NEW BREED OF TEXAS RANCHERS
by
Maryann Miller

 

What do you do with a miniature Hereford? Well, if you are Nancy Falster, you climb on his back and go for a ride. To show how docile their animals are, Nancy got up on Cibolo, a bull she and her husband, Karl, raised from birth, and let him meander around the pasture for a bit. "They really are quite tame," she said, before stopping for a picture.

Most folks wouldn't be inside the same pasture with a bull without high-tailing it for the nearest fence, but Nancy and her husband Karl, are quite comfortable mingling with the animals and calling them all by name. They have 38 head of cattle that they run on 60+ acres of pastures maintained by an organic program that produces grass so rich in nutrients there is no need to supplement with grain.

They are not in the beef business, although they have sold meat to individuals, and their main focus is on selling calves to people who want to start their own herd of miniature Herefords, or supplying semen from their prize bulls for breeding purposes. They have a few cows they milk regularly and Nancy makes yogurt , cheese, and kefir, which is a fermented milk rich in nutrients and beneficial bacteria.

Falster Farms also supports goats, chickens, pigs, and a large garden, all on organic programs. "We are about 75% self sustaining," Karl said. "And it is all natural."

"But I do have to go to town now and then to get him a packaged sweet," Nancy joked.

The couple took a rather circuitous route to organic farming and raising miniature Herefords, which are about two-thirds the size of a regular cow. In 1970 Karl owned "Plants Alive" nursery in Charleston, S.C. "There was this old man who used to come by with chickens, and one day we started talking about growing tomatoes," Karl said. "I told him I wanted to grow the best tomatoes, and he said to use his chicken manure. I did, and we had a bumper crop that year."

Karl started selling bags of chicken manure through his business, while also researching and learning about other organic approaches to farming. He worked with Clemson University on a study using seaweed to fertilize peaches and finally took the whole nursery production to organics.

The decision to buy land and start raising Herefords came much later after years of being in retail - they owned franchises for knife stores as well as franchises for "Curves." Karl also sold insurance for a while. "Nancy says I'm an entrepreneur," he said. "I say I've just had a lot of hobbies."

Then their whole world turned upside down overnight.

Karl was diagnosed with PTST from his service in Vietnam as a U.S. Marine. He had a chemical imbalance due to Agent Orange that "Put me on my butt."

This happened shortly after they had moved to San Antonio to manage some property. It took three years of hospitalization for Karl to recover enough to resume normal life and during that time Nancy, who had always wanted to be a farmer, managed the property, took care of a few animals, and maintained a large garden. "At the end of the day I would pick tomatoes and cantaloupe and Fed Ex it to the hospital in California where Karl was a patient."

Then one day she called Karl and asked if she could buy a little cow. "I figured that would be okay," he said. "Little cows grow up to be big cows. But she said, 'No. I want to buy a miniature cow.' I thought then that she was the one who should be in the hospital."

Like many other wounded souls, Karl did not want to focus on his illness or those difficult years of recovery. Instead, he shared with pride the accomplishments they have had in the three-plus years they have lived just outside of Winnsboro on Falster Farm. "In the Marines we have a saying "payback" and Nancy always wanted to be a farmer," he said. "This is my way of paying back the debt I owe her for pulling me out of all that."

The couple credits organic farming and all-natural approach to living for helping Karl to recover. Nancy is a professional personal chef by education and uses her talent and experience in the culinary arts to maintain the good health of the family. Between them they have four children and four grandchildren, and Nancy enjoys cooking for them, as well as friends.

Since moving to this area, they have become involved in the Reformed Church in Winnsboro. "It had been the Reformed Baptist Church for eight years," Karl said. "Then the congregation decided to disconnect from the Baptist and be simply a Reformed Church."

The church is currently looking for a pastor, and Karl fills in now and then as preacher."That gives me an opportunity to do some research in areas of theology and religion," he said.

Karl has experienced several religious traditions, including Roman Catholic and Presbyterian, but says he like the Reformed theology that promotes a "Doctrine of Grace. God did the atoning work for us," he said. "So salvation is not based on what man can do, but what God has already done for us."

The couple are members of the Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association; Miniature Hereford Club. and life members of the American Hereford Association, Sons of Confederate Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars  and the The Marine Corps League . They enjoy meeting people via their Website and in person, and are eager to teach anyone who is interested about organic farming, as well as raising the miniatures. "We get calls from people all over the world wanting to find out about farming," Nancy said. "And we've had families come from Arizona and Missouri who want to learn about animal husbandry."

"People are beginning to find out that what we have been doing works," Karl said. "We go to shows and hear people talk about how many calves they lost in a year, and we hardly ever have any birthing problems. Our cows just seem to thrive on the grass and that makes it easier for them."

Nancy and Karl are also big supporters of the Ron Paul presidential candidacy and were instrumental in organizing the recent rally held in Winnsboro. "Don't even mention his name and get her started," Karl joked. But while Nancy is fervent in her support, she is never pushy.