OLA — Dustin Walker, 34, started farming in 2000 while he was still in high school. In 2010, he and his wife, Melanie, 30, purchased their own farm and have continued to grow their operation, persevering through some tough times.
The Walkers, along with their young children — Tyler, 11, Abagail, 7, and Brylee, 2 — are the 2019 Yell County Farm Family of the Year. They raise hay, cattle and chickens on their 314-acre farm.
“When they asked us to be the Farm Family of the Year, I asked, ‘Why? How would we go about doing that?’” Dustin said. “They told us we didn’t have to sign up for anything … just accept it. So we said, ‘Yes.’”
Melanie said she was “shocked” to learn they would receive the honor.
“But we are proud to accept it,” she said.
“We always wanted to have our own farm,” Dustin said. “We want to keep growing.”
He said the couple have endured a few setbacks since they bought their farm.
“In 2015, our farm took a direct hit from a large tornado, which devastated our entire farm,” Dustin said. “It took out our poultry houses, along with several outbuildings and our home. Total damages were approximately $850,000. With a lot of work over the next two years, we were able to get everything rebuilt, and now our farm is back in production and better than it was before.”
He recalled another tough time brought on by the forces of Mother Nature.
“In 2011 and 2012, we experienced one of our worst droughts to ever hit the area,” Dustin said. “Hay supplies were short, and if you could find hay, it was very expensive. Since that time, I have started planting a large part of the farm each fall with winter annuals, which makes me less dependent on hay.”
The Walkers bought their farm in 2010 with the help of a first-time-farmer program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency.
“We were able to purchase our own farm that contained 75 acres and three old chicken houses,” Dustin said. “In 2014, we went through a local bank to obtain enough financing to build two more poultry houses and purchase 20 head of cattle.”
Dustin said that after the tornado hit their farm in 2015, the couple were able to obtain financing through First Financial Bank of Morrilton, which allowed them to build back four poultry houses and purchase 84 head of cattle.
“And we are still going strong,” Dustin said.
Today, their farming operation includes 200 acres of leased land and 114 acres that they own. They raise 100 acres of hay, 164 head of cattle and 2.64 million chickens annually.
“The chickens are our biggest [enterprise],” Dustin said. “We get the chicks at
8 1/2 weeks and raise them to 9 1/4 pounds. They are taken to Wayne Farms at Danville, where they are processed.
“We would like to buy more property. We would also like to expand our cattle operation. The hay crop is utilized on our farm to feed the cattle during the winter.”
Dustin does custom hay-baling, baling between 1,200 and 1,500 bales a year.
“Custom hay-baling allows me to utilize equipment I already own, and the income provided by this helps to maintain equipment and adds income to our farming operation,” he said.
Dustin said he has two calf crops each year, fall and spring, which he typically markets at the local livestock barn in Ola. The calves usually average 500 pounds each.
“My farming operation is dedicated to the production of chickens and cattle, but it is also dedicated to protecting the environment,” he said. “Eleven years in operation and plenty of struggles to surpass, I have learned to work with organizations such as our [Yell County] Cooperative Extension Service and our NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) to address problems in an environmentally sound fashion.
“We were able to build a poultry-manure stacking shed, which allows us to store manure until environmental conditions are conducive to spreading as to minimize runoff in our streams. I practice a rotational grazing system, which allows the grass to grow and become a natural filter that provides cleaner runoff. Planting winter annuals keeps good cover on the soil during the winter months, which helps prevent soil erosion.”
Dustin, a son of Aubrey and Sharon Walker of Ola, grew up in Birda. He graduated from Ola High School in 2003. He is a volunteer firefighter with the Ola Fire Department and a volunteer with the Yell County Volunteer Search and Rescue Team and the Yell County Dive Team.
Melanie, a daughter of James and Karen Raburn of Lamar, grew up in Lamar and graduated from Lamar High School in 2007.
Dustin and Melanie are members of the Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association. They are both active in the children’s school activities and in activities at the family’s church, New Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church in Plainview.
“Our children are just now coming to the age where they are becoming more involved in local activities,” Dustin said. “Tyler’s activities include go-carts, running hounds and hunting. Abagail enjoys running hounds and hunting, along with horse shows. Brylee also enjoys riding horses.”