Neighbors

Lincoln Hough got a jump start on a lot of cattlemen his age when he bought his first three heifer calves in 7th grade. They were Herefords, and he named them after three girls he was in school with. “I started AI-ing them right off the bat,” he explained. Sara, one of them, is still today one of the most productive cows he has. “She’ll have a calf every 10 months, like clockwork,” Lincoln touted, with a smile.

"We had always come to this area for Bennett Spring State Park. I used to be an avid fisherman, but it was more a get-away weekend place,” Bob Hall said, explaining their move from Edwardsville, Ill. Now married 30 years, Bob and Nancy Hall came to live in Laclede County after the tragic loss of their young son, Andrew, to kidney disease.

The phrase, “There’s no time like the present,” applies indisputably to Curtis Throne and his ambitious vision for the future. With hopes of running a herd of Red Angus cattle someday, this 13-year-old looked for an out-of-the-box solution to get a head start on his future plans.

Robert and Lynn Reynolds know about love of family and sacrifice. They also know about horses and what it takes to make them healthy and sometimes, to bring them back from the brink of death. Clear Creek Equine Rescue is the name of the not-for-profit organization they operate on approximately 140 acres of rolling hills and pasture land in Huntsville, Ark., called Clear Creek Farm. They are currently working on getting 501(c) 3 status for the rescue and Lynn stressed, “We couldn’t do it without our board members.” The non-profit status may enable them to become eligible for certain federal grants and relieve some of the financial pressure for the Reynolds family personally.

Tony and Trica Yates both work demanding jobs, but still manage to run a quality, purebred Hereford cow-calf operation just northwest of Sallisaw, Okla.

Julie Leonard of Greenwood, Ark., has dedicated her life to making a positive impact on the farming community in Arkansas.

Anyone who has ever tried to keep up with kids in baseball and softball leagues, scouts and church activities knows the meaning of the word challenge. Now double that and throw in 840 acres of grassland, 100 head of Limousin and Limousin-cross momma cows, a few Brangus bulls and a full time 40-hour-a-week job in town, and that describes the  challenges of Greg and Jennifer Fry. Located between Stoutland and Montreal, Mo., the Frys calve their cows in March, wean them in December and feed a 15 percent ration until the grass pastures are ready. "We keep them on grass until they are 700-800 pounds,” Greg explained. Greg works his cattle on his own land and another 500 acres belonging to his brother.

Lane Shumaker has three jobs. The first is facilitating his own battery store, Battery Outfitters, located in Golden, Mo. Second, is his life on the farm raising Brangus-cross beef cattle. Then he’s also a tournament bass fisherman. That’s a full schedule, and just how Lane likes it.

For Casey Luther and family, a successful year in the dairy goat business results from efficient herd management, and always watching for problems that could compromise that efficiency.

In the early 1830s, treaties with Native Americans opened the Arkansas Territory up for settlement. One of the earliest families to settle on Osage Creek in the Arkansas Territory was the Chaney family. The area later became known as the town of Osage. The Chaney's property changed hands in the early 1900s to the Sisco family.