Neighbors

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.

Kyle Tate began raising Boer goats when he was in sixth grade. “My dad and I put up some hay for some friends of ours and their neighbors had goats. I wanted to try it and here we are,” said the Mtn. Grove High School senior. “Here we are” for Kyle means, among other things, being in his second term on the national Board of Directors of the American Junior Boer Goat Association; winning numerous championships at livestock shows in several states; making friends all over the country; and winning the FFA Area Proficiency Award for his goats.

It was on a farm in Newton County, Missouri, that Doyle Weaver was raised in agriculture. “I started helping on our farm as soon as I was big enough to get up and get around,” he said. The Weaver family milked cows until the milk market was no longer profitable, and then they transitioned into a beef cattle operation. Doyle grew up attending school in Seneca, Mo., and though the school had no formal agriculture programs, he continued his work on – and love for – the family farm.

Clint Hunter is pretty specific about the way his family runs their cattle business. “If you stay in the middle and don’t chase the different fads the cattle industry offers…” He paused; choosing his words carefully before continuing, “If you stay in the middle, they’ll always come back to you. We’ll just leave it at that.”

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.

The Rankins found Brahmousin cattle at Farmfest. A producer out of Lamar was showcasing them. For years, Butch and Sandy had Registered Santa Gertrudis. But Butch consistently liked Brahman-influence in a cattle herd. “We like the Brahman influence in cattle,” said Butch, adding, “In this part of the country we have more hot days than cold. With a Brahman influenced animal, I don’t have to have as quality of pasture or as quality of feed to still have gain. I do feed as quality of pasture and feed as I can, I’m saying you don’t have to have that to see gains of upwards to 40 lbs. per calf at weaning time over other breeds.”

For some Ozarks farmers, staying on the land is a question that must be decided based on economics, family dynamics and other factors. For Matt Young, the seventh generation on his family’s land, it is not a question of staying, it is simply a question of how.  Matt, his wife, Winter and their children, Madison age 11, Hanleigh,  7 and Landon, 4, hold the original Homestead Act paperwork on their farm that was signed by President Ulysses S. Grant.

Denny and Mary Beth Pogue live on their family farm that is equidistant from Rolla, Salem, and St. James, Mo. Their home is Mary Beth’s grandparents’ house that was originally built in 1918. “I work in Rolla, Denny works in Salem and we have a St. James address and phone,” Mary Beth laughed when explaining their situation. Their son, Orin, a Drury University student, and daughter Adrian, a senior at Rolla, are the seventh generation to live on their land.