Judsonia cattle farm receives state century honor

JUDSONIA — Martin Cattle Co. came into existence more than 100 years ago when William O’Kelley Martin bought land from the Missouri-Pacific Railroad Co. in 1920. Today, the farm operates as Martin Cattle Co. under the direct ownership of David and Rita Martin and their three daughters.

Martin Cattle Co. was one of 30 farms recognized recently as 2020 Arkansas Century Farms. The Martins qualified for the honor with 101.78 acres in White County.

“It is an honor to be recognized as a Century Farm,” said Dana Stewart, 38, the middle daughter of David and Rita Martin and spokeswoman for the farm. “It means so much to our family to keep this farm going and to be able to pass it down to future generations.

“Farming and ranching are unpredictable. There are so many factors that you can’t control, like the weather or the market. The hours are long, and the pay usually isn’t great, but there’s a sense of pride and accomplishment knowing that you’re building on what past generations have overcome. Every calf crop brings new hope for a new season. To share these things with our family means so much.”

Dana and her husband, Joshua, have two children, Jewel, 10, and Henry, 7. The family lives on the original farm, and the couple assist with day-to-day management and marketing of the main cattle herd.

The Martins’ oldest daughter, Rebecca Johnson, 42, is married to Jason, and they have a 13-year-old daughter, Madalyn. Rebecca and her family live on the part of the farm they help manage. This farm is not part of the Century Farm but was purchased later.

David and Rita Martin’s youngest daughter, Rasha Pate, 30, and her husband, Jordan, manage first-time calving heifers at a rented farm. They have no children. Jordan also operates a custom hay business and cuts hay for the farm.

Dana said it is thought that William O’Kelley Martin rented the land from the railroad company before he bought it.

“Tax records show that William O’Kelley paid taxes for the land as early as 1910,” she said.

“Throughout the generations, the Martin Farm Family has raised crops and livestock in the northern hills of White County,” Dana said. “The farm was passed down through the hands of the Martin family, beginning with William O’Kelley Martin and his wife, Eska, then to their son, Boyce C. Martin Sr. and his wife, Minnie, who inherited the farm in 1939 and owned it until 1959.

“Boyce C. Martin Jr. and W.D. “Bill” Martin, brothers, inherited the farm from Boyce Sr. before passing the farm to generations who continue to live and work the farm,” Dana said. “Today, the David Martin family raises 150 head of cattle on the original land, along with rented land.”

David Martin’s parents, W.D. and Ann Martin, owned the farm from Sept. 21, 1959, until Dec. 5, 2008, when David and Rita took ownership of the property.

Dana said beef cattle have been a cornerstone of the operation since the beginning. The cattle were marketed in Memphis, Tennessee, in the 1920s and ’30s.

“In 1936, Boyce Sr. purchased the first registered Hereford cow, beginning a long passionate road to producing high-quality seedstock,” Dana said. “Many pedigrees of the cattle on the farm today can still [be traced back to the ancestry of] the registered cows purchased in those formative years.”

In the 1970s, the farm was known as Martin Hereford Farm. Bill Martin sold heifers and bulls through production sales. Today, the farm still raises some Herefords, but the main operation centers around Gelbvieh and Balancer cattle, with heifers and bulls being sold private-treaty off the farm and through consignment sales.

Dana said the family has shown cattle throughout the history of the farm, dating back to the early days of the White County farm. The farm has produced national champion Gelbvieh bulls and heifers.

Dana said that while the farm centers on cattle production today, it has served many other purposes, including raising hogs, laying hens and meat goats.

“The farm has also produced oats, corn, soybeans and hay,” she said. “Additionally, strawberries were grown on the farm during the height of White County’s rich strawberry production.”

The Martin family also owned a small grocery store in the 1920s and ’30s, located on the farm near road access.

“Even though my parents are still the primary owners of the farm, we all play a role in the daily work that happens there,” Dana said. “Even the grandkids are involved. This is really a farm family.”

SUBMITTED PHOTOS Martin Cattle Co. of Judsonia is one of 30 farms recognized as 2020 Arkansas Century Farms. Accepting honors from Gov. Asa Hutchinson, left, and Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward, right, family members attending the official recognition ceremony are David Martin, second from left, Rita Martin and Rasha Pate, the Martins’ youngest daughter.

A young group of calves raised by Martin Cattle Co. are shown in the photograph. The Martins raise purebred Gelbvieh and Balancer cattle that are marketed to breeding programs in several states.

This photo of the original Martin homeplace shows William O’Kelley Martin near the center of the photo, holding his hat.

Boyce Martin Sr. and his wife, Minnie, stand in a field of row crops during the earlier years on the Martin Cattle Farm.

David and Rita Martin pose for a photo at the induction ceremony into the Arkansas Century Farm Program.

Madalyn Johnson, 13, shows a Balancer heifer at the 2020 Gelbvieh Junior National Heifer Show. Balancer cattle are a registered cross between Gelbvieh and Angus cattle.