Renae and Joe Rheingans
In Town: “We have a shop in Springdale, Ark., named ECS Corporation that cuts metal, plastic, wood and other materials for fabrication custom orders. While Joe works in town, I work from home in the community of Little Flock on the northeast edge of Rogers, Ark., where I manage the Bed & Biscuit Boarding Kennel accommodating up to 15 dogs at one time.”
In the Country: “We raise replacement dairy heifers on our property outside of Rogers. We have raised each of the dairy breeds at one time or another but are now raising Brown Swiss and Ayrshires. We buy calves when they are less than a week old and sell them as 2-year-old bred heifers using AI to provide the best genetics possible. We have a niche of providers and buyers that make this life work for us. The cattle are really our children’s project since they wanted to be in 4-H but were also looking for a way to make money. They paid for their first cars with the income and are paying for part of their college educations.”
Making it Work: “We chose to homeschool our children. The ability to have a flexible schedule allows for attendance at 4-H events and scholarship programs without missing education by simply adjusting what we are doing to accommodate their absence. The 4-H Congress is held in Atlanta, Ga., each year which all of my children have attended without missing any education. Another advantage of homeschooling has been that the lessons learned ‘outside the classroom.’ They learned responsibility by caring for their animals because if they didn’t, the animals would die. They also gained organizational skills, public speaking ability and budgeting proficiency to name a few. While none of our children are choosing an agricultural career, agriculture has provided a solid foundation for eventual careers in mechanical engineering and sociology. One child is a nurse already. Country living and 4-H have been more about raising kids that know how to work and have good moral character with strong faith so they will serve their communities well as adults.”
