Smiths chosen as Benton County Farm Family

Westside Eagle Observer/RANDY MOLL
Jim Singleton (left), chairman of the Benton County Farm Family of the Year selection committee, presented the 2021 Benton Farm Family of the Year plaque to Kaleb and Chrisie Smith of Gentry, along with their two boys, Paden, 7, and Paxton, 5, at their farm near Gentry on Wednesday, May 5, 2021.
Westside Eagle Observer/RANDY MOLL Jim Singleton (left), chairman of the Benton County Farm Family of the Year selection committee, presented the 2021 Benton Farm Family of the Year plaque to Kaleb and Chrisie Smith of Gentry, along with their two boys, Paden, 7, and Paxton, 5, at their farm near Gentry on Wednesday, May 5, 2021.

GENTRY -- Kaleb and Chrisie Smith and their two boys, Paden, 7, and Paxton, 5, celebrated being named the 2021 Benton County Farm Family of the Year with a crowd of friends, family, neighbors and dignitaries Wednesday at their farm on Arkansas 43.

The Smiths operate a beef cattle farm west of Gentry and north of Siloam Springs on just over 1,200 acres -- 1,015 acres owned and 200 acres rented. The farm lists 34 head of registered Brangus cattle, 1,280 commercial cattle in three states, 10 quarter horses, as well as litters of AKC Labrador retrievers.

The Smiths come from generations of farmers. Excellence in farming seems to run in the family because Chrisie Smith's parents, Dennis and Marlene Schwerin, were the 1998 Benton County Farm Family of the Year. The Schwerins work with the Smiths on the farm.

Chrisie Smith was raised on the farm and has an agriculture business degree from Arkansas Tech University.

The Smiths said running a farm allows them to work together as a family and teach their two boys the values and skills learned from farming.

Improving the herd's genetics and providing a better beef product for consumers is something the family is always working on, Chrisie Smith said.

Kaleb Smith said he likes that every day's work is different, and he enjoys being with his family each day.

Jim Singleton, chairman of the Benton County Farm Family Committee, presented the Smiths with a plaque.

The program gives recognition and encouragement to families who are doing an outstanding job on their farms and in the community, recognizes the importance of agriculture in the county and the state and disseminates information on improved farming practices and farm management, Singleton said.

As winners of the Benton County honor, the Smiths are in the running for the district and state Farm Family of the Year.

Other winners in the northwest region: Boone County, Richard and Gina Blevins Farm, Omaha; Carroll County, Fred and Mitzi Worley, Berryville; Crawford County, Scott and Tanya Rogers, Alma; Franklin County, Mark and Becky Campbell, Ozark; Johnson County, Chris and Brooklyn Heiser, Lamar; Logan County, Whitaker Farms, Booneville; Madison County, Jack and Brook Hudgins, Huntsville; Newton County, Dustin Cowell family, Mt. Judea; Sebastian County, Woody Hester, Hartford; and Washington County, Fround Farms, Springdale.

Scott County didn't participate this year, according to the Farm Bureau.

Westside Eagle Observer/RANDY MOLL
Kaleb and Chrisie Smith of Gentry, along with their two boys, Paden, 7, and Paxton, 5, hold the 2021 Benton Farm Family of the Year plaque at their farm near Gentry on Wednesday, May 5, 2021.
Westside Eagle Observer/RANDY MOLL Kaleb and Chrisie Smith of Gentry, along with their two boys, Paden, 7, and Paxton, 5, hold the 2021 Benton Farm Family of the Year plaque at their farm near Gentry on Wednesday, May 5, 2021.

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