Donna Crawley
In Town: Donna is a Quality Control lab technician for Pinnacle Foods, a frozen foods company in Fayetteville, Ark. She’s in charge of testing for Salmonella, E. Coli, Staph and other food pathogens, in order to keep consumers safe. She’s been with the company 37 years, through its changes from Campbell Soup to Vlasic, and its current incarnation as Pinnacle Foods.
In the Country: Donna stays busy after her drive home from Fayetteville to Bugscuffle, Ark., with her free range chickens. There are a number of breeds on her 45 acres: Arcana, Game, Brahma, Silver Laced Wyandottes and some Phoenix. Donna and her husband James also farm on the 160-acre family farm just down the road. The family farm has been in the Crawley family since it was homesteaded in the 1800’s. There are 65 head of Angus cross cattle on the two farms. Donna also enjoys riding her Missouri Foxtrotter, Smoky, in her free time. Donna and her husband James have also been active in the Prairie Grove Riding Club for years.
Family: Donna's husband is James, who is a retired, disabled veteran of the Desert Storm campaign.
How has the economy affected things in town?
“We’re working six days a week to produce what we need to put out on the shelves. Obviously, with the economy in the state that it is, people are eating at home more, which has been good for Pinnacle.”
What are your plans at the farm?
“Living on it till I die. I plan on maintaining the current herd size and flock size. Work and keeping up with the grandkids is plenty for me, I don’t feel the need to expand the operation.”
By OFN Staff
