Triple A Farms

“I have an obligation to do something greater than what I inherited.”

The original Triple A Farms was purchased on Sept. 25, 1919, by Grover Bagby, the grandfather of Ryan Anglin, who with his wife Susan, is the current owner.

“My parents and grandparents were the previous owners and they never had partners or anything,” Ryan said. “So, we’ve been on the same farm for 102 years in this same location. Nobody’s ever done anything in our family but farm.”

In the early days, Ryan’s grandfather and father sold meat hogs and cattle.

“At Christmas time they would sell hams to the businesses in Bentonville,” he said. “What my dad liked about being on the farm was just the open space and livestock.”

Ryan has always lived on the farm, and said he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I just couldn’t imagine getting up and not looking out the window and seeing a cow,” he said. “I got my first cow when I was 6 years old. My dad bought a registered Angus herd, and I got one of the calves. I had to buy her myself, too! When we sold her calves, he got paid back. That’s where I started. I milked cows while I was in high school, and when I got out of high school my dad got a mail route. He said, ‘You can keep the cows or sell them.’ I kept them. In April of 1972 I started off with 17 cows and we grew the dairy to 330 milking cows.

“I have only ever worked one week off the farm,” he continued. “I worked for my cousin’s machine shop. Those were the longest days. I got up and milked cows in the morning and went to work at that machine shop and then I got off about 3:30 and came home and did chores. And let me tell you, that one week was enough for me!”

Ryan appreciates living in the place that holds so much historic value to his family.

“My mom was born and lived here in the house, with her dad, that I now live in,” he said. “We still have the barn where she milked cows twice a day and walked a half a mile each way twice a day to pump water for cattle.”

Ryan has always taken his responsibility to keep the farm going very seriously.

“I’m an only child and an only grandchild so I feel like I have an obligation to do something greater than what I inherited. The biggest strain on me is that throughout history the third generation is the one that loses the family farm. And I tell you, with some of the things that happened in 2008 and 2012 it was scary not knowing whether you’re going to be able to pull enough rabbits out of the hat to keep it going and it makes you stay awake at night, I’ll tell you for sure.”

The next generation has already stepped up to do their part on the farm. Ryan and Susan have two boys, Cody, 34, and Casey, 32.

“They’re both here on the farm,” Ryan said.” One is just a little bit more mechanical-minded than the other, so one takes care of the cattle and the other one does a lot of mechanic work. We built a new shop last year. It’s the greatest thing, waking up every day and knowing you’re going to get to see your kids.”

Susan was a city girl and a registered nurse. She has raised the baby calves since

the second boy was born.

“She quit work and came home to the farm. She’s been in charge of baby calves ever since. She’s done a great job, having that nursing experience,” Ryan said. “She’s also been very involved in promoting dairy and agriculture since we got married.”

Ryan does not envy the plight of young people wanting to start out in farming today.

“It’s practically impossible for a young person to start in farming by themselves,” Ryan stated bluntly. “Many do a sharecropper-type situation like it was 100 years ago. An outsider will buy a farm and the people furnish the labor, then after a period of time, depending on the contract, they get to take over ownership. But to just go out and buy a farm, I don’t see it. The rent has gotten so high, and the availability of rentable ground is not happening in this area at least.”

Like all of the Century Farm honorees, Ryan and his family are humbled by the recognition.

“I want to reiterate the honor of being selected a Century Farm,” he said. “It honors my family and honors the ones before me.”