Mothers-Milk: A day on the farm

There are few times where I feel more out of place than being on a farm. However, being the only male passenger on a bus of nearly 30 women on our way to a farm is one of them.

Out of place or not, I was one of the tribe in the first ever "Moms On the Farm" tour Monday (Oct. 8), sponsored by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture in conjunction with Arkansas Cattle Women's Association.

The tour was created to promote education about local agriculture to women in the Northwest Arkansas area and included stops at two different local farms and a free culinary lesson.

I guess we all felt a little out of place. Most of the moms on the tour were not raised on the farm. But we boarded the charter bus and braved the unknown. First stop — Anglin Dairy Farm in Centerton.

We were greeted by co-owner Susan Anglin, her three dogs and 240 dairy cows. Susan and her husband Ryan run the fourth generation farm which sells its milk to Highland Dairy. Each of the cows produces 50 pounds of milk a day.

"We have a three generation separation from the farm in our current society," said Susan Anglin, one of the keynote speakers on the tour. "I didn't grow up on the farm either, but when I married the farmer, I married the farm."

The tour group spent more than two hours on the Anglin Farm and in that time a lesson in “Dairying 101." The cows are born, reared and raised on the family land. As a former nurse, Susan has been the resident mother of the farm for 40 years. She seemed to have an instant connection with the mothers on the tour, as she told stories of the struggles of farm life.

"Dairy farms are shrinking rapidly every year," said Anglin. "In 1985 there were 113 dairy farms in Benton County and today there are less than 13. You see a lot of negativity about farm life and yet most people have never even been to a farm. Those same people are willing to pay two or three dollars more for organic or hormonal free milk … I think a lack of education and communication is building a gap between farmers and consumers."

After touring the feed station and the maternity barn it was time for lunch and our second stop, Hedge’s Beef Farm just outside of Lincoln. The owner of the farm is Marsha Hedge, a widow, cancer survivor and mother of two.

What better person to educate moms (and one out of place dad) about farm life than a woman who spent the last 13 years operating the business with only her two daughters as farmhands.

At one time Hedge owned over 100 head of cattle, but like most farmers in the sluggish economy, she has been forced to scale down to half that in the last two years. She runs about 40 head, the typical cow/calf herd size across the U.S. is 44 head.

The smaller number in pasture haven't meant a lighter work load for Hedge, who has been taking college classes in pursuit of a teaching degree. Her daughters were both recently married within six weeks of each other and though she plans on teaching in the Lincoln public school system next year, Hedge has no plans of selling the farm.

"I often get asked why I still raise cattle after everything I've been through," said Hedge. "Some people just don't get it. When you choose to own a farm and raise cattle it's a lifestyle choice as much as it is a business. Even though I wake up every day not knowing what kind of fire I might have to put out, I just love the lifestyle of living in the country and raising cattle."

According to the Cattleman's Beef Board, in 2008 beef accounted for 52% of dollars spent on meat at retail. In comparison, chicken accounts for just 22% of dollars spent on meat at retail. However the price of beef plummeted last spring, especially in the local market.

Hedge claims that the price of her cattle was cut in half from $1,800 to less than $900 for a pairing. 
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"Being a woman running a farm it can be difficult, but when you're a farmer you find a way to manage," said Hedge. "I can't do all the things a strong man could, or even what I like to be able to do. But, after all these years I have built a trust with these animals. Some of them will never leave this farm."

With our tour of the Hedge Beef Farm complete it was on to the last stop – a free culinary class at the Pauline Whitaker Animal Science Arena on the UA campus.

We had already consumed free lunch from Jason's Deli and a bag of candy courtesy of Hedge. But when your with a group of moms, more than enough food is to be expected.

As we staggered off the bus, tired and road weary, we marched into a classroom decked out with seven cooking stations and seven different recipes.

We were split into groups and handed our recipe. As the room full of moms jumped into action, I did my best not to get in the way. My team was asked to make an Italian dish that consisted of ground beef, diced tomatoes and onions, which were baked on garlic bread and topped with cheese – let’s call it “cheeseburger pizza."

A nice plate of comfort food to cap off my strange day on the farm. I like to feel we all walked away from the experience a little wiser, a little fuller and a lot less out of place.

More information about the Mom's On the Farm tour can be found on Facebook.