Hempstead County Women’s Farm Bureau Committee AG Woman of the Month Is Sandra Hill

The Hempstead County Women’s Farm Bureau Committee has selected Mrs. Sandra Hill for our AG Woman for the month of March. Seeing that she is a professional teacher I’m gonna allow her to tell you her story so sit back and enjoy….

Hello, my name is Sandra Hill. I’m a daughter, sister, wife, mom, and a “mimi” (by far the most fun title I go by). Also, I have been a teacher of third graders for 35 plus years. And over these many years, I can not remember a time when AG life and the outdoors have not been a huge part of what I love.

Some of my earliest memories of farm life are playing with baby goats in my great Aunt Laura’s house during the winter, riding a hay filled wagon with my great Uncle Marion to feed the cows in the back field, and watching my great uncle milk a cow in the neatest little milking pen I had ever seen. These memories and many more have instilled a love and respect for the outdoors and farming.

My great Uncle Marion gave me my first cow with a brand new baby calf by her side. I remember wondering who was the proudest that day–my Uncle Marion or me. I’ve been hooked on raising cattle ever since that day 50 plus years ago.

I was raised in Spring Hill. My family and I have lived here my entire life. I went to Spring Hill School, graduated here, and then went on to Southern Arkansas University to finish up my education with a degree in Business Ed and Education.

After graduating from SAU, I came back to Spring Hill and married Jimmy Don HIll. We already had a little herd of mama cows to start off with. And it wasn’t long before we decided to buy some heifers and grow our herd some more. We were officially cattle farmers. Around that same time, I became a teacher at Spring Hill Elementary. (I ended up where I started out, and I’ve been there now for over 35 years.)

Since that time, our family, as well as our cattle operation, has grown considerably. Jimmy Don and I have always been in the school business and enjoyed raising cattle and the outdoors in our free time. The lessons we have learned on the farm–and taught our three children (and now seven grandchildren) can not be easily measured or found in a book. These neverending lessons are priceless. They prove that respect, hard work, determination and lots of blood, sweat, and tears can never be appreciated enough.

Our love for cattle farming and the outdoors has passed on to our children and grandchildren. Even the grands are always willing to help and enjoy the farm life. They love the chicken pen and finding eggs, feeding baby calves on a bottle, helping Pop pick up sticks in the pasture, or just riding in the gator to check the cows.

We are proud to be in the cattle industry and know AG is one of the most important and rewarding occupations in this country. It has truly been a blessing from God to be able to share this lifestyle with my family and pass on the important values and lessons learned on the farm with our little ones who are coming on behind us. Ag life has been good to us, and we are thankful to have been able to enjoy it right here in Spring Hill.