Arkansas Neighbors

Some people get into farming through the back door, that is without ever having lived in the country before beginning. This is the case with Greg Pierson and Janet Tekell of West Fork, Ark.

Straddling the Arkansas/Missouri stateline grows a wealth of tomatoes, radishes, lettuce, turnips, potatoes and much more carefully planted in row after row. Each plant is meticulously groomed by Patrice Gros.

If you were a bird and landed somewhere on Archbury Farms you might think you had landed in heaven. Archbury Farms is just that for Ed and Wanda Currier, a little piece of heaven on earth. The more than 1,600-acre farm is located in the beautiful Ozark Mountains in Van Buren County, with Alread, Ark., being the closest small community.

Sometimes living in the country is more about pursuing something you love and having a country-centered environment for your child than trying to earn a living off of the land. Such is the case for Doug Grant and his 9-year-old daughter, Hannah. Doug has 10 acres in Akins, Okla., that he uses to maintain three horses. He and Hannah use the horses for trail riding and for her participation in the Sallisaw Showdeo every other Saturday for much of the year. The acreage is made up of natural grasses that Doug brush hogs and sprays as needed. Because of the type of grasses and the small acreage, he feeds his horses hay during the winter.

Chris and Jodee Thompson live on 140-acres near Warner, Okla., with their two children, Adam, 7, and Colt, 2. They have a newly constructed home Chris built and a herd of 40 Angus momma cows on that acreage.

Ricky and Andrea Longshore have been farming since they were children, and now the couple of 36 years have shared their farming experiences with one another to successfully manage their farm in Stilwell, Okla., located in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains.

Just a short distance off Highway 65, near Damascus, Ark., you will find J Hall Farms, a rolling 1,003-acre farm owned by third generation farmer, Jerry Hall and wife, Jean. He was raised on the original farm, just a short distance from where their home is today. Both grew up in Damascus, graduated from South Side High School and went on to college.

Inspired by his father and former ag teachers, Josh Baker knew he wanted a career in agriculture. The Baxter County native decided to go to college and major in ag education. Completing his Bachelor of Science degree at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia in 2003, Josh applied for a teaching position at Mountain Home High School, his alma mater. It was an exciting opportunity for Josh because he would be working with one of the ag instructors who had been his inspiration. Josh said, “I had two great ag teachers. One was Jacquie Albright – she’s still a teacher here in our junior high – and Roger Steele, my other ag teacher. He’s now retired. I actually taught with him the first two years. He got me started and then retired two years later.”

Rich history, strong family values and respect for those that came before are standards in the Walton Jefferson family.

As all farmers know, it’s been hard to stay down on the farm during these past few years of recession. Frank and Christy DePriest of Midway, Ark., have learned that diversification is the key.