Tom Nelson was typical of so many young men raised in the Ozarks – always around cattle and wanting to stay on the farm, but yet knowing that a job off the farm would be necessary in order to get by.
Raised on a small farm in the Everton, Ark., area, he knew the benefit of being a child exposed to farm life. Tom now has children of his own and a place which adjoins the family farm where he was raised. Working at FedEx ground, but with three children, Zach, Ashley and Kiley, he felt the need to have animals so that his children would be able to learn responsibility and the pride of ownership.
“My Dad always ran cattle. When he passed away and the kids started getting a little bit bigger, I wanted the kids involved. But I was tired of messing with cattle. I don’t have enough land, so we decided that we would do Boer goats. We got introduced to four goats and after we were around them a little bit, we decided that was the way we wanted to go, so we starting picking up a few," Tom said.
Tom’s wife Beth agreed, saying, “We started raising goats as a family activity and we didn’t have the best quality. It takes a while. It just developed from there, and got better and better.”
The children loved the goats from the start, and have developed into champion showmen. Ashley, with her champion billie named Boomer, has won numerous awards, including nine overall and a grand champions. He has shown against $20,000 bucks and won.
Tom said, “He has a good pedigree and he’s really worked out good for us. Last year he had three weathers that made the Boone County premium sale.”
When the Nelsons do outside breeding with Boomer, they’re cautious and are particular about animals they breed with him.
Beth said, “We want them registered, but the main thing is that they are disease free.”
All three children are actively involved in the daily care of the goats. Kiley and Zach also have their own goats and responsibilities. Ashley is in her senior year at Valley Springs High School and has been chosen to be a junior ambassador at the state fair. She is vice president of FFA and has expressed a desire to become a veterinarian.
The Nelsons’ goal is not to make lots of money off their goats. They would like to break even and be able to assist their children and other children in the area to have quality goats to show. The Nelsons are heavily involved in the Northwest Arkansas Meat Goat Association and Everton/Valley 4-H.
Tom said, “I would recommend that anyone who wants to be involved in agriculture and doesn’t have a whole lot of land, this is a good program. It’s something that kids can do and can handle on their own without parents having to worry about them getting harmed or stepped on.”
With the average busy American family getting in little "together time", the Nelsons have been drawn together by a common interest.
Tom concluded, “There’s a lot of work involved, but we really do enjoy it. We’ve met a lot of neat people at the events we’re in, and some have become really good friends. And it’s a real enjoyment to get to watch the kids show.”
