The view from the top of the hill is stunning.

Bright green rye grass rolls away from a tan brick home perched above the countryside east of Historic Washington State Park. Silver ponds to the north, east and west catch the sunlight. Cattle of every shade, black, red, white, tan and some with mottled spots, crowd around the puffier trees. Poultry houses, barns, sheds and workshops surround the hill, each exactly where it belongs.

For Aaron and Jessica Huett, the scene is more than beautiful. It is the result of decades of work.

The Huetts were recently selected as the 2026 Hempstead County Farm Family of the Year by the Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation. While they did not advance as district winners, both said they were honored by the recognition.

Reaching the farm means leaving the main highways behind and winding through one of the more secluded parts of northern Hempstead County where the land gently rises and falls. The quiet is one of the property's defining features.

"I've always commuted at least an hour to work, and everybody's always like, 'I don't know how you do that,'" Jessica said. "But when I pull through those front gates, it's worth it. That's why I do it."

The farm Aaron manages today traces its roots back generations. "Our original 1,200 acres was purchased by Aaron's grandfather Raymond Huett," the family's Farm Bureau application states. "It was known as the Royston Farm."

Aaron grew up outside Emmet and attended Prescott schools. Jessica grew up in Rosston and graduated from Nevada High School. Aaron moved onto the property in 1996. “We grew it from there till I think we got about 2,300 acres now."

The growth did not happen quickly. It started as a small cattle operation but now has become "a 2,300-acre ranch alongside our poultry business," as the Huetts put it in their application to Farm Bureau for consideration as county farm family of the year.

Jessica's path to the farm was a bit different from Aaron’s. She was attending nursing school when the couple met through mutual friends in 2002. “I had never been around a farm ever," she said with a laugh.

Aaron quickly changed that. "He taught me real quick how to work in the hay field, so when he was at work and I was off work, I would cut and rake hay for him and bush hog."

Jessica later completed anesthesia school. The couple married in 2009 and built their current home in 2011. Today, Jessica works as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, a career she has pursued for 18 years. She also owns and operates Illuminate Aesthetics in Hope, which opened in October 2021. "It's kind of my fun job," she said.

Aaron's career has always centered on agriculture. Before devoting himself full-time to the farm, he worked for Georgia-Pacific for 20 years while steadily building and diversifying his farm. The couple's children are deeply involved in both farm life and school activities.

Hampton, Avie, and Halden attend Spring Hill schools and play a variety of sports. The boys play travel baseball. Avie takes part in softball and cheerleading. The family is active at White Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church, where Jessica works with children's ministries, Vacation Bible School and other church programs.

The children are also leaning into farm life. “Hampton does for sure. He works a lot," Aaron said. "I often tell people he works harder than most grown men I know," Jessica added.

The children all help with cattle, chicken houses, fencing and hay cutting and storing.

In addition, the Huetts benefit from the assistance of Aaron's father, Ron. As Jessica wrote to us, "Beyond the work itself, Ron has been an incredible role model for our children, just as he has been for Aaron, passing down lessons, values and traditions that will continue through future generations."

The operation itself produces in a way that competes well with its sheer size. Aaron runs a cow-calf cattle business and oversees six Tyson broiler houses. The fields themselves billow out tons of hay. Four poultry houses were constructed in 2011, while two additional were completed in 2024. The farm also includes about 200 acres of pine timber.

Much of what visitors see today did not exist when Aaron arrived. "The only building that you saw when you came in there used to be a two-story chicken house built a long time ago," Aaron said. "That's really the only building that you see that was here when we bought the place. The rest, everything else has been built since." That house is now used to store hay.

Jessica said the property looked dramatically different when Aaron first took over. "It was in disrepair," she said.

Over the years, Aaron has built fencing, cattle-working facilities, roads, barns, shops and equipment sheds. The family's application details major investments in gravel roads, water systems, hay storage facilities and the means of moving cattle from one plot of grazing land to another.

Jessica credits Aaron's determination and wide-ranging skills for much of the farm's development. "He's a jack of all trades," she said. "He does all of our mechanic work—kind of everything."

Like many farm families, the Huetts face continual challenges. Labor, Aaron said, remains one of the biggest. Input costs continue to rise as well. "Everything is costing more," he said. "Fuel, power, parts, everything."

Weather presents another ongoing challenge. Heavy rains or droughts require adjustment. Feral hogs have become a serious problem, damaging pastures, fences and grazing land. Aaron built his first trapping system himself and continues an aggressive trapping program across the ranch.

The family has also developed ways to improve efficiency. Poultry litter is used as fertilizer on pastures. Aaron mixes feed using agricultural byproducts including gin trash and rice hulls to stretch hay supplies while maintaining cattle nutrition.

Conservation is a priority, too. The family employs rotational grazing practices, improved watering systems and pasture management techniques designed to protect soil health and maximize productivity.

Looking ahead, the Huetts plan to continue improving their cattle’s genetics, grazing systems, fencing and infrastructure while preparing the next generation for whatever role they choose in agriculture.

"Our goal has never been to grow acres or numbers," the family wrote in its Farm Bureau application. "It has been to build a farm that is sustainable, efficient, and something we are proud to pass down to our children."

That philosophy is visible nearly everywhere you look. As I rode with Aaron around the place in a side-by-side, the ponds shone clear beneath the summer sun. The cattle, including three longhorns, looked clean and healthy as they stood around shade trees in managed pastures. The poultry houses are lined up in neat rows below the hill. The dozen or more rolled hay stacks in the two-story shed stood in architectural precision.

For Aaron and Jessica Huett, the recognition as Hempstead County Farm Family of the Year represents agricultural success but also life success. It reflects decades spent transforming a secluded piece of northern Hempstead County into a place where work, family, faith and stewardship amount to beauty.

"It's a way of life," the family wrote in its application, "and we want to ensure it's something that can continue for future generations."

Above and first four photos below, as well as the photo of the houseplant setting is courtesy of Jessica Huett.