Sanders of Franklin named Izard County Farm Family of the year

The Sanders Family of Franklin have been named the 2026 Izard County Farm Family of the year. The farm named Spring Valley Ranch is owned by Nathan and Courtney Sanders, who along with help from their children, run the farms daily operations.
Nathan Sanders grew up in a farming family and has been farming for the last 30 years. He began at his Father and grandfather’s farms, learning the literal and figurative ropes of farming. He was an avid cattle roper in his teens and his love for cattle and farming lead him down the path he is on. He started his cattle operation taking care of his grandfather’s cattle after he retired in 2013. They bought their current farm in 2018.
Courtney is a middle school teacher at Izard County Stem School, teaching fifth and sixth grades. She moved here from Jonesboro, never having much knowledge about farming. But she has learned the ropes and always helps where she can. Nathan and Courtney have three children; Zander and Dayka Lock, who live at home, and Lilly Felton who lives close by with her husband Zeb and their two children. The children help out on the farm with Zander being Nathans go to farm hand.
When they first purchased their farm, a lack of cross fencing made it difficult to properly contain the cattle and graze effectively. They improved their fencing to better utilize the pastures. They implemented many features but one of the most beneficial is unrolling the hay and feed it for winter which helps enrich the soil and improve the land.
One of the biggest challenges they say about farming is the unexpected. In recent years tragedy has struck the farm. In 2022 straight-line winds downed trees and damaged fences, as they had just recovered from that in 2024 a tornado hit their home causing major damage. Luckily the Sanders are resilient and bounced back, rebuilding the other side of their home better than before. Even more lucky, no cattle were lost in those storms.
The Sanders farm is about 1,000 acres with another 80 acres that Nathan’s uncle owns that they use for hay. They do cow/calf care and production. The cattle they farm are mainly Black Angus with some crossbred. Marketing the calves through a local sale barn in the fall and spring. To keep up with the veracious appetites of their cattle they cut and bale hay on their farm, producing roughly 1,000 bales annually. Doing this means they are able to feed their cattle through the winter.
One of the Sanders main goals on their farm is to strengthen their operation through improvements in their pasture quality, grazing management and protecting their water resources which include several natural springs. They do this through careful pasture and grazing management to prevent damage to the spring from the cattle.
Nathan says what he finds the most rewarding is at the end of a hard day’s work you can look and see what you have done. They are very honored to have been chosen as the Izard County Farm Family, crediting his family for his success and hopes that they can pass the farm on to future generations.