You probably didn’t know that there were cattle being raised in Arkansas County — some its own residents often forget this fact. We’re more focused on row crops.
It’s hard to not think of the county’s cattle now since the state has experienced a horrible drought this year. Ranchers are selling out while others, like the local one I interviewed, was working hard to just make it through the year. Row crop farmers were also struggling to just keep water in their fields, although the heat helped keep a lid on disease.
A tough year is not that uncommon for Arkansas County. It’s the fifth year of natural disaster in Arkansas County — it began with a tornado, continued with record-breaking flooding and has ended (so far) with the drought.
If there’s one thing the past few years have taught me, it’s that even positive things can come out of a disaster, such as an early harvest for Grand Prairie farmers. (I absolutely love harvest season for some reason).
The heat has also kept a lid on disease in row crops and the recent rainfall from Hurricane Isaac has helped ranchers (although it did knock down three fields of rice belonging to a friend’s family).
My favorite message coming out of a disaster though is that life continues on with its beauty even more appreciated. It’s hard not to be appreciative when the sights you see are the above and below:
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