THREE RIVERS AREA — Devon and Janet Smoot were high school sweethearts at Mammoth Spring High School. They married two weeks after Janet, who is two years younger than Devon, graduated, and have been married 19 years.
The Smoots, along with their daughters, Sierra Leigh, 17, and Shyannia Taylor, 15, are the 2009 Fulton County Farm Family of the Year.
"I think it's a wonderful honor," Devon said of being named farm family of the year. "We're proud to represent Fulton County."
"It was a surprise," Janet said. "We had never thought about it."
The Smoots have a 480-acre farm in the Fryatt community near Mammoth Spring. They raise cattle and hay.
Devon is a third-generation farmer, following in the footsteps of his parents, Connie Smoot of Fryatt and the late Wesley Smoot, and his grandparents, the late Guy and Bess Smoot.
"The farm that my family owns has now been in my family for three generations," Devon said. "My father's parents owned it, and then my father, and after his death, I took over. Additionally, a portion of the farm that my wife and I own was once owned by her greatgrandparents."
Janet is a daughter of Danny and Sandy Johnson of Mammoth Spring and a granddaughter of Tommy Johnson and the late Wanda Johnson. Her great-grandparents are the late Charles Daniel and Cora Mae Johnson.
Devon said, "By the age of 8, I began taking care of my own livestock. I have always found farming a great pastime. Due to the death of my father at an early age, I began to take on more around the farm to help my mother. The more I worked and learned about the craft of farming, the more I appreciated and enjoyed it. When I married my wife, we combined her cows and mine and we have been growing ever since."
The Smoots started with 80 acres of their own and now own 200 acres. They rent an additional 280 acres.
"We operate a cow/calf operation," Devon said, adding that the herd is mostly mixed breed. "We run registered Red Angus bulls.
"We raise each calf until it weighs around 500 to 600 pounds. We then sell them to area buyers."
The Smoots also raise 38 acres of Wrangler Bermuda Grass. "The production of these fields allow a high yield for our cattle operation in the heat of the summer and additionally help in the winter with protein from the hay that is produced in early summer hay production," he said.
Future plans for the Smoot farm include purchasing more land and continue to make improvements to the land they already farm. They work with the Fulton County Cooperative Extension Service on manyprojects to benefit the farm.
"It is the hope of my family that our farm will continue to grow and expand for generations to come," Devon said.
"When we married, we merged my cattle and his cattle and now have our cattle," Janet said with a smile. "The girls have the beginnings of their own cattle, which they will use to build up their college funds."
The Smoots recently built a 7,000-square-foot, energy-efficient brick home, which Janet helped design. The Smoots consulted with their local electrical cooperative to build "as efficiently as we could," Janet said. "It is not necessarily inexpensive in the beginning, but you can't afford not to do it. In the long run, it will benefit yourself and the environment."
The house also has a "safe room" where the family can gather during emergencies and where they can store important documents and items.
Devon graduated from Arkansas State University with a degree in agriculture/business and economics. In addition to farming, he works for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad.
"I've worked for the railroad since 1996," he said. "I started as a brake conductor and in 2005, I became an engineer. I've now taken the job as a safety coordinator and now travel 10 states. I'm generally gone three or four days a week. They (his family) take care of the farm during the week."
Devon said farming is rewarding "because we are giving back. We help feed the world."
Janet said one of the benefits of raising children on a farm is "they learn to develop a good work ethic. You have to have it to run the farm effectively.They get to see the outcome of having a good work ethic."
Janet is also a graduate of ASU with a degree in early childhood education, specializing in mathematics. She teaches preschoolers in the Mammoth Spring School District. She also keeps the books for the farm, as well as her family, using the computer.
Sierra and Shyannia, or "Shy" as her family calls her, attend Mammoth Spring High School. Sierra is a senior and Shy, a sophomore.
Both girls are active in and out of school. They both havebeen involved with karate. Both play basketball. Sierra is shortstop for the school's softball team, and Shy is the team manager.
Sierra is president of the school's FFA chapter, and Shy is an active member of the club. Both are members of the National Honor Society, Beta Club, Student Council and Bears Against Drugs.
Sierra volunteers six hours a week at the preschool. Shy has been working with her show calf, which she showed earlier this month at the Fulton County Fair.
The Smoots are members of Mammoth Spring First BaptistChurch.
Devon is a member of the Mammoth Springs School Board, Mammoth Spring Booster Club and the Mammoth Spring Parent Teacher Student Association. He was named the honorary chapter FFA Farmer in 2006.
Janet is a member of theMammoth Spring Booster Club, PTSA, 21st Century Club and Child Find Committee.
- crolf@ arkansasonline.com
Three Rivers, Pages 128 on 08/30/2009