Don and DeeAnn Evans
In the Country: Don rotates 50 Angus and crossbred cows and calves on his 75 acres, another 200 acres he rents and the 40 acres he grew up on east of Springfield. One Llama, Poco, guards the herd against dogs and coyotes – and encroaching suburbs.
He times breeding for spring and fall calving and sells the calves at the Springfield Livestock Marketing Center when they reach 550 to 600 pounds just before weaning. He generally has two Angus bulls but a new addition is a Black Limousin bull whose first calves will be born this fall. Except for grain before calves are sold or to tempt cattle into a corral, the cattle graze on Fescue and Red Clover pasture and hay.
“It’s rewarding, not financially, but rewarding to have a nice place and keep it up and have good cattle. It feels good to have that,” Don said.
In town: Don is the owner and manager of Springfield’s single Heritage Cafeteria.
“The restaurant business does get in your blood,” he admitted. “I ended up liking it so much, and because it was a family business, I decided this was my career. But if I had to give up the farm, I would probably go crazy because I enjoy it so much, and it gives me a break from the stress of working.”
How do you do both?
Don leaves for work predawn, returning home during winter between lunch and dinner shifts to put out hay, check the freeze-proof waterers and herd. When his four children lived at home, they pitched in to help. Now, DeeAnn is his right hand. He times his days off from Heritage Cafeteria to haul calves to market.
Story and Photo By Jennifer Ailor
