Henley Family named Sharp and District Farm Family of the Year
Tammy Curtis, Managing Editor, Photos, Tammy Curtis
To say the Henley family roots run deep in the area is an understatement. Bryan and Mary Ellen Henley, this year’s Sharp County and District Farm Family of the Year, both grew up no strangers to hard work and farming. It is nearly by design that after they married, they would also be farmers.
The Henleys and their daughters, 11-year-old Audra and 8-year-old Addley, also play a role in the Henleys’ overall 530-acre cow-calf operation.
The Evening Shade farm is a true hobby farm, something that they enjoy and that has not turned into a full-time job that can be dreaded.
Bryan, who grew up on a 1,200-acre cattle farm in Independence County with two brothers, said, “I’ve got two brothers, and I was a middle child, and when we needed someone to hop on a piece of equipment… I don’t know if my two brothers didn’t want to or were intimidated. I was the one who just always was like, Yeah, I’ll, I’ll drive the tractor, I’ll rake the hay, I’ll cut it, I’ll bush hog. So I was always the one who got blamed when I would tear something up. My dad, as always, likes to say, Man, you tear up everything. I’m like, I’m the only one of your kids that’s out here driving, you know. I just, I can’t remember not being on a tractor, either bush hogging or in the hay field,” he explained of his role on the farm since he was very young.
The Henleys Farm is something Bryan said he had always dreamed of, and he is thrilled that he and Mary Ellen were able to purchase their farm. She said, “For my entire childhood, every day we drove by my dream farm, and now we get to call that farm home.” The farm belonged to Mary Ellen’s second cousin and her husband and they took very good care of it during the 30 years they owned it.
Mary Ellen, whose long line of farming goes back to her grandparents, Billie Ray and Alice Nix, who established the Ash Flat Sale Barn 65 years ago, and her dad, Mike, still owns.
The Henleys own 120 acres and rent 410 for their operation, which is comprised of 101 cows, six bulls, 45 yearlings, and five feeder calves.
The Henleys retain half of their weaned calves to background and sell the others after weaning them. They said by backgrounding, they can add weight and position themselves in the market by watching potential replacement heifers long before they have to decide whether or not to cull them.
They also sell their calves for beef. They have a group of replacement and bred heifers that will be ready for sale at the end of the year. The Henleys also sell hay from their farm and were fortunate during the 2023 drought to not have to sell off cattle, as many surrounding farmers were forced to do. “We were close, really close, but we didn’t have to, Bryan explained.
The Henleys’ most significant achievement is in the purchase of their dream farm. They have also rented 220 additional acres this year for cattle grazing. They have also applied for and were approved for several practices through the NRCS to improve pasture management on the farm.
In the future, they plan to purchase or rent more property to expand their cattle and hay operation. By improving their existing property, the Henleys hope to increase their carrying capacity and improve both the soil and water quality of the land. This will enable them to feed less hay by stockpiling more forage for fall and winter.
Besides upgrading farm equipment and adding a hay barn for dry storage, the Henleys’ goal is to someday pass their farm down to their daughters, thereby beginning a fourth-generation farm family.
With any farming operation, the Henleys are no stranger to problems, but they solve them and learn from them. Bryan said land availability is the biggest problem. With the ever-increasing cost of real estate, the potential revenue from adding pasture does not align, despite the record-high cattle prices. Production costs have also increased.
Besides drought, the farm backing up to Piney Creek has also had to deal with flooding issues as well as feral hogs and army worms. These things keep the Henleys on their toes and working to overcome obstacles.
Over the next three years, the Henley’s plan to implement internal cross fencing and enhance their prescribed grazing practices. They also hope to improve their farm’s soil quality by unrolling hay in the winter and planting legumes to improve the nutrient content.
While the goal is to pass the farm down to their daughters, keeping it in the optimal condition in which they purchased it is always a top goal.
A no-till method of planting fall cover crops rather than discing or tilling is one way they plan to achieve this. Feeding hay on elevated areas rather than low-lying areas prone to erosion also helps prevent erosion. They also use rotational grazing to enhance moisture content during dry conditions.
Audra and Addley are no strangers to the farm, both girls were raised on and around farm animals. They have a partnership in the farm with their own cattle and goats.
Each began with one cow and has expanded. They are very involved in 4H, which Mary Ellen heads with Brandi Schulz.
Audra is the 4H reporter and participates in the O’Rama each year and is on the Livestock Skill-A-Thon Team. She will show her heifer and goat at the Sharp County Fair as well as help her parents with their various responsibilities during fair week each year.
She is also in Junior Beta Club at Highland Middle School and plays volleyball for the Village Juniors.
Addley will also show her goat and heifer in the fair. She participates in the Outdoor Club in 4-H and is in the process of catching a variety of fish species to compete in the Arkansas Game and Fish Grand Slam Competition. She also plays piano.
Both girls love arts and crafts and enter them in the fair each year. They love farming as well and both help feed and water livestock and also help with the Henley’s flower and vegetable garden.
The entire family is very involved in the community. Bryan is Highland High School’s ALE Director. His role involves helping at-risk students through mentorships, which assists them with overcoming challenging home lives. By empowering them to do their best and achieve goals, including graduating or earning a GED. He is also on the Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association and a Member of the Arkansas Farm Bureau.
Mary Ellen leads the Southern Sharp County 4-H, is the Sharp County Fair Board Treasurer, and also chairs the Junior Fair Board and is on the finance and sponsorship committees for the Sharp County Fair. She is also involved with the Ash Flat Parade and serves on the parade’s food delivery committee.
When she finds time, she also serves as a summer T-Ball coach and Highland Mighty Mite Cheer Coach. The girls help with all the projects in which their mother participates.
She is also a member of the Arkansas Cattleman’s Association, Farm Bureau and 4H O’Rama and a member of the National Livestock Marketing Association and is the office manager for both the Ash Flat Livestock Auction and the Pocahontas Livestock Auction, which her father also owns.
So, it is easy to see how the Henley’s were born into farming. Mary Ellen recalls her grandfather taking her to check cattle. “When Papa would come in and ask us to go to the field with him, to even just drive around and check the cattle. I was so young that when he was still able to get around. He would come by and honk. He would never come in and ask. He’d honk his horn … like, come on, let’s go. And so I would always run, get in, jump out there with him, and always be so happy,” she said, smiling. “I’ve worked at the sale barn since I was 16, so I mean, it’s just my way of life,” she said.
While the family is very busy with work and community activities, their farm is their passion and they do all the work themselves, even if and when they expand their operation. Bryan said, “We were trying to expand. I’d love to have 120 150 mamas. I don’t think that’s enough to quit your job and stay home and farm all the time. But still, that’s kind of where I would like to be. I don’t want to get too big, because then you have to hire peoand then, it becomes a job.”
Mary Ellen said, “We still want it to be a passion. We still want to love it.” Mary Ellen and the girls also work in their small garden and last week Mary Ellen was proud she finally learned to can and made 27 quarts of green beans.
Both agreed that their families were also vital in their operation, both Mary Ellen’s mother, Kathy Nix and Bryan’s mother Ina Lee Henley are a phone call away. They also have nephews and wonderful neighbors who are always helpful and ready if needed.
The family is not only utilizing the land but also being good stewards of the land and the community and epitomizing what a true Farm Family is all about. This will undoubtedly carry on to their daughter’s family and likely further.
