Neighbors

Years ago a lot of corn was planted on Pigeon Roost Mountain located about 10 miles north of Morrilton, Ark., on Highway 95. In part that’s how the mountain got its name. There was a lot of corn, and a lot of pigeons came there to roost. The corn is not planted anymore and you won’t find many pigeons but you will find Birkner Brother Limousin, home of Carl, Linda, Cody and Eric Birkner. This 80-plus acre farm has been in the family for two generations. Once row cropped, now the Birkners are “raising bulls on the roost."

Joe Bob Staton grew up in the shadow of Mt. Magazine. He always knew that he wanted to farm. When he married Carrie Isaacs almost 11 years ago, they started out on their own with 17 cows on a few rented acres. Since then, the commercial beef herd has grown to 120 cows on over 400 acres that they own and lease a mile or two from his dad’s Lazy S Ranch.

It is all about teamwork for Dennis Schwerin’s family.  Whether it is doing chores, rounding up cattle on horseback or showing in the ring, the family relies on each other to be successful as a whole.

The original 153 acres, where Sam Massey runs part of his cattle, once belonged to his grandfather. That farm in the Campbell community was homesteaded in 1875 and stayed in the Massey family. That’s where Sam grew up, and farmed, as far back as he remembers. “Back then,” he said, “all we had was horse-drawn equipment and we raised most everything we ate. We had apple and peach trees, part of that was a cash crop. Dad raised sweet potatoes, another cash crop. We had chickens and eggs, and milk cows. Until I got big enough to go to the field, I’d help Mother in the garden. She dried fruit and canned fruit and garden vegetables for winter.”

Jerry Fancher has spent the better part of her 81 years on her family’s farm north of Berryville, Ark., in Carroll County. She shared her father’s love for raising cattle and taking care of the land. “I was a cowpoke, I never wanted to go to school,” she said about her life after high school. “I’d rather go to the cow pasture.” She did venture out to California for a couple of years to work in the Kwikset Lock factory in Anaheim, Cali., but left to come home and help on the farm after her father had a stroke. “I came back,” she remembered, “and I’ve been here ever since.”

Value Added.
It is an overused term in business. When you sell what many others sell, what sets your product apart will be the “value added.”

A future in the agricultural field has been a life long dream, or better stated, a desire for Ted Koontz. Upon retirement from a career in the banking business, Ted, along with his wife Becky, now is enjoying the good life of farming. Entrepreneurs are the best way to describe the couple's diversified cattle and haying operation and the way the Koontz's approach their livelihood.

We’ve been married for 40 years but we don’t want to be old people,” laughed Mary Dakis of Happy Tails Farm near West Plains, Mo.
“The goats are helping to keep us young,” added Don. “They are a lot of work for us retired folks, but we love it.”

Cattle are a good savings account” for Steve Peterson of Mtn. Grove.  Although there arecosts involved with production, the lifelong cattleman said that unlike with other investments, he can go to the sale barn and sell cattle once a week if need be.  “I know that’s worth something,” he said.

Warren Hoffman won an election without making any promises or even launching a campaign.  Warren was elected to the board of the Farm Service Agency.  The FSA in Lebanon, Mo., in Laclede County, also represents Camden and Pulaski Counties, and the board has one representative from each county.  Living near Sleeper, Mo., Warren is the Laclede County representative. All members of the board are farmers and elected to three year terms.