Mike and Kara Adams
In Town: “Even though I live in Van Buren, Ark., I work in Fort Smith, Ark., for Neidecker plumbing as a union pipefitter welder. I’ve been with them for 15 years. I really like the people, and the work is steady. Kara works at Mercy Hospital also in Fort Smith. She works in nuclear medicine and has worked there for seven years after finishing school. She not only enjoys the people but also knowing that she is helping others.”
In the Country: “We have 40 acres in Van Buren and run 20 mixed breed momma cows with one registered black Limousin bull. My grandpa always ran a black Limousin bull so doing so just seems right and natural. He was the first one to get me started with a love for raising animals and being in the country. I have lived on the same patch of dirt since I was born. Kara, on the other hand, was raised in Prairie Grove, Ark., in town and didn’t get to the country until we got married. She enjoys it but is probably most comfortable in town. My boys on the other hand, absolutely love it in the country. For his fifth birthday my oldest son, Lance, wanted a dirt pile and muck boots. The boots have changed but the play has not. Now my youngest son, Eli, also enjoys the same pile of dirt. They go with me when I feed the cattle and love to ride with me in the tractor, especially during haying. Kara used to go with me to feed the cattle, but the boys have taken her place which makes everybody happy. “
How do the two work together?
“The town life keeps the country going. You obviously can’t make a living with 20 cows, but the 20 cows make me and the boys happy. Right now our life seems stable, and I hope we can keep on like we are until the boys are on their own.”
Story and Photo by Terry Ropp
