cattle up, and then I use the horses to drive them to where they need to be, he explained.”
“I don’t have a four-wheeler here at the farm. I just use my horses and dogs,” Randal said. “It’s just a personal preference but, I think that it’s easier to handle cattle with horses. It doesn’t seem to stress the cattle as much. And I enjoy it more.”
“We also have a team of Haflinger mares that (my son) Dillon and I hitch to the wagon when we are feeding cubes in the winter, but that’s more for fun,” Randal smiled.
Randal breeds and trains his own Quarter Horses for team roping and gathering cattle. His favorite partner is Blue Duck. “He’s my pride and joy. There aren’t many horses like him,” said Randal. Blue Duck is Randal’s American Quarter Horse Associaton (AQHA) registered stud horse that is his main choice for both work and play.
Randal grew up working in his Granddad’s dairy on Quail Ridge. “I always had an interest in horses and cattle. I graduated from County Line High School. Then, I got my Ag Business Degree from Arkansas Tech University in 1994.” It was that year that the Bonds family decided to quit the dairy business and add chickens. Now, Randal operates three broiler houses along with the herd of purebred Angus cattle that he shares with his Mom and Dad, Darlene and Jack Bonds.
The Bonds family raises most of their replacement heifers themselves. They buy most of their bulls locally from Angus breeder Owen Price. “We keep around 15-20 heifers a year. We sell most of our calves right after we wean them. A few we keep and put on rye grass until after the first of the year. We sell all of our cattle at I-40 Livestock Auction in Ozark. They work hard to get us a good price.”
Randal’s main goal is to keep the farm successful and growing. “I’d like to gain more land and increase the herd, to depend more on the cows,” he said.
“Of course, someday I hope to be able to pass all this on to the kids. I think I’ll be able to, he said. “They all have an interest in the farm. They like the dogs and horses and cows.” Randal has three children 11-year-old Dillon, 8-year-old Kalli, and 6-year-old Jaci. They all participate in the Franklin Co. Fair livestock shows showing pigs and cattle.
Just for fun, Randal ropes in team roping competitions with his partner Van Tooley, also from Ozark. “I started with horses when I was about 13. I started roping when I was 16,” Randal said. He enjoys team roping because he likes training horses and getting out and meeting the people.
