Eddie Wagoner always wanted to be a farmer.
“I always wanted to chase cows,” he said with a laugh. “I never wanted to do anything else.
“There are times when it’s really a challenge, like during a spring storm when it’s sleeting, but at the same time, when that one calf hits the ground and does what it’s supposed to do … it’s all worth it.”
Eddie, 46, and his wife, Stacy, 44, along with their children, Amber, 16, and Rance, 13, are the 2015 Independence County Farm Family of the Year. They live in the Maple Springs community about halfway between Oil Trough and Rosie and raise cattle and hay on 1,170 acres they rent nearby.
Wagoner grew up in Egypt — not the one with the pharaohs and pyramids, but the one in nearby Lawrence County, where his parents grew row crops.
The son of Joel and Jeannie Wagoner of Batesville, Eddie graduated from Batesville High School after the family moved to Independence County. He attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in animal science in 1991 and a master’s degree, also in animal science, in 1993 with an emphasis on reproductive physiology.
Eddie has a sister, Carey Robertson, who farms at Union Hill, and a brother, Chris, who is a coach at Hoxie.
Eddie met his wife, Stacy, while in college.
Stacy grew up in Mountain Home and graduated from Cotter High School. She is the daughter of Pearl Matthews of Union Hill and Howard Klock of Seattle, Washington. She has one brother, Hayden Klock, who is a contractor in Centerville, Texas.
Stacy received a bachelor’s degree in animal science, with a minor in agriculture business, in 1993 from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. She later returned to college at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting. She is a certified public accountant and works as an accountant at FutureFuel Chemical Co. in Batesville.
The Wagoners raise commercial cattle, but they do have some registered Braford cattle. Eddie said Braford cattle are a cross between Braham and Hereford cattle.
“They are red cattle,” he said. “I like red cattle. I think they do better in the summer; they are more heat tolerant. They are also more reproductive.”
Eddie said he is working on a plan “not to feed the cattle as much.”
“I am experimenting with genetics, hunting more-efficient cows,” he said. “I want to use more forage, use rotational grazing so we won’t have to put up so much hay.
“We are moving toward a completely forage-based program with very little, if any, supplemental feed required. While this typically leads to lower weaning weights and the use of smaller-framed cattle, the reduction in size is usually offset by the decrease in expenses.”
As he works toward this plan, Eddie said, he also hopes to be able to rent the farm adjacent to the one the family now rents.
“This should allow for the herd to increase 50 to 60 head, depending on management,” he said.
Eddie said it is a hard choice: “Do you stay small enough to do it all yourself, or do you grow enough to be able to hire a good hired hand? A good hired hand costs about $30,000 a year.
“So far, I’ve stayed small enough to do it all myself,” he said.
“All my hired help will be going off to college soon,” he said, referring to his children. “Amber wants to be a paleontologist and write stories. Rance doesn’t have an idea yet what he wants to do.”
Amber is a junior at
Southside High School. Rance is an eighth-grader at Southside Junior High School.
“I tell them ‘A’ means acceptable,” Eddie said. “They are both capable of making good grades.”
Both help on the farm. They are also involved in 4-H and have shown livestock over the years.
Amber currently has a herd of Boer goats that she manages and maintains. She is involved in other activities as well, including swimming, choir and the youth group at church.
Rance has bred and raised hogs in the past but currently just purchased show pigs. He is also busy with several activities — he is a member of the basketball, baseball, archery and trap teams at school and the youth group at church. He most recently joined the 4-H Shooting Sports team.
The Wagoners are members of First United Methodist Church in Batesville.
Eddie is a member of the Independence County Farm Bureau Board of Directors and served as its president for 10 years. He is also a member of the Independence County Fair Board of Directors and served as its president for one year. A member of the Independence/Jackson County Cattlemen’s Association and the Independence County Conservation District, Eddie has served on the Arkansas Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee and has attended national YF&R conventions and American Farm Bureau conventions.
Stacy is a member of the Independence County Swim Team Board of Directors, has served on the Independence County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee and has been a 4-H leader. She has also been active on the Arkansas Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee and attended national YF&R and American Farm Bureau conventions.