Family: Wife Ashley, and daughters Sadie (12) and Sophia (9)
Hometown: Berryville, Ark.
In Town: “We moved into Berryville three or four years ago. I started in 2007 at the First National Bank of North Arkansas as a general loan officer. About a year ago, I was promoted to senior vice president and work most often out of the Harrison and Yellville branches. My wife Ashley is a fifth-grade language arts teacher in Berryville, starting in 2004. In the intervening years, she took some time off to stay home with our daughters, Sadie who is 12 and Sophia who is 9. In addition, I served as a board member on the Chamber of Commerce for seven years because I was raised in the Yellville area as well as working there.”
In the Country: “I loved the farming lifestyle, but believe that leasing land makes more sense for me so that if something should happen all that needs to be liquidated are cattle and equipment with no land payments pending.
“I share 340 acres with my family, where we run 100 Angus-influenced mommas bred by six purebred Angus bulls. I have another 50 mommas nearby on 120 acres where I also keep two registered Angus bulls. I turned the bulls in around Mother’s Day because I believe spring calving is easier on the cows, and calves are enough developed to be more independent when summer comes. I typically retain 10 to 12 heifers as replacements for older cows, which I usually sell. After retaining calves for 60 to 90 days after weaning at 6 months, I sell usually in Green Forest. By that time, calves have received two rounds of shots.
Sophia is my country girl and loves the cattle. She often goes with me to feed and check on them. We maintain a bottle-feeding area close to home to care for occasional sets of twins.”
Future: “Like many of us town and country farmers, I’m hoping that I someday can retire and farm full time instead of using it for stress relief as I do now.”
