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Always a Cattleman By Mandy Villines
Jim Owens grew up in the family farm and continues that tradition today
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Jim Owens has been a cattleman his entire life, and still lives on his family’s farm.
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When someone says “born and other breeds through the years. He utilized raised cowboy,” that would touch Hereford females bred by a Santa Gertruon the description of Jim Owens. dis bull, which produced a good, red, motIn 1940 in Huntsville, Ark., Jim was born ley-faced calf for a few years.“ into a longtime ranching family. He still A good steer calf would bring about 20 lives on the family farm on Berry Ranch cents a pound and feed was going for $2.15 Road. The farm started out at 190 acres a bag,” Jim recalled. in 1938 with 25 head of cattle. The operaJim said cattle operations were not the tion now consists of around 300 acres and norm in the area for many years, but the about 50 pairs in a cow/calf operation. poultry boom help spur the industry. “We hayed with horses until I was 15 “The commercial cow/calf market years old, then we bought our first tractor. never really took off until 1970 around It was a 8N Ford. We were livin’ up town,” these parts when everyone started growJim recalled. ing chickens commercially,” Jim recalled. Tragedy struck the Owens family, which “With the litter, we could grow more grass also includes Jim’s siblings Sam, Ken and and introduced fescue into the area, and Linda, when Jim was in his early 20s. He our land could hold more cattle. Before lost his mother to cancer and his father then, we creep fed and turned the cattle died the following year in a car crash. Jim into the woods.” and Sam wanted to keep the Jim also jumped into the poulfarm, so they bought out their try business and built two pulHuntsville, Ark. siblings. Today, Jim and Sam let houses in 1970, but got out each run their own herds, lendof the industry in about 1995. ing each other a hand when He did, however, stay in the catneeded. tle business. Jim’s cow/calf herd is priJim keeps his bulls with the herd marily Angus, but he has raised year-round, and calves are typically MAY 9, 2022
sold as feeder calves at about 500 pounds. He does retain a few select replacement heifers. He prefers to run a registered, low birth weight bull with his herd. Animal health protocols include annual vaccinations and deworming. “We lepto everything and blackleg the calves,” Jim said, adding that proper disease prevention is critical for cattle producers. “You can’t afford to lose them.” For those looking to enter the cattle business, the experienced cattleman offered a few words of wisdom. “Keep expenses low and don’t buy more than you can pay for.” Jim’s cattle operation may keep him busy, but he has time for other things. He’s a longtime member of the Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association, former county treasurer (from 1999 to 2002) and former president of the Arkansas Team Roper Association. After 32 years, he retired as a mail carrier, and has been an auctioneer for many years. Jim’s wife of more than 50 years Ann passed in 2014. They have three children, Deb, Brent and Brad.
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