Charles Barham grew up in Ozark, Arkansas, and was an Honors Graduate from Arkansas Tech University in Russellville. He had planned to be a Forest Ranger, but the cows won him over! Charles started his cattle business buying one or two baby calves at a time. He built each baby calf its own pen in his parent’s backyard in Ozark and bottle fed each one 3 bottles of milk a day. When he had seven or eight big calves ready to sell, he took them to the local sale barn and sold them to buy three mama cows for the first time. This cycle continued until Charles’ herd grew to 30 cows.
Once Charles had proven himself as a cattle operator, he decided to expand and bought his first farm – 60 acres. As the operation continued to grow, Charles continued to purchase and lease more land and raise more cattle. His farms now total over 500 acres, and his beautiful Ozark farmland is home to hundreds of cattle.
Beginning in the Fall of 2019, Charles entered the farm-to-table market alongside his stepson, Ed Linck. He now sells handpicked calves, fed only improved pasture, sweet potatoes and chopped corn, to families across Arkansas.
Charles has come a long way since bottle feeding his calves in his parents’ back yard! His experience and joy of raising cattle shows in his daily work. His mission is to produce the finest beef in the region. You’ll taste the difference with Barham’s Ozark Beef.
Charles is married to Lynda Barham (aka The Farmer’s Wife). They have two sons (Edwin and Preston) and two daughters (Holly and Heather). They live in Conway, AR, but you’ll typically find Charles on the farm in Ozark!