FLORAL — Chris Tharp has lived on a farm all his life.
“I got my first bottle calf when I was 6 or 7,” he said.
“I’ve had cattle ever since, or they’ve had me,” Chris said, laughing. “I’ve always wanted to farm.”
The Chris Tharp family is the 2017 Independence County Farm Family of the Year. Chris, 45, and his wife, Heather, 41, live in Floral with their children Colton, 19, Ainsley, 16, Kylie, 14, Lily, 10, and Reese, 8.
The Tharps raise cattle and chickens and have a commercial litter service as well. They farm approximately 850 acres, owning 140 acres and renting 710.
“I grew up right here on this farm,” Chris said, noting the family farm at Floral.
“My parents and grandmother live just right over there. This old homeplace is about 100 years old,” said Chris, a son of Keith and Linda Tharp and a grandson of Bobbie Tharp and the late F.W. Tharp. He is also a grandson of the late Louise Furrow.
“The land was settled by my great-grandparents, Valcie and Nela Jefford (Bobbie Tharp’s parents), who came from Missouri,” Chris said.
“My grandfather (F.W. Tharp) built the Tharp pallet mill (Tharp Pallet Co.) here in Floral from scratch,” Chris said. “One of my uncles owns it now.”
Chris has one sister, Heather Cooper of Batesville.
“There used to be two Heather Tharps before she got married,” Heather Tharp said of her sister-in-law.
Chris said being named Independence County Farm Family of the Year is an honor.
“I know there are other people who are more deserving of this honor than we are, but we are happy that we are being recognized,” he said. “We work at it every day. But everywhere I look, I see something that needs fixing. The cattle need worming. … The grass needs cutting. I just can’t seem to get to it all.”
Heather helps out on the farm, as do the children.
“I do the chickens in the morning and deal with the kids all day,” Heather said, smiling. “I also pay the bills.”
Chris said Heather does more: “She fixes breakfast and supper for all of us. It may be fast food, but she does it every day. It never ends for her.”
Chris got hurt three years ago in an accident.
“I fell out of a deer stand and broke both my legs,” he said. “Colton did everything on the farm then. … Everyone pitched in, including the neighbors. We wouldn’t have survived if it wasn’t for them. I was in a wheelchair for 10 weeks and on a walker for a while. It will have been three years in October, and I’ve still got trouble with my legs.”
The Tharps raise 500 head of cattle in a cow-calf operation.
“We have a duke’s mixture … cross-bred cattle,” Chris said. “We use mostly Brangus and Angus, ultra black, bulls.”
They operate six broiler houses, which hold 87,000 chicks at any given time. They contract the poultry with Peco Foods in Batesville.
The Tharps also operate a commercial litter service, moving approximately 30,000 to 40,000 tons of litter a year, cleaning 300 to 400 houses for other chicken growers and distributing the litter to farmers for fertilizer.
“We plan to own more chicken houses and to purchase more land for our cattle operation,” Chris said. “We want to leave a farming legacy for our children. We would like to leave them a financially stable operation.
“When we have the broiler farm paid off, we plan to build or purchase more broiler houses,” Chris said. “We are continually expanding our cattle operation by keeping our heifers. For more cattle, we are cleaning ground for pasture.
“We hope that our children will be interested in joining the operation,” Chris said. “Colton is already involved in the daily operations. Kylie is interested in an agriculture business degree.
“The broiler farm has provided a working experience for all our children … and quality family time,” he said.
Chris is a 1990 graduate of Midland High School, where he played basketball.
“I went to Central Baptist [College in Conway] to play ball and was there two years,” he said.
“My grandfather told me I needed to get an education in something I would enjoy doing,” Chris said. “‘You love farming,’ he told me, so I switched to Arkansas State University and studied agriculture. I lacked about 18 hours to graduate. I just got tired of being broke and working, too, so I quit and went to work farming full time.”
Heather said Chris “uses what he learned in college right here on the farm.”
Chris said he tries to set goals.
“I feel like I can do whatever I set out to do,” he said. “I try to set goals. It may take us awhile, but we usually achieve them.”
Chris started his commercial litter service in 1993. In June 2015, the Tharps purchased the broiler farm.
