Angela Cook
In town: Angela Cook, from Dover, Ark., combines her job in health care and raising two children along with farming. “I work for a company out of Nashville, Tenn., called Aim Health Care. I am a regional field director. I oversee a team of people who have offices in hospitals throughout 42 states. Our job is to make sure the hospitals and the insurance companies, don’t overcharge, make mistakes and are paying correctly. I call the hospital or insurance company and we discuss the problem and find a solution. Our ultimate goal is to drive health care costs down,” replied Angela smiling.
How did you get started farming?
“My grandparents were farmers and we would stay with them when we were kids. When my grandmother died she left me some funds. I had always wanted cattle, so I used my money to buy a herd of registered Santa Gertrudis. My cousin Shane Casper, has a farm in Atkins, Ark., where he raises chickens and he let me put them on his farm. He also knows about cattle and has been teaching me. I go out every day to count them and check them over. I have the vet come out and give them their shots or anything else they might need. My friend Ray taught my daughter how to show cattle and she absolutely loves it. So when you get the three of us together, it runs like a co-op, everything gets taken care of.”
How do the two of them complement each other?
“Well in my off-the-farm job there is a lot of stress and it is fast paced so I go out to the farm for what we call cow therapy,” she said laughingly. “It has also helped me some with management skills for example knowing where to place people to get the best performance is kind of like moving cattle around to get the best results,” Angela replied.
Story and Photo by Donna Parker
