Rural Friendship Day brings in city folk
Posted on Thursday, September 4, 2008
Lauren Cheevers groomed her awarding-winning Red Angus heifer as she explained the finer points of preparing an animal to show.
She used various concoctions as she beautified the bovine.
It was one part of Rural Friendship Development Day, which is a Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce event designed to bring people from the cities to rural areas to see what is happening.
Participants on Tuesday visited the Cheevers farm near Elkins after an omelet breakfast served at the Washington County Extension Office in Fayetteville by the University of Arkansas poultry science department.
The rest of the day, they toured Terra Studios Inc. in Durham, where they learned about the business and walked the grounds. The studios make the famous glass Bluebird of Happiness. Artisans also make other glass and pottery home wares, gifts and fine art pieces.
Stacy and Joyce Cheevers, along with their three daughters and son-in- law, were named 2008 Farm Family of the Year in Washington County in June. That program is sponsored by the Arkansas Farm Bureau.
Ken Knies, who is chairman of the chamber's agricultural and rural development committee, said Rural Friendship Development Day started in the 1980 s, designed to give more of the chamber membership a chance to go out into the rural areas.
Past Rural Friendship Development Day events have included touring farms and orchards and learning about UA's agricultural programs.
The natural course of things is for county residents to visit cities, but city people do not often get an opportunity to see the rural areas, said Knies, who is also regional vice president of Farm Credit Services of Western Arkansas, one of the sponsors of the event.
"That's our whole goal, is to bring the two together," Knies said.
Other sponsors of the event are Tyson Foods Inc., Ozarks Electric Cooperative Corp., Washington County Farm Bureau, and Beaver Water District.
Attending Rural Friendship Development Day this year was U. S. Rep. John Boozman of Rogers.
"I appreciate you all doing this," Boozman told participants.
He said it "really is important"to periodically highlight rural agriculture.
He talked about the role of 4-H in his family. His girls were all state record book winners in 4-H, he said, Next to church, he said," 4-H probably had the biggest impact on our family."
He said the number one issue in Washington, D. C., right now is energy costs.
"It's a major threat to our economy," he said.
"It has a huge impact on our farms in that oil equals fertilizer," he said, adding that there are other ways energy costs affect farmers.
He said farmers are struggling.
"We've had a pretty mild summer, which has been a blessing," he said.
"I'm a guy that feels like we should use American energy," he said.
At the Cheevers farm, Stacy Cheevers outlined the operation as he stood on his front porch.
The farm owns and leases a little more than 1, 000 acres. They raise 300 cowcalf pairs and produce about 318, 000 broilers a year in their two chicken houses for George's Inc. and have plans to expand.
In addition to farming, Stacy Cheevers works as plant manager for the Beaver Water District, and Joyce Cheevers handles the broiler operation.
Lauren Cheevers, whose Red Angus heifer was named grand champion at the Washington County Fair this year, is an active member of the Greenland 4-H Club. She also shows goats.
The Cheevers have two grown daughters, Alicia and Ashdon.
The Cheevers started farming in the Wheeler area. In 2004, they bought land where they are now and have expanded since that time, both buying and leasing land for grazing.
Stacy Cheevers describes his wife's grandfather, a lifelong farmer, as his mentor.
To contribute to protecting the environment, the Cheevers treat poultry litter with alum to reduce the amount of soluble phosphorus in the soil where litter is applied.
The farm also uses bestmanagement practices such as observing buffer strips around the river.
"It's a very enjoyable lifestyle," Cheevers said of farming.
"We believe it's really the place to raise children. "
Sandy Hamilton, who owns Image Builders, a marketing, public relations and events business in Fayetteville, said he and his wife, Donna, are regular attendees of the annual Rural Friendship Development Day.
"It's different every year, " Hamilton said. "We've been in this area for 20 years, and I always learn something I didn't know about the area."
He said he was amazed to find that the Cheevers are making a successful economic go at farming while enjoying what they do.
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online