Small Town Kids, Big Plans
WELCH, OKLAHOMA – In Welch, Oklahoma, where small-town values and cattle country are the cornerstone, you can find a couple who are building a life that they have always dreamed of, centered around just those values.
Justin and Brittany Parker wed in 2017, and since then have been working together to nourish and grow their small cattle operation, while Brittany has been building her photography business B/C Parker Co.
Although she has been involved with livestock and agriculture for as long as she can remember, Brittany still claims herself as a first-generation farmer.
“Justin for sure is a first-generation farmer. My grandpa had a farm, my dad had a hobby farm, but when I lived with my mom we lived on two acres. I had my show pigs in the backyard,” Brittany said. “I grew up on the farm every other weekend, so I claim I’m a first generation just because I wasn’t in the day-to-day.”
Still, agriculture is something that both Brittany and Justin have always been passionate about. They truly love the lifestyle and everything that it has to offer.
During 2020 the Parkers started their cow herd by purchasing a group of roping heifers that they had found for sale. This laid the foundation for what was and still is to come for the young couple.
“Justin worked on a ranch. He started when he was 19 and did that for 10 years. When he quit cowboying for other people was when we were able to buy our cows and actually get going,” Brittany said.
They have since grown their herd every year, turning it into a small cow-calf operation they run together as a team.
Along with the cow-calf operation, the Parkers enjoy keeping back a select number of steers every year to feed out and process.
“We usually keep a steer, and then we also have been feeding out pigs for several years, so we’ll sell those as well,” Brittany said.
Since it is a small operation, the Parkers’ marketing technique at the moment is word of mouth between family and friends.
“I like being able to feed people. I would love to some day be able to do that on a bigger scale, but we don’t have the space right now,” Brittany explained. “If we didn’t do the pairs, then we could, but we both like watching the babies grow. Some day I would love to have more of a farm to table at a bigger scale than what we have right now.”
The farm isn’t Brittany’s only passion. In fact, her first love was photography.
“I always liked pictures and taking pictures. When I was young, I would steal my parents’ film,” Brittany said.
It wasn’t until she was in high school that the film turned into something more.
“When I was 16, my mom gave me my first DSLR, and the rest is history,” Brittany said.
While in high school she was a mentee of local photographer Kim Durham.
“I didn’t really shoot a lot with her; I just carried her bag, and she showed me and how she organized her files on her computer. I did that for years until I graduated high school,” Brittany said.
Little did she know that would set the tone for the rest of her career. While pursuing her associate’s degree at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Brittany’s photography work helped pay the bills. When she decided to pursue her bachelor’s degree at the University of Arkansas, she was also growing her photography business and had accumulated enough clients to pursue it full-time as well.
“When it came time to graduate from undergrad, I had never had an internship – I had never worked anywhere else for long term – so I just went full time,” Brittany said.
She returned to be an instructor at NEO, and that also allowed her to continue to nurture her business. In a few short years, she had enough clients to leave NEO and focus on her business.
2023 was the year her business started to flourish. She was a member of the COWGIRL Magazine’s 30 under 30 class of 2023. This was also the year she began her work for the Western Horseman Magazine, and one of her photos has been on the cover.
“I’ve been doing some freelance work with Western Horseman the last couple of years. I’ll have two articles in May and one in June. I had the cover in June of last year (2024). I started working with them in 2023 and have had two or three stories each year since then, and it’s been a lot of fun,” Brittany said.
This isn’t the only thing she has been working on lately. Last year she launched her senior ambassador program. A select number of high school seniors in the area have the opportunity to work with Brittany, modeling for a set number of shoots throughout the year while gaining new friendships along the way.
Since starting her business 15 years ago, she has shot 178 weddings and has traveled to 15 different states as well as Mexico. What was once a little girl’s pastime, has morphed into a flourishing business that brings happiness to many. Both Brittany and her husband Justin continue to build the life they have always dreamed of on their little slice of Heaven in Welch, Oklahoma.
