Shelly Hamner
In Town: Shelly runs the Heavener Animal Clinic in Heavener, Okla. She started the clinic in 1999 after graduating from Oklahoma State with her doctorate in animal medicine. The Animal Clinic serves people with all kinds of animals, from dogs and cats on up to livestock. There is an 11-acre lot behind the clinic where people can bury dead animals, that also serves as a pasture for holding cattle. “We let our clients bury their animals back there so they don’t have to think about them being incinerated,” said Shelly. On the side of the clinic is a barn and a set of pens leading to a hydraulic head gate for treating livestock.
In the Country: Shelly and her husband, Randy, are buying Shelly’s father’s farm that he started 33 years ago in Cameron. With over 100 acres of land, the farm’s main product is currently chickens. “We run 90,000 broilers for seven to eight weeks at a time,” said Shelly. “We also have 50 momma cows, and we sell registered Limousin bulls.” A new addition to the family farm is the herd of show lambs that her 11-year-old daughter, Danielle, is beginning to accumulate. The Hamners also have a son named Collin, age 14, and Randy’s daughter Ashley, age 20.
How do you manage the farm and the business?
A veterinary practice combined with a family farm takes up most of Shelly’s time. “My kids have learned to realize that Mom will keep her promises, but maybe not on the day we originally planned,” said Shelly. “I’ve got good help at the clinic, and they allow me to get out when I need to help with something on the farm.”
How do your business and farm complement each other?
Shelly’s education and experience as a veterinarian means she knows exactly how to keep her animals healthy. She also uses the Animal Clinic’s facilities to treat her own herd of Limousin cattle. On the day of the interview, she had a few black Limousin heifers in the pasture behind the clinic. “We keep them here so they aren’t exposed to a bull until they are old enough,” said Shelly. “We work all our cattle here. We truck them 25 miles from the farm at Cameron.”
By Roy Hill
