Arkansas Neighbors

Spend a few minutes with Sharon Baggett, and it’s easy to see why her enthusiasm for the Missouri Fox Trotter and the Northwest Arkansas Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association is infectious.

Four generations of Rick Haegele’s family have lived near Prairie Grove, Ark., with the first generation of seven families moving by covered wagon to Arkansas from Tennessee. Rick is surrounded by family. His parents bought the turkey farm in 1976. They have been raising turkeys and cattle ever since. Rick’s parents live just a stone's throw away. “We have six turkey houses and 27,000 turkeys,” Rick said. Rick and his wife, Paula, just moved their turkeys from the brood houses to the range houses. In just a matter of weeks, they will have another 27,000 chicks to start the 14-week process of raising turkeys. “It is a rotation with 27,000 (maturing turkeys) with 27,000 babies behind them,” Rick said. “You’re never out of turkey,” Paula said.

An old Chinese proverb admonishes that a gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a person perfected without trials. Ramona Grigg Rathjen of Huntsville, Ark., is a walking, horseback riding and sometimes cane using testament to those words. Diagnosed three years ago with Multiple Sclerosis, Ramona's attitude shines through in even the simplest communication. "Every e-mail she sends has a tag line that says “MS doesn't define who I am.” Her quick wit and sense of humor are still intact, as she jokes about a shirt she'd love to have that says, “I'm not drunk, I just have MS.” Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease that effects the central nervous system. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. The progress, severity and symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another.

Woody Crest Farm was founded in 1985 when Cy and Linda Elmburg initially purchased a 130-acre farm near Grand Lake, close to Grove, Okla. Attracted to the registered Angus breed, a small herd of Angus was purchased with the intent to develop a local and regional market to support the ongoing changes in the cattle industry.

George Anderson had a varied career in the poultry industry. Coming out of college he worked as a field man for Tyson's for a couple of years, and then four years for George's. However, he soon found that being his own boss was more to his liking. “I don't play well with others, I don't think. It took me a long time to figure out if my boss did something stupid, he didn't want me to tell him,” joked George. So, for the past 15 years he's been a grower for George's at his Dogwood Farm in Lowell, Ark., and his second location in Clifty, Ark.

Husband and wife team Tom Huls and Dr. Diane Balich, DVM, don't ever stay still for long, but that's just the way they like it. The couple owns the 350-acre Sugar Springs Angus Ranch in Lincoln, Ark.  In 1983,  the pair moved to Arkansas from Yankton, S.D. They decided on Lincoln when Diane saw an advertisement for a job opening with a new vet clinic in Lincoln. “They were looking for a veterinarian with an interest in dairy, and I have my master's degree in dairy science, so I came down and he offered me the job. I wasn't really sure I wanted to leave yet, but he kept calling me and calling me and talked me into it," shared Diane.

Billy Joe and Courtney Wilkins live on a 250-acre ranch in Lutherville, Ark. They have worked this ranch, its  six chicken houses, 80 or so cows and four or five bulls, for three years. The Wilkins have two little girls, Josie, who's 3 years old, and Abby their 4-month-old baby. Courtney works second shift, twelve hours a shift at Tyson’s. Also she’s in the process of getting her master's degree. Billy Joe calls her super mom, which she denies quietly, with a smile. Billy Joe works the farm full time now.

Jason Robinson of J&H Farms thinks he was surely born around 100 years too late. He could definitely live without all of today’s modern conveniences. In his opinion, life is better seen from the back of a horse.

Travis Chism and his wife Christy are living the American dream. Well, that is if that dream carries with it the care and raising of Butterball turkeys and a herd of cattle.

"Girl, set me up on my horse, come on, and get the dogs,” Those are the words of Beth Ferguson's grandfather, even after he was diagnosed with cancer. “He rode up until just weeks before he passed away. I hope that I can enjoy things as much as he did. That was a good life.” Beth's life has revolved around horses since before she can remember. “My mom said when I was little she'd drive down the road and I'd just start screaming. She couldn't figure out what was wrong at first, but eventually she figured out it was horses. Every time I would see one, I'd just get excited and start screaming. I've always loved them, for as long as I can remember, and from what she says, even before I can remember.”