SHERIDAN — Jamey Allen may be the “baby” of the family, but at 29 years old he is the No. 1 man in the family’s farming operation. In fact, he has been the manager of the farm for the past seven years.
Jamey and his wife,Sara, also 29, are the 2015 Grant County Farm Family of the Year.
The Allens have a cow/calf operation on 4,200 acres. They also raise hay on 800 of those acres.
Jamey and Sara have two young children, Kylee Ann, 4, and James Kaden, 3.
Jamey is the son of Robin Allen of Prattsville and the late Frank Allen. Jamey has one older brother, John, 38, of Prattsville, and four older sisters — Abana Nevens, 36, of Prattsville; and Hope Allen, 35, Sarah Lane, 32, and DeMee Williams, 31, all of Little Rock.
John Allen and his wife, Shelly, and their children were the 2009 Grant County Farm Family of the Year.
Jamey graduated from Sheridan High School in 2004 and attended the University of Central Arkansas in Conway for one semester before transferring to Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, where he graduated in 2008 with a degree in agriculture/business.
“My ancestors settled in Prattsville after the Civil War, and my family has been farming here ever since,” Jamey said. “I grew up on my father’s chicken and cattle farm and could usually be found following him wherever he went. After my father’s passing in 1997, I began getting more and more involved with my uncles and brother on the large family farm.
“I have known since I was little that I wanted to be involved in some way with cattle when I grew up. It is because of the opportunities provided to me by my uncles and brother that I am in the position that I am today. I have a large family that includes cousins, nephews and nieces, as well as two children of my own. My ultimate goal is to provide those same opportunities to the rest of my family.”
Jamey and Sara are also part of another family business, Allen Gate and Panel Inc. in Prattsville, which makes corral panels and gates and sells them throughout the United States.
Jamey’s brother, John, and brother-in-law, Mike Nevens, manage Allen Gate and Panel, which was started by Jamey and John’s uncles, the late Bill and Dick Allen, in 1981.
“I assist when I can and am needed,” Jamey said. “This business has provided me with many opportunities that I would not have otherwise. The majority of fencing and corral material that I use comes from Allen Gate and Panel.”
Jamey said his cousin, Ethan Nichols, works with him on the farm.
“He has been a constant asset to the production and growth of our farm,” said Jamey, who added that John also helps on the farm when needed.
“We’re all one big community,” Jamey said. “We all help each other out. It takes all of us to run the operation. My specialty area is the cattle operation.
“The family business supports several families. We employ five people on the farm and roughly 45 people in the panel business. It all ties together.”
Sara Allen is from Sheridan and graduated from Sheridan High School in 2004. She is the daughter of Marianne Cario of Lexa and Rick and Sarah Hayes of Roe.
“We were high school sweethearts,” Jamey said of Sara. “We started dating in our junior year, but we were friends since the eighth grade. We’ve been married seven years.”
Sara is also a graduate of SAU. She teaches first grade at Sheridan Elementary School.
“During the summer, she assists me on the farm, willing to do whatever task that I ask of her,” Jamey said. “She usually helps check the cows and rakes hay.”
Kylee likes to ride along with her dad when he is checking cows.
“She also likes to show all of her friends ‘her cows,’” Jamey said with a laugh.
“My son, Kaden, … thinks he can do everything I can,” Jamey said. “He can usually be found riding with me in the truck or tractor when he’s not in school. He likes to open the gates. I’m enjoying it now because I know that soon, opening gates will lose its appeal.”
Jamey is a member of the Grant County Farm Bureau, the Grant County Cattleman’s Association and the Arkansas Cattleman’s Association. He is a lifelong member of Harmony Missionary Baptist Church.
Sara is a member of the Grant County Reading Council and Harmony Missionary Baptist Church, where she is involved in the AWANA program.
Jamey said he was “honored” and “shocked” when he learned the couple had been selected as the Grant County Farm Family of the Year.
“It’s also nice to know that what I’m doing is not going unnoticed,” he said. “I’m very blessed to be in the situation I’m in.
“My original goal when I began full-time management of our farm was to increase the cow herd from 180 head to 1,000 head of mama cows. I have since achieved that goal and have set my new goal at 1,500.
“Without the people that I have working with me, I wouldn’t be able to accomplish any of my goals. This farm has provided four full-time jobs other than mine.”
Jamey said he works hard to protect the environment and to conserve soil, water and energy.
“Our original farm here in Prattsville is the direct result of my ancestors’ hard work and determination,” he said. “It would be a major injustice for me not to do everything I can to protect and improve the land.
“I like to think of myself as a steward of the land. Without pasture, I wouldn’t be able to produce beef.”
Jamey said he has built ponds and dams to slow erosion and to collect soil and manure runoff. He spreads manure and sprays for weeds across most of his pasture ground “to promote a healthy soil for grass to thrive.”
“I regularly take soil samples to know what nutrients my soils are deficient of,” he said. “A lot of my pasture is in the Saline River bottom, which periodically floods, so I spend a good amount of time on drainage.
“I also feed overstocked fruits, vegetables and breads from grocery stores that would otherwise be wasted and put into a landfill. This also provides me with a supplement to my pasture that has allowed me to increase the number of cows I can run on my farm.
“I hope to leave the land that I farm in better condition when I am done with it than it was when I started.”