OUR STORY
3rd Generation
Family Operated Business
It all began in 1979 when Elvin and Linda Armer purchased Yonkipin Dairy, a farm located just north of Green Forest, Arkansas. The dairy had been named for the numerous American lotus flowers (called "Yonkapins") decorating the large, marshy pond on the property. After running the dairy for over 30 years, the Armers retired from milking and changed the operation to a commercial beef herd.
In 2020, two of their children, Marty Armer & Sheila Nance, took over operations of the farm. The Armer & Nance families have strived to continue the legacy of faith, family, and hard work that began over 40 years ago. The families have continued to expand the cattle herd and now directly market their beef.
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At Yonkipin Legacy Farms, we do our best to ensure that we are providing a top quality product for our customers. Every calf we put into the beef program has been born and raised on our farm. Feeding our families and our community healthy, nutritious beef is important to us!
MEET THE ARMER FAMILY
Marty & Kristy have been raising cattle since 2006 and have strived to instill in their children the values of faith, family, and hard work. Growing up on his parent's dairy farm, Marty learned these values from an early age. He served nine years as a combat engineer in the U.S. Army Reserves, deploying twice to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom & Operation Enduring Freedom. Besides overseeing cattle operations, he has also worked for Barrows Excavation for over 20 years.
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Kristy did not grow up in agriculture, but she enjoys gardening and always dreamed of living on a farm. She received her teaching degree from Evangel University in Springfield, MO and her Masters in Educational Administration from Lindenwood University. After teaching Business and Special Education at Blue Eye High School for eight years, she now homeschools the Armer children and takes care of the day-to-day farm and bookkeeping duties.
The Armer kids also serve a very important role. From checking, feeding, and working the cattle to helping with fence mending and hay production… the farm could not operate without them! They are active members in 4-H and enjoy showing animals and participating in their local fairs. ​​​
MEET THE NANCE FAMILY
Both raised on dairy farms, Raymon & Sheila moved away from the Green Forest area after being married in 1982. Raymon earned a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics and worked as an extension agent in Oklahoma for four years. God had a sense of humor, however, because he spent the remainder of his career working in the healthcare field as the IT director for Mercy - Rogers and Washington Regional. He was employed there for over 27 years and finally retired in 2023.
Sheila was a full-time mother and homeschool teacher until she went back to school to get her Masters in Elementary Education. She has taught preschool, 2nd grade, and English as a Second Language (ESL) to Kindergarten through 3rd graders. She retired from the Green Forest School District in 2024 after 20 years in the education field.
The Nances moved back to the Green Forest area in 2016 and attend church at New Hope Fellowship. They love working together on the farm and being able to provide quality beef from their farm to your table!
