Clark County farm family sees set backs, rewards

Clark County Farm Bureau representative Larry Garlington, far left, presents the Minton family with the 2018 Clark County Farm Family of the Year award. From left are Wyndal Minton, Sharon Minton, Marc Minton, Chassidy Walker, Ginger Walker, Mike Minton  and Zachary Walker.
Clark County Farm Bureau representative Larry Garlington, far left, presents the Minton family with the 2018 Clark County Farm Family of the Year award. From left are Wyndal Minton, Sharon Minton, Marc Minton, Chassidy Walker, Ginger Walker, Mike Minton and Zachary Walker.

GURDON — Wyndal Minton is a third-generation farmer. His grandfather started the family operation in the early 1900s, and his father continued in his place.

“I now own and operate this operation with my oldest son, Mike,” Minton said.

The Minton family of Gurdon was recently named the Clark County Farm Family of the Year for 2018. The Arkansas Farm Family of the Year program recognizes farmers and ranchers each year.

“It is an honor to be recognized for what you have done, for all of your hard work, to be honored for what you have put into it over the years,” Minton said.

The Minton family bail and stack hay for their own use. Their livestock is marketed through Hope Livestock and Oklahoma Stockyards. They have four chicken houses that hold more than 50,000 laying hens. Those hens are contracted to Foster Farms in California.

About one-third of the operation is used to spread chicken litter on cropland.

The four chicken houses are lined with 10 fans, which drop the temperature about 20 degrees, which keeps the houses cool during the summer. Minton said the family does have a computer that operates the temperature, and he is never too far away from the houses.

“Somebody has to keep an eye on it,” Minton said.

The Mintons have about 80 head of cattle on their farm, including Beefmaster and Angus, and other livestock.

“It is a full-time job,” Minton said, “so I am not really sure why we were chosen, but along with the rewards, there are hardships and setbacks.

“If I had to guess, it is just from the work that we have put into it.”

The Minton family began with row cropping with 600 acres. They were up to 1,000 acres in 1987, when they dropped back to 500 acres and began raising chicken and cows. By 1991, it was strictly a cow-and-chicken operation. The litter operation was added in 2011 and is now known as Minton Farm Custom Application. Now, the family is up to more than 1,000 acres again.

“We had originally bought a TerraGator and planned on using it for our own needs,” Mike Minton said. “Within two years, the operation had grown to more than what we could handle.”

The TerraGator evenly distributes the litter, which is used as fertilizer, on the ground. The Mintons are considering increasing the litter operation by using more machinery.

Mike worked his way up and was kind of amazed and taken back by the workload. It got to the point that the machine they had couldn’t handle all the work. He said they now deliver about 27,000 tons of litter.

“And there will be a lot more this year,” Mike said. “You need somebody you can trust because it is precision stuff. It is all run by computer and a three-man crew.”

In the late 1980s, an economy issue created major problems for the Minton family, so they began to look for new and creative ways to maintain the farm, thus the reason for the move from row crops to chicken, cattle and litter.

The chicken waste is used as fertilization, which causes almost no disturbance to the environment, allowing it to be maintained through natural resources.

Mike, who has served as the Clark County Cattlemen’s Association president and is currently a Clark County Farm Bureau Board member, is solely responsible for the management of the family’s litter operation.

When Wyndal isn’t working on the farm, he likes to spend his time sleeping or hunting. He said he never likes to be too far away from the farm. Mike said he used to hunt a lot more often, but he just doesn’t have the time to do it as much as he would like.

“I like to spend time with the family when I can,” Mike said.

Wyndal and his wife, Sharon Minton, will have been married for 44 years this August.

Ginger, Wyndal’s daughter, works for AT&T and has two children who are involved with football, softball and band. Marc, Wyndal and Sharon’s youngest son, received his master’s degree in finance from Henderson State University in Arkadelphia. He also participates around the farm when needed and in his spare time.

Wyndal’s dad died in 2001, and his mom died a year ago in November.

“Marc spent a lot of time taking care of our grandmother when she got sick,” Mike said. “And a lot can be said for that. He was our home care.

“He had the hardest time when she passed.”

The entire family attends and participates in all activities at Beech Street Baptist Church in Gurdon.

Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.

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