When Bart and Pam Petray met 15 years ago at a two-stepping class, neither had any farming background. Bart was a full-time surveyor and Pam a speech therapist. The couple has two grown children, Megan who lives in Texas with the couple’s two grandchildren and Blake who is joining the Air Force and beginning basic training this summer.
When the new couple rented a house, they decided to put a 20-acre pasture behind it to use and bought a Black Baldy cow and calf, the beginning of their commercial herd. Friends and neighbors stepped in to help the beginning farmers learn everything they needed to know. Then 12 years ago they bought 8 acres in Winslow, Ark., because they were looking for a house on a small acreage they could afford and enjoyed the beauty and peace of the place. Bart commented, “Even after 12 years, we’re still the new people on the mountain.”
One couple that was very instrumental in helping the new farmers was Destry and Shannon Burnett. The two couples lease 330 acres some of which supports the Petray’s 32 momma cow and two bull herd. Two years ago Bart “put pencil to paper” and realized he would make more money by having grass-fed cattle butchered rather than selling beef on the hoof to individuals. In addition, the farmers market clientele was comprised of people who wanted a healthier option, were willing to pay for it and were often raised on a farm and wanted to stay in touch with and to support the local farming community.
In 2011, Pam’s job was eliminated so she decided to devote her time to farming while still keeping a few private clients. Then in December 2013, Bart decided it was time to shift to full-time farming and make a go of a lifestyle he and Pam love. The result is a herd in transition. Bart and Pam’s commercial herd had been mostly Black Angus but is now transitioning to a Charolais momma cow herd with a Hereford bull. Bart likes the Charolais breed for mommas because the white animals seem less prone to flies and tolerate heat better than black cattle. These traits are important because raising grass-fed, antibiotic-free cattle for butchering is an 18-month process as opposed to an operation that sells weaned calves. The Hereford bull introduces a little more fat and a shorter calf which will mature earlier.
Bart said, “Raising grass-fed, antibiotic-free cattle is far more time consuming because they require constant attention in order to successfully prevent health problems.” The cattle are fed mineral, salts and alfalfa pellets, which not only support nutrition but also serve as a critical element in rounding up the cattle when working them. Bart has a Blue Heeler named Buddy, a big help when an animal in the pen gets riled up. The only chemical help for the herd is the administration of a Blackleg vaccination to calves.
Bart maintains that his biggest challenge is funding because banks don’t like lending money to nontraditional, grass-fed cattle operations. That means the process of expanding the business is slowed because reinvestment is the only source of funding for expansion. Bart said, “I could and would like to handle another 30 mommas because the market is there, but I don’t have the means to meet that demand.” In 10 years, Pam and Bart would like to be hiring other farmers to also raise animals the way they do now as part of a nationwide distribution business.
This highly skilled, professional couple appreciates their farming life. Aside from the deadlines Mother Nature sets, they set their own. Pam said, “It’s important to enjoy simplicity and nature and get back to your roots. You have the time to understand the foundation and genesis of life. Front porch sitting with lemonade is greatly underrated these days.”
