Arkansas Neighbors

First generation bison farmer, Rowdy Mott, sees potential in the expanding market of natural, lean meat that is high in protein and low in fat.

Howe, Okla., has a country road with the quaint name of Bean Patch Loop. The road provides a 20-acre homestead for Dewey and Teresa Shepherd and their Pineywood cattle. The couple also owns 9 acres in Wister, Okla., which serves as one of three pastures used on a rotational basis.

Donald and Dale Meek’s grandparents were the Lassiters and the Meek’s. They were ranchers and farmers in 1840. The grandfather on the Lassiter side was in the Civil War, when it was over he ran a cotton gin. Then in 1867 he became sheriff. However, they always had horses and cattle to make a living.

Rob Bramlett has a heart for farming and his life encompasses his family, his buddies and the wisdom of long time farmers.

On a beautiful fall day, a long row of antique tractors gleamed in the sun. They belonged to Wally Geilfuss in Prairie Grove, Ark., who moved from Wisconsin to Arkansas in 1996. Wally said, "I've been around tractors my whole life, and on a farm you're always working on the tractors." Wally's story is how rural land acquisition for modernization eventually landed him in Arkansas.

Farming is often a matter of generations as it is for Kenneth and Dorothy Rose who are 83 and 75. The couple has three children, seven grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. The Roses currently have two homesteads, one in Muse, Okla., and one in Talihina, Okla. They run a commercial herd of 75 momma cows and five bulls on just under 300 acres.

The Collins Farms, located in Van Buren County, just outside Scotland, Ark., is home to Richard Collins and his 19-year-old son Shane. His dad Richard Sr. still lives in the house Richard grew up in, just about a mile from Scotland in the opposite direction. Richard’s family is most important to him. Every Sunday after church is family time where they meet at the Collins' home and have a meal together. Richard said, “You can find me sitting right here (meaning on the sofa) holding my first grandbaby, who is nine weeks old.” The mother is his 27-year-old daughter, Shannon Baker, who is a teacher.

Recreational accidents can have tragic results. If the injured person is a farmer, the results can be especially devastating. However, advances in programming and technology have become available to help wheelchair bound farmers remain productive.

The Wilson Ranch is located near Heber Springs, Ark., in Cleburne County, on 317 beautiful acres.

Carol Smith of Claremore, Okla., is not your average Angus seedstock producer. Her husband, Ed, owns a construction business they started in 1988. He currently operates his business in Tulsa, Okla. They both grew up on the farms in Nebraska and Kansas. They have been associated with agriculture their entire lives. They have two children; son, Chad Smith, associated with Ed in his construction business and daughter, Brandi Smith Hezinger, who has her own design business. They also have five grandchildren that they are very proud of; Kate, Ella, Treyson, Sophie and Yazzie.