Phil and Lesia Hamaker grew up on small farms. Each of their grandparents grew up in a time when almost everyone had a garden to help feed their large families. So they inherited their love for farming at a young age. Their first farm was a 10-acre hog operation (farrow to finish) and 5 acres […]
Allen Glidewell got his start in farming with a $5,000 FSA loan and 10 cow-calf pairs. He and his wife, Melissa, have turned those 10 cow-calf pairs into 210 head of cows, 42 replacement heifers and 20 bulls along with three turkey houses and 412 acres of hay on their farm in St. Joe. Allen […]
After multiple setbacks in the 80s, twins Jerry and Terry Fuller were told they had to return to the farm after college. Otherwise, they would have been faced with the unthinkable – selling the family farm. The drought of 1980, the purchase of another large farm and the 80s price crash all contributed to rough […]
Five generations later and Wildy Family Farms in Mississippi County is still thriving. David Wildy, the current patriarch of the family, is the fourth generation farming the land alongside his sons, Justin and Tab, and son-in-law, Paul. After graduating from the University of Arkansas in 1975, David was able to return to the farm and […]
Talk about diversity: pecans, muscadines, hay, poultry, cattle, freshwater shrimp, and tomato and pepper plants – all grown by Billy and Charlotte Wilchman., The couple is the 2015 Conway County Farm Family of the Year and the Western District Farm Family of the Year. Busy is an understatement for these two. Their farm has gone […]
Two tornadoes in 10 years and back-to-back droughts may cause many decide to throw the hat in and move on, but that was not the case for Roy “Pee Wee” and Carolyn Ham of Clark County, the 2015 Clark County Farm Family of the Year and the West Central District Farm Family of the Year. […]
“To honor God as we pass on our love of farming and agriculture to future generations.” This mission statement is what drives Brent and Ronda Butler every day and helps shape all on-farm and off-farm decisions. Brent and Ronda are the 2015 Benton County Farm Family of the Year, as well as the Northwest […]
From Battlefields to Farm Fields ~ Veteran Signs Up for Farm Duty Damon Helton is a veteran farmer. Correction: Damon Helton is a veteran and a farmer. Helton is a decorated veteran of the U.S. armed forces with five deployments between Iraq and Afghanistan, but he’s a relative newcomer to agriculture. Still, watching Helton zoom […]
Steak and eggs is one of those meals that works well for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Ingredients for this plate of food can be grown in your own garden or purchased from Arkansas growers—including the beef. The beef for this recipe came from Top O’ the Mount Farm in Winslow, where a small herd of […]