“Talk about an uphill battle/2000 acres of beans and cattle/But he don't ever get rattled/He just goes 'til the sun goes down,” (Here’s to the Farmer, Luke Bryan).
Conway Riley isn’t afraid of hard work. In fact, he has worked hard on the farm from a young age.
“Growing up, my dad worked two different jobs: he worked on the railroad and had cattle. He turned it over to me when I was about 10 years old,” recalled Conway. “We ran about 100 head of cattle at that time. I did all the haying, baling, and all of that. I’ve run the tractor and done everything since I was 10 years old.”
He worked hard each day on the farm, even when he had to attend school.
“Every morning I would get up at 6:00 and milk the cow. That’s how we got our milk back then,” Conway reminisced. “I’d come in that afternoon and tend to the cattle. If we had hay, I’d work the hay. Another guy that helped out would keep things going while I was in school. We worked from daylight to dark.”
When he graduated from high school, he continued his education; however, he decided to return to the farm.
“I finished high school at Quitman, and then I went to Jones Junior College for two years,” expressed Conway. “I was going to be a veterinarian, but I had to come back and work the farm. I had the cattle to take care of, and at that time I bought more cattle.”
He absolutely loves farming. In fact, since he started his farming career as a child, he has never taken another job.
“It’s been an experience for me, and it’s something I love to do,” proclaimed Conway. “I’ve never worked anywhere else in my life—just right here on the farm. A lot of people wouldn’t want to get out here all day long and do what I do.”
His children participated in 4-H showing cattle, and he sells some of the calves he raises to 4-H kids to show now.
“We’ve shown cattle since my kids were about six years old. They showed until they were old enough to age out of the 4-H Club,” stated Conway. “Cattle is my hobby. I run about 50 head right now. We raise cattle and sell club calves to these 4-H Club kids.”
He still helps out with 4-H as much as he can. He also doesn’t forget about the calves he sells. Conway makes sure to stay involved with the kids and help them as much as he can with the cattle.
“If I sell someone a calf, I go behind and do all the clipping for them. I go to all the shows these kids go to,” declared Conway. “I had four or five steers that people bought from me in the show this year in Clarke County. One calf won champion down there this year. I’m one of the 4-H helpers. I help a lot of the kids with clipping the cattle and show them how to show the cattle.”
Conway also has a few horses. When his daughter was a child, he built an arena on his property that was used for years for horse shows; however, the arena hasn’t been used in many years.
“Back when my daughter came along, she was about 15 and had been riding a while,” remembered Conway. “We’d go to the shows, and she asked why we didn’t build us an arena. I said we could do that, and I started working on it. We got it built and had our first show. That first night that people came, we started at 6:30 and wound it up at 1:30 the next morning. We had it the second or third Saturday each month, and it would start at 6:30 and last until 12 or 1:00 at night. It was big. We had horse shows here for a long time but don’t have them anymore. We had a couple rodeos here. It’s been about 19 since years since the arena has been used.”
His family is extremely important to him. He has always loved being involved in their lives, and some of his best memories involve watching them succeed in what they love doing.
“I enjoyed watching my granddaughter playing softball. She was excellent. She played for Enterprise, and I never missed a game,” declared Conway. “My grandson showed cattle, and he would win the Dixie National Awards and districts. Those are great memories.”
Now, he continues to work hard on his farm and spend as much time as he can with his family. With each day that goes by, he brightens the day of everyone he meets with his optimistic attitude and kind heart.
