BISMARCK — Gary and Donna Ausley and their grandson and his wife, Brett and Pasha Ausley, are the Hot Spring County Farm Family of the Year.
The two couples raise about 140 head of breeding stock in a cow/calf operation and 250 acres of hay on their 560-acre farm just outside Bismarck.
Gary and Donna have been farming for more than 40 years; Brett and Paula for more than six years.
They call their operation Ausley Family Farms.
Brett said he was “super excited” when he learned about being named Farm Family of the Year.
“It’s something I have wanted to achieve for a long time,” he said. “I didn’t expect it this year, but I am glad to accept it. I’m just tickled about it.”
Gary, 68, and Donna, 67, are the parents of Tim Ausley, 49; Shannon Ausley, 47; and Chad Ausley, 45.
Brett is the son of Tim and Sherri Ausley of Bonnerdale and Teressa and John Duncan of Hot Springs. Brett has one sister, Amy Allman, who lives in Bismarck with her husband, Justin, and their 5-year-old son, Brayden, and 6-month-old daughter, Harper. Amy and Justin help on the farm when they can.
Tim Ausley also raises cattle and owns and operates Point Cedar Grocery.
Shannon Ausley lives in Bismarck, where she owns and operates a local flea market, Flea for All. She has five children: Keisha Riggan, 25, who is married to Eric and lives in Hot Springs; Kendall Breitenfeld, 19, of Memphis; Corbin Ledford, 18, of Bismarck; and Eli Breitenfeld, 12, and Noah Breitenfeld, 11, who live at home in Bismarck.
Chad Ausley lives in Bismarck, where he operates a gravel quarry with his dad, Gary. Chad has three children: Blake, 18, Josh, 16, and Elizabeth “Beth,” 13.
“We can’t meet at our house anymore,” Donna said with a laugh. “There’s not enough room.”
But there is room for all of the Ausley family to meet at a new event center that has become part of Ausley Family Farms.
“In addition to our traditional farming operations, we operate a wedding venue at our farm,” Brett said. “This is our second full year of operation. We will do about 45 weddings this year.
“Outdoor farm wedding venues have been growing in popularity, and it appears the trend will continue well into the future.”
Brett and Pasha operate the wedding venue. They both have full-time jobs as well.
Brett, 28, is a commercial and agriculture loan officer for Arvest Bank in Hot Springs. He is a graduate of Bismarck High School and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville with a degree in agriculture business.
Brett was a member of the Hot Spring County Farm Bureau and the Hot Spring County Cattleman’s Association in 2014. He was also a member of the Young Cattleman’s Leadership Class in 2014.
Pasha, 27, is a graduate of Mountain Pine High School. She has a bachelor’s degree in education from Henderson State University in Arkadelphia and a master’s degree in education from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. She teaches fourth-grade math at Bismarck Elementary School.
Gary and Donna both graduated from Bismarck High School.
“I grew up here,” Gary said, noting that he started working with cattle when he was a young boy. In addition to the farming operation, the family also owns the quarry that is nearby at Point Cedar.
“There’s enough rock there for a 500-year supply,” Gary said.
Gary and Brett are in the process of changing their whole breeding plan for their cattle operation.
“In the past, we have used mainly Angus and Maine Anjou bulls on our Angus-influence herd,” Brett said. “We began experimenting with Wagyu cattle about three or four years ago through artificial insemination. Wagyu is a Japanese breed.”
Gary said he first learned about the Wagyu cattle “in breeding books.”
Gary found a breeder who sold Wagyu semen, and he decided he wanted to try it with the farm’s heifers and see what happened.
“We artificially inseminated a few Angus to see what the calves would do,” Gary said. “Wagyu are smaller cattle.”
Gary said Brett began to get involved with the Wagyu project.
“They all thought I was crazy, except Brett,” Gary said, laughing as he referred to the rest of the family.
Brett said they now have five Wagyu bulls “to cover the whole herd.”
“We’re getting away from artificial insemination. It takes too much time.”
Brett said Wagyu cattle “are fairly uncommon in Arkansas but are gaining popularity nationwide.”
“Wagyu cattle have low birth weights and add value to calf crops through increased marbling. Most of our calves will grade high choice to prime and above.
“In the coming years, we hope to work on an embryo transplant program to begin growing a full-blood program to help produce seed stock for other Arkansas producers.”
In addition to introducing Wagyu bulls to their cattle operation, Gary and Brett have implemented rotational grazing and established cool-season grasses in an attempt to increase the farm’s grazing season for their cattle. They also want to re-establish the timberland that had been clear-cut prior to their purchase of the farm. Replanting timber will also help to control erosion on the farm. Plus, they are working on the construction of a new equipment barn; an older, 8,000-square-foot barn was destroyed by straight-line winds in 2014.