Day 7, Family Farms

 Hays Brothers Angus Farm in Arcadia, Kovac Cattle Co, in Oak Grove and GAP Farms in Brandon Ms, all have one common denominator, they're all family farms. The farms may not all look the same and may not all have the same goals but family plays a major part in all of these operations.

From our very first stop the above photo is the first building you see when you pull on to the beautiful, sprawling farm of Hays Brothers Angus. Landon, the son of owner Mike Hays, life was cut short by a tragic motorcycle accident at the age of 14. It was evident from the time we stepped foot off the bus the impact Landon had on everyone that knew him. Clark Hays, the brother of owner Mike, runs the farming operation. He spoke to the group about the new direction Hays Brothers were taking. They are no longer in the purebred Angus business but are now positioning themselves as a "one stop cattle shop". Hays Brothers buys and sales cows on a daily basis. This stop was an impressive stop, from converting timber land to pasture in less than 3 years to the huge Landon Hays Arena. No doubt about it, this is a close family.

When we arrived at Kovac Cattle Co, we were greeted by 3 year old Will Kovac. He shook about every single beef tour members hand and told them welcome to the farm. His Granddad Mike gave the crowd an overview of the farming practices. He said since they live in a farming area they are able to get feed products at a little cheaper rate than most Alabama producers. Mike works alongside his son Cullen on the farm. Cullen a graduate of LSU discussed the grazing program and the different types of forages they use in the various soil types their farm encompasses. Kovac Cattle Company closely resembled most of the producers farms on our tour. I felt like the members of the tour could have hung around here for a while. As I said in the prior paragraph, if was evident this was a close knit family farm. 

Our last and final stop of Beef Tour 2012 was in Brandon Mississippi, at GAP Farms. Mr. Gale Martin addressed the crowd about some free fertilize compliments of Terra Renewal. Terra takes the waste water from processing plants and injects the organic material into the ground. This service is free to the land owner and Terra will work with you on the rates and timing of the injections. Gale toured us to some of his pastures that the injection process has taken place on and the rye grass was at least knee deep, with a lush green color. He also demo'd to the group his bale wrapper. He cuts his rye grass and bales on the same day. He wraps the high moisture bales with a new machine that he has bought in partnership with his son in law. He "wrapped" up our day explaining the importance of farming and partnering with family members to help offset costs. That's it for beef tour 2012! Check back for Final Thought of Beef Tour 2012 and check out some of the pictures that I have taken during the week at www.flickr.com/photos/beeftour2012 Thanks for your time! Matthew Durdin