In His Blood
Efficient Mommas Are Essential
A Cattle Family
Back to the Fundamentals
Family Fun at the Farm
For the last generation, thousands of kids and their parents have flocked every fall to the Schaefers and Collins Pumpkin Farm near Mayflower, Ark. In addition to experiencing the thrill of riding the hay wagon to the pumpkin patch, where they can pick out their own gourds to be carved into Jack-O-Lanterns, they can play games, challenge the corn maze, and buy farm-fresh treats. And the families that put on the annual festival always make sure there’s something new for their annual visitors.
Focusing on the Farm
Hallmark of Sustainability
Paul and Colleen Thornton together with their partners Carl and Sue Riccelli farm the acreage whose produce and product line are quickly becoming the hallmark of sustainable family farming, providing multiple products available from their website, at the Cherry Street Farmers Market in Tulsa, Okla., as well as the Farmers Market in Tahlequah, Okla., and via the Oklahoma Food Coop.
Goat Fulfilled
The low inputs and the growing market for goat meat initially attracted Laurie Foucault and Clint Place of Ozone, Ark. to raise Boer goats. After researching the hardiness and market, Laurie decided that American Fullblood Boer and Boer crosses would be the best fit. “If you mix does as a dairy cross, your milk production is better which grows off your kids better,” Laurie explained. “Feed conversion was also a main reason,” she added later, “You can feed 10 head of goats to 1 head of cattle.”