Sharp County farm honored for cattle, poultry
MARTIN CREEK COMMUNITY — James Davis and his son, Austin Davis, doing business as Davis Farms, have been named the 2020 Sharp County Farm Family of the Year. They raise cattle and broilers on their 1,280-acre farm near Williford.
The Davis family includes James and his fiancee, Christy Honeycutt, and her son, Hayden Johnson, 13; and Austin and his wife, Amanda, and their three daughters: Brinley Jo, 12, Alexis, 10, and Allie, 8.
“It is really an honor to be named Sharp County Farm Family of the Year,” James said. “There are a lot more people in this county who deserve it more than we do.
“We take what we do for granted. We do it every day. We do it because we like … because we love it.”
James, 55, and Austin, 34, and their families all live on the farm.
The Davises’ cattle operation includes 150 to 160 cows.
“We background all calves until they are between 700 and 800 pounds,” James said. “We sell to individuals off the farm, marketing the remainder of the calves through local auctions.”
James and Austin raise the broilers for Peco Foods, which are processed through the plant in Pocahontas.
“We average 4.5 flocks per year,” James said, adding that averages about 1 million birds per year in the farm’s eight poultry houses.
The Davises have three additional enterprises that “help keep Austin on the farm full time and support the family,” James said.
They have a custom hay-baling operation for the surrounding area, baling approximately 250 acres of hay per year.
“We also have a [chicken]-litter-spreading business for the surrounding area for excess litter not used on the farm business,” James said. “We incorporate custom dozing, as well, to help support the family.”
James said that as a result of Austin’s ability to stay on the farm and work full time, the family has been able to expand its backgrounding operation “beyond our own cattle to purchased cattle as well.”
“We have also been able to improve the unused ground into productive ground,” James said. “We have been able to add to your custom hay-baling, which has been huge for our operation.”
James said their long-term goal is further expansion.
“We have been fortunate enough to be able to work with the Sharp Country Conservation District, Natural Resources Conservation Services and the Sharp County Cooperative Extension Service office,” James said. “We’ve been able to reduce access to the creek that runs through our farm with cross-fencing, stream-bank erosion control and nutrient management for our chicken litter.
“Soil and litter samples allow us to know where and how much litter to use, helping manage nutrient levels. We also have a composter and a stacking shed to manage litter and the timing of litter-spreading.”
James said he grew up loving to farm. A son of Dorothy Davis and the late E.A. Davis, James graduated from Williford High School in 1982.
“Dad always had a few head of cattle,” James said.
“Austin and I rented some ground and just started farming. We started with a few cattle and have added to it every year. When Austin decided to stay home and farm full time, we realized that we needed something else for us to make a living, and he decided we needed to add chickens. We did that in 2017,” James said.
“We are first- and secondgeneration farmers. We did not inherit any ground and started out at ground zero. We both worked
outside jobs to start and still do today. It is a struggle and very humbling,” he said.
“I’ve worked my whole life to give Austin this opportunity, and he’s taken it above and beyond any expectations. With his work ethic, I expect him to grow it exponentially,” James said.
“Austin’s girls have a few sheep and goats to add to the total operation. Everyone is involved in cattle-working and interested in showing livestock. They also enjoy helping in the chicken houses, playing a huge role in checking and monitoring alarms, as well as the dayto-day operation when we are off on other jobs. We could not do what we do without the whole family,” James said.
“My mother is definitely the backbone of our operation,” he said, smiling. “We couldn’t make it without her.”
James works off the farm for the BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) Railway Co., making frequent runs on the freight railroad from Thayer, Missouri, to Memphis, Tennessee. His fiancee, Christy, is a home-health physical-therapy assistant. Christy’s son, Hayden, attends Highland Middle School.
Austin, a 2004 graduate of Williford High School, also worked for a time for the railroad before deciding to work full time on the farm. His wife, Amanda, is a registered nurse. Their daughters attend Sloan-Hendrix Public Schools in Imboden.
James and Austin are members of Forest Hills Baptist Church and the Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association.