Etna Valley Seeds
Owners: Mark Callahan (pictured), Danny Council, Dylan Lee
Location: Etna, Ark.
History: “In terms of the business, there isn’t much history because we are a new enterprise here in Etna, Ark. However, I’ve known my business partner Danny Council for a long time ever since we met at a friend’s house years ago, and Danny and our third business partner Dylan have been friends even longer. I used to run a feed mill in Caulksville that is no longer there. One day we saw this piece of land and were going to scrap it and sell it for profit. Then we decided to go into the feed business for ourselves because we know everyone in the area and there aren’t many places close by here for people to buy feed,” explained Mark Callahan.
Products and Services: “We produce custom feed mixes such as a 14 percent protein cow feed, which also include vitamins and minerals according to customer wishes. We also sell the Nutrena line, which includes cattle feed, minerals, dog and cat feed, and even pond fish food. We have liquid fertilizer and are the only place in the area that does.”
Business Philosophy: “We believe that success is dependent upon knowing your customers and what they prefer and then providing personalized customer service so they want to become repeat customers. Obviously, if we can help them increase their productivity, they will continue to patronize us for information and products since productivity is the bottom line for any producer.”
Future Plans: “Because we’re so new the future is also the present since we are still developing our business. We are in the process of adding a roller mill that will crack corn so we can buy more bulk and plan on adding a wider variety of store items such as veterinary supplies, ear tags and horse tack. We are also going to add wheat and ryegrass seed as well as other miscellaneous items such as tractor pins, net wrap and hay twine for baling. We are surrounded by cattle people, and will continue to add products as we develop and people’s needs change.”
