Anthony & Seth tend their flock in Northeast Arkansas on the same piece of land their family has farmed for generations. Read below to hear a little bit about life on the pasture at Wells Farm!
How long have you been farming with Vital Farms?
Since 2019. We raised cattle for most of our lives but just began raising hens when we started with Vital Farms.
Can you tell us a bit about the land you farm on?
Anthony: I grew up on this very land where we’re standing. My grandfather owned it and it’s been in my family since. My wife actually grew up on the land just over there through the woods. It takes longer to drive there than ride a horse, so I spent most of my dating years on horseback, riding through there to take my wife on a date.
So has your family farmed that entire time?
Anthony: Yes we have. We raised cattle and steer for a long time and then turned this piece of the property into land for the hens. And don’t be fooled, my son is the one who owns this piece of land and is in charge of the hens. I just help him out. He bought this part of the land from my brother and the hens are his operation. (he says with pride).
Seth: (points to their property – it’s surrounded by thick woods and many, many trees and large rocks as it sits at the base of a small mountain) Before we put the barn in we had to clear out this entire place of so many trees so the hens could have somewhere to forage. It took a couple of weeks of work to clear every tree and rock out of here.
How do you guys divide up who handles the work?
Anthony: I come and help sort eggs and lend a hand whenever Seth needs it, but Seth handles everything else. From the paperwork to the day-to-day.
What’s the prettiest spot on your pasture? Where do the girls tend to spend the most time?
We set our paddocks up so there are lots of trees for the girls to play in. We really love this particular spot, where you can see the mountain and look out over the surrounding trees. You can see the entire surrounding countryside from here. We just love to come up here and look at the hens and the trees. It’s so peaceful here.
