Arkansas Neighbors

"Charolais have always been the biggest weight gainers,” stated Jim Starkey owner of Starkey’s Southfork Ranch, in Harrison, Ark. “So why not raise cattle that perform the best and have the best production records?”

Monte and Ashley Shockley and Monte’s parents, Monte Sr. and Rita Shockley, run a registered Hereford Ranch and Shockley's Auto Sales, both in Poteau, Okla. Monte smiled and said,” We do well together. We both know our parts. We think alike, and on those rare occasions when we disagree, he wins.”

Kenny and Lora Crawford know beef cattle, especially the registered Angus and registered Salers they raise.

Ed Yancey had no idea when he attended graduate school at Kansas State University that he would be gaining more than just an education. Ed met his now wife, Janeal, and later they began Yancey Simmental Ranch in Huntsville, Ark. They have owned 22 acres in Madison County for seven years and keep about six to eight head there. Ed’s parents have 700 plus acres in Searcy County and they keep the rest of their herd on that ranch. All together they own about 35 head of Simmental, Red Angus, and Simmental/Angus cross cattle including six bulls.

Many farmers and ranchers depend upon sale barns to purchase and sell their livestock. At the center of that process is the auctioneer whose task is to present and sell each animal for the best price possible. The process is rapid and requires intense concentration from both the buyer and the auctioneer.

A rather common sight on the outskirts of Miami, Okla., is a herd of goats charging out of a pasture into the front and side yards of Richard and Cherrie Fry's. No dog is outside to round up the goats and bring them back to the pasture. All that can be seen is a couple standing near the charging goats with long, flexible fiberglass poles in their hands. The goats soon stop and start munching on grass in the side yard. The couple then walks among them, petting them, talking to them and gently herding them to different parts of the yard. The goats never stray near the busy road in front.

It’s no surprise to the Peper family that the clan’s patriarch and matriarch, E.W. and Shirley, were named Mayes County Farm Family of the Year. "I know that my dad sure worked hard his whole life,” said Angela Root, the couple’s daughter.

"Dunlap’s Spring Breeze” sounds like the name of a sweet-smelling air freshener or maybe the newest brand of antibacterial hand soap. But in reality it’s the registered name of Paul and Teresa Schot’s milk cow. No wonder they call her “Daisy.”

Clint Brown lives on and owns 80 acres in West Fork, Ark., but works as a hired hand for the Willow Springs Ranch owned by Larry Walker in Prairie Grove, Ark. Clint was raised both in Devils Den and the Strickler part of West Fork. JR, Clint's father, believed that a man had to have many skills in order to support himself. Clint took his father's advice and became skilled in many areas.

There’s more than one way to make a profit in the beef industry, and the Church family of Viola, Ark., has found a way to do it. Since the 1980s, Jay and his wife, Georgie, have raised Corriente cattle as sport cattle for rodeo events such as team roping and bulldogging. After a year in the arena, the cattle would be returned to them and the Churches would take them to the sale barn. It didn’t take long to discover that lean cattle with long horns aren’t top sellers there.