Arkansas Neighbors

Darrell Robinson, his wife Devetta and their three sons, Cole, Jacob and Garrett, have lived on the Five R Ranch at the foot of beautiful Mount Petit Jean, for about 14 years. Their home sits on top of 300 acres of meadows and wooded areas, where on a clear day you can see Mt. Nebo and surrounding farmlands below. Darrell said, “When we got ready to pick our home place out, we had to ride our horses up here, because it was too brushy and grown up to get up here any other way."

Jimmy Looper believes in good, old-fashioned hard work. The fruits of his labor include a 1,000-acre cattle operation that runs seven breeds, an auction and realty service, and a family legacy of ranching and farming that spans several decades.

Richard and Susan Gebhart’s family raises Hereford cattle near Grand Lake in rural Langley, Okla., on land Susan’s great-grandparents settled in 1907.

Cattle, pigs, ducks, turkeys, laying hens, meat chickens, calves and horses are found at the two locations of Falling Sky Farm. Owned and operated by Andrea Todt and Cody Hopkins, on 40 acres near Marshall, Ark., they have seven feeder pigs, 600 ducks and 150 laying hens. On their 80 acres near Chimes, Ark., they’re raising turkeys, 8,000 meat chickens, and run 29 head of stocker calves.

Jim Randy and Maelena Laverty, recently chosen as the Newton County Farm Family of the Year, exemplify what it takes to be successful on the farm today. Both would love to stay at home and work on the farm all day, but both have jobs in town.

Robert and Lynn Reynolds know about love of family and sacrifice. They also know about horses and what it takes to make them healthy and sometimes, to bring them back from the brink of death. Clear Creek Equine Rescue is the name of the not-for-profit organization they operate on approximately 140 acres of rolling hills and pasture land in Huntsville, Ark., called Clear Creek Farm. They are currently working on getting 501(c) 3 status for the rescue and Lynn stressed, “We couldn’t do it without our board members.” The non-profit status may enable them to become eligible for certain federal grants and relieve some of the financial pressure for the Reynolds family personally.

Tony and Trica Yates both work demanding jobs, but still manage to run a quality, purebred Hereford cow-calf operation just northwest of Sallisaw, Okla.

Julie Leonard of Greenwood, Ark., has dedicated her life to making a positive impact on the farming community in Arkansas.

For Casey Luther and family, a successful year in the dairy goat business results from efficient herd management, and always watching for problems that could compromise that efficiency.

In the early 1830s, treaties with Native Americans opened the Arkansas Territory up for settlement. One of the earliest families to settle on Osage Creek in the Arkansas Territory was the Chaney family. The area later became known as the town of Osage. The Chaney's property changed hands in the early 1900s to the Sisco family.