Arkansas Neighbors

The quality and success of any cattle operation depends on the animal science knowledge of the owner as much as it depends on the marketing of their beef program. The sales or services can vary through production/consignment sales or through a private treaty.

Running a commercial herd of a little over a 100 head of fullblood Limousin cattle is what keeps Richard Nelson, 88, of Chelsea, Okla., on one side of the road or the other. It also attributed to him being named the Fullblood Limousin Commercial Producer of the Year. His calf crop consists of both spring and fall breeding which are separated by a dirt road. “I keep my fall crop on one side of the road and my spring crop on the other. Depending on the season, I keep the breeding crop closer to me to keep a better eye on them,” said Richard.

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.”

Gene Longcrier’s father was ranch manager for the Colcord Ranch; a 2,000-acre cattle ranch owned by legendary lawman and oilman Charles F. Colcord. “I was born a few miles from here. I attended grade school at Minnehaha three or four miles out of Colcord. I finished high school at Kansas, Okla.,” Gene Longcrier said. “So I have been around here early on and we came back here when we retired after 30 years with Dow Chemical Company in the oil field division.” Gene and his wife, Zella, celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary in August. They have three children, five grandkids and four great grandkids.

Frog Bayou Farms bridges the gap between city and farm life. Owners Sean and Stephanie Brister farm 600 acres that span from within the city limits on Main Street in Alma, Ark., to the surrounding rural countryside in Crawford County. The Bristers and their two young sons, Ross, 8 and Wyatt, 6, are passionate about farming and welcome the public to enjoy and learn about many of the crops and livestock that are integral to Arkansas’ economy each fall.

Kent and Clesha Reading run a large cow/calf operation in Ozark, Ark. They use fall calving with Angus, Charolais and Black Simmental bulls with their commercial herd. Kent prefers Angus and Black Simmental in order to get black calves and Charolais to help produce a good crossbred mix with greater thickness, pounds and muscle. The Black Simmental also contribute greater muscle mass. Calves are sold at 600 pounds after working them in the spring for worms, lepto, castration, black leg, and respiratory issues with a six-way respiratory vaccination.

While a young man, Larry Hacker worked for a poultry company and met a farmer’s daughter named Nelda. Larry said, “At the time she was still a freckle-faced kid in the eighth grade but soon turned in to the beautiful young woman I married.”

When Garry Clements read about the 300 Days of Grazing System four years ago that was being implemented on beef cattle farms, he decided the program could work with his kids, as well as the rest of the goats browsing on his 70-acre farm. Tin Can Hill Ranch, located in Damascus, Ark., has continued to see savings and herd health benefits ever since.

The road that brought Mike and Mary Jo Green to raising and selling locally grown sustainable sheep was paved with a love of good food. While Mike was raised in New York and Mary Jo in Arkansas, the couple met at a party in California. Wanting to impress the young lady, Mike invited her to go horseback riding on their first date only to discover Mary Jo owned her own horses. The ploy worked however, because the couple married.

There is a cultural distance when it comes to agricultural producers and consumers. More than ever consumers want to know what they are eating; meanwhile, most are still disconnected without concern and/or buy without a choice. Connecting consumers to beef stock production is taking on a marketing profession all on its own. It is not as simple as welcoming consumers to the ranch or farm to see for themselves; it is taking the lifestyle to others through education. It also means showing others near and far how to manage their agricultural choice, especially with the large amounts of livestock and produce imports entering the U.S.