Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Sanfords named Nevada County Farm Family of the Year

It's all about family.

Spending time together, working together and enjoying life together.

This is what the 2003 Nevada County Farm Family of the Year considers most important in life.

Kevin and Janet Sanford and family are this year's recipients of the award. They, with their two children, Bryan, 14, and Kelli, 10, operate more than 1,000 acres, raising cattle and hay.

However, the Sanfords also work outside the home. Kevin is owner of Sanford and Son Painting, while Janet works at Firestone.

The two got involved in farming at an early age. Kevin and his family moved to the Prescott area from Pasadena, Texas when he was 11, while Janet is a native of Nevada County, growing up on a farm. Kevin started his cattle operation when he was 12 with five cows. He was active in Prescott High School's FFA program, graduating in 1979.

He and Janet married in 1980. In 1993, they bought 185 acres where their home and current cattle operation is. Two years later, they added 40 more acres to JK Farms, as their business is known.

They also use leased land for grazing and hay production, as the farm is composed of more than 1,000 acres of owned and leased land. They have an interest in the horse farm formerly known as the D&D Training Center. The Sanford's interest in this property is primarily for pastures and replacement heifer weight gain and hay production.

Along with working on the farm, Kevin has been painting homes and commercial buildings since he was 13. Since his father's retirement, he has been operating the family business. Janet has been working with Firestone for 24 years, with 21 spent in the shipping department. The last three and a half years, she has been working in the plant manager's office.

They work with five pastures, ranging from 140 acres to 350 acres. The beef cattle operation consists of registered Simmental and Angus bulls. They have a commercial crossbred cow/calf operation. The Sanfords have a year round breeding program in place, with 120 replacement heifers. The remainder of the calf crop is usually sold at the local market or backgrounded to a heavier weight before being marketed.

Calves are weaned twice a year, in the spring and fall. The weaned calves are pre-conditioned and put on a winter wheat or rye grass diet. The herd is also wormed, with disease control measures taken in the spring and fall.

For the hay program, the Sanfords use a mixture of Bermudagrass, Bahia and Dallisgrass. During the fall pastures are over-seeded with wheat and ryegrass for steer replacement and replacement heifer weight gain. The soil in the pastures is routinely tested for fertilizer recommendations. Chicken litter and commercial fertilizer are applied as needed.

The pasture yields 1,200 rolls of hay a year, along with 8,000 square bales. Hay not used for the cattle operation is sold to local buyers.

The cattle are marketed with the cows being bred to the Angus bulls. The cows are ear tagged for identification purposes and logged in a book provided by the Cooperative Extension Service. Soil test records are kept for future references, while operation expense and hay production records, along with cow sale slips are kept on file for reference throughout the year and end of the year processing. Family records are updated twice a month and kept in files at the home office.

Each pasture has fresh water available for the cattle, with fields being managed for maximum forage. Food plots are also planted for wildlife preservation. This is obvious as deer roam freely on the property, including near the home.

The Sanfords have a busy household with two working parents and two children in the mix. All four are active in school, the home and community, with the farm life rounding out everything else.

The family takes its evening meal together. Sometimes this is difficult during hay season. Kevin and Janet use the dinner time to catch up on what's going on with one another and their children. They also use this time to plan family and farm activities, iron out the week's schedule and share their hopes and dreams with one another.

They try and cook well-balanced meals using fresh vegetables and fruits supplied by Kevin's parents.

Family relationships are the backbone of their day-to-day existence. Janet's father helps out on the farm, checking the cattle and running errands.

They plan their household expenses, shopping to get the best price and quality possible for food and clothing.

The home is heated by a central air conditioning unit to maintain a constant temperature. When they built their home, they added extra insulation to the ceiling areas and double pane windows to make the house more energy efficient.

Kevin is a member of the Arkansas Cattlemen's Association and the Farm Bureau. He is an avid hunter, preferring to hunt deer or turkey.

Janet and Kevin attend Central Baptist Church, where she teaches Wednesday night class and plays the keyboard. She enjoys reading and spending time with her family.

Bryan will be a freshman at PHS this year. He will play football for the Curley Cubs. He also is an avid hunter, and loves to hunt deer and turkey. He attends Central Baptist as well, and is involved with a youth group. He works on the farm fluffing and raking hay, along with working with his father in the painting business.

Kelli received science and citizenship awards in her fifth grade year. She has won various awards at horse show events, and is the past winner of the muttin' bustin' competition and calf flag race. She attends McRae Middle School, where she will be in the sixth grade this year.

She is a member of the Nevada County 4-H Corral and Livestock Clubs. She, too, attends Central Baptist and is involved in the Monday Kid's Club and GMA's. She helps around the house by doing housework, mowing the yard and cooking. She enjoys talking to her friends via the computer and playing with the family dogs.