Ricky and Andrea Longshore have been farming since they were children, and now the couple of 36 years have shared their farming experiences with one another to successfully manage their farm in Stilwell, Okla., located in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains.
Ricky and Andrea produce hay, raise stocker cattle and have three pullet hen houses on their 228-acre farm. “We raise about 30,000 chickens,” Ricky said, “This is something I love to do, and I don’t know what I’d do without them.”
Ricky is a full-time farmer and Andrea, who assists on the farm, is also executive vice-president and branch manager of Armstrong Bank in Stilwell.
Though Ricky and Andrea have shared many years together, not all of them were spent farming. Like any other story of success, there were obstacles to overcome.
When Ricky was growing up he helped his father, who farmed strawberries, harvested hay and raised chickens. As he got older he stopped farming and started his career.
In the 90s Ricky was working as a welding and fabricating supervisor in Siloam Springs, Ark., when he was faced with a big decision. The company Ricky was working for was relocating to Springdale, Ark.
“Our boys were young and I was driving 40 miles each way,” Ricky said. “With the company moving, it was going to be even tougher on me.”
That’s when Ricky’s mother offered them the option to take over the family farm, which they did. “The chicken houses were really a blessing,” Andrea said. “We have really been blessed over the years with so many things.”
Ricky, with a new career in farming, faced a trying bout a few years ago when arthritis struck.
“My lymph nodes in my legs were so swollen that I couldn’t even move them,” Ricky said.
At that time, everything in the chicken houses was done manually, and with Ricky unable to work, and their sons grown and moved away, the responsibility was left to Andrea who was also working full-time at the bank.
“We never once thought about stopping,” Andrea said. “I would have quit my job before giving up on the chicken houses.”
Ricky, whose arthritis is now under control, has now made major improvements to their chicken houses.
“Everything that was done manually is now run by computer,” Ricky said, “It only takes me about 30 minutes to do everything now.”
The computer system installed in the chicken houses controls everything from feed and water to regulating the temperature in the houses.
“If the temperature changes or anything goes wrong, the system calls my cell phone,” Ricky said. “I can just go in, press a few buttons and then I can walk the houses.”
This new technology has made a big impact on the day-to-day responsibility of the Longshore’s farm. Not only has it allowed them to keep a closer watch on their chickens, but it has also made daily operation easier, ensuring their future.
Though the improvements have made work easier, Ricky said the real work begins when the chickens are gone.
“I have to clean the houses out, and get them ready for the next group of chickens,” Ricky said. Each house goes through inspections in order to allow Ricky and Andrea to continue their farming practices.
Another vital part of the Longshore’s farm is their hay production.
“I usually bale around 250 round bales, and a couple hundred square bales,” Ricky said.
“We ended up producing our usual amount of hay after the late rains came in,” Ricky said, “We are also blessed with a great well, so we didn’t have to worry about our chickens running out of water either.”
Ricky went on to discuss the importance of farmers in today’s society.
“I wish that people who don’t know about farming could come out here and see this,” Ricky said, “I want everyone to know that farmers are good and aren’t ruining the environment.”
Ricky and Andrea truly know the meaning of farming and they have taken what they both were taught as kids and shared with not only each other, but also their children.
“This is something I want to be doing for the rest of my life,” Ricky said. “But one day I hope one of my boys will come home and take over the family farm.”
