The Haigwoods — Cultivating Legacy and Community

Chosen as one of the 2025 County Culture Farm Families, the Haigwood family represents the heart of Arkansas agriculture. Farming across both Jackson and Independence Counties, the Haigwoods have been a vital part of the Jackson County farming landscape since 1965. Through the years, they have grown more than just crops. They have cultivated a legacy rooted in hard work, family, faith, and community.

The Haigwoods are seasoned row crop farmers, producing cotton, rice, corn, and soybeans. Their agricultural expertise doesn’t stop in the fields. They also operate successful side businesses in land leveling and custom spraying. The family’s work ethic is unmatched, with days that begin before sunrise and stretch well past sundown. Farming, for them, is not just a job, but a way of life.

Every season brings its own rhythm. Spring is filled with planting, spraying, field preparation, and constant weather monitoring. Summer means long days irrigating, maintaining levees, and protecting the crop with insecticides. Harvest arrives in the fall, and the family shifts to running combines, transporting grain, and maintaining bins. Winter provides no break. Instead, it’s the season for seed planning, cover crops, yield data analysis, and land leveling.

Each member of the Haigwood family plays a role in the operation. From the youngest to the oldest, every hand contributes. Some family members have specialized skills, but when the work calls, everyone pitches in. Young ones are introduced early to the responsibilities of farm life and taught not just how to drive a tractor or fix equipment, but also the deeper values that sustain a farm: stewardship, gratitude, faith, and commitment to each other.

“Our farm is more than a business,” a family member shares. “It’s a classroom, a mission, and a heritage.”

Despite their deep roots and decades of experience, the Haigwoods face the same challenges shared by many farmers: fluctuating commodity prices, rising input costs, labor shortages, trade uncertainty, and increasingly unpredictable weather. Yet through it all, they remain committed to their mission, feeding families and serving their community.

The Haigwood family helps fuel the local economy by supporting equipment dealers and local suppliers, providing job opportunities, and participating in local agricultural education programs like Future Farmers of America. They're known to lend equipment, offer a helping hand to neighboring farms, and step up in times of community need or disaster.

Farming is changing rapidly, and the Haigwoods are determined to adapt. From incorporating drone technology for spraying to exploring genetically modified crop varieties suited to local climates, the family is preparing for the future while honoring the past.

For the Haigwoods, the best part of farm life is its purpose—feeding Americans and building something lasting with their own hands. It's a life of grit and grace, of challenge and reward, and one that promises to continue for generations to come.