“This allowed us to diversify further with the addition of land for cattle and financially with the chicken houses,” Chris said.
Heather and Chris have been married 20 years.
Heather grew up in Ada, Oklahoma, a daughter of Ray and Melba Hamlett. She has two siblings — an older brother, Sean Hamlett, who lives in Joplin, Missouri, and a younger sister, Melissa Hamlett, who lives in Oklahoma.
Heather is a graduate of Ada High School and Lyon College, where she received a degree in chemistry in 2003.
“My maternal grandparents, Archie and Nelda Goodman, were from the Hutchinson Mountain community. They had a small farm with cattle, horses and gardening. I visited there when I was young and loved the country lifestyle,” Heather said.
“My paternal grandparents, Homer and Maud Hamlett, were also farmers and owned a farmers market in Batesville. They were from the McHue community near Southside,” she said.
“My parents’ families still live in this area (Floral),” Heather said. “One of my uncles, Randy Goodman, owns the cattle auction at Searcy. I have an uncle named Gary Goodman who lives at Floral. He knew Chris his whole life. He brought Chris with him to my grandparents’ house in Batesville because he wanted him to meet me. [Uncle Gary] was doing a little matchmaking, and it worked, much to my parents’ dismay. They envisioned me becoming a doctor like my brother, but I fell in love and stayed in Floral with Chris.
“My parents wanted me to continue my education, but after 20 years, I think they know I made the right decision. Happiness is spending time with my family, and farming allows us to have lots of long hours together.”
Heather said she started running eight years ago as an outlet for stress.
“After having my fifth child, I was feeling overwhelmed and knew I needed to find something for myself,” she said. “Running became that for me. Floral is a beautiful place to train, … beautiful scenery and lots of hills.
“I have completed 20 or more races — full marathons, half marathons, 200-mile relays, 10K, 5K and trail,” Heather said, “but I haven’t been able to race the past year because I am taking care of the chicken farm full time.
“It has worked out well because Chris and I spend a lot more time together working side by side. I always want to prove to him that I can work as hard as any man, and I did a good job because he depends on me. Running has allowed me to stay strong and healthy.”
Farming is a family affair for the Tharps.
“It’s kept us close,” Chris said. “We all work together, but I don’t want the kids to farm just because I want them to. I tell them, ‘Be your own person.’”
The Tharps’ oldest son, Colton, graduated from Midland High School in 2016. He is involved in the day-to-day operations of the farm. He helps with the delivery of chicken litter and drives the tractor-trailer. He also feeds the calves the family is backgrounding and clears land for pasture.
“I like it,” he said of working on the farm. “That’s what I want to do. I never liked school much.”
Ainsley will be a junior at Midland High School in the fall. She plays volleyball, basketball and softball. She hopes to attend ASU.
“I help sometimes on the farm,” she said.
Heather said, laughing, “She tells us, ‘I am not about that life.’
“But she is a real good big sister, and that’s a big help for me,” Heather said.
Ainsley said she wants to go to college and do something in the medical field.
Kylie will be a sophomore at Midland High School. She plays basketball and softball. She is a member of the Arkansas Havoc softball travel team. She helps with the daily operations of the chicken farm.
Lily will be in the fifth grade at Midland Elementary School. She plays basketball and softball and is a member of the Searcy Swat travel team.
Reese will be in the third grade at Midland. He plays basketball and baseball and enjoys working on the farm.
“God has blessed us,” Chris said.
“We appreciate all the people we work with, especially the other chicken-growers whose houses we clean. We appreciate them from the bottom of our hearts,” he said.
“Farming is challenging. You have to deal with a volatile commodities market that affects everything. The cattle market is always up and down, and the weather affects everything. … It’s all or nothing. We’ve had roofs blown off the chicken houses and the houses hit by lightning,” Chris said.
“Chicken-growing makes us the most steady money. It’s pretty steady, but there are always changes in biosecurity,” he said.
“Farming is always a challenge,” Chris reiterated. “What happens in the month may be totally different than what you had planned. You’ve got to love it to do it every day. You live it more than anything.
“I like it all.”