Arkansas Neighbors

Back in 2002 Silvia Shirley joined 4-H and decided to raise a goat. The next year she acquired one more, then four more, then nine. Now Silvia and her mom, Nancy, by birthing and buying, have a herd of about 45 LaMancha milk goats.

Oldest daughter Sydnie seems well beyond her 14 years, especially when it comes to handling horses.

When Dale Johnston went off to college, he had no plans of returning to his multi-generational ranch. Dale was a business major in college, and didn't have anything to do with the agriculture field. “When I left home for college, my intention was not to come back. Got out in the real world, and found out ranching wasn't so bad after all.”

Bill Lundberg was raised in Valley Mills, Texas on a dairy farm, which served three small towns. His family’s milk route included the restaurants in these towns and individual homes. When Bill graduated high school, he went to electronics school, but he did not care for it. However, he loved farming and cattle, so he started working at custom fitting other people’s cattle for them. “It’s where you train, and halter break them, then show the cattle for the farmer that doesn’t know how, that’s how I got started showing,” said Bill.

"Way out. Bring ‘em here. Come around.”

Travis Ballard lives a little north of Charleston, Ark., just across from his son, T.K. Ballard. Father and son raise broiler chickens and Red Angus cattle, and share heavy equipment, fences and ideas about farming.

It doesn’t take Terry Davis long to answer the question, “What is unique about your farm?” He immediately answers, “We do 100 percent artificial breeding. We don’t even use a bull. Mainly what we sell are virgin bulls, breeding and show heifers.”

Jim Bray tries to get back to the old days with his herd of Charolais cattle just south of Greenwood, Ark.

The Sugg family has a long history in Carroll County, arriving in the 1800s. The Hereford breed arrived when Jeff Sugg’s grandfather first introduced them onto their farm near Berryville, Ark., in the 1950s. Since then, Herefords have been their cattle of choice. The family has seen the breed improve over the years and by using good breeding and genetics, they continue to improve their herd.

Arizona to Wyoming to Arkansas – perhaps that would seem like an odd path to travel to find happiness, but the Colgan family has. Joy Colgan claimed, “Arizona was too hot, Wyoming was too cold, so we came to Arkansas.” Joy, her husband, Justin and their two children 17-year-old Bela and 16-year-old Waylan, love working as a family on a small farm just outside of Bergman, Ark.