Steve Robinson’s passion and dream was always to one day be living back at his family homestead. The family homestead has been in his family since 1864 when his great-great Uncle Harve Bruce homesteaded the land. After years of college and 20 years of teaching elementary education Steve took a huge leap of faith and headed back to the mountains of Jerusalem, Ark. For the past 4 years Steve has been a full-time farmer at his ranch-Oak Springs Mountain Ranch. The ranch located on Oak Mountain received its name from the mountain it calls home and the springs that one can find upon it. The ranch’s 411 acres is home to not only Steve and his trusty K-9 partner in crime Mandy but goats, horses, cows, dogs, chickens and lots of gardens. Steve started his ranch of diversity with the goal of one day becoming self-sufficient.
Self sufficiency is an important part of life on the ranch for Steve. He is constantly researching and starting new projects that are geared toward self sufficiency. Steve’s love for researching and being self sufficient helped drive him into achieving his passion and dream of being back on his family homestead. This passion and dream of course have come with lots of learning as the farming lifestyle and way of life is a far cry from that of life in the city. Steve did have a huge advantage of growing up on the farm and in a farming family but as with all things in life, farming is constantly changing and evolving.
Steve currently raises goats and sells the offspring for meat. The kids are normally sold at a sale in Missouri and most of them are then shipped to the east coast where the demand for goat meat is greater. Steve currently has 30 nannies on his ranch and all are due to kid at the end of July. The goats were originally added to the ranch as a means of being self sufficient in clearing out the weeds and underbrush that have grown up on the land. The goats are held on a 40 acre tract and Steve plans on one day expanding the goat herd. The herd is tended to during the day by two Pyrenees, Ranger and Sadie. The Pyrenees have been with the herd of goats since they were 5-6 weeks old and love their job.
Oak Springs Mountain Ranch is also home to a herd of 54 Angus momma cows. Steve started his Angus herd with five momma cows while he was teaching school and has since expanded his herd. The herd does have a Saler and a Charolais momma cow in it but Steve’s goal is to maintain an all Angus herd of approximately 100 momma cows. Further herd expansion is in the near future, as Steve looks to purchase another bull for his heifers.
As someone who took a leap of faith to follow his passion and achieve his dream, Steve’s one piece of advice is to “Love what you do, don’t look at it as work, and love the land and the animals.”
