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Promoting a Breed By Trish Hollenbeck
Three generations of the Hacker family are working together in the Beefalo breed Promoting the Beefalo breed via shows, selling breeding stock and marketing the beef is what Larry and Nelda Hacker and their family have been doing for several years in the Lincoln, Ark., area. The Hackers and their daughter, Penny Knuckles and her husband, Mike, and their son David Hacker and his wife, Lisa, own three farms each: Done Rovin’ is Larry and Nelda’s ranch, while Done Rovin’ 2 belongs to Penny and her husband, Mike, and A Thousand Hills farm is owned by David and Lisa Hacker. All together, their land totals 550 acres; another 30 acres are leased. There are 300 cattle – 90 percent are Beefalo. Larry and Penny own a few other breeds, including Scottish Highland. Beefalo, however, is the main venture. “It is heart-healthy meat,” Penny said. “Its has less fat, calories and cholesterol than traditional beef. A lot of times it is even as low as fish and chicken.” Beefalo can be any breed of cattle that is three-eights North American Bison and five-eighths domestic bovine. “We like them,” Larry said. “They’re docile.” A retired military man who had a 28year career in the U.S. Army, Larry grew up in Illinois and was familiar with the farming life. He and Nelda moved to Northwest Arkansas in 1990. Nelda was raised in Lincoln. Larry’s involvement with Beefalo, however, was going on while he was still in the military. He had ranches while stationed at Fort Campbell and Fort Knox, Ky. In fact, he brought 32 of the Beefalo cattle to Arkansas with him. The couple then spent several years raising Beefalo in the Lincoln area before their son and daughter decided to move up to Arkansas from Texas with their spouses and buy ranches. The family spends a lot of time showing and promoting Beefalo across the United States. MAY 4, 2020
Penny serves on the board of directors The Hackers and Knuckles sell several of the American Beefalo Association and bull calves a year to breeders, while keepas vice president of the South Central ing a handful of bulls for their own breedBeefalo Breeders Association. Larry is vice ing program. They also use some artificial president of the MidAmerica Beefalo As- insemination so they can use semen from sociation. Penny and Larry are also mem- deceased bulls to improve the current bers of the Michigan Beefalo bloodlines. Bred heifers are also Association. sold, while 20 to 30 are held “I buy animals from a lot of Lincoln, Ark. back yearly as replacements. my friends up in Michigan,” Meat from steers and other Penny explained. “It supheifers is sold at the Fayetteville ports them as well. WhatFarmers Market and marketed ever we can do to support online. Lisa is in charge of FaceBeefalo we try to do.” book marketing and advertising. Photos by Trish Hollenbeck
The meat is low in fat, so it does not need to be cooked for a long time, according to Penny. She recommends cooking it medium heat for half the time it takes to cook traditional beef. It tastes like beef, but some consumers have noticed a little bit of a difference. “Some people say it is a little sweeter,” Larry said. Beefalo are few and far between in Arkansas, where there are only four to five breeders, and Larry Hacker and his family have been a big part of the Beefalo scene in the state. Larry said the disposition of the breed is a positive trait. “They’re so easy to work with,” he said. Another attribute of Beefalo is low birth weight, Penny said. Even so, the pasture for first-calf heifers is well within viewing distance of the Hacker’s and Knuckles’ homes so they can keep an eye on them. Bulls are let in pasture with cows each year around the first of June, while they are let in a pasture with heifers in early May to allow for better weather when they calve. Penny has land in Summers, Ark., where she breeds cows all year round. “That way, I have show stock at different ages,” she said. The pastures around the family’s farms, which are not really rocky, lend themselves to cows being able to stay in the herd for many years. “Our cows last 12 to 14 years,” Larry said. The family tries to promote the breed to the next generation, give back to the community and create a sense of responsibility in youngsters, so they provide one — Continued on Page 14
Larry Hacker and his daughter Penny Knuckles are active Beefalo breeders in Arkansas. A Beefalo is considered a heart-healthy beef because it is low in fat. The Ozarks’ Most Read Farm Newspaper
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