Jason West, along with his wife Laura and two daughters Landen, 19, and Paisley, 13, were named the Bradley County Farm Family of the Year. The family runs West Oak Farms.
Laura comes from a line of farm families. Her grandparents Mary and Eugene Hamilton and her father Terry Don Pritchard were past farm families.
The West family has been farming and ranching for five years when they broke ground on their first chicken houses.
Jason was not raised on a farm, but he worked for tomato and cattle farmers as a teenager. His wife Laura, however, was raised on a cattle and tomato farm. Jason and Laura married in 2002.
After getting married, Jason grew a love for farming. During that time, he worked for the phone company, AT&T for over 13 years. On the weekends, he would spend time working on cows with Laura’s family on their farm. Eventually, Jason purchased Laura’s family farm as a gift to her for Christmas. They were able to turn the family farm into a poultry and cattle farm.
Laura resigned from her job before the breeder houses were built so she could run the farm. Jason said it was always a dream of his to one day be able to come home and become a full-time farmer. He said he wanted to give his full attention to the farm and his family. After many prayers, Jason said he had the opportunity to leave his AT&T job to focus on farming, and he left his job in 2020 to become a full-time poultry and cattle farmer.
West Oak Farms has 80 acres of hay where they yield 10 per acre. The farm has 44,000 breeder hens per year, 5,000 breeder roosters per year and over 550,000 dozen hatching eggs per year. They have four production units. The family farm has one commercial Brahman Bull and three Commercial Brahman Heifers.
West Oak Farms is contracted through the International Poultry Breeders located in Rison. Their contract consists of breeder houses that supply and hatch eggs. They also supply hay, which is sold to other farmers in the area. The hay is given to the livestock to ensure they are fed through the winter months. Litter is also produced because of the poultry houses. The litter is used to fertilize our farm land, so that it will grow strong and healthy. It is also sold to local and delta farmers to fertilize their fields and land for crops and livestock.
Jason said on their farm, they truly believe protecting the environment and believe it is very important. They strive to respect the environment as much as they can. On the farm, they recycle their poultry litter and use it to fertilize their own fields for hay to ensure that the livestock will receive the best nutrients. They purchase, replace, and maintain new cool cells each year to help with electric bills. It also helps with conserving energy while cooling down poultry houses. All curtains are kept tight to prevent air leaks. Water pressure is checked daily to prevent any leaks and conserve water.
Jason said although life on a farm can be very consuming and consist of long days, the tasks are rewarding at the same time. Jason and Laura try to involve their two daughters in the farm duties. Landen and Paisley help run belts, pack eggs, weigh up feed, and getting diesel, while their parents bail and cut hay.
Both daughters are involved in the community. They are involved in the youth group at Calvary Baptist Church. They have both made high academic achievements in school. Landen has recently finished up her first year at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, where she is majoring in nursing. Paisley just finished seventh grade at Warren Middle School. Landen is employed by the local YMCA, where she works with the after-school program. Paisley plays softball and made the A and B Honor Roll both years at Warren Middle School. Both are also members of the Bradley County Cattlemen’s Association.
Jason and Laura are also members of Calvary Baptist Church and Bradley County Cattlemen’s Association. Jason said they keep God first.
West Oak Farms has accomplished several goals already. They made their farm more efficient by adding LED light bulbs to all breeder houses. They keep poultry houses updated with energy efficient technology by adding high efficient air conditioner units to egg coolers. They continue to strive to be the best growers in the company with monthly preventative maintenance to extend the life of the farm equipment.
Their goals are to use AI training for registered Brahman bulls and to purchase more land to raise livestock.
Their future plans are to expand their livestock and hay business. They hope to keep the farm prosperous and instill the love of farming in their children.
Like with any industry, there are always problems that can arise. Some of the major issues the farm face include: diesel prices increasing, the expensive cost of breeder house parts, increasing cost of livestock feed, egg pay cuts due to COVID-19, the cost of hay and farm equipment upkeep, and expenses towards herbicides and pesticides. Despite the rising cost of keeping up poultry houses is to make budgeting a major priority.
“I am very blessed to have the life that I do, despite any challenges I may face,” said Jason.
The Arkansas Farm Family of the Year program sponsors are Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, Arkansas Farm Bureau and Farm Credit Associations of Arkansas. The program partners are Arkansas Agriculture Department, Arkansas FFA Association, Arkansas Press Association, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, USDA-Farm Service Agency, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, and USDA-Rural Development.
