Michelle Rieff
Family: Husband, Kevin Rieff; daughter, Haley; son-in-law Darin; and granddaughter Everly.
Hometown: Vaughn, Ark.
Town Life: “I have worked for the Bentonville (Ark.) Public Schools as a professional school counselor for 15 years and am currently housed at Bentonville High School waiting to move to a newly constructed Bentonville West High School in Centerton. I am also active in my community as an alderman on the Highfill City Council and have been a celebrity waiter for Relay for Life in Siloam Springs (Ark.), as well as a past president of the Helen Walton’s Children’s Center board of directors.
“My husband Kevin is a vice president at Grand Savings Bank in Decatur (Ark.), and specializes in agriculture loans.”
Country Life: “We live on 77 acres in the Vaughn (Ark.) community, where we raise both registered Angus and commercial Maine Anjou, with a 20-head herd of mommas. Kevin AIs all our cows and breeds for both spring and fall calves. Bull semen is chosen for the individual cow and from bulls currently winning competitively.
“Our oldest cow, 21 years old, was our daughter Haley’s first show heifer and is now a pet rather than a breeding animal. Cows are culled for producing insufficient milk or for possessing a difficult disposition. We raise our own hay, mostly fescue and Bermuda, and sell the surplus, which is a result of decreasing our herd size during the drought. One interesting sight on our farm is a windmill given to us by our son-in-law’s family. Kevin and I both volunteer for the Arkansas State Fair. Kevin is the beef department superintendent, while I am the director of the Arkansas Junior Cattlemen’s Association, a 200-member youth organization. We both are active in Angus breed associations. Kevin is the Arkansas Angus Association secretary/treasurer. I am a past president of the American Angus Auxiliary and currently a national committee chairman.”
Present and Future: “Our town lives provide income and insurance, while our country life increases focus and allows us to have fun and freedom. Nothing feels quite as good as turning down our gravel driveway and over the three cattle guards leading to our home in the middle of the acreage with the placement allowing for even greater feelings of isolation, peace and privacy.
“I don’t ever see us increasing our acreage, but we would like to build our herd back up to 30 mommas.”
