Neighbors

"There’s no such thing as a perfect breed of beef cattle,” Frank Skym said, “but Braunvieh have so many good characteristics, they have to be close.” The quality of the beef and feed efficiency are close to the top of the list of characteristics Frank appreciates in his herd. Braunvieh cattle average a feed conversion of 6.71 pounds per pound of gain, according to the Braunvieh Association of America. Even though Braunvieh are heavily muscled, their marbling ensures a high grade of beef.

Patti Black’s enthusiasm over her LaMancha and Sable dairy goats that she raises with her 15-year-old son, Travis, is contagious. “LaManchas are the only breed of goat that is native to America,” she explained. “They are quiet, gentle, docile, very even-tempered animals, which makes them good for someone like me, who has close neighbors.” 

The Talihina, Okla., area – talk about scenic beauty. Some of the best scenery in the world can be found right in the backyard of Gerald and Jana Knapp, owners of  Knapp Ranch. The Knapps raise Charolais bulls, even though with the wet and snowy weather of late, those bulls have been more brownish-gray in color.

You can take the boy out of the farm, but you can't take the farm out of the boy. Yes, Bill Schaeffer is pastor of Bible Baptist Church in Omaha, Ark., and head of its preschool through 12th grade school. And, yes, he runs Schaeffer Cedar Sawmill. But at heart he’s first a farmer who loves the Limousin cattle he’s raised since 1998.

Ralph Moore, of Lincoln, Ark., has spent the better part of his adult life around Simmental cattle. And that's just how he wants it to be.

On a well-maintained farm near Crane, Mo., Jim and Anne Jones care for a select herd of Red and Black Angus cattle, along with some mixed breed commercial cattle. "This place was pretty rough when we bought it five years ago," Jim said. "We’ve built every building, corral and fence on the place, cleared the brush from the fence rows and replaced the native grasses with modern grazing grasses," Jim said.

Myron Bahm has discovered the biggest challenge to running a successful purebred operation is, as he put it, “Marketing your cattle and getting them out there for people to see.” But, he is meeting that challenge, and is proud of the fact that he has had repeat customers, always a compliment to any business.

Although some people love trying out new restaurants and dishes, other people find their favorite eatery and stick with it. Then, these people tell their friends about the best place to eat, and pretty soon the restaurant becomes legendary. Sometimes, the successful restaurant opens branches at other locations, which in turn pleases even more satisfied customers. Nichols Farms operates in much the same manner.

During lambing season on Old Lexington Farms, Tom and Sharon Nowlin walk the fields every night looking for newborn lambs. The ewe’s udder fills with colostrum shortly before labor begins. A colostrum meal provides not only energy, but antibodies vital for the young lamb’s health. Immediately after the ewe gives birth, Tom milks from the mother ewe 6 ounces of colostrum per newborn lamb of singles, twins or triplets, making sure each gets the necessary colostrum within the first hour. Tom stays until each lamb is able to stand and adequately move about, then administers essential vaccinations and iodine to navels.

Dave Umfleet has a passion for producing seedstock Simmentals. He spends hours studying pedigrees and learning as much as he can about Simmental genetics. Dave and his wife, Debbie, focus on producing the best cattle possible for other producers to use for donor cows and bulls.