Who we are
Meet the ASA Board of Directors! We are each committed to bettering the lives of sheep and shepherds alike, driven by a genuine love for this work and the communities built around it. As volunteer shepherds ourselves, we understand firsthand what it means to care for a flock — and that shared experience is at the heart of everything we do for ASA members.
Tanya Feagin, President
My name is Tanya Feagin, and my husband Chris and I run Rocking TLC Farms LLC here in Greenbrier Arkansas. I’m a retired accountant and Enrolled Agent, and Chris is the General Manager of a Ford dealership—but at heart, we’re sheep farmers who believe in using our land with purpose. When we started looking toward retirement, we knew we wanted a self‑sustaining operation that would work with the land, not against it.
We did our homework before ever buying our first sheep. After researching several breeds, we kept coming back to registered Katahdins. They’re hardy, adaptable, and built for pasture—exactly what we needed for the kind of flock we wanted to build. From day one, we’ve focused on raising sheep that can thrive with the practice we had in mind. Parasite resistance, strong mothering instincts, and overall good health aren’t optional here—they’re required.
When we bring in new stock, we look at both genotype and phenotype. Good sheep should prove themselves on paper and in the pasture. We currently run two unrelated RR rams, both carrying the TMEM154 (1:1) gene, to keep our flock strong, consistent, and moving forward.
If you are going to raise sheep then you need to gain knowledge of nutrition. Don’t assume your hay, pasture, and or grain is accurate and will sustain your sheep. Testing is key. And we take this concept to heart.
When it comes to pastures, our goal is simple: put more back into the soil than we take out. Healthy soil grows healthy forage, and healthy forage grows the kind of sheep we’re proud to raise.
One of the things I enjoy most is helping our customers understand what good genetics really mean—and how to care for sheep in a way that lets those genetics shine. Even the best-bred sheep can’t reach their potential without a knowledgeable shepherd. We’re always willing to mentor, answer questions, and help those people that want to learn and put in the effort and time to do so. Good sheep and good shepherds go hand in hand.
Rocking TLC Farms is our passion, our retirement plan, and our way of raising sheep the right way—through stewardship, sound genetics, and a commitment to doing better every year.
Tanya Feagin
President of ASA
Owner Rocking TLC Farms LLC
Colton Horn, Vice President
My name is Colton Horn and I am the Vice President of the Arkansas Shepherds Association. My wife Natalie and I own and operate Midway Ranch in Logan County, Arkansas. Our shepherding journey began in 2023 when we purchased four bred ewes from a homestead in Northwest Arkansas. At the time, we knew very little about shepherding and sheep in general. Our main goal was to milk our new ewes. Mistakes were made, but from those mistakes we learned, grew, and dedicated ourselves to being the best stewards we could be. We now raise 10 ewes (as of Spring 2026) on 3 acres of pasture. Our goal is to grow to 100+ ewes by 2037 in a manner that promotes resilience and strength.
Our flock consists of 10 ewes, 6 of which are commercial Katahdins and 4 of which are East Friesian/Lacaune dairy sheep. We breed our commercial ewes to high quality rams to produce an improved lamb crop year after year. Our preferred sales outlet is direct to consumer lamb, but we also sell market lambs and commercial replacements. Midway Ranch is dedicated to producing sheep that are of sound health, parasite resistant, and that grow out well in most management systems.
At Midway Ranch, I take on a few different roles. I am fence builder, shelter maker, landscaper, mobile transport, mutton buster, and often the brute force that gets things done. Spending time thinking about how to improve our pastures and infrastructure, ease the management processes, and consider differing rotational schemes are also important roles I take on. At this time, ranching is a part time job for me. My full time “off the farm” job is as a construction project manager and estimator on excavation and utility projects. I manage budgets, review contracts, schedule and bid various jobs, and manage relationships with owners and fellow engineers.
Arkansas Shepherds Association is a new, up and coming group that I am anxious to be a board member of. Serving on a board is not something I have done before, but I am dedicated to being a good leader and a good representative of the Arkansas sheep industry. Am I the most knowledgeable or experienced shepherd? No, but I am a good listener, a good communicator, and I will put in the work needed to be successful. I aim to listen to producers, hear their questions and concerns, then work alongside them and the association to share educational resources and expert contacts. My hopes for the Association are to build and bring together a community of Arkansas sheep producers that want to learn and work together to make this industry better.
