Doug and Ann Russell have a market for their live cattle and farm-raised beef
GREENWOOD, ARK. – Doug and Ann Russell operate a family farm in the community of Milltown Valley just east of Greenwood, Ark.
The couple has about 200 commercial Hereford and Angus mixed cow/calf pairs in rural Sebastian County, which are split 50-50 for spring and fall calving. They also background 300 to 400 stockers at a time.
They own and lease a total of approximately 1,200 acres and are bale their own hay, putting up 2,600 round bales last year.
“In addition to the hay and our own pasture, rather than purchase feed, we buy the individual commodities and mix our own rations daily,” Ann said. “We have a commodity barn and buy our feed materials by the semi-truck load. It’s a way to control what goes into our feed and our input cost.
“At my house, sack feed is a no-no,” she added with a laugh. “We try to stay current with the market price and take advantage of contracts to purchase multiple semi-loads of feed at a lower price. We know what our feed costs will be for the next six months, so that really helps when making decisions on marketing our calves.
Cattle are fed through fence-line bunks. Their feed truck is outfitted with a chain-driven auger, a time saver for the couple.
“This allows us to mix and feed from the same piece of equipment, cutting down on the manpower and time needed to feed all the cattle on a daily basis,” Ann explained. “Fence-line feeding cuts out the number of gate openings and closings and the need to handle sacks or buckets, which is always a good thing on the farm.”
After weaning at about 600 pounds, calves from the Russell’s cow/calf herd go into the backgrounding operation. Stocker calves are purchased through area livestock markets by an order buyer. Anna said they tend to stay with black-hided or English-crossed calves.
“Calves with ear don’t sell as well. We purchase the calves at about 500 pounds and market them when they reach 800 to 850 pounds,” Ann explained. “These cattle are kept in 5- to 15-acre pastures and are grain fed daily.”
The Russells market approximately 700 calves annually through Superior Livestock Auction, which provides a larger buyer pool. Calves are shipped to Iowa, Kansas or Nebraska. The buyer sends a truck to pick up a 50,000-pound load of cattle, which are then delivered directly to the buyer’s feedlot of choice.
In addition to their cow/calf and backgrounding operations, the Russells also market their farm-raised beef through their Milltown Valley Meats endeavor.
Through Milltown Valley Meats, the Russells have sold custom beef to neighbors for several years, but in 2020, they expanded to sell farm-to-table beef. Last year, about 75 head were processed for the beef programs. Calves are grain and grass-fed and free of hormones, dyes, additives and preservatives.
Milltown Valley Meats offers farm-to-table beef products, from ground beef to steaks, brisket to beef bacon, and the occasional bundle of assorted cuts through its website and other marketing means.
“We have our beef processed at a local USDA butcher shop,” Ann said. “In Arkansas, there is no state inspection, so there are limited facilities that can process meat for the farmer to make direct sales to the consumer. We have a great relationship with ours and have been able to keep a steady flow of inventory available to our customers.”
Agriculture has always been the Russells’ primary family industry. Doug grew up in Iowa where his family raised corn and soybeans, cattle and hogs. Ann grew up on a dairy farm just a mile and half down the road from their current farm.
Before establishing their own operation, both Doug and Ann were employed at a poultry processing plant in Siloam Springs, Ark., before returning to Ann’s hometown area. Doug has been running the farm operation exclusively since 1997. Ann retired from her position as an administrative assistant at the Federal Bureau of Investigation at the Fort Smith Resident Agency in 2020.
Doug and Ann have two sons, Kyle and A.J. Kyle, a mechanical engineer, and his wife, Graycen, an occupational therapist, live in Russellville.
A.J. lives on their farm and is a valuable asset to its operation. He is establishing his cow/calf herd and purchasing stocker calves, with a dream of working full-time on his own farm someday soon. Today, he also works as a 4-H program assistant for the Sebastian County University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Extension Service.
