Hometown: Viola, Ark.
Family: Husband Teddy, daughter Kaitlyn Blevins (24) and son Gavin Blevins (18)
In Town: LeeAnn Blevins has been a family and consumer science agent with the Baxter County, Ark., University of Arkansas Research and Extension Service for the last 2 1/2 years. She assist workers, families and consumers with research-based knowledge on topics that affect their lives, like family, health, food and finances, as well as early childhood education classes and SNAP training. LeeAnn, who is also working on her master’s a Arkansas State University, said.
In the Country: LeeAnn didn’t grow up on a farm, but her grandparents were farmers.
“My mother was a nurse, so I spent a lot of weekends with my grandparents,” she said.
LeeAnn said she had “done some farm stuff” at her grandparents’ farm, but it wasn’t until she and Teddy got married that she took an active role in agriculture.
When she and Teddy were married 27 years ago, they raised bottle calves and then sold them to build their herd. They currently have about 50 commercial cow/calf pairs on 212 acres.
Teddy works out of town as a construction superintendent for SCS Field Services, so LeeAnn and her children, Kaitlyn and Gavin, maintain the daily operations of the family farm.
The herd bull runs with the cows year-round, and calves are weaned in the spring and fall and sold after being fed for two to three months.
Each year, LeeAnn maintains a small garden for family use, but she has also incorporated those skills and knowledge into her work with Extension.
“With my job, I have been able to learn more and do more food preservation. I also enjoy teaching others the benefits of food preservation,” she said.
LeeAnn has recently undertaken a new poultry project with the addition of Light Brahma and Skilies to their barnyard layers and quail.
“I like the purebred chickens,” she said. “The chickens are just for egg production, but I hatched these Light Brahma, so I haven’t gotten any eggs from them yet. They are in a pen all of their own. They are a big, giant chicken so I am anxious to see how they do.”
Another new project is the addition of about Katahdin/Dorper crossbred sheep for multi-species grazing.
“Combining multiple species on pasture can be successful, profitable, and fun,” she said.
