Neighbors

Jon and Lindsey Cartwright of Webster County, both grew up with agricultural backgrounds, an important aspect of their lives that they are proud to share with their young children, 2 1/2-year-old son, Yates and 7-month-old daughter, Yardley.

Randall Pemberton grew up around the cattle business. His dad, Duane, has been in the business of buying cattle for 50 years and Randall said, “I just came in and started helping.”

While a young man, Larry Hacker worked for a poultry company and met a farmer’s daughter named Nelda. Larry said, “At the time she was still a freckle-faced kid in the eighth grade but soon turned in to the beautiful young woman I married.”

When Garry Clements read about the 300 Days of Grazing System four years ago that was being implemented on beef cattle farms, he decided the program could work with his kids, as well as the rest of the goats browsing on his 70-acre farm. Tin Can Hill Ranch, located in Damascus, Ark., has continued to see savings and herd health benefits ever since.

The road that brought Mike and Mary Jo Green to raising and selling locally grown sustainable sheep was paved with a love of good food. While Mike was raised in New York and Mary Jo in Arkansas, the couple met at a party in California. Wanting to impress the young lady, Mike invited her to go horseback riding on their first date only to discover Mary Jo owned her own horses. The ploy worked however, because the couple married.

From commercial herds to show-driven breeding programs, Josh Stephans of Elkland, Mo., has experienced a lot for a young farmer. “I’ve seen many different management practices,” shared Josh. “I now know how I want to develop my herd and management program.”

According to Jim Vavruska, “Yes dear. That’s the key to staying married for 50 years.” Jim and his wife, Pat, own a 142-acre dairy farm 4 miles west of Rader, Mo. The couple has been married for over 50 years and they’ve milked cows just as long. If you do the math, the Vavruskas have made over 36,500 trips to the milk barn, and it’s all coming to an end when spring arrives. Four years ago, the couple sold their Holstein bull and bought a registered Angus bull. The result, a very slow transition to a stock-cow operation that has narrowed their herd of Holsteins down to 14 milking cows and 6 dry, in preparation for their retirement. In addition to their dairy cows, the pair has built up a herd of about 50 stock cows through their method of transition.

Bryan Nelson believes operating a farm takes a lot of heart and he exudes plenty of passion when it comes to caring for his flock of sheep. But this shepherd also utilizes his off-the-farm knowledge to guide his farming decisions. “I am a ceramic engineer from the University of Missouri-Rolla. I have spent a lot of my career in research and science. So the genetics fascinate me,” Bryan explained. Bryan, his wife Debra, along with daughters, Sarah and Abbie, raise Fullblood, Purebred and Percentage Dorper sheep on their 27-acre farm in Bolivar, Mo. In 2005, the family moved to Bolivar from Portland, Ore., to fulfill Bryan’s childhood dream of returning to the Show-Me state and owning a farm.

There is a cultural distance when it comes to agricultural producers and consumers. More than ever consumers want to know what they are eating; meanwhile, most are still disconnected without concern and/or buy without a choice. Connecting consumers to beef stock production is taking on a marketing profession all on its own. It is not as simple as welcoming consumers to the ranch or farm to see for themselves; it is taking the lifestyle to others through education. It also means showing others near and far how to manage their agricultural choice, especially with the large amounts of livestock and produce imports entering the U.S.

Bobby Doyle and his wife, Jane, own 238 acres in Stilwell, Okla. “I have 100 momma cows and babies, five in service bulls, 24 for sale bulls ready for service in November of this year. I sell nothing but registered Angus bulls,” Mr. Doyle said. He keeps meticulous records for all his cattle. “I don’t release records for any females that I sell. They are all sold as commercial breeders if I sell any at all,” he said. “I’m not such a stickler for bloodline but I am very critical about conformation. I look for a lot of hind quarter. I look for a lot of meat. I want to see a wide top line. I want to see a straight bottom line and straight top line. The only one I sell is one that goes bad or one that does not meet my conformation specifications.