Hometown: Huntsville, Ark.
Family: Husband, Trey Villines
In Town: “I began styling hair when I was 17 and have been an independent contractor for the last four years at Fresh Hair Salon in Fayetteville, Ark. My husband Trey and have been married for four years, and Trey is the head salesman for Reliable Poultry in Springdale.”
In the Country: “My early years were on a fruit farm in California but we left when I was 7 to live in Cave Springs, Ark. Trey has had cattle since he was very young. We searched for our Huntsville farm for a long time because location was key. Our 57 acres is located 30 minutes from where I work, 20 miles from Trey’s parents my parents and 30 minutes from Kingston where we take care of 600 acres belonging to his grandma Mona Villines. In exchange for caring for the land and Trey’s father’s cattle. We keep most of our 100-head herd there, but also have one bull plus 10 mommas and their babies on our home acreage. Our mixed commercial beef herd is predominantly Red and black Angus because the market likes them and they do well in our climate. At the moment, bulls stay with the herds all the time. We work cattle at least twice a year, and I run the head gate as we vaccinate, band and treated for flies. Our biggest health concerns are flies and pinkeye, which we treat with an eye spray. We supplement grass with protein lick tubs that also contain mineral and other important components. The winter tubs have 20 percent protein plus urea, while the summer tubs have 15 to 18 percent protein and are of less interest to the cattle who prefer the fresh grass. They also receive loose mineral, which changes with the season, as well as cubes every three or four days to keep them accustomed to our presence and docile. Calves are weaned at 400 pounds and gathered twice a year with weight variation due to the exact birth date of each calf. They are sold at the Green Forest Sale Barn.
“When we purchased the farm, the pastures were almost entirely sage grass. We have the soil tested annually and have determined the amount of fertilizer and what kind needs to be used each year. So far, we have only needed chicken litter, which has all but eliminated the sage grass. Our pastures are mostly fescue, with some Bermuda and red clover. We reseed by carefully rolling out hay during the winter which saves time because we are both so busy.”
