Danny Thomas manages his herd, as well as many other ventures and activities
While Jodi Thomas is busy teaching history in Huntsville, Ark., and raising three young daughters, her husband Danny uses just the one cowboy hat because if he had a hat for each of his various ventures, he’d spend his whole day changing hats.
In addition to running his own 51-head commercial cattle herd, he manages two other farms, is a field man for Cattlemen’s Livestock Auction in Harrison, Ark., is both a private and benefits auctioneer, serves as the local school board president, and is a realtor for United Country, where he specializes in land and farms though he sells homes as well.
“My parents, J. C. and Cheri, were active people. They returned to Arkansas from California six weeks after I was born and bought a farm where they raised poultry and cattle, in addition to having their own dairy,” Danny said. “I was always working around the very busy farm and slept when my dad would let me. I had my first off-the-farm job at 16 at a sale barn. To be honest, the way I was raised fostered a joy in completing a full and hard day of work.”
Danny also absorbed his family’s long history with the land in the Huntsville area. He is preparing to build a new home on 300 acres next to his grandfather’s land. This ground out of the 850 acres he owns and leases will also house two new laying houses. Danny’s long-term goal is to farm full-time like his father, including clearing 110 heavily wooded acres on the same piece of land for future cattle production because he wants to increase his cattle operation to 100 cows.
“I can’t fully describe why, but this particular 300 acres feels like home in a way no other place has,” Danny explained. “I feel a deep connection with my ancestors who arrived in this area from Kentucky around 1800.”
Efficiency in Danny’s cattle operation is a high priority. His herd is 75 percent black, with the rest a commercial mix. He uses spring and fall calving seasons with three Hereford bulls he rotates out every three years.
One unusual practice is how he uses 120 acres of lease land. He lets the grass on those acres grow all summer. Then, when calving is done in October, he hauls the herd back to the leased ground, where they remain all winter.
Though he uses protein tubs, mineral and range cubes every third day to keep them “in his pocket,” the leased pasture lasts through most of the winter. This year, for example, Danny did not need to feed any hay until the middle of February. Around March 1, he moves the cattle back to the home place for spring calving.
When not in service, bulls are retained in a separate pasture and supplemented every other day with a 12-percent protein sweet feed.
Calves are weaned at 550 pounds, with Danny working the herd using a seven-way vaccine. He knife cuts the bull calves because he feels they heal quickly with less stress. He typically sells his calves the last week in May and the first sale after Thanksgiving, which seems to work well for him.
His biggest health concern is pinkeye, which seems to have increased, at least in his area, for the last couple of years. He speculates the problem may arise from a different strain and perhaps combined with the mildness of the last two or three winters, which promotes a longer fly season. His solution to control the issue is to rotate the pour on wormers Cydectin and Sylence, in addition to using back rubs.
In his “spare time,” Danny builds and repairs fences as well as doing all the work for the two farms he manages with the exception of some help with haying and fence building on those places. The owners work with Danny, but pretty much give him a free hand on the best way to run their farms.
Because Danny’s father always used to say, “You can never starve a profit into anything,” he makes sure the cattle receive the same style of care and attention as his own cattle.
Jodi was raised in Springdale. She was also around livestock because her mother, Marita Blair, was in the sale barn industry. In her senior year in high school, Jodi was the National High Point Winner in poultry judging.
Like many girls, Danny and Jodi’s daughters love to ride horses. Danny bought Trip, a 4-year-old Quarter horse gelding, who is like a babysitter because the girls love him so much.
The couple is planning to start the girls showing animals at the county fair where Danny has auctioned the junior livestock Auction for the last 12 years.
