WCEL West Washington County Directory

By Randy Rice West Washington County Directory ere are 49,346 farms statewide and 97 percent of Arkansas' farms are family- owned. Prairie Grove is home to some of Arkansas' finest family farms. ey are important part of the spirit and culture of the town as well as the economy. Manta, the online business directory, lists 33 companies under agriculture in Prairie Grove alone. Since 1947, the Arkansas Farm Family of the Year Program has served as a vehicle to recognize outstanding farm families throughout the state. e objective is to give recognition and encouragement to farm families who are doing an outstanding job on their farm and in their community. In 2020, the Washington County Farm Family honor went to the Ogden Family Farm in Prairie Grove. Owner Nathan Ogden's love of farming started as a young child in his own family. "I was born and raised on a farm," Nathan said. "My wife, Tracy, and I both were. My brother, Levon, and I were working with our parents and grandfather by ages five and six. We were driving chickens to the dump at that age by ourselves." But chickens were not to be in Nathan's future as an adult. "is early experience is definitely why I do not own chicken houses," he mused. "But it is also exactly why I love cattle. Working cattle and riding calves were days that ranked right up there with Christmas morning!" Nathan believes his greatest lessons, however, were not related to the farming itself. It was what he learned about how to live that he valued most. "We learned work ethic, responsibility and life by working with our mom and dad growing up," Nathan said. "e skills and lessons you learn on a farm are endless and dad made sure we learned them. Mom and dad made sure we were prepared for life." ose life lessons have come in handy to Nathan as he develops his marketing strategies for these ever-changing times. "We market by word of mouth, Facebook & Instagram (Ogden Ranch) and have a website (ogdenranch.com) where folks can place orders, pay and arrange for local pickups," Nathan said. "We are excited about providing quality, homegrown, grass fed and grain supplemented beef to Americans." One of the unique contributions the Ogden farm is known for in Northwest Arkansas is the Buckin' at the Ranch riding event. In 2020, the Rodeo of the Ozarks was canceled and Nathan said they went back to the drawing board to come up with a way to bring Professional Bull Riding (PBR) to Northwest Arkansas. e shoots opened and the bulls bucked but it was just a little bit different than years past. For the first time ever fans ditched the stadium and headed out to Ogden Ranch. Aer lots of planning, the Arkansas Department of Health approved the event. All venue employees had their temperatures checked daily and the shoots were sanitized aer each round. e fans were social distanced but there was still room to spread out for a little more than 2,900 people. Rodeo goers also had the option to stay in their vehicles and tune into the event on the radio. But a great time was had by all and there was plenty of food and even a mechanical bull. Looking to the future, Nathan is concerned for the family farm and he feels for younger people who are just starting out. "It's sad that a young person cannot buy a farm and pay for it with profits off of it and make a good living at the same time," Nathan said. "You have to have another career to make it work. Cowboys are a dying breed. We do it because we love the life and lifestyle. I pray that by the time my children, Oaklie and Huntlea are old enough to take the reins that beef is a true commodity. You cannot duplicate the work ethic that is learned from growing up on a farm. Tracy and I wouldn't raise them any other way. My children are witnessing Ogden Ranch's evolution into the USDA Retail Beef Market. Our nation is facing a huge food supply problem and we are trying to make the most of it and do our part by providing quality beef while Americans are embracing the value of the Farm to Table business model." Prairie Grove is keeping the family farm alive in changing times "The skills and lessons you learn on a farm are endless and dad made sure we learned them. Mom and dad made sure we were prepared for life." ~ Nathan Ogden 2021 West Washington County Directory | 13

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