Dustin and Denise Smith
In Town: “I work for the Rogers Fire Department as a firefighter/paramedic. I’ve been there for five years and enjoy the unpredictability of everyday. My training took place at the facility here with testing being done at the burn building in Lincoln, Ark. After working at JB Hunt for two years and working for an international company, my wife, Denise, now works from home for Catapult International as an auditor managing contracts for international shipping companies.”
In the Country: “We live near Gentry, Ark., a newly renovated house on 5 acres but rent 170 acres for a commercial cattle herd of 30 Brangus and Brahma cows and a stocker operation. We have about 120 stocker calves at a time and group them by sex, size and breed. Backgrounding is an exciting challenge and we pride ourselves on selling strong, healthy animals that have been properly vaccinated and lined out. Some animals we sell right away, while others we feed out before selling. We have recently started contracting and will custom buy for other people and are currently working with a particular buyer in Western, Okla. As a sideline, we have four horses and have competed in roping events.”
Making it Work: “With my schedule of working one 24-hour day and then having 48 hours off and with Denise working 8 hours a day from home, we have time to take good care of our cattle. Our goal is to someday own 200 acres and expand the cattle business to a full-time operation although I may continue to work because retirement and health benefits are important. We would also like to start a family.”
Story and Photo by Terry Ropp
