Nichole Chambless partners with her family in their cow/calf and haying operation

Photo by Mandy Villines

meet yourneighbors

Faith, Family and Farm

By Mandy Villines Nichole Chambless and her family work together to build their family’s farming operation

Nichole Chambless of Bentonville, Ark., is the epitome of women in agriculture.

Mother of two sons – 20-year-old Kale, who is serving in the U.S. Army, and 17-year-old Kase, a senior at Har-ber High School in Springdale, Ark.

Nichole has been married to the love of her life, Jeff Chambless for 20 years.

Nichole graduated from the University of Arkansas with a bachelor’s in poultry science and a minor in history.

After marrying in 2002, Nichole moved to Jeff’s 20-acre ranch in Bentonville – Chambless Farms. A few short years later, they wanted to expand their farm and purchased 15 head of black and black motley-faced cows, a black bull, and some adjacent land to their farm.

Alongside Nichole’s daily job as the senior manager of dry grocery supply at Sam’s Club, she’s balanced the role of a mother and ranch life, including sports games three days a week for her sons, being an active member in her church, and helping her husband in as many ways as possible. She works equally with Jeff, raking and hauling hay, brush hogging, and working with equipment. At Chambless Farms, visitors can find matching, well-maintained, matching equipment. Even the tractors and balers are welloiled and shiny.

Nichole loves landscaping, kayaking and barrel racing. She currently has two barrel horses and completes in local jackpots.

Nichole has a huge heart for animals, which shows in her happy herd of many pets, including Corgies and Border Collies. They utilize their Border Collies as cow dogs.

Pets for Nichole can also be found in the pasture. “Sweet Pea” is a black-whitefaced cow from their original herd. She’s the spry age of 24 and gets a pasture to herself, along with a special diet of treats and head scratches. Sweet Pea is a reminder of humble beginnings and hard work, Nichole said.

Nichole has tremendous pride in her sons. She refers to them as “spoiled but with manners,” but Kase and Kale understand the value of hard work and being humble, Nichole said.

Nichole and Jeff have helped their children become financially savvy and helped them build their own cattle herds in exchange for work on the farm. The proceeds from cattle sales have helped Kase and Kale set money aside for college and purchase their own vehicles.

Over the years, Nichole and Jeff have narrowed their herd to 60 head of their preferred bloodlines, along with three registered black Angus bulls on 80 acres.

They are mainly a commercial cow/calf operation with a spring and fall crop.

Nichole and Jeff have a deep knowledge of grass and its science, and the couple strives to produce the highest-quality hay for their herd and for their hay customers. They spend the majority of their summers cutting and selling top-of-the-line Bermuda hay to private buyers, in addition to with private sales of their farm-raised premium beef. Their hay is bundled using an Arcusin bale bundler, which Nichole said is very rare in the Ozarks. The system makes it easier for the buyer to load and for the family to sell their hay.

For other women involved in production agriculture, Nichole offered a bit of advice.

“First of all, faith over everything,” she said. “We put God first and tithe our earnings. We always thank God for any success we might have and believe in the power of prayer. I believe my faith should come first, my relationship with my husband second, and my children third.

“We take pride in taking care of our equipment and take no shortcuts. If you do it right the first time, you’ll not have to do it again, take care of your land, and it will take care of you. And lastly, do not be bitter towards your spouse. Take time for each other. I highly suggest a vacation for just the two of you once a year. This industry is trying on marriages and mental health, and you need a strong relationship to keep up with the hard work.”

Bentonville Ark.