Standing on the front porch of his Fayetteville, Arkansas home, producer Stacy Cheevers, feels he wakes up every morning in a beautiful place.

And even though he leaves the farm everyday to go to work as the plant manager at Beaver Water District, he can’t wait to get home and do what he loves—raising livestock and quality forages.

That love of agriculture, and all that comes with being a producer in northwest Ark., is what recently earned Cheevers and his family the Washington County Farm Family of the Year award.

Cheevers farm family consists of himself, his wife, Joyce and their daughters Lauren, Alicia and Ashdon.

“Alicia’s husband Jon is also a big part of this operation,” Cheevers says.

Cheevers’ operation, like many today, is a diversified one.

“We are currently raising about 300 head of commercial cattle, we hay about 300 acres and we also grow broilers for George’s,” Cheevers explains.

According to him, raising commercial cattle is the best fit for them.

“We use Angus bulls on our cows allowing for a predominantly black cow herd,” he says.

According to him, most of his calves are marketed at local sale barns. However, some are sold on private treaty.

“We also retain some of our heifers each year,” Cheevers explains.

In addition to the cow herd, Joyce manages the poultry operation which consists of 270,000 broilers per year.

When it comes to hay and forage, Cheevers says they grow a lot of fescue and orchardgrass.

“In addition to the fescue and orchardgrass, we also interseed clover, and have some bermuda,” he says.

Farming for Cheevers, is a way of life and one that he hopes to continue to do until he can pass it on to his children.