Kevin Villines
Family: Wife Barbara Villines; children: Dara, Danae,Trey and Toby; grandchildren: Jacob and Gabby
In Town: “I have been a Farm Bureau agent in Huntsville, Ark., for 30 years. I had many relatives in insurance, and they didn’t seem to work that hard which is what I wanted. Boy, was I surprised! My customers are mostly rural people but townspeople as well. We offer house,Workmen’s Compensation, life, health and auto insurance as well as retirement plans. One out of every four registered automobiles in Madison County is with us. I really like the insurance business because it’s always good to be able to help good people. Although we bought a home in Clifty nearly 20 years ago, our last two children at home went to school in Kingston because that is where I went to school and it gave them a smaller school atmosphere.
My wife Barbara also works in Huntsville where she owns a preschool.”
In the Country: “I am the fourth generation on the land and started by milking cows for my dad when I was a kid. I started our herd just two years ago. Currently I have 43 mommas, a mess of babies and two Angus bulls because that’s as much as I can handle while working insurance.
“My mommas are of mixed genetics, but mostly Angus. Although the old dairy cows are gone, some of the dairy genetics are still there. My health protocols are spring worming with a pour on product because worms steal weight gain and working the calves tagging,vaccinating and castrating. Then they are pretty much on autopilot. I give my herd Super Mag minerals to help with calving. I currently sell my calves at 500 to 600 pounds. I have been considering selling them when they hit the ground because of current prices. I use rotational grazing and hay 140 acres of bottomland. The grasses are Bermuda, fescue and natural cover. Because time is my biggest challenge, I put up hay on shares and have enough for my small herd.”
Future: “I’m not going to be doing insurance the rest of my life, and the cows will provide a nice supplementary Income. At that time I may raise my numbers because I will have more time. As it is, I couldn’t even have this small herd without the help of my sons.”
