Blue Bird Hill Farm was a dream of Jerry and Jeaneane Markham for when they retired. Jerry has a bachelor’s degree from Mexico State, and masters from Arkansas University, both in Horticulture. While Jeaneane holds masters in Home Economics, they both have worked as an agent for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, where they met. Jerry runs the farm while Jeaneane helps out when she is not running JJ’s Boutique (sewing, embroidery and quilts.)
“When I got started I wanted to grow blueberries, Muscadines and blackberries; I thought they would be great enough in demand in this area that we could start with a pick your own operation. However, we found out pretty quick that this area couldn’t support the small amount that we produced. We abandoned the pick your own and reduced the berry crops numbers,” explained Jerry. He changed over to garden produce after that and started growing Purple Hull peas, tomatoes, squash and sweet corn along with okra and green peppers. The farm also offers fresh eggs, that comes off 150 free-range chickens that are supplemented by grain and laying pellets. They also offer grass fed beef, which is U.S.D.A. inspected.
“We have a sandy plot that we can plant early, for the early vegetables. I use as little chemical products as possible,” he stated. “However we use a lot of the herbicide ‘HOE’, the active ingredient called manual labor,” laughed Jerry.
The farm continues to remain competitive in an ever-growing market through tapping into new market. “We are into E-Markets now which is an internet Farmers Market – an internet shopping place where a farm can place their produce on a site, with the permission of the individual web manager,” said Jerry. This allows the buyer pickup options for this farm, they can order and then pick up here at the farm on Thursday. In addition, the consumer can choose to pick up at Russellville, Ark., at a farmers co-op on Friday afternoon or they can pick up on Saturday at the Little Rock Farmers Market according to Jerry.
The way the E-Markets work, is you get a print out from the market when it closes of what’s been sold over the market. Then a producer will make a delivery to a certain point and they do the distribution. “I think E- Markets are the coming thing, we participate in seven,” smiled Jerry. He said, “picture Suzie sitting at her desk at work, she gets a break and goes online to one of these E-markets, scrolls down picks out her produce or whatever she needs, puts down a time and a pick-up location, then on the way home she stops and picks it up.”
With today’s technology the world is full of possibilities for producers looking to enter new marketing avenues in the Ozarks.
