Arkansas Neighbors

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.

A famous writer named Thomas Wolfe once wrote a renowned novel entitled "You Can’t Go Home Again." Greg and Cheryl Satterfield, who currently live in Harrison, Ark., intend to prove him wrong. Greg and Cheryl met in a horticulture class at the University of Arkansas and then lived in Tulsa, Okla., and were later transferred to New Jersey. After three years in New Jersey, the couple decided to move back to the area, partly to get out of the more urban areas and partly to escape the high cost of living. They also had children and felt they needed to provide the children with a better lifestyle.

Unlike so many people who live here, Philip and Connie Swan have no history of family or previous ties to the Ozarks. Phil said, “I had always heard that the Ozarks was a nice place to retire. Plus we were both ‘country’ to start with and didn’t want to be in the city anymore.” With encouragement from some friends who knew about the area, Connie went online and started looking. They decided to check out the Ozarks prior to their retirement. They ended up in Branson, Mo., and started looking around with the help of a real estate agent. The Lead Hill area of Boone County, Ark., caught their eye. The first piece of property they saw was the 33 acres they bought.

Many people wish to actually retire around age 55. Not so for Lee and Linda Ragains of Sallisaw, Okla. While it’s true that Lee retired from veterinary practice in Nebraska, he and Linda buy ranches and improve them for resale while running their registered Longhorn operation. They have 200 head made up of 120 momma cows and seven bulls with the rest being calves and yearlings. Two previous spreads were a 1,400-acre ranch in Duncan, Okla., and a 1,780-acre ranch in Lynchburg, Mo.