SIDNEY — Bart Schulz wears many hats. He is a justice of the peace, a volunteer firefighter, the manager of an ambulance service and a farmer.
Schulz can now add one more title to his resume — he and his family are the 2016 Sharp County Farm Family of the Year.
Bart, 47, and his wife, Brandi, 30, along with their sons, Briley Finster, 12, and Jonah Finster, 10, raise cattle, poultry and hay on 484 acres, part of which has been in the Schulz family for several generations.
Bart is a fifth-generation Sharp County farmer. His great-great-grandfather Frederick Schulz homesteaded in the Wirth area, and subsequent generations have farmed in Sharp County at one time or another.
“Being named Farm Family of the Year is an honor. We hesitated at first when they asked us if we would do it. We weren’t sure if we wanted all the hoopla … all the publicity,” Bart said.
“It took us a few days to decide. We accepted it in recognition of all of the family that has farmed in the past,” he said.
“I’ve been around chickens and cows all my life. I’ve always been a part of this farm,” Bart said.
“I lived right here in this house until I was in fourth grade,” he said, adding that he lives in his parents’ old farmhouse [that has been remodeled] on the same land where he was raised.
Bart is the son of Dale Schulz of Sidney and the late Linda Schulz. Bart’s brother, Brad Schulz, lives in Mountain Home, and his sister, Julie Cascia, lives in California.
Bart graduated from Evening Shade High School in 1987 and has an associate degree in paramedics from the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville. A licensed emergency medical technician, Bart is general manager of Spring River Ambulance Service, which covers all of Sharp County and a portion of Fulton County. His office is in Cherokee Village.
Prior to his job at the ambulance service, Bart worked in chemical-control operations and emergency response at Future Fuel Chemical Co. in Batesville, which was previously Eastman Chemical Co.
“But I farmed, too,” he said.
“My mom and dad bought this farm in 1970, and my grandparents (the late Ernest and Bertha Schulz) bought the farm next door that same year,” he said. “My dad’s family had moved to California back during the Dust Bowl. Dad and his siblings were born in California, but my grandparents moved back to Arkansas and set down roots here.”
Bart’s parents built their first two chicken houses when he was 4; those chicken houses stood where Bart’s current chicken houses stand today.
He was raised farming around his parents, uncles and grandparents. He said he credits most of what he knows about farming to things each member of his family taught him. Their farm currently neighbors his uncle, cousin and father.
When he was 27, Bart purchased his first 11 cows and raised them on ground belonging to his mother until he purchased his own land and began farming on his own in 1997.
“As a kid, I hated farming,” Bart said, smiling. “I always said I would never, ever, farm.
“My granny said, ‘Your dad said the same thing, and look what he’s doing now,’” Bart said. “And here I am … farming.”
Bart and Brandi have a mixed-breed cow/calf operation of 120 head with four Polled Hereford bulls, three Charolais/Red Angus crossbred replacement bulls and 34 yearlings.
“Our cattle are bred on a rotational schedule to promote uniformity in the calf crop and overall health of the bulls and cows,” Bart said. “We have three calf crops per year. Calves are held, vaccinated, weaned and fed a grain mix, then sold at auction.”
The couple also have five chicken houses.
“We raise broiler chickens for [Peco Foods Inc.],” Bart said. “A large portion of our chicken litter is used here on the farm to fertilize hay ground and pastures. Any remaining chicken litter is sold.
“The poultry operation is very complementary to our cattle operation. The additional revenue brought by the chickens allows us to make overall farm improvements. The chicken litter serves as fertilizer for the farm ground.”
The Schulzes get the baby chicks on the day they are born and raise them to 9 or 10 pounds.
They raise five flocks a year, typically with 88,000 birds per flock.
The family also raises hay on 95 acres and feeds it to the cattle.
As for future expansion of the farm, Bart said, “I won’t say I’m opposed to expansion, but we just expanded the farm recently.”
Brandi added: “We’ve had two expansions during the last two years.
“We’re trying to get acclimated to those recent expansions before we can think about doing anything else. We have some things we need to do on this additional land before we buy more.”
Brandi does not come from a farming background but said she has adapted since she met Bart. A 2004 graduate of Cave City High School, she also graduated from the paramedic program at UACCB and is a licensed paramedic.
“I grew up all over the map, … mainly in Cave City, but I had never been involved in farming before I met Bart,” she said. “We met through mutual friends in the emergency medical services community. We’ve been together since 2010 and were married in 2013.”
She is the daughter of Jerry and Kim Anderson of Batesville and has three sisters who live in the area — Misty Anderson of Batesville, Isis Tate of Southside and Jeri Turner of Evening Shade.
Brandi continues to keep up her licensure as a paramedic, but she now has her own photography business, Key Moments Photography.
“I shoot on location,” she said. “I use the farm a lot. I use natural light and focus mainly on portraits — families and children — as well as high school senior photos and wedding photos. Bart gave me a camera a few years ago, one that had different lenses, and I just started taking photos of the boys. Then I had people start asking me if I would take pictures for them, and my business has just taken off.”
Brandi also keeps the books for the farm. The new computerized system she uses has detailed notes, history and photos of each cow in the herd.
“I try to keep everything organized,” she said. “That’s a pretty big job in itself.”
The Schulzes grow a large garden each year with corn, tomatoes, potatoes and other vegetables.
“After the season, we put up our vegetables in relish, salsa and pickles,” Brandi said.
Briley and Jonah are involved on the farm. They help with the day-to-day operations in the chicken houses and with the cattle.
“Each of our boys has chosen one heifer to start his own cattle herd,” Brandi said. “Briley chose a wheat-colored Braford cross heifer that recently gave birth to her first calf. Jonah chose a white-faced, tiger-striped heifer that is set to calve this fall.”
Briley and Jonah attend Cave City schools. Briley is a member of the football team, baseball team, Student Council, history club and band. Jonah is interested in science, engineering and chemistry; he is also active in the garden and canning process.
Bart serves as a Sharp County justice of the peace for District 7 and is a member of the Sidney Volunteer Fire Department. He is also a member of the Sharp County Economic Development Exploratory Group, the Spring River Area Chamber of Commerce, the Spring River Kiwanis and the UACCB Nursing and Allied Health Advisory Board.
Bart is a registered EMT, both nationally and in Arkansas, and is a member of the Arkansas EMT Association.
Brandi is a parent volunteer at Cave City Elementary School. She is an Arkansas registered paramedic, as well as a nationally registered paramedic. She is a member of the Arkansas EMT Association.