Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Family value important to Milams

Its all about family for the 2005 Nevada County Farm Family of the Year.

Jeff and Trish Milam were named the Nevada County Farm Family of the Year, and, while honored, stay grounded working with their two sons, Jake, 5, and Judd, 1. Raising their boys takes precedence and involved the entire family  not only mom and dad, but both sets of grandparents and great-grandparents.

Jeff and Trishs parents and grandparents live nearby, and pitch in to help take care of the boys when Jeff and Trish are working.

The Milams work a cattle ranch and operating poultry houses, with Jeff handling most of the day-to-day chores. They also grow hay and wheat for their cattle in the winter. Trish has a full-time job with the Nevada County Branch Bank of Delight, and works around the farm when not at the bank or involved with church activities. The Milams attend First United Methodist Church in Prescott.

They met when Jeff was working for Trishs father, hit it off, and the rest, as the cliche goes, is history. They were married nine years ago.

Jeff has been a full-time rancher for 11 years, starting after graduating from Southern Arkansas University with a two-year agriculture degree. Trish has an associate degree from the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope in business technology.

Both were raised on ranches and saw no reason to change their way of life, as both love working with cattle and the land. Neither could imagine a better way to raise children than on a ranch with cattle.

Jake was old enough this year to play T-ball, which kept Jeff and Trish busy attending games in the evening. Jake is in 4-H will also be showing a calf at the Nevada County Fair this year.

When asked how Judd got his name, Trish said it came from Cowboy University on television. We needed a J name (to go with Jeff and Jake). Cowboy U, she said, is a show where city slickers are taken to a ranch to work. From there its like the Survivor reality show series where people get voted off. Its funny, Trish said..

The two boys are full of energy and always on the go, whether it be playing on their swing set outside, or driving their trucks in their playroom in the house. Jake enjoys driving the gator around the farm, while Judd has a smaller battery operated version to drive around the yard.

Thrift is also important to this young family. Trish watches sale papers, does comparison shopping, uses coupons and looks for the best deals possible. We dont have to have name brand things, she said.

Most of the cooking is done at home, she said, with the evening meal taken together so the family can discuss its day. It also helps instill a sense of togetherness with mom, dad and the boys all at the table. We seldom eat out, she said. We get a lot of veggies from grandmas garden.

Jeff and Trish agree their fathers helped them out immensely, making them more self-sufficient. When something breaks on the farm, we fix it, Jeff said. We dont have to hire anyone from outside to help much.

And, with gasoline prices as high as they are, the Milams watch their driving, and make the most of the trips they do make. However, Jeff and Trish agreed they dont have a desire to go many places.

I know it sounds strange to say we dont have any hobbies, but the ranch is it, she said. When I get home from work me and the boys like to go around and look at the cattle. Its what we enjoy doing

But, the Milams arent total stay-at-homes. They also like being involved with church work and activities and visiting with friends, like Rex and Amy Dollar.