Hometown: Salem, Ark., and Flippin, Ark.
Family: Husband Tyler Jackson and daughter Rainey Jackson (2)
In Town: Shelby Jackson is a farm loan manager with the Farm Service Agency.
“I oversee the farm loan officers within the five counties I’m over, which are Sharp, Fulton, Izard, Cleburne and Stone, and I assist with making guaranteed and direct loans to our borrowers for real estate purchases, operating expenses, livestock purchased and things like that.”
In the Country: Shelby and her husband Tyler have a cow/calf operation and run stockers. Shelby and Tyler own about 200 acres and lease approximately 200 additional acres.
“Our cow/calf operation is a commercial herd, and the numbers fluctuate between 40 and 50 pairs. We are slowly transitioning out of the pairs because Tyler really enjoys the stocker cattle. As the cows get older, we aren’t replacing them and are investing more into the stockers.”
“We buy calves at about 300 pounds, and we keep them, depending on the market, until they are about 500 to 750 pounds. We currently have about 100 stockers and usually buy and sell throughout the year. We typically buy sets of 20 to 30 at a time.”
The calves from their cow/calf operation will sometimes go in with the stocker cattle.
Tyler is a team roper (header) in the Great Lakes PRCA Circuit, and Shelby is back in the saddle as a barrel racer, competing in local events, after having daughter Rainey.
Shelby and Tyler incorporate their rodeo backgrounds into their cattle operation.
“We usually have between 100 and 150 roping steers,” Shelby explained. “We put on ropings and rodeos ourselves, and Tyler leases steers out on a month-by-month bases, or for specific events.”
Shelby said Tyler purchases the Corriente or Corriente-cross steers once a year at a specialized sale early each year. After a year, they are sold and new steers are purchased.
Raising Rainey in a rural setting surrounded by livestock is important to Shelby, and the tot is already hooked.
“She loves to go feed the cows,” Shelby said.
