Neighbors

Bob and Geneice McCall run cattle on 800 acres in Eureka Springs, Ark., with 90 Brangus and Angus cows and 4 Angus bulls. Part of the land was homesteaded by Bob's grandparents in 1908. He then purchased additional land and worked in town as a Forest Ranger for Arkansas Forestry for 36 years. Geneice has held a number of positions including being an administrative assistant for a judge, the county tax collector and working in medical administration.

The name Hammond is synonymous with several different things, especially in Licking, Mo. In the 60s it meant Hammond Post & Lumber – on Highway 63 north of Licking. For over 30 years, the late Bill Hammond sold thousands upon thousands of all sizes of penta-treated posts and lumber all over the Midwest.

"If you don't grow it, you don’t know what goes on your table.” Growing it yourself is exactly what Len Pense, of Pensaroda Farm, teaches the horticulture knowledge seekers who brave the steep, rocky, bumpy road to his hilltop garden haven.

Gary Boggs of rural Dallas County is a man of many interests and talents. He and his wife, Cecile, live on 1,100 acres, several miles outside of Urbana, close to both the Hickory and Camden county lines. “The land is about half-open, half-timber,” Gary explained recently, “and right now I have about 60 head of commercial momma cows. I’m down right now because I just sold a bunch of steers. I’ve had up to 250 head and was planning on gearing down, maybe getting out as I got older but as prices rose, I thought I might stay in a little longer. My brother, Ron is helping me now and if he wants to continue, I’ll stay with it.”

The story of Duane Coatney is the story of cattle, land and family. Before moving to Eureka Springs, Ark., Duane worked in Bentonville, Ark., for Carroll Electric. Bella Vista was beginning, and Duane didn't want to be part of the "rat race," so he accepted a job with Bell Telephone in the small town of Eureka Springs, Ark. Ironically, three months later the Holiday Island project began changing the area forever into a tourist and cultural center.

Today's economy makes it very difficult for a young couple to start farming from scratch, but that is exactly what Dustin and Kaylee Youngman of Westville, Okla., are doing. Kaylee said, "We really appreciate the Farm Service Agency out of Tahlequah, Okla., without them farming would be impossible for us."

Pin Oak Club Lambs Farm is a 115-acre farm in Faulkner County, near Greenbrier, Ark., and a work in progress. Mike and Karon Reynolds met a few years ago and both had teen daughters, and a love for raising lambs. They started dating four years ago and married three years ago. It was both their daughters’ involvement in showing lambs that attracted them to raising and selling show lambs. They started their farm three years ago and it has grown by leaps and bounds.

Among the hills, creeks and timbers of the beautiful Ozarks in Barry County, Cherry Warren has successfully grown and maintained a farm operation which he has managed with a vision of deep diversity. Cherry, who has always had a love for farming, got his start with the ownership of 137 acres in Exeter, Mo., in 1965. “There was a little house on the property with two small bedrooms. That's where we lived for the first few years. Those were some of the best years of my life," said Cherry, speaking of wife, Ann, and their two young daughters who are now grown with families of their own. Since that time, Cherry has kept beef cattle as a source of income and to help pay for his property as his operation has developed and grown over the years. “When I wanted to buy a piece of property, I made sure I had cattle to put on it. With cattle there is always a payday.”

When you hear the words ‘Texas Longhorn,’ an image of hundreds of cattle being driven across the plains by cowboys probably comes to mind. John Wyatt’s herd of Longhorn cross cattle in Protem, Mo., roam the Ozark hills instead of the open plains, but many of the cattle characteristics are still the same.

Entrepreneur Shawn Briggs, of Aurora, Mo., prefers to dabble in multiple types of business. He credits his work ethic to the example his parents set forth. The same example Shawn and his wife, Terri, hope to give to their three sons, Gavin, 14, Spencer, 12 and Larson, 8. “Farming is a great way to install work ethic and it is a really good experience for our boys,” said Shawn.