When Cole and Jamie Hillery purchased their home place in the Redland community 11 years ago, they weren’t just buying a house and acreage. They were laying the foundation for what would become one of Nevada County’s most diversified agricultural operations.

The Hillerys, owners of H3 Cattle Company, have been selected as the 2026 Arkansas Farm Bureau Nevada County Farm Family of the Year. Their farm combines commercial cattle production, poultry growing, hay production and a preconditioning facility.

What began on roughly 275 acres has expanded to nearly 480 acres and now includes four poultry houses, a commercial cow-calf herd, hay production and a cattle preconditioning yard capable of handling hundreds of yearlings.

The roots of the operation, however, stretch back much further than the 11 years they have spent building it.  “The property, to the best of my knowledge, was bought by a guy named Pershing Cox somewhere in the late 60s,” Cole Hillery said. “He built this house in 1972, and he maintained the property and ran cattle on it until he just decided to retire.”

After the property sat vacant for several years, the Hillerys purchased it 11 years ago. “We bought the house in 2015 and remodeled, and just kind of started putting our own spin on it from there,” he said.

For Cole, agriculture was not a career he discovered later in life. It was the life he grew up living not far from where he is Jamie live now. “I was born and raised in Redland, which is where we are now,” he said. “I was fixing fence and bush hogging and doing hay and helping raise my dad’s cows when I was little.”

His agricultural education began through FFA and 4-H programs before he attended Southern Arkansas University for a short time, studying agricultural business and working on the university farm. Later, he gained practical livestock experience at a feedyard in Garden City, Kansas, where he helped identify and treat sick cattle.

Since then, much of his education has come from running the farm.  “It’s just been really on-the-job training, learning from experience, talking to other experienced farmers, and figuring out what best practices to use,” he said.

Jamie’s path to agriculture was considerably different. “Jamie, no, she’s from the city of Dallas,” Cole said with a laugh when asked whether she came from a farming background.

Jamie agreed.  “As far as farming goes, I have zero educational background,” she said.

A graduate of massage therapy school, she eventually built a career outside agriculture before joining the family operation full-time.

For a decade, Jamie worked at the Prescott-Nevada County Chamber of Commerce as Executive Director. As the farm expanded, however, the demands of managing poultry houses, cattle and the preconditioning yard made a decision necessary.

“I left the Chamber to come home and help Cole here on the farm,” she said. “His preconditioning yard and the chicken houses and our own cows really was a lot of work. So it was either hire someone, or I come home and help him.”

Today, the operation functions as a true family enterprise. “We help with everything on the farm,” Jamie said.

That includes their son, Slade, who has spent virtually his entire life growing up alongside the business. “He’s a good little farm hand out here,” Jamie said. “He helps with chores and weed eats and helps push up cows whenever he’s working them in the chute.”

Slade has also been involved in livestock exhibition from an early age. “He’s shown in the Nevada County Fair since he was four,” Jamie said. “Shows every year.”

The Hillerys believe growing up on a farm provides lessons that extend far beyond agriculture. Jamie sees value in the contrast between her own upbringing and the opportunities available to her son.

“I know that this raising a child in the country is completely different,” she said. “I think it’s wholesome. He gets to be a kid from the country.”

Cole believes farm life teaches resilience. “We’re going to teach him and instill in him that hard work and dedication pays off out here,” he said. “We’re constantly dealing with adversity and problems, and you have to figure out there’s not going to be anybody here to help you.”

“You’ve got to be a problem solver, and you have to face that adversity head on. You can’t run from it.”

Those lessons became especially relevant earlier this year when one of the farm’s poultry houses collapsed during the severe winter storm that affected much of Arkansas. The loss represented a significant setback for the operation, which raises broilers under contract for Tyson Foods and has earned recognition as one of the region’s top poultry producers.

“It was absolutely heartbreaking,” Cole said. “Just a pit in your stomach that is really hard to explain.”

Yet, as he tells his son, adversity must be confronted rather than avoided. “Once you get over the initial shock--and you have to get over it--you put one boot on at a time, and you go to work,” he said.

That meant coordinating with insurance representatives, contractors and cleanup crews while working to restore the damaged facility as quickly as possible. “You have to do everything you can to get that house back in working condition as fast as possible, or it is nothing but a loss of income,” he said.

The rebuilding effort has stretched across several months, but progress continues. “We’re getting there,” Cole said. “We have a roof and a ceiling on down there. We’re waiting on equipment to be installed.”

The Hillerys’ willingness to persevere through challenges mirrors the broader philosophy that has guided their operation’s growth. Their farm now includes approximately 46 cow-calf pairs, a hay operation producing hundreds of bales annually and a preconditioning facility that can accommodate 400 yearlings. The preconditioning yard reflects many of the management principles Cole learned during his time in Kansas, focusing on cattle health and readiness before they move into the next phase of production.

The family also emphasizes stewardship of the land through conservation-minded practices, including rotational grazing and no-till methods designed to protect soil and water resources.

Like many agricultural producers, the Hillerys face fluctuating markets, rising costs and economic uncertainty. Cole takes a practical view of those challenges. “Of course everybody’s affected by the economy,” he said. “We just have to do what’s best to limit our costs and just go on from there.”

“Whatever the world hits us with, we’re going to continue to truck on.”

Outside of the daily work, the family remains deeply involved in community life. They are active members of Shady Grove Baptist Church, where they participate in youth programs and service activities. Cole serves as president of the Nevada County Fair Association and as a board member of the Nevada County Conservation District. Jamie serves as secretary of the fair association and has long been active in community leadership efforts.

When work allows, the family enjoys spending time together on the property they have spent more than a decade building. Fishing, riding four-wheelers and simply enjoying the countryside provide opportunities to slow down and appreciate the results of years of hard work.

For the Hillery family, being named Nevada County Farm Family of the Year recognizes much more than agricultural production. It honors a commitment to family, community, perseverance and stewardship — values that continue to shape both their farm and the next generation growing up on it.