A famous writer named Thomas Wolfe once wrote a renowned novel entitled “You Can’t Go Home Again.” Greg and Cheryl Satterfield, who currently live in Harrison, Ark., intend to prove him wrong. Greg and Cheryl met in a horticulture class at the University of Arkansas and then lived in Tulsa, Okla., and were later transferred to New Jersey. After three years in New Jersey, the couple decided to move back to the area, partly to get out of the more urban areas and partly to escape the high cost of living. They also had children and felt they needed to provide the children with a better lifestyle.
Greg accepted a job offer from American Freightways in Harrison, and they felt very fortunate to move back to the Ozarks closer to their families. FedEx purchased American Freightways in 2001 allowing Greg to live and work in Harrison, much closer to his boyhood home of Green Forest, Ark. Greg said, “That was one of those lucky breaks you sometimes get.” Once in Harrison, Cheryl acquired a position as a high school science teacher and remained there until she recently retired.
The family’s Green Forest roots go back to the community of Farewell near Green Forest where several generations of his family owned a feed/general store close to the land where Greg and Cheryl are now building their spacious, showcase timber frame home. The old store building, now abandoned, still stands at a crossroad. The white frame structure seems sturdy, but weeds are beginning to grow through the porch and vines are crawling up the sides. Greg is proud of his heritage and wants to pass that pride along to his grandchildren by creating a rural homestead they will enjoy and learn from. Cheryl said, “We are trying to build a home that will make family visits and gatherings fun and easy.” One of the home’s features is a separate floor with a family room for the children and grandchildren that leads directly outside. Because Cheryl recently retired from teaching, she is the building contractor for the new home which is entering the finishing stages.
A major part of the going home process was acquiring family land. Greg has two sisters, and in fairness to them has been buying the family land from his mother who still owns 150 acres he plans to acquire in the future. Greg has also bought back some old homesteads which were sold off from the place over the years, and is building on one of those sites which contains a bluff with a panoramic view of the farm.
Another part of the Satterfield country life is their animals. They have 85 momma cows that calve all year long and about 250 steers they buy as feeder calves and keep to a weight of 900 pounds when they are shipped to feedlots in Kansas to finish. Until Cheryl retired, Greg drove from Harrison to the farm every winter morning to feed and check on the cows before returning to his position as Vice President of Taxes for FedEx. Greg said, “I wish the place was in better shape like having clean fence rows, but I just don’t have the time yet. I will get this place back in shape when I retire.”
However, Greg takes good care of his cattle and enjoys every minute of it. He always works the cattle by himself to keep them calm and minimize stress on the animals. He does his own branding, dehorning and vaccinating. New animals are kept in a smaller pasture for the first few weeks so he gives them extra attention until they have started eating and are no longer as susceptible to shipping fever.
The land, the cattle and the alone time are Greg’s way of relaxing. As he calls the cattle to him, stress lines and worries fade away. Cheryl’s joy in working with the animals and in building their new home shines in her eyes. Thomas Wolfe may not have been able to go home again, but the Satterfields definitely are.
