Neighbors

Highland cattle may be the most unique type of cattle ever seen on an Ozarks hillside. An ancient Scottish breed, the stock has outward-spreading horns and long wavy hair. Exported to North America in the 1880s, they are known as a hearty breed that will graze, browse and eat plants other cattle will avoid.

When Vernon Schmiegelow went searching for cost-effective ways to pack pounds on calves, he discovered the solution was near as the grass underfoot.

In July 1999, Leon Caselman conducted his first goat auction at Buffalo Livestock Market and sold 302 goats. At his monthly goat sale today he’ll sell 2,200 goats, with the help of his whole family.  And the Caselman family literally gives new meaning to the term 'family business.' As Leon’s children, Cole and Makayla chase goats and sheep about in the auction pen along with the help of their grandfather and Bobby Cole, Leon’s father-in-law, Leon himself lets the animals in to the pen, while his wife, Tara tallies who bought what. Leon's father, Lyle, does the auctioneering and mother, Rita and sister, Chelsey, keep the front office running smoothly, while his mother-in-law, Theresa helps out, too.

Curtis Millsap grew up in Springfield. He wasn't raised on a farm, but was a regular at his grandparents dairy farm. In college, he didn't study to be a full time farmer, but he knew that he had a deep passion for the outdoors and a sincere love of the land. Never did he realize that this interest would lead him to what he's doing today.

All natural, grass fed beef. No chemicals. Period. That's the stance that Richard Potter of Powell, Mo., takes when it comes to his cattle. "I raise the cattle the way I want my children to eat them," he said. And his customers enjoy the benefits of Richard's 100 percent organic beef as well.

If you are a person who loves to play with horses, cows and you live near Hogeye, Ark., you know LaCosta and Andy Napier and their family arena. “People like the lifestyle. We like to rope steers, train horses, run barrels, poles and flags,” Andy said. “We have people we would never have met if it weren’t for the arena. Those people are like family now. We ride together, we play together and we eat together. We are like a big family. We even have our own little Christmas party just for people who come to the arena. It’s just family oriented fun. We just love it.”

The actions of a kind uncle many years ago set in motion what has become a lifelong pursuit for David Kidd of Lincoln, Ark.

John Robinson did not grow up in the country, but he has found his niche on the 450-acre farm he and his brothers inherited from his grandfather in Valley Springs, Ark. He has tried everything from custom combining and hay baling to running a large herd of cow/calf pairs.  However, four years ago John implemented a MIG (Managed Intensive Grazing) program. He now runs around 250 head of stocker cattle and 40 Red Angus/Saler cross mama cows. “I have learned cows can pick up grass more efficiently than I can.  This is the most profitable for me at this time,” said John. 

Larry Deffenbaugh looked for several things when he was getting back into the cattle business in 1990. "I wanted something no one else had. I had grown up around white-faces and Angus. I looked at different trade magazines, and then I found three years of a feedlot test.” What he found was the Salers. “Salers responded to feed and their weight conversions were good," Larry recalled. With their stats showing for good conversions, his desire for a good-gaining animal was met. Upon further investigation, Larry found the Salers to be a breed with wide pelvic openings, calving ease and a great disposition.

With the average age of the American farmer around 65, it’s evident that not too many children are coming back home to continue the family farm. But the statistic doesn't hold true for Doug Fare in Jenkins, Mo. His farm has been in the Fare family well over 100 years.