18 Feb 2013 Barnhill Orchards Planting a family business
by Jan Spann
When Col. Bob Barnhill retired from a career in the Air Force in 1980, he and his wife Carlotta returned to their rural roots and purchased an abandoned farmstead in Lonoke County. Eager to embark upon fulfilling their dream of returning to their home state and beginning a family farm, the couple and their five children pitched in to nurture the seed of the family farm into the thriving business it is today.
Family values run strong in this family, and Carlotta insisted all her kids excel in academics and get a college education. Bob, for his part, instilled within them a strong work ethic and a love of the outdoors, virtues which proved essential to a successful farming operation.
All five children served on active duty in uniform, all retired now with the exception of Rex, who is still serving in the Arkansas National Guard. Today, two of the children, Rex and Ekko, live locally and work full time on the farm with their parents.
Barnhill Orchards, as the farm is named, was originally a cotton farm dating to the early 1900s. Located in the Sandhill community south of Cabot on Highway 89, Barnhill Orchards is blessed with rich, fertile sandy loam soil, an essential component to sweet and flavorful fruits, nuts and vegetables.
Barnhill Orchards now boasts a peach and pecan orchard, fields of strawberry, blackberry and blueberry plants, and of course, the farm staple – seasonal produce.
The Sandhill region where the farmstead is located has a reputation for abundant and delicious fruit and vegetable harvests, which factored into the family’s decision to establish the farm. “I take great pride in Barnhill Orchards produce and strive to deliver the highest quality to our customers,” said Rex, who shares overseer duties with his father, Bob.
Recently retired from a career with the Department of Justice, Ekko focuses on the farm’s marketing footprint. “My job is to expand the marketing of the farm’s products, whether directly to the consumer or to local restaurants,” said Ekko. “We have great name recognition within our community, which I would like to expand into the entire 501 area.”
Barnhill Orchards specializes in selling a wide variety of homegrown fruits and vegetables both directly to the customer and to local restaurants, as well as through online sales. Barnhill Orchards currently supplies produce to the Country Club of Little Rock, Roots Café and the Peabody Hotel (to name just a few), and participates in numerous community farmers markets, as well as other local-grown networks in Central Arkansas. Additionally, from April to September, the family runs a roadside stand at the farm, boasting bountiful fresh picked fruits and vegetables. Annually, Barnhill Orchards participates in Cabot’s Strawberry Festival, to be held this year on Saturday, April 27, at Cabot’s Community Center.
One tractor, a pickup truck and a tiller were the tools with which the family started to execute their business plan, and they grew as their local reputation and customer demand for quality product expanded. While the Barnhills have mechanized their production practices, most crops are hand-planted and all produce is handpicked to ensure the quality of the produce, picked at the peak of ripeness.
The farm year begins in December and January, when the Barnhills put considerable homework into where and how to market the next season’s products, and determine what and how much to plant. Rex orders the seeds, and it’s time to start prepping the greenhouses and fields for planting. By February, the greenhouses already sprout lettuce, beets, cabbage and broccoli for transplanting to the fields.
From late April to October, the farm will offer seven varieties of peaches, as well as strawberries, blackberries and blueberries, and at least 20 types of vegetables.
Year-round, Carlotta tends to the flock of free-range chickens, tending to their needs and collecting their large, brown eggs several times a day. Grandchildren often assist in many aspects of the family farm. They gather and sort produce and sell at the local farmers markets.
The Barnhills can grow a wide variety of product, and Bob can raise most any crop with abundance, but the challenge comes in the timing and quantities of expected production and sales. “Every crop has a known production span, so we calculate planting times to coincide with favorable market conditions at harvest times to best exploit each crop’s life cycle,” said Rex. To ensure enough product for sales, more product must be planted than what is anticipated to be sold.
At Barnhill Orchards, the excess produce is an opportunity to service the community through local food banks.
For now, the Barnhills enjoy their time together as a family, at work, at play and at mealtime, serving up fresh food straight from the farm.
A Conway resident, Jan Spann has been gardening for 20-plus years and has been involved with the Faulkner County Master Gardeners for 11 years. She and her husband, Randy, have five children and eight grandchildren.
