This is the story of the twists and turns life can take as, by the grace of God, it moves toward fulfillment and contentment.
Odell and Evelyn Ray went to school together in Berryville, Ark., in the same grade.
Both married and were divorced before they reconnected for what is now their 50th year of marriage. They are also the fourth generation on land Odell’s great-great-grandfather James’ homesteaded after the Mexican-American War in the late 1840s.
In 1958, Odell could not find a job and went to Kansas City to work. In 1960, he began working for the Burlington Northern Railroad until 1999 when he retired after 40 years. In the meantime, he moved his wife and children back to Arkansas in 1978 to purchase his grandfather Buck’s place after his uncle Ralph passed.
Odell drove back and forth to Kansas City every week for 20 years, coming home on weekends to work on the farm, with his wife and children handling it while he was gone during the week.
“Buying the farm meant working very hard all of the time with no spare time for a social life,” Odell said. “The truth was, however, I was more contented and fulfilled than I had ever been, and Evelyn was right there beside me helping to build our dream.”
When Odell bought the land, it was mostly overgrown and took years to clear and improve. He also bought adjoining properties that eventually became a 360-acre spread and built 10 spring-fed ponds that do not freeze over.
“Cattle need water more than even food when it’s really cold. Sometimes they drink so much they have to rest when getting out of the pond,” Odell said.
Odell started with a commercial cattle herd, but sold out in 1978 to buy 15 registered Limousins from Kenneth Garrison, who lived in Willard, Mo.
He researched and discovered that Limousins sold well on the market and yielded a heavily muscled carcass. Finally, Limousins crossed well with any breed, making them desirable for commercial breeders.
“The slogan at the time was ‘Lean on Limousine,’” Odell recalled.
He sold breeding stock for 14 years.
Odell gradually built his herd up to 60 mommas by retaining heifers and purchasing a few additional ones. He bought bulls according to their EPD’s looking for calving ease, good weaning weight, high fertility and milk production. Although he used some AI, most were naturally bred with bulls usually purchased at a registered Limousin sale. Odell sold heifers and bred heifers, as well as breeding age bulls and provided a fertility guarantee with his bulls backed up by veterinary testing.
In addition to daily chores, one of Evelyn’s contributions to the registered Limousin operation was keeping the detailed records necessary for a registered herd. She had one notebook for registration papers and a spiral notebook for daily data such as birth and weaning weights.
Feeding regimens were important in the Ray Limousin operation.
Because he wanted strong, agile bulls to sell, Odell carefully managed their nutritional levels so they had enough grain for growth and strength, but not enough for excess fat which would make them less desirable for breeding. Grain rations also helped keep them docile. Breeding bulls received a daily grain ration after being pulled from the cows in order to regain strength and vitality before the next breeding season.
Calves and first time heifers had access to creep feeders because Limousins convert grain to weight well. Mommas were grass-fed and all animals received supplemental salt and minerals.
“Around here minerals are especially important because our soil does not supply minerals that occur more naturally in places like Montana,” Odell said.
When Odell retired, he began harvesting his hay himself instead of on shares. Hay and pasture grounds are fertilized with chicken litter he purchases from a neighbor most years, with soil tests determining which years he needs to skip and use nitrogen and potash instead.
When the drought came, Odell decided not to buy hay and sold off most of his Limousin herd, retaining five or six registered cows. His new commercial herd uses Angus bulls selected by EPDs with the same preferences as he used for his Limousin bulls and now consists of 75 Limousin influenced mommas serviced by three registered Black Angus bulls.
“I learned a lot when raising my registered herd and apply the same attention to detail and methods with my commercial herd,” Odell said. “Keeping records had become too much of a chore, and this is what is best for us now.”
Evelyn is a full partner. She liked to keep or wide variety of animals, including a dairy cow or two to supply milk for the family. They fondly remember one half Holstein, half Guernsey cow that raised eight calves, two every 10 weeks, while still supplying the family with milk. Evelyn learned to make butter and cottage cheese and even how to back up a truck and trailer.
“The Lord has given us good health and ample opportunities to earn and live a good life, and we are grateful,” said Odell as Evelyn nodded in agreement.