Melanie Reynolds, Secretary
Founded in 2015, Reynolds Ranch is home to quality horses and registered Dorper sheep, built on a passion for livestock, hard work, and responsible stewardship of the land. What began as a small operation has grown into a place focused on raising healthy and well-cared-for animals. In addition to running the farm, I have a career in the insurance industry, where I help individuals and businesses protect what matters most. Balancing agriculture and insurance has allowed me to combine my passion for animals, while taking care of my clients.
Haley Jones, Treasurer
My name is Haley Jones. By day I work part time as an internal auditor at a community bank. I have a BS in Accounting and have spent over 12 years in banking, but farming has been a constant thread throughout my life.
Evans Bluff Farm is located near Hartman, Arkansas, where we raise turkeys commercially for Butterball alongside a small flock of commercial hair sheep, registered Nigerian Dwarf goats, and registered Kunekune pigs. The goal behind all of it is straightforward: to feed our family with meat we raised and butchered ourselves. There's something deeply satisfying about knowing exactly where your food came from and how it was cared for along the way.
I grew up with small ruminants and have been actively farming for over a decade. I was drawn to veterinary school early on, and that interest in animal health has never really left me... but life led me toward accounting instead. As it turns out, both have served the farm well.
My approach to livestock focuses on raising them as naturally as possible. Pasture improvement, rotational grazing, cover crops, and herbal prevention are all priorities I'm actively working toward. Healthy land produces healthy animals, and that's the direction I want Evans Bluff Farm to keep moving. Quality inputs lead to quality outputs!
We also maintain a small fruit orchard and raised bed garden, because the self-sufficient lifestyle extends well beyond the livestock for us.
I also enjoy sharing what I've learned over the years. I teach homesteading classes covering cheesemaking, canning, butchery, sourdough, and fermentation because good skills, like good farming practices, are worth passing on.
Darlene Myers, Director
My name is Darlene Myers. I retired from nursing in January 2024 after 45 years of nursing. My husband is a retired General Surgeon. He was actually working the ER in Memphis when Elvis Presley was brought in and pronounced dead. Thought that would be an interesting bit of information.
Three years ago I rescued a few days old lamb and he lived in the house with us for 4 months. That lead me to my love of sheep and I now have 9 katahdins. I have a beautiful registered ram named Patches and 2 registered ewes. I also have 4 commercial ewes and 2 wethers. I also have 5 rescued goats. I am a bit OCD and these animals are my top priority now. I am now selling their offspring as breeding sheep and I love it. I am continuously educating myself to give them the healthiest life possible. I believe we should all strive to educate ourselves on whatever we choose to do to make ourselves the best we can be in that field. Learning never stops and life is ever changing. I am blessed to be doing what I am doing now and look forward to many more years of being a good shepherd. “We Raise Happy Sheep” at Big D’s Farm in Conway, Arkansas.
Christine Hernandez, Director
(acting on behalf of Heifer Ranch)
Christine Hernandez serves as Livestock Manager at Heifer Ranch’s 1,200-acre Center for Regenerative Agriculture in Perryville, Arkansas. In this role, she oversees herd health and daily livestock operations, ensuring animals are managed according to regenerative principles that prioritize soil health, ecosystem function, productivity, and animal welfare.
She manages a pasture-based livestock system that includes a 125-ewe flock of Katahdin hair sheep. The flock is raised in a rotational grazing system designed to improve soil health, optimize forage utilization, and support parasite resilience. Christine integrates performance monitoring, strategic grazing, and low-stress handling practices to maintain a productive, hardy, and efficient sheep enterprise suited to the climate and conditions of Arkansas.
In addition to livestock management, Christine leads both in-person and virtual training programs that equip farmers and ranchers with practical, field-tested skills in sustainable and regenerative livestock production. Her educational videos, featured on Heifer USA’s YouTube channel, translate applied regenerative practices into accessible learning opportunities for producers across the country.
Christine earned her Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from Michigan State University and her Master’s degree in Animal Science from the University of Arkansas, where she gained hands-on experience managing livestock within a parasitology-focused production system. Since joining Heifer in 2016, she has played a key role in advancing regenerative livestock systems and strengthening experiential agricultural education at the Ranch.
Dedicated to continual improvement, Christine actively pursues professional development opportunities to remain at the forefront of livestock production and animal care. She believes that raising livestock with respect for both animals and the land is essential to building a resilient and thriving future for U.S. agriculture.
Contact us
Interested in joining us? Have questions? Let us know how we can help and we will be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you!