While focused on the future for his sons, Clint Bowen hopes to become a full-time cattleman
Clint and Amber Bowen are highly active and involved people with twin teenaged sons Brandt and Mack. They live on a cow/calf farm in Garfield, Ark.
Clint is a Rogers Fire Department heavy rescue captain of a special ops team.
His community duties include being on the Benton County Fair and Farm Bureau boards, as well as president of the Junior Livestock Sale Convention and a member of the Extension Executive Committee. Amber teaches kindergarten in Pea Ridge, Ark., and is the hub of the family’s hectic schedule.
The Bowen farm was recently asked to represent the Beef Checkoff program by bringing a live animal to a convention at Sam’s Club’s home office. Since, according to Clint, 80 percent of beef consumed comes from small producers with 30 or fewer head of cattle, the Checkoff program wanted a small family farm as a representative.
“Many people are so far removed from the family farm that they have never seen beef cattle and are amazed by the size and docility,” Clint said.
Another farm program Clint appreciates is from the Arkansas Conservation District. This program allows farmers to rent a no till drill on a variable scale according to the number of acres being drilled and starting at $50 per day.
Finally, Clint is planning on putting in automatic freeze proof waterers with program help.
The Bowen farm is 25 owned acres in Garfield and 15 leased acres in Little Flock, Ark., which they use to support 20 purebred Angus mommas, some registered, as well as a registered cleanup bull. All mommas are bred by AI performed by Clint’s brother-in-law, Dr. Jeremy Powell, who is part of the University of Arkansas pre-vet program staff.
Most semen comes from Tour of Duty, a Benton County Fair Grand Champion Angus bull, which will be shown by Brandt this year.
The farm, at this point, is all about the Bowen children and providing highly competitive show animals while steers are raised for themselves and for sale to friends and neighbors.
As third-generation farmer, Clint is hoping his sons will be the fourth. If it were financially feasible, Clint would be a full-time farmer. Nonetheless, he and Amber strive to give their sons the experience and values of an agricultural life.
Appreciating his boyhood, especially snow days, Clint explained that at age 6 he would drive a pickup or tractor to feed cattle. Similarly his boys had their first four wheelers at age 4 and today are responsible for feeding the cattle when Clint is at work.
One reason they chose their acreage in Garfield is that it has sufficient shade and continuous breezes during even the hottest season, which means their show cattle have good hair without air conditioning.
“While black does sell better, the main reasons I like the Angus breed is that it has better marbling and matures faster. The faster you can finish an animal, the more money you make,” Clint explained. “I can have a steer ready for slaughter in 14 months and could sell more if I raised more.”
The Bowens use a 13-percent protein feed. They provide 1 percent of the body weight in grain during winter because the cattle need more energy to combat the cold. When finishing or getting ready for a show, they feed 2 to 3 percent of the body weight. In addition, Clint had a 780-foot well dug in order to get deeper and better quality water at a pressure of 21 gallons per minute.
Currently the Bowen’s have a crossbred heifer named Charlotte that is mostly Angus, Maine Anjou and Chianina. She is longer haired and heavier bone with an over-sized rump. She is also docile.
“If my animals aren’t kids safe, down the road they go. I am really looking forward to see which she produces,” Clint said.
