Troy and Beverly Stout live south of West Fork, Ark., on 60 acres where they raise both Beefmaster and commercial cattle. Beverly said, “I bought 1 acre years before I married Troy because I love living in the country, but when we married we purchased additional land for grazing cattle.”
Then Troy added, “We started with a few commercial cows but met Curt Howell in Lincoln in 1993 who explained the advantages of running a registered Beefmaster herd, something especially important on our rough land because Beefmasters don’t have foot problems such as foot rot, browse as well as graze and handle hot sun better. When I go out to my cows midsummer, I always find the Beefmasters in the sun grazing and growing while my mostly black commercial herd is lying down in the shade.”
Troy started with two Beefmaster cow/calf pairs, one cow with a heifer and one with a bull calf. He finds the Beefmasters to be protective mothers with excellent milk production and a gentle temperament. They are also hardy and disease-resistant. Currently the Stouts have 20 registered Beefmasters and 40 head of commercial stock in addition to two Beefmaster bulls and two Angus bulls. All his cattle breed naturally with the bulls remaining with the herds continually and producing both spring and fall calves.
Beverly said, “We don’t advertise our registered stock but sell by word-of-mouth to neighbors and repeat customers. We sell the Beefmaster bull calves just before they are ready to begin breeding.” While sale weight depends on the market, Troy prefers to sell 400 pound calves because feeding out for another 100 pounds produces a smaller profit margin. Even though the Stouts deworm all their cattle and supplement with cottonseed meal and salt, they currently do not work the commercial calves before sale, but do work the remaining stock.
The secret to Troy’s success is a good eye for cattle. He culls his herd when the calves are seven months old and keeps improving the overall quality of both herds through successful culling and lightweight purchases. Troy and Beverly are a constant presence at the I-40 Livestock Auction where Troy not only selects and purchases both registered and commercial cattle for other people but also buys 300 pound lightweights to add to his own herd which he then fattens before culling again so only good-quality heifers remain. An indication of his success is a group of 16 lightweights he purchased which have proven to be excellent mothers and are now producing their second babies.
Because Troy has many years of experience working with cattle, he has become an unofficial community vet. If neighbors need help, they call him and he puts his years of experience to good use. A good eye for cattle and the ability to apply what he has learned through a lifetime of experience benefits everyone.
In order to support their herds on 60 acres, the couple leases an additional 400 acres for Bermuda/Fescue hay. Because a neighbor has six chicken houses, Troy frequently fertilizes with chicken litter though has used commercial fertilizer as well. He sprays for weeds once a year in the spring and spot sprays as needed, especially for thistles. He believes the second cutting is the best and stores those bales undercover while the rest remain outside. Unlike many farmers, Troy puts up both round and square bales using the square bales for calves, lightweights and weaning.
As if they are not busy enough, Troy and Beverly also run the Brentwood Bluegrass Show in the Brentwood Community Center, a two room school house built in 1927.
Troy said, “Beverly and I are happy with the size of our cattle operation and with how we live our lives. Every day we spend here is a good day.”
