meet your neighbors
Building a Future at Heritage Acres By Terry Ropp
Couple says they were always drawn to farming Californaians Jim Isbell and of livestock, including cattle, pigs, goats and Karen Spinner moved to Fayette- sheep. Because the goal was to use machinery ville, Ark., in 2012 while retaining as little as possible, chicken and cattle proved their California jobs. The couple to be the most doable. “I never expected to become as passionhas two children, daughter Molly, who is 8, and son Hunter, who is ate about chickens as I am,” Jim explained. 6. Jim is an implementation manager for a “Arkansas is a rural state which means telecommunications company, while Karen chickens are allowed in many towns as develops marketing plans for large corpora- long as no roosters are around to disturb tions, but there was always a draw to farming. neighbors. Our customer base is made up “Part of my education is in history and I of people who want to know where their have this romanticized view of owning a food comes from and to raise chickens as farm, similar to those hundred years ago,” part of that process with some being rural Jim said. “I want the lifestyle as much as and some more urban.” The farm has and continues to experiment sustainability and being morally responsiwith different heritage species. Swedish Flowble in my methods.” Jim never lived on a farm, though his moth- er hens are their current dominant breed er Eve and stepfather Gary had a few chick- because they are hardy and popular with customers. Currently, ens. Karen had no Heritage Acres supbackground in agports 30 to 40 hens riculture, but was and 10 roosters. as captured by the The chickens are same idea as Jim. raised in “chicken When they betractors,” movable gan their search, enclosures that rethey thought perquire no machinhaps 5 to 10 acres ery. The enclosures would be enough are 8-feet-by-4-feet, but soon realized with six birds per they needed more tractor. Each has land to fulfill the a four-way nesting vision. Eve, a rebox with protecaltor, became aggressive in searching and found a location tion from rain and sun provided by corrugatof two connected properties with an old ed sheeting. Jim puts a little feed on one of home built in the 1930s. She took them the 4-foot sides and pulls the enclosure daiby truck through many trails developed ly, thereby exposing the feed. The chickens by the previous owners. When Karen saw stay and eat and are at the other side of the the wonderful trails, she knew this was the enclosure when Jim manually pulls it exactly one enclosure width. The chickens are not place and jogs the trails every day. The land has a few strips of black dirt, but it allowed to brood, and the eggs are harvested is mostly a sandy loam with just enough soil to daily and put into an incubator. Jim has another 10 of the enproduce quality grass. Through closures with other breeds he the years of ownership, they is experimenting with. A curhave slowly worked to rehab the Fayetteville, Ark. rent project is the challenge of land, which includes fertilizing producing a barred Silverudd’s and getting rid of stubborn plants Blue by crossing it with a barred like blackberries. They have exbreed in order to produce an autoperimented raising many differsex chicken, one where males and ent breeds of chickens and kinds
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Submitted Photos
Jim Isbell was always drawn to the farming way of life, even though he didn’t grow up on a farm. Today, he and his family have multiple livestock operations.
Ozarks Farm & Neighbor • www.ozarksfn.com
MARCH 15, 2021
