Neighbors

Profitable farming may soon be an oxymoron like the phrase ‘honest politicians,’ but for Kevin and Toni Beatty of Thousand Oaks Ranch in Carl Junction, Mo., agriculture has turned into a booming business. In what some would say is a daring total conversion from bovines to ovines, the Beattys dumped their Limousin cattle for the greener pastures afforded to them by Katahdin sheep.

As the bitter cold of winter descends upon farmlands, dread creeps into the minds of some farmers. The cost of extra feed and hay, the worry of calving in frigid temperatures or the trouble of breaking ice on frozen ponds can all add stress to cattlemen this time of year. But Dave Loftin skates through winter with relative ease. He attributes his less-stressful winters to his Beefmaster cattle and his low-input farming philosophy.

A rare warm day in December is a welcome reprieve for anyone from the frigid grey clouds of winter. Yet, for a cattle rancher like Steve Parker warm weather is a blessing. Standing in the field overlooking part of his 1,200-acre farm in Aurora, Mo., there is no question how much Steve enjoys being a cattle rancher.

The Ozark highlands in Stilwell, Okla., is home to Jerry and Shirley Garrison. Both moved to Stilwell in 1965 to begin their married life in an 8-foot trailer, that grew to a 12-foot trailer and eventually into a home they built. “Some people who start a farm, want it all today. You have to have patience. We did not live the luxury life. Everything we made, we put right back into farming,” said Jerry. He started out on a dairy farm, working for his dad, and then off to college he went to study Animal Husbandry. “For anyone working with farm animals, you need both the hands-on workmanship and the education.” Jerry took his education very serious.  

Austin Wilkerson may only be 20 years old and pursuing a degree in ag education at North Arkansas College with the intent of transferring to Arkansas Tech to finish his degree, but he is definitely a knowledgeable and experienced show goat farmer. He attends class five days a week though sometimes only for an hour and a half and spends the majority of his time with goats. The young Harrison, Ark., resident owns no land as of yet but already has an enviable show goat business called A&A Show Goats in partnership with Austin Evans who is also in college but a year younger. They rent several locations for raising their herd.

Earlene Boone’s infectious energy spills out onto her farm. She’s a 6-year breast cancer survivor and in September of this year had open-heart surgery. “This is Earlene a week after surgery,” her husband Richard said, holding up his phone with a picture of Earlene tagging a calf.  

Sometimes, finding ways to market your beef is the best way to increase profits to an otherwise common beef cow/calf operation. This is what Amie’e King, daughter of Jane and Ken Prier of Eagle Rock, Mo., is working to achieve. “My dad is getting ready to retire, and I want my parents to be able to make more money from their herd by capitalizing on what they already do,” said Amie’e. “We grew up on grassfed beef, and it’s popular now with the organic craze, so why not make more money by getting certified to sell it as grassfed?”

Livestock agriculture has many niches. One of these is the smaller scale operations that provide supplementary retirement income and, as importantly, significant daily activity. Danny Frye, a two-year railroad retiree and current small-scale farmer said, “I am busy all of the time because there is always something to do. Farming keeps me constantly moving.” In response, Danny’s wife Lois, who is the Southwest City, Mo., court and city clerk quipped, “Yes, but sometimes he’s asleep when I leave for work and that’s just wrong.”

Lifetime Missourians and local cattle ranchers Danny and Teresa McCurry were used to the state’s predictably erratic weather. Like the old saying goes, “If you don’t like the weather, stick around it’ll change in 20 minutes.” They still cringe, however, when recalling the devastation brought on by the not-so-distant drought of 2012.

Gary and Jewell Proctor of Lincoln, Ark., were both raised on farms and met while they worked at the Baldwin Piano factory in Fayetteville, Ark.