Family: Wife, Georgia Jackson; sons Austin, 18, and Case, 10; and daughter Abby, 5
Hometown: Harrison, Ark.
In Town: “I have worked for FedEx for 18 years and started in the mailroom. Now I am the manager of office services and enjoy working for this company because it provides opportunities for advancement and is a dependable household brand I am proud to be part of. My wife, Georgia, also works for FedEx and started in the mailroom as I did, but five years earlier. She is now an IT manager and travels extensively not only in the U.S. but overseas. We belong to the Harrison Oregon Flat Baptist Church in the Bergman area of Harrison and are proud members of the United Way.”
In the Country: “Our first family members settled in this area after the Civil War as cattle farmers. Georgia and I have 38 acres here on which we raise show pigs and chickens, and share another acreage with my father, Thomas, on which we raise commercial Angus/Hereford cattle in a cow/calf operation. We have 40 mommas and two purebred bulls, one Angus and one Hereford. The bulls came here when they were young and were from other family members. Because they were raised together, female competition is only rarely disruptive. The bulls stay with the mommas so we have calves all year round. Other aspects of our country life include my being vice president of the Boone County Fair Board. I appreciate having the ability to help make the fair an opportunity for both the children and the community to learn and prosper rather than to trying to make this a moneymaking proposition. We use revenue for youth prize money and occasionally for fairground maintenance and improvement. Children need hands-on experience rather than video games. They need to be outdoors and active in order to be healthy, and involvement in agriculture and the fair provides those experiences. Georgia and I are also sponsors of both FFA and 4-H. We have provided t-shirts and other fundraising opportunities for FFA and volunteer our help to 4-H and not just because all our young family members belong.”
Future: “In the short term, I would like to see my children continue in their agricultural heritage and pass it on to their own children. All kids need responsibility. I want mine to continue to absorb more as they become capable of doing so because I want them to become supportive members of the community. Keeping children busy removes many of modern life’s challenges. Besides, it takes a family to farm. I love the process of raising cattle and enjoy keeping abreast of all of the new innovations whether that is in technology, herd development or land management. This love translates into a long term goal of having a cattle farm of my own to help continue my heritage and develop that drive and passion in my children and future grandchildren.”
